Editing Tao (section)

===Semantics===
The word {{zhi|c=道}} has many meanings. For example, the ''[[Hanyu Da Zidian]]'' dictionary defines 39 meanings for {{zhi|c=道|p=dào}} and 6 for {{zhi|c=道|p=dǎo}}.{{sfnp|''Hanyu Da Zidian''|1989|pp=3864–3866}}

[[John DeFrancis]]'s Chinese-English dictionary gives twelve meanings for {{zhi|c=道|p=dào}}, three for {{zhi|c=道|p=dǎo}}, and one for {{zhi|c=道|p=dāo}}. Note that brackets clarify abbreviations and ellipsis marks omitted usage examples.
<blockquote>'''<sup>2</sup>dào''' {{zhi|c=道}} N. &#91;[[noun]]&#93; road; path ◆M. &#91;nominal [[measure word]]&#93; ① (for rivers/topics/etc.) ② (for a course (of food); a streak (of light); etc.) ◆V. &#91;[[verb]]&#93; ① say; speak; talk (introducing direct quote, novel style) ... ② think; suppose ◆B.F. &#91;bound form, [[bound morpheme]]&#93; ① channel ② way; reason; principle ③ doctrine ④ Daoism ⑤ line ⑥〈hist.〉 &#91;history&#93; ⑦ district; circuit canal; passage; tube ⑧ say (polite words) ... See also ''<sup>4</sup>dǎo'', ''<sup>4</sup>dāo''

'''<sup>4</sup>dǎo''' {{lang|zh|导/道[導/-}} B.F. &#91;bound form] ① guide; lead ... ② transmit; conduct ... ③ instruct; direct ...<br />
'''<sup>4</sup>dāo''' {{lang|zh|道}} in ''shénshendāodāo'' ... {{lang|zh|神神道道}} R.F. &#91;[[Reduplication|reduplicated]] form&#93; 〈topo.〉&#91;non-Mandarin form&#93; odd; fantastic; bizarre{{Sfnp|DeFrancis|2003|pp=172, 829}}</blockquote>''Dao'', starting from the [[Song dynasty]], also referred to an ideal in [[Chinese landscape painting]]s that artists sought to live up to by portraying "nature scenes" that reflected "the harmony of man with his surroundings."{{sfnp|Meyer|1994|p=96}}