<p>The&nbsp;<em>Tao Te Ching</em> along with the&nbsp;<em>Zhuangzi</em> is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious&nbsp;Taoism and strongly influenced other schools such as&nbsp;Legalism&nbsp;Confucianism and&nbsp;Chinese Buddhism which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Daoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists including&nbsp;poets&nbsp;painters&nbsp;calligraphers and even&nbsp;gardeners have used the&nbsp;<em>Daodejing</em>&nbsp;as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside East Asia and it is among the most translated works in world literature.</p>