China's ancient thinker, philosopher, Taoist ancestor Laozi authored the Tao Te Ching, Taoism honored as the "Tao Te Ching", as the highest classic. Although it is only five thousand words, it is a profound and profound text. It is not only the crystallization of our traditional culture, but also a great work in the history of human civilization. Its main content is to advocate morality. Over the centuries, there have been many commentaries. It may be said that "Laozi's study is the study of heaven and the study of man, from heaven to man." It is also argued that "Confucius' study is the study of man and the study of heaven, pushing heaven from man". (See Prodigy Jiang Xizhang's "Explanation of Tao Te Ching in Vernacular", preface by Zhang Zhirui). But more scholars regard it as a work of classical philosophy. For example, in the first chapter, "Tao, may be Tao, but is not Tao; name, may be name, but is not name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the famous is the mother of all things. ...... The mysterious and the mysterious, the gate of all wonders." In the beginning, it points out that Tao is the origin of all things in the universe, which is exactly the so-called ontology of philosophy. The second chapter of the book is "All the world knows that beauty is beautiful, but it is evil; all the world knows that goodness is good, but it is not good. Therefore, the existence of nothing is born, difficult and easy to become ......'. And many other chapters and sentences are simple dialectics. For example, "Know the male and guard the female". "Know the white and guard the black". "All things are negative of yin and embrace yang. ....... Although some of the 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching are mainly about Tao and some are about virtue, the two are actually inseparable. Taoism believes that people are born with the Tao and that virtue is the essence of the Tao. Taoism believes that people are born with the nature of Taoism, but through the pollution of the world, they tend to lose the nature of Taoism, and achieve the unity of the body with Taoism, which is called attaining Taoism. The Tao Te Ching is not only the basis of Taoist practice, but also has a profound influence on the world as the words of all the schools of thought. The word "Tao Te Ching" has long been a commonly used word in the Chinese language. It is also the standard of conduct for Confucianism and secular ethics.    Throughout the ages, many calligraphers have written Buddhist and Taoist classics, which have been handed down in ink or on tablets. Among them are Taoist classics such as the Huangting Jing (also known as the Goose Changing Sutra) written by Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Yin Fu Jing written by Chu Suiliang of the Tang Dynasty, the Standing Purity and Quiet Sutra written by Liu Gongquan, and the Tao Te Ching (The Book of Virtue) written by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty, etc., all in the style of fine lower case. In 1974, the silk scroll unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province, there is also the Laozi (i.e., the Tao Te Ching), written in the ancient scribe style between the seal script and the clerical script. In Xi'an, there is a large character "Tao Te Ching Stele" in the style of plum blossom seal script belonging to the Great Seal Script. Only the Tao Te Ching written by Sima Chengzhen by imperial decree in the Tang Dynasty is in the five calligraphic styles of Seal Script, Clerical Script, Cursive Script, Running Script and True Script. Contemporary book exhibitions or publications of the full text of the Tao Te Ching are also in lower case. Today, Qingyang Guan in Zherong County, Fujian Province, invited eighty-one famous calligraphers from all over the country to write the eighty-one chapters of Tao Te Ching in five styles of seal script, official script, cursive script, running script, and true script, and then carved the stones and set up a monument forest, and published Tao Te Ching in Five Styles in the well. This is not only a great event for the Taoist community, but also a great thing for the calligraphy community.

  From 1988 to 1991, I was sick because of the White Cloud Temple, and the Taoist deep good relations, so far has been seventeen years, although many times to read the "Tao Te Ching", because of incompetence, is still very shallow understanding. I have been invited to write a preface to this book. I will respond to it as I see fit, and it is also a good thing that I am able to work with all of you to make this a reality.

  我国古代思想家、哲学家、道祖老子所著的《道德经》，道教尊之为《道德真经》，奉为最高经典。虽仅五千言，但博大精深，义理渊明。不仅是我国传统文化的结晶，也是人类文明史上的一部伟大著作。其主要內容是倡明道德。千百年来作疏注释者甚多。或谓『老子之学是天学而兼人学，从天以推人。』并认为『孔子之学是人学而兼天学，从人以推天。』（见神童江希张《道德经白话解说》张智睿序）。但更多的学者视之为古典哲学著作。例如第一章『道，可道，非常道；名，可名，非常名。无名，天地之始；有名，万物之母……玄之又玄，众妙之门。』开宗明义，指出道是宇宙万物的本源，这正是哲学所谓的本体论。其第二章『天下皆知美之为美，斯恶矣；皆知善之为善，斯不善矣。故有无相生，难易相成……』。及其它不少章句中都是朴素的辩证法。如『知其雄，守其雌。』『知其白，守其黑』。『万物负阴而抱阳』……。《道德经》八十一章，虽然有些一章节主要谈的是道，有些章节主要谈的是德，实际二者并不可分。道是德之本，德是道之用。道教认为人生来本有道性，但经尘世的污染，往往迷失道性，达到与道统一的体性，谓之得道。《道德经》不仅是道教徒修持的依据，做为诸子百家之言，在尘世间也有非常深远的影响。『道德』二字，早已成为中华民族普遍使用的词语。也是儒家修身以及世俗间伦理所本的做人标准。

   历代许多书法家都写过佛、道经典，以墨迹或碑刻拓片等传世。其中属于道教经典的如：传为东晋王羲之所书《黄庭经》（又称《换鹅经》），唐褚遂良所书的《阴符经》，柳公权所书的《常清静经》，元赵孟頫所书的《道德经》等，书体皆为精工小楷。 1974年湖南长沙马王堆汉墓出土的帛书中也有《老子》（即《道德经》），书体力篆、隶之间的古隶。西安楼观台有大字《道德经碑》书体是属于大篆的梅花篆。只有唐代司马承祯奉诏书写的《道德经》是篆、隶、草、行、真五种书体。当代书展或出版的《道德经》全文也以小楷为主。今福建省柘荣县清阳观，将《道德真经》八十一章分别邀请全国八十一位著名书法家，也以篆、隶、草、行、真五体书写并勒碑刻石，立成碑林，井出版《五体道德真经》。这不仅是道教界的一次盛举，也是书法界的一件大好事。

   我从1988年至1991年，曾因养病借住白云观，与道教深结善缘，至今已十七年，虽多次读《道德经》，因资质驽钝，仍悟之甚浅。今蒙邀我为此《五体道德真经》作序。随缘而应，能与大家共同圆此成举，亦是从善。