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Why am I called Old Gigi Lai instead of Plum?
Some time ago, when I was giving lectures in other places, a Taoist friend asked me, "Zhuangzi's surname Zhuang is Zhuangzi, Confucius' surname Kong is Confucius, and Mencius' surname Meng is Mencius. Why is Lao Zi's surname Li called Lao Zi instead of Li Zi? "

1? This is my answer to this Taoist friend. I say folklore because Lao Zi's mother conceived Lao Zi in 198 1 and cut open her left armpit and gave birth to him. She was named Lao Zi when she was born, but the legend is a legend after all. I think Zheng Xuan's statement in Ceng Li Zi Zhu is more reliable: "Laozi is known as the longevity examiner." Laozi is the oldest person in a hundred families. Sima Qian said that he lived to be "over 60 years old, or over 200 years old, and lived by practicing Buddhism".

Personal understanding: The word "Laozi" means that he is the oldest old man, and Laozi's word "Zi" is a title of respect for a teacher or a moral and learned person in ancient China. But here, I want to give a new understanding to the word "Lao Zi". Today, when we read Laozi, we should not only read the inner peace of an old man, but also read the lively innocence of a child, which constitutes Laozi's dual character. This is the meaning of Laozi's name, and it is also the meaning of reading Laozi today.

Daoyou laughed at my answer, and I laughed. I laughed when I saw Lao Tzu in the sky!