Inherent principle of Tao (Taoism)

According to Taoist philosophy, all things manifest in the world have their own nature or quality derived from the [Tao]

which underlies all. This is [te]

, it is what one is in essence and what one attains on realizing [Tao]

and returning to the natural simplicity of the child. In Confucian thought, [te]

is the quality of the most noble of humans - that which attracts others as a model for their own lives.