Item 4 in Daoist Five Precepts
Abstain from false speech
Avoid deliberate deception and harmful dishonesty.
- Position
- 4
- Form
- Mixed formulation
- Obligation
- Context-dependent
- Wording status
- Translation
- Intended audience
- Daoist lay followers and initiates, with variation by lineage
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Abstain from false speech
Source wording
Avoid deliberate deception and harmful dishonesty.
Broader interpretation
Avoid deliberate deception and harmful dishonesty.
Practical meaning
Avoid deliberate deception and harmful dishonesty.
Ethical purpose
This principle is intended to guide conduct, character and relationships in accordance with the parent framework.
Variations across schools or traditions
Interpretation and application may vary across communities, translations and individual circumstances.
Criticism and difficult cases
This principle should be applied with attention to evidence, consent, equality, power, foreseeable harm and realistic alternatives.
Truth By Reason analysis
Avoid deliberate deception and harmful dishonesty. Its ethical force depends on whether its application reduces avoidable harm and respects equal human dignity.
Ethical themes
Sources
- Taoist Beliefs — Five Basic Taoist Precepts Mainstream secondary source