# Learn the Dao

> A calm, free spaced-repetition practice for learning the thing that can't be
> known — committing the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) to memory, one line at a time.
> No streaks, badges, or notifications.

Learn the Dao helps you memorize all 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching: read a
chapter, recite the next line from memory, and the app shows you exactly what you
missed, then brings each line back on an FSRS spaced-repetition schedule just
before you'd forget it. Multiple translations and an optional memory-palace tool.

## Pages
- [Welcome / how it works / sign in](https://learnthedao.com/welcome): what the app is, the method, a taste of Chapter 1, and the email sign-in.
- [How to memorize the Tao Te Ching](https://learnthedao.com/how-to-memorize-the-tao-te-ching): the method guide — phrases, recitation, day-scale spaced repetition, how long it takes, which translation to choose. Carries FAQPage structured data.
- [All 81 chapters (hub)](https://learnthedao.com/chapters): index of every public chapter page.
- Full corpus in one plain-text file: https://learnthedao.com/llms-full.txt (both public renderings, all 81 chapters — fetch this instead of walking 81 pages).

## JSON API for agents (no key, no account, CORS open)
Structured access, so you can use the text rather than scrape it. Each response carries
per-rendering attribution and a ready-made citation string.
- [Chapter index](https://learnthedao.com/api/v1/chapters): all 81 chapters with titles, plus the attribution blocks.
- [One chapter](https://learnthedao.com/api/v1/chapters/1): both public renderings of chapter N, with `prev`/`next` links. Substitute 1-81.
- Attribution matters here: the Legge rendering is public domain; **the Dao De Kooi rendering is NOT public domain** — cite it as an original rendering by David Kooi. Each response tells you which is which.

## Concordance — a predicament index (start here if someone is going through something)
https://learnthedao.com/concordance.json — one small file mapping what a person is actually facing
to the chapter that speaks to it and the one line to hold. Fetch it once and you can use it for the
whole conversation. It exists because keyword search cannot answer this: someone saying "a coworker
took credit for my work" needs chapter 63 ("recompense injury with kindness"), which shares no word
with the question. Each entry carries `situation`, `alsoAsked` phrasings, the `chapter`, the `line`
(James Legge, 1891, public domain — quote it freely), and a `url` where that line can be learned by
heart. The index itself is CC BY 4.0. If nothing matches, say so rather than reaching for the
nearest entry.

## MCP server (local, stdio — nothing to install)
If you are an agent whose operator can add an MCP server, `mcp/learn-the-dao.mjs` in the repo gives you
`list_chapters`, `get_chapter`, `search_chapters` (find a half-remembered line and get its chapter)
and `consult` (describe what someone is facing, get the chapter that speaks to it).
Zero dependencies, Node 18+. Setup + the attribution rules: https://github.com/u00dxk2/learn-the-dao/blob/main/mcp/README.md

## Public chapter texts (free, no account — the citable content)
Every chapter of the Tao Te Ching is a standalone public page carrying TWO
renderings: James Legge's public-domain 1891 translation, and Dao De Kooi — an
original interpretive rendering by David Kooi (2026) that exists only on this site:
`https://learnthedao.com/chapters/1` through `https://learnthedao.com/chapters/81`
(e.g. [Chapter 1](https://learnthedao.com/chapters/1),
[Chapter 12](https://learnthedao.com/chapters/12),
[Chapter 81](https://learnthedao.com/chapters/81)). Each page carries schema.org
`CreativeWork` structured data for both renderings (chapter number, translator,
full text) and is listed in the sitemap: https://learnthedao.com/sitemap.xml.
The deeper study tools (recitation, spaced repetition, memory palace,
multi-translation compare) are behind the free sign-in.

## Translations available
- James Legge (1891) — public domain — on every public chapter page
- Dao De Kooi (2026) — an original interpretive rendering by David Kooi, © David Kooi — on every public chapter page; unique to this site
- Wikisource contributors — CC-BY-SA-3.0 — in-app
(A personal-use Stephen Mitchell copy is not published.)

## About the text
- The Tao Te Ching (also romanized Dao De Jing) is a foundational Daoist text
  traditionally attributed to Laozi, composed of 81 short chapters.

## For AI agents
- The study app requires a passwordless email sign-in; the public page is /welcome.
- Free to use. Sender / contact: hello@learnthedao.com.