Taiyi Shengshui (Chinese: 太一生水; pinyin: Tàiyī Shēngshuǐ; lit. 'The Great One Gave Birth to Water') is an ancient Chinese text written around 300 BC during the Warring States period. It is part of the Guodian Chu Slips.
The Great One (Taiyi) gave birth to water.
Water returned and assisted Taiyi,
in this way developing heaven. Heaven returned and assisted Taiyi, in this way developing the earth.
Heaven and earth [repeatedly assisted each other],
in this way developing the "gods above and below."
The "gods above and below" repeatedly assisted each other,
in this way developing Yin and Yang.[2]: 123
The Taiyi Shengshui was written on 14 bamboo strips and was discovered among the Guodian Chu Slips in 1993 in Hubei, Jingmen, and has not been discovered anywhere else.[3] The text's inclusion in the Guodian "Laozi C" bundle has led some scholars to suggest it may have been considered part of the Tao Te Ching.[4][2]: 8