道家 refers to both a major school of classical Chinese philosophy (with foundational texts like the 道德经 and 庄子) and the religious tradition that later evolved from it, known as Daoism/Taoism. As a noun, it names the tradition itself, not an individual practitioner (who would be called 道士). It's distinct from 道教, which more narrowly denotes the organized religion, though the two terms overlap in everyday usage.