Showing posts with label 장자. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 장자. Show all posts

2023/09/03

알라딘: 노자와 장자에 기대어 - 최진석의 자전적 철학 이야기 2022

알라딘: [전자책] 노자와 장자에 기대어



[eBook] 노자와 장자에 기대어 - 최진석의 자전적 철학 이야기 
최진석 (지은이)북루덴스2022-12-30 

책소개

평생 노장 철학을 연구해온 저자의 ‘나’와 ‘가족’ 이야기, 노자와 장자 철학의 시선으로 바라보는 ‘우리 사회’에 관한 사유를 담고 있다. 육십갑자를 한 바퀴를 돌았다는 회갑 날, 저자는 자신이 태어난 전남 신안의 작은 섬, 장병도를 방문한다. 저자는 그곳에서 이제는 할머니가 된 아버지의 초등학교 제자를 만나 기억에도 없던 어릴 적 이야기를 듣고, 그동안 꺼낸 적 없는 어머니, 아버지 이야기를 비롯해 큰누나와의 이별까지 인간 최진석의 진솔한 자기 고백과 거기서 비롯된 깊은 철학적 통찰을 보여준다. 평생에 걸쳐 ‘죽음’을 사유했던 저자는 ‘언젠가 죽을 수밖에 없는 존재’인 우리에게 자기 삶의 주인으로서 자유롭고 영원한 삶을 살아가자고 따뜻하지만 냉철한 어조로 권하고 있다.

저자는 스스로 품었던 ‘삶의 목적은 무엇일까?’라는 질문에 “내가 자기 삶의 ‘별’로서 빛나는 존재가 되는 것이자 찰나적인 삶 속에서 영원을 경험하는 것이다”라고 답한다. ‘죽음’이라는 태생적 한계를 가진 ‘나’라는 인간 존재가 한 마리 작은 물고기 곤(鯤)이 억겁의 축적을 통해 대붕(大鵬)으로 날아오르듯, 우주적 존재로서 자유롭고 영원한 비상을 꿈꾼 것이다.

저자는 세계를 ‘지적 탐구의 대상’이 아닌 철학적 사유와 실천을 통한 직접적인 변화를 추구하고 실현해야 할 장(場)으로 규정한다. 그래서 국민소득으로는 이미 선진국 대열에 들어섰지만 다른 여러 면에서 중진국의 한계에 갇힌 우리 사회를 냉철하게 진단하고 우리 자신이 사회를 변화시킬 역량을 갖춰 역사의 주체로서 선도국으로 건너갈 소명을 다하자고 역설한다.
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목차
프롤로그-내가 다시 나를 찾은 날

제1부 별 헤는 마음

별똥별의 마음
별을 노래하는 마음
산티아고의 마음
별처럼 빛나고 싶은 마음
아버지의 마음
어머니의 마음

제2부 우주를 겨드랑이에 낀 채로

덕이 출렁출렁하게 드러나지 않은 채로
자신의 고유한 걸음걸이로
영감이 피어나는 순간에
모르는 곳으로 넘어가려고 발버둥 치면서
우주를 겨드랑이에 낀 채로

제3부 신의 있는 사람

지적인 사람
성공한 사람
‘장오자’라는 사람
유유자적하고 장수를 누리는 사람
참된 사람
감동과 호기심이 넘치는 사람

제4부 건너가는 시선

야수의 시선
신뢰의 시선
자신의 생각에만 매몰되지 않는 시선
무불위(無不爲)의 시선

제5부 정해진 마음 넘는 법

정해진 마음 넘는 법
‘아큐(阿Q)’로 살지 않는 법
‘내 손’에 집중하는 법
무모해지는 법
종속을 넘는 법
곤(鯤)이 대붕(大鵬)이 되는 법

접기
책속에서
P. 40 ‘별처럼 산다’고 하는 것은 내가 원하는 삶을 살면서 ‘내가 나로 빛난다’는 뜻이다. 내가 나로 빛나면 유한한 시간 속에 무한을 경험하게 된다. 그렇게 할 수 있는 가장 큰 힘은 ‘원하는 것’이다. … 원하는 것이 없는 삶은 빛날 수 없다. 원해야 한다!
P. 55 새벽 기차에 올랐다. 익산쯤 왔을 때 전화벨이 울렸다. 7시 조금 안 된 시각. 사람에게는 용건을 듣기 전에 미리 알아차리는 능력이 있다. 전화벨이 울리자, 임종하는 효도의 길이 이미 지났음을 직감했다. 아버지는 아무도 없는 병실에서 혼자, 자신이 스스로 죽음을 결정하셨다. “나 인자 그만 먹을란다”라고 말씀하신 후, 8일간 아무것도 드시지 않았다. 그리고 가셨다.  접기
P. 72 눈앞의 편리함을 위해 공공의 책임감을 포기하거나 불편을 감수하지 않으려는 경박함이 있다. 이런 경박함을 버리고 불편함을 감당하며 인간으로서 품격을 지키려고 노력하는 사람이 덕(德)이 있는 사람이다.
P. 107 자기가 존재한다는 것을 스스로 확인하는 자는 그 순간에 영원을 함께 경험한다. 자기 존재의 자각, ‘순간’과 ‘영원’이 교차하는 성스러운 자리다.
P. 108 사람이 하늘과 땅 사이에서 한평생을 산다는 것은 책받침 두께 정도의 얇은 틈새를 천리마가 휙 지나가는 것과 같다. 홀연할 따름이다(人生天地之間 若白駒之過隙 忽然而已, 『장자(莊子)』 「지북유(知北遊)」).
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최진석 (지은이) 

서강대학교 철학과 명예교수, 사단법인 ‘새말새몸짓’ 이사장, ‘새말새몸짓’ 기본학교 교장이다. 건명원(建明苑) 초대 원장을 지냈다.
1959년, 전라남도 신안군 하의도 곁의 작은 섬 장병도에서 태어나 함평에서 유년 시절을 보냈다. 서강대학교 철학과에서 학사, 석사를 마치고 베이징대학교에서 당나라 초기 장자 해석을 연구한 『성현영의 ‘장자소’ 연구(成玄英的‘莊子疏’硏究)』(巴蜀書社, 2010)로 철학박사 학위를 받았다.

도가(道家) 철학자인 그는 원래 서양철학을 공부하려고 독일 유학을 계획했다. 하지만 대학원에서 독일철학... 더보기

최근작 : <노자와 장자에 기대어>,<나를 향해 걷는 열 걸음>,<최진석의 대한민국 읽기> … 총 33종 (모두보기)


2023/05/31

Wandering on the Way: Chuang Tzu, Victor H. Mair, Victor H. Mair:

Wandering on the Way: Chuang Tzu, Victor H. Mair, Victor H. Mair: 9780824820381: Amazon.com: Books

https://www.scribd.com/document/48940729/Chuang-Tzu-Wandering-on-the-Way#

Wandering on the Way Paperback – April 1, 2000
by Chuang Tzu (Author), Victor H. Mair (Translator, Introduction)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
4.4 on Goodreads
206 ratings

This item:
Wandering on the Way


Chuang Tzu
4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Paperback
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Victor H. Mair is professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania.


Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Hawaii Press; Revised edition (April 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

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jwild
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent presentation on the book the CHUANG TZU ; and the history of Taoism.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2020
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I have read a lot of books on Taoism. This is the first book that I have read on Taoism that gives a thorough, detailed, and seemingly accurate historical presentation on the three main sages of Taoism; Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and Lieh Tzu. The author, college Professor Victor Mair, backs his presentation on the history of Taoism with many references from sources that supports his historical analysis. For example; Professor Mair cites many sources that claim that two of the three main sages of Taoism, Lao Tzu, and Lieh Tzu, never existed. Mair also cites many sources that claim that the third main sage of Taoism, Chuang Tzu, may have existed, and he may not have existed. That is remarkable information, considering that Lao Tzu is credited with writing the TAO TE CHING, which is the main book of Taoism, and the second most popular spiritual book in history, right behind the Bible.
On page XXXi of the Preface, Professor Mair says the following, " The evidence for the existence of a historical Chuang Tzu ( Master Chuang ) is only slightly greater than that for a historical Lao Tzu ( Old Master ), the alleged author of the TAO TE CHING, which is virtually nil. In fact, we have seen the Old Master was most likely not a single historical personage at all but a congeries of ancient sages."
Professor Mair says in the book that a man named Chuang Chou, was also credited as being Chuang Tzu. They were supposedly the same person. Professor Mair says the following about Chuang Chou on Preface page XXXViii, " In short, Chuang Chou did not write the CHUANG TZU. For the sake of convenience, however, we may collectively refer to the nominal author( s ) of the core passages of the CHUANG TZU as Master Chuang ( Chuang Tzu ), which is to say that we associate the text with the school of thought that was grouped around that shadowy name."
This book is filled with Taoist insights about life, written in short parable like stories. You will need to read this book with a dictionary at your side, because this book could be used as a text book in one of Professor Mair's college classes.
Another good book on Taoism is Jean C Cooper's book titled, AN ILLUSTRATED INTRODUCTION TO TAOISM. Cooper also points out that Lao Tzu probably never existed; thus, he probably did not write the Tao Te Ching, even though he has been accredited as the author of the TAO TE CHING. Cooper was a Taoist who grew up in China, and her presentation about Taoism is about ORIGINAL TAOISM, before it was combined with Buddhism. Cooper's book, besides having fascinating information about ORIGINAL TAOISM, is a fascinating book filled with beautiful pictures of Taoist art. Its really as much a Taoist art book, as it is an Introduction to Taoism.
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Jwilly
5.0 out of 5 stars You cheeky devil
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2011
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This text was required for a course I was taking, so I ordered it and enjoyed it even after I was done using it for my academic puruits. Without the guidance of my professor I think I might have been lost in the whimsical nature of Chuang Tzu, my attention captured by the comical way in which he (or they, depending on how you look at it) introduces concepts and ideas in the stories. This particular translation is quite good, and easy to follow (although not as easy to truly understand the underlying concepts). It's not for the faint of heart, and probably not something that a beginner to the Tao or Japanese culture. But it's a nice collection. I dare you to buy it and read it, and dare you to find meaning reflected in your own life.
11 people found this helpful
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George Fuller
2.0 out of 5 stars BORED
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2013
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Was excited to dig into this text, but found it aimless and frankly boring. I was following up from "The Way of the White Clouds" and other subject-related books, but this one landed with a thud. Already in my give-away box.
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Helper Joe
5.0 out of 5 stars Wandering is the Way
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2007
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The scholarly background, philological care and sweet writing that Mair provides, allow the reader to decide for himself what to make of and what to do with, (the) Chuang Tzu.
10 people found this helpful
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Elliot Knapp
VINE VOICE
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not indispensable translation of the Chuang Tzu
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2008

The Chuang Tzu (rendered Zhuangzi in pinyin, which is becoming the standard transliteration these days) is second only to Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching in its popularity and veneration in the Taoist world. If you've not heard of or read this book before, you're in for a real treat! The first time I read the Inner Chapters of the Chuang Tzu was like a revelation--the thoughts and ideas expressed in these passages still resonate today for their acuity, humor, satire, stabbing profundity, and life-changing potential. Indeed, after better understanding the thought this book expresses, I felt like so many loose ideas and insights I'd gleaned from other philosophy, literature, music, and poetry had been tied up together and formulated into a concise and elegant package that is urgently relevant to every day life--pretty amazing for a text that is well over 2000 years old!

I recently finished reading Mair's translation of the Chuang Tzu--it was the third complete translation I've read, and while I found that it accurately conveys the spirit and ideas of the Chuang Tzu, it doesn't get my vote for best translation. As a side note, I chose Mair's Chuang Tzu translation after being very impressed by his excellent and illuminating rendering of the  Tao Te Ching . As he states in his introduction, Mair's mission in translating the Chuang Tzu is to convey the fact that it is primarily a literary classic (as opposed to a philosophical classic), and rather than expose it to philosophical scrutiny, his desire is to provide the most philologically-accurate translation possible, attempting to translate both the exact words of the Chinese, but also the exact style of the writing (poetry vs. prose, etc.) in a way he feels hasn't been done by other translators. I think he succeeded in his mission, but that his success is not one that benefits readers of his translation in an extremely meaningful way.

The problem, I think, is that ancient Chinese is just so different from English that attempts to transfer the poetic and structural beauty of the Chinese to English are doomed to come up short. Although Mair sets off poetic passages in the text's formatting, this effect doesn't really enhance the writing or ideas, and it's tough to get a feeling for why the Chinese is so linguistically beautiful. Likewise, his goal of omitting ornamentation (e.g. a modern translator subbing "exclaimed" for the more boring and repetative [but accurate] "said") is noble, but really doesn't impact the force of the text. In my opinion, as long as the ideas and beauty of Chuang Tzu's thought is clearly expressed, the exact wording and accuracy of translation is not necessarily of paramount importance (it seems Chuang Tzu would agree, given his attitude toward the ultimate unreliability of language). Finally, Mair tends to translate the names of people and places into English (for example, he translates Lao Tan--Lao Tzu's given name--as "Old Longears"). These translations can be illuminating from an ideological perspective, but they tend to read very awkwardly and don't look like names on paper--I can't imagine a person named "Gorge Worker" or "Sir Square."

Nevertheless, Mair's translation is mostly very readable. Since modern understanding of ancient Chinese is so distant, the more translations you read of a book like the Chuang Tzu, the more likely you are to better understand all of its sections--there were numerous passages that I thought Mair rendered the most powerfully and insightfully out of all the translations I've read, and it was a worthwhile read for that reason alone. I do wish, though, that he had included footnotes or more in-depth introductions to each chapter. Especially with the Outer and Miscellaneous chapters, where the ideas and philosophy gets progressively more diluted with other traditions, some scholarly guidance really helps with understanding the text and enjoying it as much as the more readable Inner chapters.

If you haven't read the Chuang Tzu before, I'd recommend that you start with Burton Watson's  Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings , which includes all the Inner chapters and most of the highlights from the rest of the book. If you're looking for your first complete translation, I'd go for Watson's  The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu , which is the same translation as his Basic Writings, but it includes the rest of the text as well. I find Watson's translation is the most accurate representation of the spirit imbued in the Chuang Tzu, the most flowing and beautifully-worded translation, and the perfect balance of commentary and uncluttered translation. If you're well familiar with the text and want to dive deeper into understanding it, A.C. Graham's difficult-to-read but very insightfully structured  The Inner Chapters  is the most academic translation I've read.
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Top reviews from other countries
Daniel McLean
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2021
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Charming, insightful, cutting and very funny at times - master chuangs volume is wonderful and I would recommend to literally anyone
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Karin
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Translation
Reviewed in Germany on June 20, 2016
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A wonderful translation of the Chuang Tzu. Really keeps the humourus spirit of Master Chuang alive. Way more readable than Richard Wilhelms version!
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The Inner Chapters : Chuang-Tzu, Graham

The Inner Chapters


https://terebess.hu/english/Chuang-Tzu-Graham.pdf

The Inner Chapters : Chuang-Tzu, Graham, A. C. - Amazon




The Inner Chapters: The Inner Chapters Paperback – 15 March 2001
by Chuang-Tzu (Author), A. C. Graham (Translator)
4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings


The Inner Chapters are the oldest pieces of the larger collection of writings by several fourth, third, and second century B.C. authors that constitute the classic of Taoism, the Chuang-Tzu (or Zhuangzi). It is this core of ancient writings that is ascribed to Chuang-Tzu himself.

Print length

304 pages
Language

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings


Highest ratedin this set of products

Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters


Gia-fu Feng
4.9 out of 5 stars 40
Paperback
$305.00$305.00

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D. NICHOLLS
5.0 out of 5 stars THINKER & POET @ ONEReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 7 December 2011
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" ... How is one to do equal justice to Chuang-tzu as a philosopher and as a poet? Most versions show a bias towards one side or the other. A primarily literary translator (such as Giles or Watson) will probably have some liking for the Taoist view of life but also a Taoist distaste for the analysis of concepts, without which he cannot select and manipulate his English equivalents effectively. More intellectual translators (such as Legge, or the great historian of Chinese philosophy Fung Yu-lan, who published a version of the Inner chapters) are inclined to neglect the literary aspect as though it were mere decoration of the ideas. But a Taoist is a thinker who despises thoughts, yet values, and finds the imagery and rhythm to convey, any spontaneously emerging process of thinking which he senses is orienting him in the direction of the Way. My own private final test of whether translation is really working is whether it catches any of the extraordinary rhythmic energy of Chuang-tzu's writing, not merely for the lift of the heart which it gives but because to lose it falsifies the pace and shifts and stresses of his thinking.
In the Chinese original the thinker and the poet are one." Page 33

"Cook Ting was carving an ox for Lord Wen-hui. As his hand slapped, shoulder lunged, foot stamped, knee crooked, with a hiss! with a thud! the brandished blade as it sliced never missed the rhythm, now in time with the Mulberry Forest dance, now with an orchestra playing the Ching-shou." Page 63

" ... With his outrageous opinions, reckless words, extravagant formulations, he was sometimes too free but was not partisan, he did not show things from one particular point of view. .. He thought that `spillover' saying lets the stream find its own channels, that `weighty' saying is the most genuine, that saying `from a lodging-place' widens the range. Alone with the quintessential-and-daemonic in heaven and earth he went to and fro, but was not arrogant towards the myriad things. He did not make demands with a `That's it, that's not', and so he got along with conventional people.
Although his writings are extraordinary there is no harm in their oddities. Although his formulations are irregular, their enigmas deserve consideration. What is solid in them we cannot do without. Above, he roamed with the maker of things; below, he made friends with those for whom life and death are externals and there is neither end nor beginning. As for the Root, he opened it up in all its comprehensiveness, ran riot in the vastness of its depths; as for the Ancestor, it may be said that by being in tune he withdrew all the way back to it. However, when one assents to transformation and is released from things, the body has not exhausted its pattern, having come it will not be shaken off. Abstruse! Obscure! A man who did not succeed in getting it all." Page 283

New to Chuang tzu? Read Graham for the exhilaration he brings. Long familiar with Chuang tzu? Read Graham to refresh your vital energy.
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7 people found this helpfulReport

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 17 March 2016
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Eccellent and unusual translation of one of the most eminent scholars of Zhuang Zi's work.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars DandyReviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 14 August 2019
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Great book
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chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 20 April 2015
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good book on chinese wisdom
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Sokoloff Michel
5.0 out of 5 stars The best far awayReviewed in France 🇫🇷 on 14 May 2013
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The best about the translation, must be read and ponder about all along. To be accompany by Billeter "Introductionn a Tchouang-Tseu" and others.
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===


Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters
Zhuangzi
,
Gia-Fu Feng
(Translator)
,
Jane English
(Translator)
4.32
817 ratings57 reviews


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Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters is a companion volume to Gia-fu Feng and Jane English’s translation of Tao Te Ching, which has enjoyed great success since its publication in 1972. Very little is known about Chuang Tsu, and that little is inextricably woven into legend. It is said that he was a contemporary of Mencius, an official in the Lacquer Garden of Meng in Honan Province around the 4th century b.c. Chuang Tsu was to Lao Tsu as Saint Paul was to Jesus and Plato to Socrates.While the other philosophers were busying themselves with the practical matters of government and rules of conduct, Chuang Tsu transcended the whang cheng, the illusory dust of the world—thus anticipating Zen Buddhism’s emphasis on a state of emptiness or ego transcendence. With humor, imagery, and fantasy, he captures the depth of Chinese thinking. The seven “Inner Chapters” presented in this translation are accepted by scholars as being definitely the work of Chuang Tsu. Another twenty-six chapters are of questionable origin; they are interpretations of his teaching and may have been added by later commentators. This is an updated version of the translation of Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters that was originally published in 1974. Like the original Chinese, this version uses gender-neutral language wherever possible. This edition includes many new photographs by Jane English and an introduction by Tai Ji master Chungliang Al Huang, who has been highly successful in bringing to the West the wisdom of the East.
Genres
Philosophy
Religion
Taoism
China
Spirituality
Nonfiction
Classics

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184 pages, Paperback


First published January 1, 351




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Zhuangzi
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庄子 or 莊子 Zhūangzi (c. 369 BC - c. 286 BC).
Zhuangzi, or “Master Zhuang” (also known in the Wade-Giles romanization as Chuang-tzu) was, after Laozi, one of the earliest thinkers to contribute to the philosophy that has come to be known as Daojia, or school of the Way. According to traditional dating, he was an almost exact contemporary of the Confucian thinker Mencius, but there appears to have been little to no communication between them. He is ranked among the greatest of literary and philosophical giants that China has produced. His style is complex—mythical, poetic, narrative, humorous, indirect, and polysemic.


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May 16, 2016
My first reading of Chuang Tzu. I shall shortly go on to other translations but I enjoyed this one. As is the case with many other readers, I enjoyed the humour and found that much of the philosophy flowed easily from the anecdotes. I still have many questions, however. In particular, being somewhat familiar with 'Dao De Jing', I found the many references to "Heaven and Earth" in Chuang-Tzu confusing. Heaven seemed to have assumed the role of the Dao in much of the text. I am really unclear as to the relationship of the two concepts here in a way that I am not in 'DDJ'.
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I was most impressed by Graham's introductory notes which give a good sense of where Chuang-Tzu is coming from. Simultaneously, I read Graham's section on Chuang-Tzu in his 'Disputers of the Tao' for added understanding.
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Over all, I appreciated the textual notes which added yet greater clarity to the text. I would have appreciated more information on translation however. The 'List of Characters' at the back would be helpful if the characters appeared in the text, but they don't. It would also have been helpful if he had cited translation issues in the text.
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Paul
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January 12, 2008
The only truly funny philosopher. Whenever I feel bad about my life, I pick up this book and am chuckling within minutes. He puts everything so clearly, with such vivid examples, that you can't help but feel foolish for thinking the world is anything other than wonderfully indifferent to your life, and that's the best way it could be.


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Aleah
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September 20, 2011
"Long ago, a certain Chuang Tzu dreamt he was a butterfly -- a butterfly fluttering here and there on a whim, happy and carefree, knowing nothing of Chuang Tzu. Then all of a sudden he woke to find that he was, beyond all doubt, Chuang Tzu. Who knows if it was Chuang Tzu dreaming a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming Chuang Tzu?" -- Chapter 2, Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters


Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters is a collection of parables believed to have been written by the Taoist teacher Chuang Tzu during the 4th century BCE. This work, along with the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu, is considered to be the framework over which the philosophy of Taoism developed.


Parables tend to be enigmatic at the best of times and this collection, written not only centuries but millennia ago, is no exception. This isn't a work to be read once and then put aside. These stories will send you off down a path you didn't intend to follow and then bring you back where you started, with the story itself. I found reading this overview of Chuang Tzu from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, in conjunction with the text, to be very helpful.


This was my first time reading Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters and I still haven't tried the Outer Chapters or the Mixed Chapters. I'm sure I'll be coming back to these stories again, and probably coming away with something different each time.
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Edward Rathke

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June 4, 2018
Though I've read the Tao Te Ching many times, this is my first time reading Chuang Tsu, or Zhuangzi, depending on how you anglicize it. At first I wasn't so sure about this book, but it grew on me immensely as I read.


I think I prefer the Tao Te Ching, but I'll be returning to this many times. Probably also trying some other translations. I picked this one up because it was at my library.
poetry

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Rodrigo
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April 19, 2023
«Un pequeño saber no puede equipararse a uno grande
Ni una corta vida a una larga existencia. ¿Cómo se sabe que esto es así?
El hongo que sólo vive una mañana
desconoce el ciclo de la luna.
La cigarra de verano nada sabe
de primaveras ni de otoños.»
budismo-y-adyacentes


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Bob Nichols
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June 10, 2018
Chuang Tsu is a primary articulator of early Taoist philosophy. This is my first exposure to his writings. Initially, and for now, I am drawn more to Lao Tsu’s aphoristic style, insights and emphasis.


Some of this writing I like a lot. The interconnectedness of things, the power relationships between them and the balance point in those relationships, are conveyed in passages such as this: “When there is no more separation between ‘this’ and ‘that,’ it is called the still-point of Tao. At the still-point in the center of the circle one can see the infinite in all things.” The ebb and flow of energy comes through with this: “When there is separation, there is coming together. When there is coming together, there is dissolution.” Merging into the background, and going with the flow rather than standing out, is a prudent survival strategy, as conveyed by this: “I have been trying for a long time to be useless,” and this: “When I say he has no desire,” Chuang Tsu says, “I mean that he does not disturb his inner well-being with likes and dislikes. He accepts things as they are and does not try to improve upon them.” Chuang Tsu writes of the true man: “Carefree he went. Carefree he came. That was all.” That man accepts “what he was given with delight, and when it was gone, he gave it no more thought. This is called not using the mind against Tao and not using man to help heaven.”


As the introduction suggests (these writings are an anticipation of Zen Buddhism and a “laying of the foundation for a state of emptiness or ego transcendence”), the “Inner Chapters” also seem to transition into something other than what is seen in Tao Te Ching. For example, speaking of a Tao sage who, having transcended “the physical world,” and “all material existence,” and, having seen the One, he began to transcend the distinction of past and present…to enter the land where there is no life or death, where killing does not take away life and giving birth does not add to it.” In another passage, Yen Hui, a Taoist seeker, says: “‘I am not attached to the body and I give up any idea of knowing. By freeing myself from the body and mind, I become one with the infinite. This is what I mean by sitting and forgetting.”’ Right or wrong, in this first reading I sensed a tension in the “Inner Chapters” between a Tao as an impersonal energy stream that one learns to adjust to and work with in a cosmos where there is nothing beyond death, and a Tao as an eternal reality that one can merge with and, thereby, and in that way, live forever.


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Sean Wilson
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February 7, 2017
A profound and entertaining book, The Inner Chapters is seven chapters of stories, fables and musings attributed to the Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu, or Zhuangzi. The following 'Outer Chapters/Mixed Chapters' were written by others in order to expand on the Taoist philosophy of Chuang Tzu, which are beneficial but are missing the charm of Chuang Tzu's prose.




philosophy

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Gabriel
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May 11, 2020
Escribir tantas palabras lindas para terminar proclamando: lo mejor es estar callado y no pensar en nada. Aceptar negación y afirmación. Abrazar la totalidad. Etcétera.
asianwhore


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Jay
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May 6, 2009
First of all, Chaung-tzu/Zhuangzi lived around the time of king solomon. So it's pretty unfuckingbelievable that he was so clever.
Second- you can basically reduce his thought to- stop thinking. IN FACT- it almost seems like he committed a sin against mankind by writing down what he thought- seeing as how he even states that to know how to say the Way pretty much means you have no fucking idea what it is.
But, if philosophy is the study of wisdom I suppose those that pursue the study have to take it in the bo-bo.
In terms of practical application to your life- uh. Daoism as Zhuangzi sees it would clearly relieve you of all anxiety, plus you'd be like... on to "it".
Of course, that seems kind of paradoxical.. how can there be "a" way. a "the" way. How can you ever leave the way.
So Zhuangzi gets all Catholic about it and talks about the kind of knowing and acting that a person who is so long practiced at something they no longer think about it but simply do and do it perfectly. Ok... how do we get there oh wise one? and to this, dude who may never have existed and even if he did all we have is some really messed up writings that are older than the bible.. well he doesn't tell you. Not really.


In the end, Zhuangzi is like a jump into a cold pool from the sauna of your life. I think it's less important what he's trying to say, if he's trying to say anything, and more important what it makes you think about.
but that's true of just about everything by my philosophy...
why are you reading a review of a book anyway?


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Clay Kallam
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August 27, 2016
This is a vibrant translation of an overlooked -- and important -- work of Chinese philosophy. Chuang Tzu (or Chuangzi) is best known in the West for his question about an afternoon nap: Am I a man dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being a man? But there is much more to Chuang Tsu, and this brief work (barely 100 small pages) was so compelling as soon as I finished, I read it again. David Hinton's translation is excellent, the contents profound and "The Inner Chapters" is as powerful and enlightening as the "Dao de Jing" and as important as the "Analects."


There are elements of Taoism and references to Confucius but Chuang Tzu is his own man, and anyone with a serious interest in Eastern philosophy needs to add this to the to-read shelf.
philosophy

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2023/05/30

Zhuangzi (book) - Wikipedia

Zhuangzi (book) - Wikipedia

Zhuangzi (book)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zhuangzi
Dschuang-Dsi-Schmetterlingstraum-Zhuangzi-Butterfly-Dream.jpg
The Butterfly Dream, by Chinese painter Lu Zhi (c. 1550)
Author(trad.) Zhuang Zhou
Original title莊子
CountryChina
LanguageClassical Chinese
GenrePhilosophy
Publication date
c. 3rd century BC
Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi (Chinese characters).svg
"Zhuangzi" in seal script (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese莊子
Simplified Chinese庄子
Literal meaning"[The Writings of] Master Zhuang"

The Zhuangzi[a] (Chinese莊子, historically romanized Chuang Tzŭ) is an ancient Chinese text from the late Warring States period (476–221 BC) which contains stories and anecdotes that exemplify the carefree nature of the ideal Taoist sage. Named for its traditional author, "Master Zhuang" (Zhuangzi), the Zhuangzi is one of the two foundational texts of Taoism, along with the Tao Te Ching.

The Zhuangzi consists of a large collection of anecdotes, allegories, parables, and fables, which are often humorous or irreverent. Its main themes are of spontaneity in action and of freedom from the human world and its conventions. The fables and anecdotes in the text attempt to illustrate the falseness of human distinctions between good and bad, large and small, life and death, and human and nature. 

While other ancient Chinese philosophers focused on moral and personal duty, 

Zhuangzi promoted carefree wandering and becoming one with "the Way" (Dào ) by following nature.

Though primarily known as a philosophical work, the Zhuangzi is regarded as one of the greatest literary works in Chinese history, and has been called "the most important pre-Qin text for the study of Chinese literature". A masterpiece of both philosophical and literary skill, it has significantly influenced major Chinese writers and poets for more than 2000 years from the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) to the present.

History[edit]

Authorship and textual history[edit]

The Zhuangzi is named for and attributed to a man named Zhuang Zhou, who is customarily called "Zhuangzi" ("Master Zhuang", from Mandarin Chinese Zhuāngzǐ 莊子). Nothing is concretely known of Zhuangzi's life. He is usually said to have been born around 369 BC at a place called Meng () in the state of Song (near present-day ShangqiuHenan Province), and to have died around 301, 295, or 286 BC.[1] He is thought to have spent time in the southern state of Chu, as well as in Linzi, the capital of the state of Qi.[2] Sima Qian's 1st century BC Records of the Grand Historian, the first of China's 24 dynastic histories, has a biography of Zhuangzi, but most of it seems to have simply been drawn from anecdotes in the Zhuangzi itself.[3] The American scholar Burton Watson concluded: "Whoever Zhuang Zhou was, the writings attributed to him bear the stamp of a brilliant and original mind."[4]

The first seven chapters of the Zhuangzi, which are known as the "inner chapters" (nèi piān 內篇), were historically considered the actual work of Zhuangzi, and most modern scholars agree with this view.[5] The remaining 26 chapters are known as the "outer chapters" (wài piān 外篇) and "miscellaneous chapters" (zá piān 雜篇). Whether these chapters were written by Zhuangzi has long been debated.[6] Chinese scholars recognized as early as the Song dynasty (960–1279) that some parts of the book could not have been written by Zhuangzi himself.[5] Today, it is generally accepted that the middle and later Zhuangzi chapters are the result of a process of "accretion and redaction" by other authors "responding to the scintillating brilliance" of the inner chapters.[7] Despite the uncertainty over the later chapters' authorship, scholars accept all of the Zhuangzi's 33 surviving chapters as compositions dating from the 4th to 2nd centuries BC.[8]

Details of the Zhuangzi's textual history prior to the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220) are largely unknown. Traces of its influence in late Warring States period philosophical texts such as the GuanziHan FeiziHuainanzi, and Lüshi Chunqiu suggest that Zhuangzi's intellectual lineage was already fairly influential in the states of Qi and Chu in the 3rd century BC.[9] In Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian refers to a 100,000-word Zhuangzi work and references several chapters that are still in the text.[10] The Book of Han, finished in AD 111, lists a Zhuangzi in 52 chapters, which many scholars believe to be the original form of the work.[11] Several different versions of the Zhuangzi survived into the Tang dynasty (618–907), but a shorter and more popular 33-chapter form of the book prepared by the philosopher and writer Guo Xiang around AD 300 is the source of all surviving editions.[11]

In 742, an imperial proclamation from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang canonized the Zhuangzi as one of the Chinese classics and awarded it the honorific title True Scripture of Southern Florescence (Nánhuá zhēnjīng 南華真經).[2] Nevertheless, most Chinese scholars did not consider the Zhuangzi to be a true "classic" (jing ) due to its non-Confucian nature.[12]

Manuscripts[edit]

A Tang dynasty manuscript of the "Tian Yun" volume of Zhuangzi (replica published in 1932 in Tokyo)

Portions of the Zhuangzi have been discovered among bamboo slip texts from Warring States period and Han dynasty tombs, particularly at the Shuanggudui and Zhangjiashan Han bamboo texts sites.[6] One of the slips from the Guodian bamboo texts, which date to around 300 BC, contains what appears to be a short fragment from the "Ransacking Coffers" ("Qū qiè" 胠篋) chapter.[6]

Many Zhuangzi fragments dating from the early Tang dynasty were discovered among the Dunhuang manuscripts in the early 20th century by the expeditions of Hungarian-British explorer Aurel Stein and French Sinologist Paul Pelliot.[13] They collectively form about twelve chapters of Guo Xiang's version of the Zhuangzi, and are preserved mostly at the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.[14]

Among the Japanese national treasures preserved in the Kōzan-ji temple in Kyoto is a Zhuangzi manuscript from the Muromachi period (1338–1573).[14] The manuscript has seven complete chapters from the "outer" and "miscellaneous" chapters, and is believed to be a close copy of an annotated edition written in the 7th century by the Chinese Daoist master Cheng Xuanying.[14]

Content[edit]

The Zhuangzi consists of a large collection of anecdotes, allegories, "goblet words", parables, and fables which are often humorous or irreverent in nature.[15] Most Zhuangzi stories are fairly short and simple, such as "Lickety" and "Split" drilling seven holes in "Wonton" (chapter 7) or Zhuangzi being discovered sitting and drumming on a basin after his wife dies (chapter 18), although a few are longer and more complex, like the story of Master Lie and the magus (chapter 14) and the account of the Yellow Emperor's music (chapter 14).[15] Unlike the other stories and allegories in other pre-Qin texts, the Zhuangzi is unique in that the allegories form the bulk of the text, rather than occasional features, and are always witty, emotional, and are not limited to reality.[15]

Unlike other ancient Chinese works, whose allegories were usually based on historical legends and proverbs, most Zhuangzi stories seem to have been invented by Zhuangzi himself. Some are completely whimsical, such as the strange description of evolution from "misty spray" through a series of substances and insects to horses and humans (chapter 18), while a few other passages seem to be "sheer playful nonsense" which read like Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky".[16] The Zhuangzi is full of quirky and fantastic characters, such as "Mad Stammerer", "Fancypants Scholar", "Sir Plow", and a man who fancies that his left arm will turn into a rooster, his right arm will turn into a crossbow, and his buttocks will become cartwheels.[17]

A master of language, Zhuangzi sometimes engages in logic and reasoning, but then turns it upside down or carries the arguments to absurdity to demonstrate the limitations of human knowledge and the rational world.[17] Sinologist Victor Mair compares Zhuangzi's reasoning, such as his argument with his philosopher friend Huizi (Master Hui) about the joy of fish (chapter 17), to the Socratic dialogue tradition, and terms Huizi's paradoxes near the end of the book "strikingly like those of Zeno of Elea".[17]

Notable passages[edit]

Zhuangzi Dreaming of a Butterfly, by 18th century Japanese painter Ike no Taiga
Zhuangzi Dreaming of a Butterfly, by Japanese painter Shibata Zeshin (1888)

1] "The Butterfly Dream"[edit]

The most famous of all Zhuangzi stories—"Zhuang Zhou Dreams of Being a Butterfly"—appears at the end of the second chapter, "On the Equality of Things".

     昔者莊周夢為胡蝶,栩栩然胡蝶也,自喻適志與。不知周也。
     Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou.

     俄然覺,則蘧蘧然周也。不知周之夢為胡蝶與,胡蝶之夢為周與。周與胡蝶,則必有分矣。此之謂物化。
     Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou. But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou. Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.

— Zhuangzi, chapter 2 (Watson translation)[18]

The image of Zhuangzi wondering if he was a man who dreamed of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming of being a man became so well-known that whole dramas have been written on its theme.[19] In the passage, Zhuangzi "[plays] with the theme of transformation",[19] illustrating that "the distinction between waking and dreaming is another false dichotomy. If [one] distinguishes them, how can [one] tell if [one] is now dreaming or awake?"[20]

2] "The Death of Wonton"[edit]

Another well known Zhuangzi story—"The Death of Wonton"—illustrates the dangers Zhuangzi saw in going against the innate nature of things.[21]

     南海之帝為儵,北海之帝為忽,中央之帝為渾沌。儵與忽時相與遇於渾沌之地,渾沌待之甚善。儵與忽謀報渾沌之德,曰:人皆有七竅,以視聽食息,此獨無有,嘗試鑿之。日鑿一竅,七日而渾沌死。
     The emperor of the Southern Seas was Lickety, the emperor of the Northern Sea was Split, and the emperor of the Centre was Wonton. Lickety and Split often met each other in the land of Wonton, and Wonton treated them very well. Wanting to repay Wonton's kindness, Lickety and Split said, "All people have seven holes for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing. Wonton alone lacks them. Let's try boring some holes for him." So every day they bored one hole [in him], and on the seventh day Wonton died.

— Zhuangzi, chapter 7 (Mair translation)[22]

Zhuangzi believed that the greatest of all human happiness could be achieved through a higher understanding of the nature of things, and that in order to develop oneself fully one needed to express one's innate ability.[19] In this anecdote, Zhuangzi humorously and absurdly uses "Wonton"—a name for the Chinese conception of primordial chaos that later lent its name to wonton soup—to demonstrate what he believed were the disastrous consequences of going against things' innate natures.[original research?]

3] "The Debate on the Joy of Fish"[edit]

The story of "The Debate on the Joy of Fish" is a well-known anecdote that has been compared to the Socratic dialogue tradition of ancient Greece.[17]

     莊子與惠子遊於濠梁之上。莊子曰:儵魚出遊從容,是魚樂也。
     Zhuangzi and Huizi were enjoying themselves on the bridge over the Hao River. Zhuangzi said, "The minnows are darting about free and easy! This is how fish are happy."

     惠子曰:子非魚,安知魚之樂。莊子曰:子非我,安知我不知魚之樂。
     Huizi replied, "You are not a fish. How do you know that the fish are happy?" Zhuangzi said, "You are not I. How do you know that I do not know that the fish are happy?"

     惠子曰:我非子,固不知子矣;子固非魚也,子之不知魚之樂全矣。
     Huizi said, "I am not you, to be sure, so of course I don't know about you. But you obviously are not a fish; so the case is complete that you do not know that the fish are happy."

     莊子曰:請循其本。子曰汝安知魚樂云者,既已知吾知之而問我,我知之濠上也。
     Zhuangzi said, "Let's go back to the beginning of this. You said, How do you know that the fish are happy; but in asking me this, you already knew that I know it. I know it right here above the Hao."

— Zhuangzi, chapter 17 (Watson translation)[23]

The exact point made by Zhuangzi in this debate is not entirely clear.[24] The story seems to make the point that "knowing" a thing is simply a state of mind, and that it is not possible to determine if that "knowing" has any objective validity.[25] This story has been cited as an example of Zhuangzi's linguistic mastery, as he subtly uses reason to make an anti-rationalist point.[25]

4] "Drumming On a Tub and Singing"[edit]

Another well-known Zhuangzi story—"Drumming On a Tub and Singing"—describes how Zhuangzi did not view death as something to be feared.

     莊子妻死,惠子弔之,莊子則方箕踞鼓盆而歌。惠子曰:與人居長子,老身死,不哭亦足矣,又鼓盆而歌,不亦甚乎。
     Zhuangzi's wife died. When Huizi went to convey his condolences, he found Zhuangzi sitting with his legs sprawled out, pounding on a tub and singing. "You lived with her, she brought up your children and grew old," said Huizi. "It should be enough simply not to weep at her death. But pounding on a tub and singing—this is going too far, isn't it?"

     莊子曰:不然。是其始死也,我獨何能無概然。察其始而本無生,非徒無生也,而本無形,非徒無形也,而本無氣。雜乎芒芴之間,變而有氣,氣變而有形,形變而有生,今又變而之死,是相與為春秋冬夏四時行也。
     Zhuangzi said, "You're wrong. When she first died, do you think I didn't grieve like anyone else? But I looked back to her beginning and the time before she was born. Not only the time before she was born, but the time before she had a body. Not only the time before she had a body, but the time before she had a spirit. In the midst of the jumble of wonder and mystery a change took place and she had a spirit. Another change and she had a body. Another change and she was born. Now there's been another change and she's dead. It's just like the progression of the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter."

     人且偃然寢於巨室,而我噭噭然隨而哭之,自以為不通乎命,故止也。
     "Now she's going to lie down peacefully in a vast room. If I were to follow after her bawling and sobbing, it would show that I don't understand anything about fate. So I stopped."

— Zhuangzi, chapter 18 (Watson translation)[26]

Zhuangzi seems to have viewed death as a natural process or transformation, where one gives up one form of existence and assumes another.[27] In the second chapter, he makes the point that, for all humans know, death may in fact be better than life: "How do I know that loving life is not a delusion? How do I know that in hating death I am not like a man who, having left home in his youth, has forgotten the way back?"[28] His writings teach that "the wise man or woman accepts death with equanimity and thereby achieves absolute happiness."[27]

5] Zhuangzi's death[edit]

The story of Zhuangzi's death, contained in chapter 32 of the text, exemplifies the colorful lore that grew up around Zhuangzi in the decades after his death, as well as the elaboration of the core philosophical ideas contained in the "inner chapters" that appears in the "outer" and "miscellaneous chapters".[8]

     莊子將死,弟子欲厚葬之。莊子曰:吾以天地為棺槨,以日月為連璧,星辰為珠璣,萬物為齎送。吾葬具豈不備邪。何以加此。
     When Master Zhuang was about to die, his disciples wanted to give him a lavish funeral. Master Zhuang said: "I take heaven and earth as my inner and outer coffins, the sun and moon as my pair of jade disks, the stars and constellations as my pearls and beads, the ten thousand things as my funerary gifts. With my burial complete, how is there anything left unprepared? What shall be added to it?"

     弟子曰:吾恐烏鳶之食夫子也。莊子曰:在上為烏鳶食,在下為螻蟻食,奪彼與此,何其偏也。
     The disciples said: "We are afraid that the crows and kites will eat you, Master!" Master Zhuang said: "Above ground I'd be eaten by crows and kites, below ground I'd be eaten by mole crickets and ants. You rob the one and give to the other—how skewed would that be?"

— Zhuangzi, chapter 32 (Kern translation)[8]

List of chapters[edit]

"Inner chapters" (Nèi piān 內篇)—chapters 1–7
"Outer chapters" (Wài piān 外篇)—chapters 8–22
"Miscellaneous chapters" (Zá piān 雜篇)—chapters 23–33

Themes[edit]

Zhuangzi as an old man

The stories and anecdotes of the Zhuangzi embody a unique set of principles and attitudes, including 

  • living one's life with natural spontaneity, 
  • uniting one's inner self with the cosmic "Way" (Dao),
  •  keeping oneself distant from politics and social obligations, 
  • accepting death as a natural transformation, 
  • showing appreciation and praise for things others view as useless or aimless, and 
  • stridently rejecting social values and conventional reasoning.[8] 

These principles form the core ideas of philosophical Daoism.[8] 

The other major philosophical schools of ancient China—such as ConfucianismLegalism, and Mohism—were all 

  • concerned with concrete social, political, or ethical reforms designed to reform people and society and thereby 
  • alleviate the problems and suffering of the world.[4] 

Zhuangzi believed that 

  • the key to true happiness was to free oneself from the world and its standards through the Daoist principle of "inaction" (wúwéi 無為)
  • action that is not based on any purposeful striving or motives for gain—and was
  •  fundamentally opposed to systems that impose order on individuals.[30][31]

  • The Zhuangzi interprets the universe as a thing that changes spontaneously without a conscious God or will driving it, and 
  • argues that humans can achieve ultimate happiness by living equally spontaneously.[32] 


It argues that because of humans' advanced cognitive abilities, they have a tendency to create artificial distinctions—such as good versus bad, large versus small, usefulness versus uselessness, and social systems like Confucianism—that remove themselves from the natural spontaneity of the universe.[33] 

To illustrate the mindlessness and spontaneity he felt should characterize human action, Zhuangzi most often uses the analogy of craftsmen or artisans.[30] 

As Burton Watson described, "the skilled woodcarver, the skilled butcher, the skilled swimmer 

  • does not ponder or ratiocinate on the course of action he should take; 
  • his skill has become so much a part of him that 
  • he merely acts instinctively and spontaneously and, without knowing why, achieves success."[30] 


The term "wandering" (yóu ) is used throughout the stories of the Zhuangzi to describe 

  • how an enlightened person "wanders through all of creation, enjoying its delights without ever becoming attached to any one part of it."[30]

The Zhuangzi vigorously opposes formal government, which Zhuangzi seems to have felt was problematic at its foundation "because of the opposition between man and nature."[34] 

The text tries to show that "as soon as government intervenes in natural affairs, it destroys all possibility of genuine happiness."[35] 

It is unclear if Zhuangzi's positions amounted to a form of anarchism, as the political references in the Zhuangzi are more concerned with what government should not do, rather than what kind of government should exist.[34]

Western scholars have long noticed that the Zhuangzi is often strongly anti-rationalist. Whereas reason and logic became the hallmark of Ancient Greek philosophy and then the entire Western philosophical tradition, Chinese philosophers preferred to rely on moral persuasion and intuition.[36] The Zhuangzi played a significant role in the traditional Chinese skepticism toward rationalism, as Zhuangzi frequently turns logical arguments upside-down to satirize and discredit them. Zhuangzi did not entirely abandon language and reason, but "only wished to point out that overdependence on them could limit the flexibility of thought."[36]

Influence[edit]

The Zhuangzi is the most influential purely literary Chinese work dating from before China's imperial unification in 221 BC.[37] Its literary quality, imagination and creativity, and linguistic prowess were unprecedented in the period of its creation.[37] Virtually every major Chinese writer or poet in history, from Sima Xiangru and Sima Qian during the Han dynastyRuan Ji and Tao Yuanming during the Six DynastiesLi Bai during the Tang dynasty, to Su Shi and Lu You in the Song dynasty were "deeply imbued with the ideas and artistry of the Zhuangzi."[38]

Early times[edit]

Traces of the Zhuangzi's influence in late Warring States period philosophical texts such as the GuanziHan FeiziHuainanzi, and Lüshi Chunqiu suggest that Zhuangzi's intellectual lineage was already fairly influential in the states of Qi and Chu in the 3rd century BC.[9] During the Qin and Han dynasties—with their state-sponsored Legalist and Confucian ideologies, respectively—the Zhuangzi does not seem to have been highly regarded.[9] One exception is Han dynasty scholar Jia Yi's 170 BC work "Fu on the Owl" (Fúniǎo fù 鵩鳥賦), the earliest definitively known fu rhapsody, which does not reference the Zhuangzi by name but cites it for one-sixth of the poem.[39]

After the collapse of the Han dynasty in AD 207 and the subsequent chaos of the Three Kingdoms period, both the Zhuangzi and Zhuang Zhou began to rise in popularity and acclaim.[9] The 3rd century AD poets Ruan Ji and Xi Kang, both members of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, were ardent Zhuangzi admirers,[40] and one of Ruan's essays, entitled "Discourse on Summing Up the Zhuangzi" (Dá Zhuāng lùn 達莊論), is still extant.[15] This period saw Confucianism temporarily surpassed by a revival of Daoism and old divination texts, such as the Classic of Changes (I Ching 易經), and many early medieval Chinese poets, artists, and calligraphers were deeply influenced by the Zhuangzi.[40]

Daoism and Buddhism[edit]

The Zhuangzi has been called "the most important of all the Daoist writings",[41] and its "inner chapters" embody the core ideas of philosophical Daoism.[8] In the 4th century AD, the Zhuangzi became a major source of imagery and terminology for a new form of Daoism known as the "Highest Clarity" (Shangqing 上清) school that was popular among the aristocracy of the Jin dynasty (266–420). Highest Clarity Daoism borrowed notable Zhuangzi terms, such as "perfected man" (zhēn rén 真人), "Great Clarity" (Tài Qīng 太清), and "fasting the mind" (xīn zhāi 心齋), and although they are used somewhat differently than in the Zhuangzi itself, they still show the important role the Zhuangzi played at the time.[40]

The Zhuangzi was very influential in the adaptation of Buddhism to Chinese culture after Buddhism was first brought to China from India in the 1st century AD.[40] Zhi Dun, China's first aristocratic Buddhist monk, wrote a prominent commentary to the Zhuangzi in the mid-4th century.[40] The Zhuangzi also played a significant role in the formation of Chan ("Zen") Buddhism, which grew out of "a fusion of Buddhist ideology and ancient Daoist thought."[40] 

Among the traits Chan/Zen Buddhism borrowed from the Zhuangzi are a distrust of language and logic, an insistence that "the Dao" can be found in everything, even dung and urine, and a fondness for dialogues based on riddles or paradigm-challenging statements known as gōng'àn (公案; Japanese kōan).[40]

Medieval and early modern[edit]

The Zhuangzi retained prominence throughout Chinese history as the preeminent example of core Daoist philosophical ideals. The 17th century scholar Gu Yanwu lamented his government's flippant use of the Zhuangzi on the imperial examination essays as representative 

In the great Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢), the main protagonist, Jia Baoyu, often turns to the Zhuangzi for comfort amidst his despair over conflicting love interests and relationships.[43] The story of Zhuangzi drumming on a tub and singing after the death of his wife inspired an entire tradition of folk music called "funeral drumming" (sàng-gǔ 喪鼓) in central China's Hubei and Hunan Provinces that survived into the 18th and 19th centuries.[44]

Modern[edit]

Outside of China and the traditional "Sinosphere", the Zhuangzi lags far behind the Tao Te Ching in general popularity, and is rarely known by non-scholars.[35] A number of prominent scholars have attempted to bring the Zhuangzi to wider attention among Western readers. In 1939, the British translator and Sinologist Arthur Waley described the Zhuangzi as "one of the most entertaining as well as one of the profoundest books in the world."[45] In the introduction to his 1994 translation of the Zhuangzi, the American Sinologist Victor H. Mair wrote: "I feel a sense of injustice that the Dao De Jing is so well known to my fellow citizens while the Zhuangzi is so thoroughly ignored, because I firmly believe that the latter is in every respect a superior work."[36]

Selected translations[edit]

  • Herbert Giles (1889), Chuang Tzŭ: Mystic, Moralist and Social Reformer, London: Bernard Quaritch; 2nd edition, revised (1926), Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh; reprinted (1961), London: George Allen and Unwin.
  • James Legge (1891), The Texts of Taoism, in Sacred Books of the East, vols. XXXIX, XL, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Fung Yu-lan (1933), Chuang Tzu, a New Selected Translation with an Exposition on the Philosophy of Kuo Hsiang, Shanghai: Shang wu.
  • Burton Watson (1964), Chuang tzu: Basic Writings, New York: Columbia University Press; 2nd edition (1996); 3rd edition (2003) converted to pinyin.
  • (in Japanese) Mitsuji Fukunaga 福永光次 (1966), Sōshi 荘子 [Zhuangzi], 3 vols., Tokyo: Asahi.
  • Burton Watson (1968), The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu, New York: Columbia University Press.
  • (in French) Liou Kia-hway 劉家槐 (1969), L'œuvre complète de Tchouang-tseu [The Complete Works of Zhuangzi], Paris: Gallimard.
  • (in Japanese) Kiyoshi Akatsuka 赤塚志 (1977), Sōshi 荘子 [Zhuangzi], in Zenshaku kanbun taikei 全釈漢文大系 [Fully Interpreted Chinese Literature Series], vols. 16-17, Tokyo: Shūeisha.
  • A. C. Graham (1981), Chuang-tzu, The Seven Inner Chapters and Other Writings from the Book Chuang-tzu, London: George Allen and Unwin. Translation notes published separately in 1982 as Chuang-tzu: Textual Notes to a Partial Translation, London: School of Oriental and African Studies.
  • Victor H. Mair (1994), Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu, New York: Bantam Books; republished (1997), Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
  • Philip J. Ivanhoe, Bryan W. Van Norden (eds.) (2001) Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (Second Edition), Chapter 5, translated by Paul Kjellberg, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
  • Brook Ziporyn (2009), Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
  • Brook Ziporyn (2020), Zhuangzi: The Complete Writings, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
  • Richard John Lynn (2022), Zhuangzi: A New Translation of the Daoist Classic as Interpreted by Guo Xiang, New York: Columbia University Press.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Mair (1998), p. 21; Mair (1994), p. xxxi; Knechtges (2014), p. 2314; Wilkinson (2015), p. 697.
  2. Jump up to:a b Mair (1994), p. xxxi.
  3. ^ Mair (1994), pp. xxxi–xxxiii.
  4. Jump up to:a b Watson (2003), p. 3.
  5. Jump up to:a b Roth (1993), p. 56.
  6. Jump up to:a b c Knechtges (2014), p. 2315.
  7. ^ Mair (1998), p. 21.
  8. Jump up to:a b c d e f Kern (2010), p. 74.
  9. Jump up to:a b c d Mair (2000), p. 33.
  10. ^ Roth (1993), p. 57.
  11. Jump up to:a b Roth (1993), p. 58.
  12. ^ Goldin (2001), p. 87.
  13. ^ Roth (1993), pp. 61–62.
  14. Jump up to:a b c Roth (1993), p. 62.
  15. Jump up to:a b c d Mair (1998), p. 23.
  16. ^ Mair (1998), pp. 23–24.
  17. Jump up to:a b c d Mair (1998), p. 24.
  18. ^ Watson (2003), p. 44.
  19. Jump up to:a b c Mair (1994), p. xl.
  20. ^ Graham (1981), pp. 21–22.
  21. ^ Mair (1994), p. xxxix.
  22. ^ Mair (1994), p. 71.
  23. ^ Watson (1968), pp. 188-89, quoted in Nivison (1999), p. 783
  24. ^ Nivison (1999), p. 783.
  25. Jump up to:a b Nivison (1999), p. 784.
  26. ^ Watson (2003 [1964]), p. 115.
  27. Jump up to:a b Mair (1994), p. xxxiv.
  28. ^ Watson (1968), cited in Nivison (1999), p. 789.
  29. ^ Translations from Mair 1998, pp. 21–22
  30. Jump up to:a b c d Watson (2003), p. 6.
  31. ^ Kern (2010), p. 75.
  32. ^ Puett (2001), pp. 76–77.
  33. ^ Puett (2001), p. 77.
  34. Jump up to:a b Mair (1994), p. xli.
  35. Jump up to:a b Mair (1994), p. xlii.
  36. Jump up to:a b c Mair (1994), p. xliii.
  37. Jump up to:a b Mair (2000), p. 30.
  38. ^ Mair (1998), pp. 22–23.
  39. ^ Mair (1998), p. 22.
  40. Jump up to:a b c d e f g Mair (2000), p. 34.
  41. ^ Idema & Haft (1997), p. 90.
  42. ^ Li (2010), pp. 158–59.
  43. ^ Shang (2010), p. 290.
  44. ^ Idema (2010), p. 403.
  45. ^ Quoted in Graham (1981), p. 3.

Works cited[edit]

Relevant reading[edit]

  • Berkson, M. (1996) Language: The guest of reality – Zhuangzi and Derrida on language, reality, and skillfulness. In P. Kjellberg, & P. J. Ivanhoe (Eds.), Essays on skepticism, relativism, and ethics in the Zhuangzi (pp. 97–126). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
  • Berkson, M. (2011) Death in the Zhuangzi: Mind, nature, and the art of forgetting. In A. Olberding, & P. J. Ivanhoe (Eds.), Mortality in traditional Chinese thought (pp. 191–224). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
  • Chai, D. (2016). On pillowing one’s skull: Zhuangzi and Heidegger on death, Frontiers of Philosophy in China, 11(3), 483–500.
  • Connolly, T. (2011) Perspectivism as a way of knowing in the Zhuangzi . Dao, 10(4), 487–505.
  • Coutinho, S. (2015) Conceptual analyses of the Zhuangzi. In X. Liu (Ed.), Dao companion to Daoist philosophy (pp. 159–191). Dordrecht: Springer.
  • Fictive questions in the Zhuangzi
  • Graziani, R. (2020) Fiction and philosophy in the Zhuangzi: An introduction to early Chinese Taoist thought. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Ivanhoe, P. J. (1993) Zhuangzi on skepticism, skill, and the ineffable Dao. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 61(4), 639–654
  • Kohn, L. (2016) Zhuangzi: Text and context. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Press, Inc.
  • Kwek, Dorothy HB. "Critique of imperial reason: Lessons from the Zhuangzi." Dao 18 (2019): 411-433.
  • Liu, X. (2015) Textual issues in the Zhuangzi. In X. Liu (Ed.), Dao companion to Daoist philosophy (pp. 129–157). Dordrecht: Springer.
  • Lo, Y. K. (2022) The Authorship of the Zhuangzi. In K. Chong (Ed.), Dao companion to the philosophy of the Zhuangzi (43–97). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
  • Mingjian Xiang. 2023. A cognitive rhetorical study. John Benjamins.
  • Møllgaard, E. (2007) An introduction to Daoist thought: Action, language, and ethics in Zhuangzi. New York: Routledge
  • Xiang, Mingjian, and Esther Pascual. "Debate with Zhuangzi: Expository questions as fictive interaction blends in an old Chinese text." Pragmatics: Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA) 26, no. 1 (2016): 137-162.

External links[edit]