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The Inner Chapters (Hackett Classics) UK ed. Edition, Kindle Edition
by Chuang-Tzu (Author), A. C. Graham (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
About the Author
A. C. Graham (1919-1991) was professor of Chinese, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a member of the British Academy. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"...the most philosophically revealing and productive translation available." --Philip J. Ivanhoe, University of Michigan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product details
Publisher : Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.; UK ed. edition (15 March 2001)
Language : English
File size : 1689 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Print length : 308 pages
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Eccellent and unusual translation of one of the most eminent scholars of Zhuang Zi's work.
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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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===
Chuang-Tzu: The Inner Chapters
by Zhuangzi, A.C. Graham (Translator)
4.32 · Rating details · 780 ratings · 55 reviews
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.
Average rating4.32 · Rating details · 780 ratings · 55 reviews
===
Write a review
withdrawn
Apr 24, 2015withdrawn rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: philosophy-asia, dao
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. (less)
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Paul
Jan 12, 2008Paul rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
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
Sep 05, 2011Aleah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: taoism
"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. (less)
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Edward Rathke
Jun 03, 2018Edward Rathke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: poetry, world-history
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. (less)
flag4 likes · Like · 6 comments · see review
Bob Nichols
Jun 10, 2018Bob Nichols rated it liked it · review of another edition
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
Apr 10, 2015Sean Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: philosophy, religion, poetry
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.
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Jay
May 05, 2009Jay rated it really liked it · review of another edition
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? (less)
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Clay Kallam
Jan 10, 2015Clay Kallam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: philosophy
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. (less)
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Arthur
Feb 28, 2010Arthur rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is my favorite translation of Zhuangzi. Although Graham does rearrange the text somewhat, mainly in the outer and miscellaneous chapters, which makes some scholars squeamish, for me it is the most aesthetically pleasing translation available. Watson and Mair's translations are also good if you want to read a complete version in the original chapter order. Recently, Brook Ziporyn has produced a new version which includes the interlineal commentary present in the Chinese received version, which is very interesting as well. (less)
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Castor Luwian
Mar 30, 2015Castor Luwian rated it liked it · review of another edition
"The ruler of the South Sea was called Light;
the ruler of the North Sea, Darkness;
and the ruler of the Middle Kingdom, Primal Chaos.
From time to time, Light and Darkness met each other in the
kingdom of Primal Chaos, who made them welcome.
Light and Darkness wanted to repay his kindness and said,
'All people have seven openings with which they see, hear, eat,
and breathe, but Primal Chaos has none.
Let us try to give him some.'
So every day they bored one hole,
and on the seventh day, Primal Chaos died."
-Chuang Tsu (less)
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Monte
Aug 23, 2007Monte rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Don't disfigure yourself with that's it that's not, and don't get suckered by Laozi when you can read something written by a real person. (less)
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Ron Davidson
Jan 30, 2018Ron Davidson rated it liked it
Although I enjoy Taoist philosophy in general, it didn't appeal to me as much as the Tao Te Ching, for example. I wonder if a different translation might be better. (less)
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Bram
Jun 10, 2021Bram rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: books-i-own
No book is perfect, but the wisdoms contained herein are well worth the rating. Furthermore, this is an excellent translation: the text is largely engaging, the layout regularly enhances the text, and the notes help to contextualize the often obscure philosophical notions of Zhuang Zhou and the other purported authors. Besides the Dao De Jing, this book is probably the best way to get to the root of Daoism.
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Miles Zarathustra
Mar 20, 2011Miles Zarathustra rated it liked it · review of another edition
I've long been a fan of Lao Tsu, so I found this text a bit disappointing. It does have the famous "butterfly" verse in it, but overall I found the stories pedantic if not downright Confucian (the opposite of Taoist), and somewhat lacking the mystical essence (or nothingness) of Lao Tsu. Still, there is wisdom that shines through enough to make it worth reading.
My last book from Gateways book store in Santa Cruz :-(
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Christopher Sparks
Aug 02, 2015Christopher Sparks rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: poetry
A collection of writings which represent the heart of early Taoist literature by Chuang-Tzu, 369 BC to 286 BC. This particular translation is a fun read, David Hinton having taken a light hearted but insightful approach to conjuring some of the meaning lost when moving from a language with implied meaning like Chinese to English, where meaning must be directly expressed. The last 2 pieces are my favorite works of this text.
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johnny burke
Jul 24, 2017johnny burke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
The Inner Chapters is a wonderful compilation of poetic and anecdotal explanations of navigating life in harmony with the Tao, or the Way. It's fascinating for those who enjoy Eastern philosophy, Buddhism, Taoism, or just improving upon your own mind. Chuang Tzu is the less political of the two main Taoist philosophers, and his writings focus on your personal life. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in improving their life, decreasing stress, or just learning about Taoism. (less)
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Elijah Meeks
Feb 18, 2009Elijah Meeks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
The best of Daoist philosophy. Best known for the dream of the butterfly, Zhuangzi explains daoist thinking through imagined dialogue and fable. The explanation of an accord that reaches all the way to heaven is necessary for anyone who studies skepticism and wants to place it in a non-individualistic context.
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R. August
Dec 24, 2007R. August rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: eastern-thought, china
Excellent translation and notes. Translating puns is not that hard to do, all it requires are a few parentheses and foot note or two, but so far no author has taken it upon themselves to explain the literary nature of Zhuangzi, only the philosophical. A sore loss.
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Jake Maguire
Oct 23, 2008Jake Maguire is currently reading it · review of another edition
Chuang Tzu is one of my favorites. This book is alright however the layout is not the greatest. Each chapter feels a little cramped for space in the overall spectrum of his life and thought. I still think its worth picking up, just be prepared for the task.
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Sara
Mar 03, 2012Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This is a good translation of the classical texts, which were a helpful addition to my limited understanding of the Tao. In addition, the book itself is visually beautiful, which enhances the reading of it.
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Kristina
May 18, 2012Kristina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Possibly my favorite book of all time! I even named my bookshop after it.....
When you need to find your place in the universe (even if just for this moment)Chuang Tsu is your go-to! I highly recommend reading a chapter every morning while sipping a hot cup of green tea.
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Steven
Feb 17, 2015Steven rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: 2015, philosophy
Interesting read on Tao and Chinese philosophical concepts. The middleway is also discussed.
Read for the purposes of traditional rhetorical strategies and styles which are evidenced through the dialogues.
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Donn Lee
Aug 31, 2017Donn Lee rated it liked it · review of another edition
Some of the passages were excellent, but many of them, especially with the odd translation of names (I'd rather it been left as "pinyin" with a literal translation as a footnote) seemed to distract from the message. (less)
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Lucas
Jun 24, 2007Lucas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
beautiful and clear translation of the zhuang zi.
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Tye
Oct 05, 2008Tye rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Recommends it for: people who liked Tao Te Ching but want something more
Shelves: favorites
more colorful to Tao Te Ching, more expressive//fantastic interpretation of the eternal Tao
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Maria Lancaster
Nov 06, 2009Maria Lancaster added it · review of another edition
Another wonderful translation by Gia Fu Feng and Jane English. I love Chuang Tsu's surreal sense of humour (less)
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Liz Brennan
Aug 10, 2010Liz Brennan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I love this book! I pull it out and read a passage whenever I feel I am trying to accomplish too much.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Victor Robin
Aug 16, 2010Victor Robin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Truth and beauty from our ancient human roots.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
====
REVIEWS
tr. Chuang-tzu: Graham, The Inner Chapters.
Indianapolis and Cambridge, Mass.: Hackett, 2001. x + 293 pp.
Harold D. Roth, ed. A Companion to Angus C. Graham's Chuang
tzu: The Inner Chapters. University of Hawai'i Press,
2003. 243 pp.
reviewed by Paul R. Goldin
---
With the publication of these two books, A.C. Graham's classic translation of Chuang-tzu %£-?-is finally available in the form that he intended. The first edition, published in 1981 by Allen & Unwin, has long been out of print, and, as Roth explains (If.; cf. also 184), it was relieved, against Graham's These of several wishes, were issued dozen in 1982, textual by the School notes
he
that
of Oriental
and
had
compiled.
African
Studies
(University of London), as a sixty-five-page typescript with the title
Chuang-tzu: Textual Notes to a Partial Translation. But this pamphlet was not
well
hailed,
notes
into
The
&
115
and
116
noting
libraries
do not own
for bringing
and
circulation,
general
volume
both
has
been
the
problem,
one
but
My
I have
it. Hackett
seen
the
the
are
textual
prices.
the
leaf
of the book
some
Hawai'i
and
reasonable
error:
copy
and
translation
for page,
page
important
reversed.
the
at very
reproduces,
with
edition,
text of the
containing
contains
that
do
Allen
pages
an erratum
not;
moreover,
to be an especially difficult error for a reader to discover,
this happens
inasmuch
most
therefore,
Hackett
Unwin
slip
and
distributed,
to be
as pages
115 and
116 are not marked
by page
numbers.
Hackett
has also changed the title, slightly but significantly, from Chuang-tzu: The
Seven Inner Chapters and Other WritingsfromtheBook Chuang-tzu to Chuang
tzu:
book
The
Inner
covers
Chapters.
approximately
The
original
three
title was
quarters
more
In fact,
accurate.
of the full text, and
the
is not limited
to the so-called "Inner Chapters" (nei-p'ien
i.e., chapters 1-7).
The translation is as fresh today as when it was initially released.
as "That's it; that's not" (51 et passim),
Graham's rendering of shih-fei
Early China 28, 2003
This content downloaded from 165.123.34.86 on Sat, 4 Oct 2014 23:51:49 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BOOK
202
which
met
has
with
stubborn
rigor
(Graham
described
some
becomes
"That's
to remind
necessary
over
opprobrium
merit
whose
REVIEWS
more
it" in his
the
reader
textual
of the
the
notes
deictic
reveals
years,
noticeable
with
a certain
every
character
of shih;
see
it; that's
"That's
of discourse
style
not"
has
that
become
Chuang-tzu
a convenient
denoting
phrase
staunchly
Roth,
lun" ®
14.) Indeed, by the end of the celebrated Chapter 2 ("Ch'i-wu
the
page.1
as an "inconvenience"
Graham
opposed.
Chuang-tzu's
rejection of shih-fei in section 3 (9-14) of his
which
remains one of the most important of his
introduction,
lengthy
discussed
works.
many
But
after
missed
Hackett
introduction
a good
or foreword
As
of Graham's
stock
taking
its first appearance.
to commission
opportunity
readers
of Early
a supplemental
book
China
are
twenty
years
the
aware,
surely
field has changed considerably since 1981, and although the translation
still
ranks
have
as
helped
Graham's
an
work
and
has
scholars
in the
had
an
achievement,
extraordinary
students
alike
informed
by surveying
literature.
scholarly
editor
could
the reception
Recently
that
Michigan
and Brill have also reprinted classic studies in Sinology, and have taken
the trouble
to find
suitable
authors
for new
introductions
to these
works.2
Hackett has published books by several fine scholars of Chinese philoso
phy,
and
reprint.
Graham's
Graham
mately
were
he
have
become
it is hard
thoroughly
have
many
passages
these
never
as
to speculate
subjective:
that
the
as to Graham's
e.g.,
"The
processes
motives,
we
passages
like afterthoughts [and] have been pushed
in need
by
Presum
of sensible
which
cf. Roth,
supposed;
of
his
namely,
defective.3
of the text were
he
feature
applaud,
he considered
specified
as
choice.
a distinctive
no longer
to this
something
a natural
highlighted
scholars
portions
garbled
to contribute
been
have
might
that
thought
(though
of them
one
would
introduction
translation
redaction
should
asked
himself
of re-arranging
practice
ably,
Roth
an
Such
have
might
Or
the
188ff.).
text
Ulti
for his justifications
have
bracketed
look
forward a little" (45); "The
1. Cf. Shuen-fu Lin, "Transforming the Dao: A Critique of A.C. Graham's Translation
of the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi," in Hiding the World in the World: Uneven Discourses
on the Zhuangzi,
ed. Scott Cook, SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy
and Culture (State
University of New York Press: Albany, 2003), 275.
2. Nancy Lee Swann (1881-1966), Pan Chao: Foremost Woman Scholar of China, Michigan
Classics in Chinese Studies 5 (Ann Arbor, 2001), with a new introduction by Susan Mann;
and R.H. van Gulik, Sexual Life in Ancient China: A Preliminary Survey of Chinese Sex and
Sinica Leidensia
57 (Leiden:
Brill, 2003), with a
Society from ca. 1500 B.C. till 1644 A.D.,
new introduction by Paul R. Goldin.
3. Compare
276ff.
the objections
to Graham's
"tampering
with the source
This content downloaded from 165.123.34.86 on Sat, 4 Oct 2014 23:51:49 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
text" in Lin,
PAUL
bracketed
is some
passage
text has
Chinese
become
R. GOLDIN
ancient
203
of the
exposition
stranded
in the
which
story
of Chapter
middle
in the
6, where
it
is unintelligible" (79); "The end of the story of Uglyface and the start of
the next
show
episode
of textual
signs
with
dislocation,
from
tillable
gaps
the 'Ragbag chapters/ chapters 23 and 24, as well as with a fragment
which has strayed into the story of Lieh-tzu and the shaman in chapter
7; the
his
were
translation
present
textual
"tentative"
translation
(e.g.,
these
authority
of the
Specialists
be
reconstruction"
some
of his
could
37),
but
no
now
that
the
translation
one
text
from
this
gone
the
two
through
taken
quietly
In
(81).
to the
changes
guess
has
have
emendations
on
all
the
word.
printed
and
students
a radical
that
explained
"tentative"
may
on
Roth,
itself—and
editions,
but
is based
Graham
notes,
to discern
able
readers
general
Graham's
"radical
reconstruction,"
will be in no position
to judge
them
or to
grasp their implications. Consequently, as Roth observes (191), Graham's
translation
is very
difficult
any
of the
other
sion
of the
Chuang-tzu
readers
for ordinary
available
translations
that
not
does
cite
to use
indeed
(or
the
in conjunction
any
with
discus
scholarly
text according
to Graham's
version of it). This is not a trivial complaint, considering that Hackett
obviously has the classroom in mind for this reprint. (It is being marketed
to university
at a special
professors
"examination
of $5.)
price"
Graham
provided an overview of his emendations in the form of a "Finding list
for the Chinese text" (36-39), but this is keyed to the Harvard-Yenching
Index
Series,
hardly
an appropriate
of reference
point
for college
students.
There is also a confusing chart entitled "Text (Translation)" (39-40), which
to show
appears
listed
here
text (i.e.,
ers
must
matter
Graham
known
phantom
from
not
that
forget
of selecting
an
proposed
ideal
one
concern
Graham's
variant
they
various
passages,
in the Chinese
appear
as the
to a methodological
emendations
over
unprecedented
another;
reading
In other
or edition.
known
translated
in which
reconstruction").
a pedagogical
manuscript
Graham
to the chapters
in his "radical
not
To move
in the book
where
according
Urtext.
words,
Even
if we
are
to be
Graham
grant
a
just
after
found
was
that
read
than
time
rather,
not
one:
more
time,
in
chasing
any
the
reconstructing
an Urtext is a legitimate scholarly aim—it would clearly be beyond the
bounds
about
of this
whether
review
the
to argue
text seems
the
point
corrupt,
here—one's
or how
it could
personal
feelings
be improved,
are
hardly sufficient as a guide to that end. Yet Graham relied on little else.
The freedom with which Graham permitted himself to alter the text
of the Chuang-tzu is no doubt related to his conviction that the textus
receptus
is made
the one
hand,
up
few
of strata
specialists
by several
today
different
still believe
authorial
that
the
caucuses.
On
Chuang-tzu
was
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BOOK
204
REVIEWS
written in its entirety by a man named Chuang Chou
JH, and Graham
himself (along with Chinese scholars such as Kuan Feng Hit and Liu
is largely responsible for convincing us of this position.
Xiaogan
On
the
other
identify
in the
layers
the evidence;
was
and,
exactitude
text does
most
article,
with
not
seem
as authors
Burchard
which
Graham
warranted
the many
importantly,
to postulate
obliged
acerbic
the
hand,
by
scholastic
remain
essentially
Beck
enumerates
J. Mansvelt
to
attempted
the
of
paltriness
that
groups
the
he
In an
unattested.
of
members
this hypothetical varsity ("the Syncretist," "the Yangist," "the Primitivist")
and adds:
Not to forget the contributions of the "School of Chuang-tzu" (why
not call them "Chuangists"?), a school, however, for which there is,
by Graham's own admission, "no evidence" (p. 115). Less charitable
tongues might call this school the "made-up-out-of-thin-airists."5
Graham certainly did not think he was making up his schools out of
thin air, and referred in his seminal article, "How Much of Chuang Tzu
Did Chuang Tzu Write?" (conveniently reproduced in Roth's Companion,
58-103),
But
to other
ancient
these
documents
today
hands.
Graham
of Yang
The
case
of the
texts
may
"Yangists"
assigned
Chapters
Chu"
(Roth,
86).
unambiguously
supposedly
28,29,
There
to Yang Chu
seem
their
corroborating
stretched
is instructive.
and
misused
Kuan
Following
and
31 to "representatives
is but one
pre-imperial
existence.
in Graham's
Feng,
of the school
text
that
refers
namely Mencius (3B.9, 7A.26, and
4. Kuan Feng, Chuang-tzu che-hsileh lun-wen chi
1962); Liu Xiaogan, Classifying the Zhuangzi
Chapters, [tr. William
in Chinese Studies 65 (Ann Arbor, 1994).
Monographs
(Peking: Chung-hua,
E. Savage], Michigan
Zhou' Zhuangzi,"
in Linked Faiths:
5. "'Ik' zei de gek, 'T Mencius, 'Y Laozi, 'Zhuang
Essays on Chinese Religions and Traditional Culture in Honour ofKristofer Schipper, ed. Jan
A.M. de Meyer and Peter M. Engelfriet, Sinica Leidensia
46 (Leiden: Brill, 2000), 10n5.
Roth himself has made the greatest strides in trying to associate these schools with real
the Chuang Tzu?" in Chinese Texts and Philosophical Contexts:
people; see "Who Compiled
Essays Dedicated to Angus C. Graham, ed. Henry Rosemont, Jr.,Critics and Their Critics 1
(La Salle, 111.:Open Court, 1991), 79-128, who argues that the "Syncretists" were related
Liu An flj$
to the scholarly group surrounding
the
(d. 122 B.C.), which composed
Huai-nan-tzu
the Chuang-tzu. Cf. also Roth's Original
and, so Roth contends, compiled
Tao: Inward Training and the Foundations of Taoist Mysticism, Translations from the Asian
Classics (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 198ff.
6. Not considering
"Pu erh"
in Ch'en
Lii-shih ch'un-ch'iu
Ch'i-yu
Hsiieh-lin,
1984), 17.1124, which tells us that
(Shanghai:
Sheng honored the self" WizEm £; this does not necessarily refer to Yang Chu.
Similarly, "Hsien hsueh" Ifl-p, in Ch'en Ch'i-yu, Han Fei-tzu hsin chiao-chu fif js-F-f/r
Rii
Ku-chi, 2000), 19.50.1134f., seems to refer to Yang Chu ("He would not
(Shanghai:
a single hair on his shin even for the greatest benefit to the world"
exchange
chiao-shih
"Yang
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R. GOLDIN
PAUL
205
7B.26), which pairs him with Mo Ti §§H as one of the twin enemies of
Mencius's project. Nothing more is said about Yang Chu's philosophy
than
that
he "advocates
for himself,
everyone
which
amounts
to a denial
of one's prince" fll ft ^ S, II
If "til(3B.9) and he "chooses egoism; even
if he could benefit the Empire by pulling out one hair he would not do
it"
^
(7A.26).7 Not everyone would
inclined
be
these
to reconstruct
two
scraps
that
argued
that
Mencius
entire
school
partisan
not
him
to Mo-tzu
Yang
a well
Long
known
ago,
Mu
of
H
and
day,
Mo-tzu's
of unfounded
this
made
only
basis
to diminish
it the proliferation
has
the
Ch'ien
in his
thinker
in order
with
and
Chu,
on
of thought
source.
was
of time,
regarding
seem
suggestion
compelling.
Graham
(who
augmented
the
references
seems
another
one's
been
unaware
concerning
information.
Chu's
250
Chu
Mu's
with
Huai-nan-tzu
years
philosophy:
authenticity,
of Ch'ien
Yang
The
approximately
of Yang
protecting
record
more
offering
precis
to have
meager
us to a period
brings
and
Chu
Yang
passage
speculations
more
an
a highly
juxtaposed
The
stature.8
from
after
Chu—contains
one's
one's
later
—which
<ft f£j
Yang
"Keeping
not burdening
opinion)
certain
nature
whole
with
body
material
li
iff,
objects—this is what Master Yang proposed" li
1L til •' Graham accepted this testimony, for what it is worth (Roth,
-p fifi
88), but his bonanza came with five chapters of the Lu-shih ch'un-ch'iu
S
that,
to Graham,
according
the
redoubtable
Fung
Yu-lan
had
classified as "Yangist" in his History of Chinese Philosophy.10Armed with
substantial
these
"not
he
risking
encountered
Yangist
an
health
proceeded
for the sake
unexpectedly
a Taoist?"
from
Graham
essays,
life and
Graham's
to identify
of material
thorny
question:
"how
with
Yangism
possessions."
does
But
one
then
tell a
answer:
—€;)/ but does not mention his name. The image of the hairy shins,
incidentally, would probably have been taken in the light of the famous legend that Yu
S lost his shin-hair while working to control the floods; this is told in several ancient
texts, including the Chuang-tzu (Graham, 276).
7. Tr. D.C. Lau, Mencius (New York: Penguin,
8. Hsien-Ch'in chu-tzu hsi-nien
7'H¥/
1970), 114 and 187.
2nd edition (Hong Kong:
Hong
University Press, 1956), § 80.
9. "Fan lun" '/Elm. in Liu Wen-tien §§l]Huai-nan
Hung-lieh chi-chieh
and Ch'iao Hua ilfljS, Hsin-pien Chu-tzu chi-ch'eng (Peking:
ffl, ed. Feng I }ff
hua, 1989), 13.436.
10. Graham provided
Kong
Chung
no supporting
reference, however, and I am unable to find
in Fung's book that says this. The closest statement is "the Lii-shih ch'un
any passage
down from Yang,"
ch'iu gives several accounts of ideas which were probably handed
A History of Chinese Philosophy, tr. Derk Bodde (Princeton: Princeton University Press,
1952), 1,137. There is a world of difference between this opinion and Graham's reporting
of it. Incidentally,
Roth also takes these essays
as Yangist
(216n39).
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206
BOOK
Since
Taoists
to some
extent
REVIEWS
share
these
and
concepts,
of
Yangists
course identify their doctrine with the Way, it may not always be
to tell a Taoist,
easy
for whom
from
siderations,
a Yangist
life and
genuineness
for whom
are
they
are marginal
central.
But
con
a crucial
difference is implied in the Primitivist's objection to both Yang and
Mo, that they engage in pien if, "disputation," in distinguishing
and
about
arguing
A Yangist,
alternatives.
who
is as unmystical
as a
Mohist, deliberately weighs relative benefits and harm to his person,
and defends his philosophy of life by giving his reasons. A Taoist on
hand
the other
and
tives
denies
that
premeditated
the beneficial,
one
should
the right
alternative,
(Roth, 88f.)
This
shows
tortuous
clarification
a reader
"Taoism,"
means
who
(and
"Taoism"
its advocates
is "mystical,"
person
who
risking
life or health
as
avoids
a description
for the
the well
i" fi
"Kuei
a Taoist
sake
for most
Graham's
definition
Chu
as wei-wo\
Mencius
square
about
by
the fact
Yang
than
material
Too
possessions.
most
probably
credo
Chu
different
many
"not
is insufficient
and
as well.
cloth
Nor
of Yang
disparagement
that
too
simply
merchants
that
that
(Is a mystical
Moreover,
refused
his health for the benefitof others, not that he considered
valuable
only
not "to aim
are
to draw.
Confucians—and
Mencius's
from
"Taoism"
learn
one
possessions"
abide
lamented
we
or a Yangist?)
argument
with
what
counsels
hoped
of material
known
all of Graham's
characteristics
putative
te
distinguished
But
and
at
in one's
precisely
in antiquity).
chapter11—would
does
to ask
that Graham
harm
bodily
of Yangism;
consider
Mohists;
in the
These
the distinctions
to support
alterna
purposely
muddled
is supposedly
"disputation,"
at the beneficial."
purposely
fuzzy
were
avoids
to aim
the capacity
how
only
a right
has
naturally
that
destroys
to hit on it spontaneously.
-isms are; for now that "Yangism"
between
distinguish
he believes
action;
to risk
his body more
ideas
have
been
knotted together as "Yangism," and Graham, despite his ambitious
stratigraphy, did not succeed in disentangling them.
Finally, Graham was relying heavily on the Lii-shih ch'un-ch'iu at a time
when
most
States
scholars
doctrines;
viewed
today,
tation of philosophies
but
that
the
misrepresenting
text
that
careful
text as a faithful
study
has
shown
compendium
that
of Warring
the synoptic
presen
in Lii-shih ch'un-ch'iu is hardly fair or disinterested,
attempts
to use
it, in forging
such
a new
material
doctrine
opportunistically,
for a new
age.12
often
Absolutely
11. Wu Yu-chiang
ed. Sun Ch'i-chih
il, Mo-tzu chiao-chu
^i&fn,
1993), 12.47.687.
Hsin-pien Chu-tzu chi-ch'eng (Peking: Chung-hua,
12. The best work in English, if not any language,
is Scott Cook, "The Liishi chunqiu
and the Resolution
of Philosophical
Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 62.2
Discourse,"
(2002),
307-45.
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R. GOLDIN
PAUL
there
is to read
about
appears
in sources
that
everything
therefore,
Chu
Yang
must
207
be
in
the
ancient
considered
literature,
unsympathetic.
Thus if Kuan Feng was right that Chapters 28, 29, and 31 (Graham
added
30) of the Chuang-tzu
Chapter
would
represent
information
for early
about
about
This
Yangism.
Chinese
intellectual
the whole
were
would
that
of unbiased
repository
an important
even
would
that corpus
by Yangists,
extant
be such
history
of Yangism
category
written
if not the only,
the largest,
those
discovery
who
be advised
are
to take
dubious
the thesis
seriously. At this juncture, however, yet another difficulty emerges: the
in question
chapters
do
not
even
a coherent
convey
message.
Chapter
28, "Jang wang" 183:, which Graham renders as "Yielding the throne"
(224—33), is illustrative. "Jang wang" opens with a series of anecdotes
about
recluses
worthy
would
not
Shun
who
For
accept.
offered
dominion
over
the
but
world,
example:
the
resigned
were
to Shan-chiian.
empire
"All Space and Time are the court in which I stand," said Shan
chiian.
"In
the
winter
I wear
days
in the
furs,
summer
vine
days
cloth and hemp. In spring I plough and sow, and my body is strong
for the labour;
enough
is sufficient
with
has
he
I harvest
me.
I start
not
and
no
to satisfy
should
you
would
mountains,
feed
all it needs
that
Alas,
So
in autumn
and
As I go my rambling
the sunset.
my heart
me?
to rest
way
Then
knows
he
where
the
does
retire
and
the empire
earth,
mean
to
me!"
left
he
the yield
sunrise,
heaven
between
it. What
and
store,
with
so misunderstand
accept.
one
and
work
and
went
settled.
into
deep
the
(225)
Or:
Shun
resigned
"What
Door.
He
the
a fidgety
"He's
a fellow
decided
that
to his
empire
fellow
our
the Power
the
farmer
is!"
Emperor
can't
who
friend
said
help
working
in Shun
was
of Stone
Door.
farmer
of Stone
the
too
hard."
Then
inadequate.
he and
his wife loaded up their belongings, he on his back, she on her head,
and leading his children by the hand he went over the sea, and to
the end of his life he never came back, (ibid.)
The thrust of these anecdotes, it should be noted, is not self-evidently
Yangist, at least not according to the definition that Graham himself
formulated.
Shan-chiian
and
the
farmer
of Stone
Door
do
not
say
that
they are unwilling to risk their health. Rather, Shan-chiian asserts that
he already has everything he wants, and is dismayed that Shun should
have
misgauged
apparently
store
his aspirations.
he is vexed
of te tlj.
Perhaps
that
this
The
farmer's
Shun
works
means
that
too
Shun
is more
reasoning
hard
and
is unaware
has
opaque;
an inadequate
of wu-wei
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BOOK
208
by Graham's
"Taoism"
"Jang
what
own
rather
appears
the
with
a more
to be
would
story
then
have
to be
ascribed
to
"Yangism."
continues
wang"
including
the
criteria,
than
REVIEWS
throne,
another
familiar
are
worth
in
conflict
Yangist
one's
imparting
all material
ideology:
than
less
of anecdotes
series
well
bodily
goods,
For
being.
example:
Han
and
Wei
were
When Tzu-hua-tzu
and
each
raiding
other's
borders.
visited Marquis Chao-hsi, the Marquis looked
worried.
"Let's
said
suppose,"
"that
Tzu-hua-tzu,
in my lord's
a document
up
the empire
were
this is how
and
presence,
to draw
it was
worded:
'If you grasp this with your left hand you shall lose your right, if you
grasp it with your right hand you will lose your left; but whoever
does
it shall
grasp
the
possess
Would
empire.'
be
you
able
to do
it?"
"I would
"Very
not."
than
important
more
You
well.
may
than
important
than
important
now
the
by this that having
the
two
your
important
your
person
and
can't
get
do
arms.
and
than
And
the
Han.
land
Are
to life
injury
both
Likewise
empire.
empire,
far less
arms
your
whole
your
Han
after
are
you
you
really
worrying
and
is more
is
person
all
is far less
for
contending
to distress
going
fretting
that
you
it?"
"Excellent!
me
see
having
have
Many
advised
me,
but
no
one
ever
said
this
to
before."
We
may
say
that
Tzu-hua-tzu
knew
the
important
from
the
un
important. (226)
Or:
Master Lieh-tzu was living in distress, with the pinch of hunger in his
face. There was a visitor who spoke of him to Tzu-yang of Cheng.
"Lieh-tzu is known as a knight who has the Way. While living in
your state he has fallen into distress. Might not people think that
you
are
uninterested
in men
of talent?"
Tzu-yang at once ordered an official to send him grain. Lieh-tzu
when
he saw
the
messenger
bowed
twice
and
refused
it. The
mes
senger left,Lieh-tzu went in. His wife gazed after the departing man
and said beating her breast
"I had heard that the wife and children of anyone who has the
Way live in ease and joy. Now our faces are pinched with hunger,
yet
when
his
lordship
notices
take it. What a fate is mine!"
and
sends
you
grain
you
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refuse
to
PAUL
With
a smile
"It was
man's
Lieh-tzu
not
that
that
word
he
knew
me
sent
209
to her
his lordship
of punishment,
ing
said
R. GOLDIN
it would
me
himself,
grain.
Should
he
again
be on
another
it was
on
another
find
me
deserv
ever
man's
This
word.
is why I did not accept."
Finally it turned out that the people rose in rebellion and killed
Tzu-yang. (227)
This
is more
like
one
what
would
of a Yangist
expect
argument
in
because
he
favor of "yielding the throne": politics is bad for one's health. Lieh-tzu
his
accepts
condition
not
understands
that
government
appointment
after
hankering
two
encountered
he
because
can
distinct
is content
"ease
the
of arguments:
types
it, but
with
joy"
in
doom
spell
with
and
a comfortable
Thus
end.
that
first,
we
we
have
can
find
everything we need, including upright conduct, in a humble life; and
that material
second,
not
worth
risking
are, by a fundamentally
possessions
one's
life for. "Jang
weaves
wang"
amoral
calculus,
anecdotes
together
illustrating both principles. The contented Butcher Yiieh (227f.), who
never accepts his lord's reward, and Yen Hui (p. 229), who derives all the
he
happiness
needs
from
his
strumming
zither
in Confucius's
service,
embody the firstideal; Prince Sou (226), who "would not for the sake of
a state do injury to [his] life," embodies the second.
If we
failure
eated
are
not
yet
to correspond
them—the
Now
we
read
committed
Shun
"What
erner.
second
one
resigned
the
a strange
the court
of Yao.
his
of the
after
than
Nor
disgraceful
to his
our
where
is that
holds
chapter
their
as Graham
even
of righteous
their
more
delin
surprises.
individuals
who
virtue:
friend
Wu-tse
is!"
he belonged
the worst
tales—and
of Yangism
Emperor
conduct.
of these
variety
another
sully
empire
person
the fields
too
half
example
rather
the
by
to the precepts
neatly
suicide
"From
with
perplexed
the
said
he came
of it; he wishes
I should
be
Northerner.
Wu-tse
the
to hang
North
around
to pollute
embarrassed
him."
Then he threw himself into the deeps of Ch'ing-leng.
me
to see
(231)
Not surprisingly, this series, and the entire chapter, ends with the story
of Po Yi and Shu Ch'i (232f.).
Whatever Yangism stands for,suicide is surely not a plank in its plat
form. Nothing could be more contrary to the idea that one's life and limbs
are
to be
preserved
at all costs.
Wu-tse
the Northerner
is not
necessarily
irrational; one could easily imagine circumstances under which death is
preferable to a disgraceful life. But this line of thinking—which Mencius,
in his own way, strongly advanced (e.g. 6A.10)—seems wholly irreconcil
able with Yangism.
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210
BOOK
How
ends
do
on
we
deal
with
a jarringly
REVIEWS
the problem
that
note?
un-Yangist
an allegedly
Graham
document
Yangist
that
acknowledged
the
anecdotes
involving suicide conflict with any normal understanding of
so
his solution was to divide the "Jang wang" chapter into two
Yangism,
B furnishes
and
so
that
A and
labeled
"sequences,"
he
be
might
A contains
B, where
a Yangist
with
persuader
the
stuff,
Yangist
negative
for commonplace
prepared
good
standard
examples
to Yangist
objections
doctrine:
It would
be useful
of such
such
as the Lu-shih
be
Nor
be
that
it matter
that
debater
to use
the throne
Yielding
a miscel
standard
sources
with
comments
no
be
agree
a story
to have
from
a document
would
which
school
copied
In such
there
although
to the
elbow,
ch'un-ch'iu.
in the sources
would
up
at his
examples
unnecessary,
comments
of the Yang
for a debater
lany
the Yangist
is obviously
it for his own
is a reference
out
of view.
point
it would
Confucian;
It appears
purposes.
book
would
in cutting
point
for debaters
then
of the
Yang
known
as
school. (Roth, 90)
This
that
(1)
conclusion—namely,
there
was
a group
the
Yangists, (2) who were involved in debates with other schools, (3) and
who
a reference
compiled
book
for use
in such
and
disputes,
furthermore
(4) that "Jang wang" is nothing other than this book—combines
violations
breathtaking
of Occam's
Razor.
"Jang wang" is a pastiche of anecdotes
and
stance,
shown
are
to be
momentous
are
mundane
the
as
can
is not
arise.
What
for us
easy
with
to documents
The
that
as
the
we
can
really
four
is that
say
with a single unifying theme:
honors.
consequences
variegated
decision
or its audience
we
and
wealth
rejecting
for this
All
very
have
moderns
in people's
situations
this bricolage
a consistent
motivations
philosophical
it may
lives,
in which
meant
to determine
such
a
to its compilers
as
(accustomed
outlook).
philosophical
Simply
declaring the chapter "Yangist" not only fails to account plausibly for its
but
character,
peculiar
also
on
rests
a host
of spurious
assumptions.
These
are problems, perhaps more apparent today than in 1981,
which a judicious introduction to the new edition might have discussed.
Such
an
Graham's
seem
would
essay
on
work;
a good
deal
not
the
less
have
contrary,
bizarre
the
compromised
it might
to readers
have
value
made
approaching
or integrity
of
the
Chuang-tzu
the
text
for
the
firsttime. Reviewing the original publication, Roger T. Ames wrote that
"it should certainly depose Watson as the reigning translator of Chuang
tzul"13
Readers
now
have
the
opportunity,
two
decades
later,
to judge
13. Journal of Asian Studies 42.3 (1983), 617. Ames is referring to Burton Watson, tr., The
Sources and Studies 80 (New York
Complete Works ofChuang Tzu, Records of Civilization:
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R. GOLDIN
PAUL
for themselves
instructors
whether
who
translation
by Victor
in mind
bear
would
that
you
answer
but
their
still
they
choose
H. Mair,
will
they
the
with
agree
Graham
over
which
has
new
but
to do in class.
who
more
Chuang-tzu
in East
Asia.
break
translations
or less
Graham
down
now
as
it has
been
then
and
virtue
simple
read
this
that
charged
and
the
possess
and
method
write
the
philosophical
of presenting
the
for centuries
enjoyed
"forces
nonsense"
(How
was
exactly
Primitivist?") Watson and Mair may not have Graham's
acuity,
rate,
complete
in the interim14—must
explaining
me,
at any
remark;
the
appeared
"Excuse
question,
that
Watson—or
a lot more
have
211
the
translator
to
is in
Nonsense
(30).15
the eye of the beholder.
#
*
*
Roth has done the field a great service by bringing together Graham's tex
tual
notes
Tzu
Write,"
on
the
and
four
Translation
Dichotomy
but
before,
of his essays,
Tzu's
"Chuang
Essay
of Taoist
may
find
Much
on Seeing
Classics,"
of 'Is' and 'Ought.'"
readers
"How
and
of Chuang
Things
"Taoist
Tzu
Did
as Equal,"
Chuang
"Two
Spontaneity
Notes
and
the
These essays have all been published
it convenient
to have
them
ready
to hand
in the Companion. (As mentioned above, "How Much of Chuang Tzu Did
Tzu
Chuang
is the
most
as the
Write,"
relevant
of these
fullest
statement
articles
to the
of Graham's
translation
methodology,
itself.)
Roth
then
adds a "Colophon" (180-219) of his own, which serves as an appraisal
of Graham's scholarship on the Chuang-tzu, and finally a bibliography
of Graham's
writings.16
Columbia
University Press, 1970); and idem, Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings,
from the Oriental Classics (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1964).
14. Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu (New York:
and London:
Translations
Bantam, 1994).
15. Compare
judgment of the translation by Herbert A. Giles, in "Two Notes
of Taoist Classics" (Roth, 141f.): "In fact of course this extraordinary
between sense and nonsense with an air of perfect
style, which drifts inconsequentially
183. Graham did
confidence, is an invention of translators." Cf. also Roth, "Colophon,"
not provide any bibliographic
details; he was evidently referring to Chuang-tzu: Mystic,
Graham's
on the Translation
Moralist,
and Social Reformer, 2nd edition (Shanghai:
Kelley & Walsh, 1926). Excerpts
in the more popular Musings of a Chinese Mystic,
translation are published
from Giles's
ed. Lionel Giles (New York: E.P Dutton, 1909; rpt. as Teachings and Sayings of Chuang
Tzu, Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2001).
in Graham's Festschrift: "Bibliography
16. This is almost identical to the bibliography
of the Writings of Angus C. Graham," Chinese Texts and Philosophical Contexts: Essays
Dedicated to Angus C. Graham, ed. Henry Rosemont, Jr., Critics and Their Critics 1 (La
Salle, 111.:Open Court, 1991), 323-28. The difference is that Roth includes "Two Notes on
the Translation of Taoist Classics" (an article from 1991 that has also been anthologized
for other late
as Chapter 4 of the Companion), and provides full details of publication
in the earlier bibliography.
items that were listed as "forthcoming"
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212
REVIEWS
BOOK
Roth
does
not
share
Roth
counts,
be divided
new
proposes
more
does
into
not
than
not
wang"
is a case
the
of schools
medley
did.
Graham's
in point
that
Thus
the
the strata
is an
Roth's
techniques.
207ff.).
it is a Yangist
document,
He
Roth,
violates
too,
Razor.
Occam's
of "Jang
of
the weaknesses
than
rather
For
to
attempt
treatment
notes
but,
he
of the Chuang-tzu
"Colophon"
("Colophon,"
can
on the contrary,
with such rubrics entirely, Roth suggests that assigning
instead to the "Primitivist" resolves all the difficulties.
At times
that
the Chuang-tzu
groups;
to separate
basic
that
premise
authorial
intended
Graham
to refute,
view
the general
of various
arguments
refine,
about
misgivings
reject
the work
precisely
Graham's
my
Although he criticizes Graham on many specific
Graham postulated.
do
away
the chapter
his
example,
solution
to the problem of Chapter 16 ("Shan hsing" $t||4) is to attribute it to a
disciple of the "Primitivist" (212); in other words, we are now speaking
about a hypothetical disciple of a hypothetical author. In his conclusion,
Roth goes beyond Graham by putting together an intriguing scenario—it
involves, essentially, the wandering of the "Primitivist" to and then from
the court of Lii Pu-wei
in the mid-third century b.c. (213)—to
explain how it might have come to pass that such a multiplicity of voices
was
into
incorporated
the text.
we
(Graham,
never
remember,
addressed
this question.) My view is that we are not permitted, epistemologically
such
to construct
speaking,
to account
for all
the
untestable.17
One
cannot
was
present
at the court
that
such
For
and
in
the
of Lii
Pu-wei
As
on
many
they
the thesis
if there
is no
they
rank
seem
may
as entirely
that the "Primitivist"
evidence
to establish
existed.
valuable,
Companion.
perspective
or disprove
of readers,
most
neatly
as hypotheses
prove
even
the majority
thus
the
a person
however
scenarios,
because
data,
one
the
textual
of the
might
items
expect,
of Graham's
notes
will
by
Graham
they
be
the least
himself
provide
an
For
example,
decisions.
familiar,
included
irreplaceable
Graham
translated the enigmatic final passage of Chapter 3 ("Yang-sheng chu" ff
in an unprecedented manner, which Allen & Unwin's format did
4i)
not allow him to defend: "If the meaning is confined to what is deemed
the
as
'firewood,'
the
fire passes
from
one
piece
to the
next
we
do
not
know it is the 'cinders'" (65). Now, finally,we have the full explanation, a
gem of a note, in which Graham brings to bear his ingenuity and nonpareil
mastery
of the
17. E. Bruce
Later
Brooks
Mohist
treatises:18
and A. Taeko Brooks,
The Original Analects: Sayings of Confucius
from the Asian Classics (New York: Columbia
University
recent publication
with arguments
that depend
on elaborate
and His Successors, Translations
Press, 1998), is another
and formally unverifiable scenarios.
18. Note that Jane M. Geaney has recently taken issue with Graham's
reconstructions
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R. GOLDIN
PAUL
I understand
this
much
debated
what
fg "meaning,"
is pointed
=
(G3: 458-60);19 cf. 22/47 MMfc,
these
hsien,
pien,
three
are
in terms
passage
ogy of disputation:
1. Chih
213
out
of the
means
by
#, M£IrI*,
different
names
terminol
of a name
"Chou,
KJS—til
for the same
their
object,
is one."
meaning
2. Wei M be "deemed" the thing the name of which it fits... Then
taking chin H in the sense of 'cinders' (Morohashi, 23029 def. 9 tH),
of which there is a probable example in Canons A 85 (G3: 332), we
"If the
have
to what
is deemed
to the
next
we
when
'firewood,'
do
not
know
the
is confined
meaning
from
fire passes
one
piece
it is the 'cinders.'"
that
If we confine the meaning of "living" to what we pick out from
the constantly
changing
find
assuming
ourselves
that
recognize
that
it is the same
of transformation
process
by means
totality
at death
as what
we
call
of the name
it comes
at the next
the
"dead."
we
"living,"
to an
do
end,
not
in the endless
stage
(Roth,
19f.)
This convincing parallel with the Mohist Canons could probably not have
been discovered by anyone else (cf. Roth, 185). For notes like these, seri
ous
students
worth
of Chinese
purchasing
Other
notes,
as
more
final
mentioned
disappointing
are
no
and
that
less
poem
here
contain
above,
Roth's
Graham
comments
than
of Cycles
important
Companion
qualifications
that, in the published
than
definitive
Graham's
subjective
the introductory
consider
price.20
to the "radical reconstructions"
pear
would
philosophy
at any
in the
meant
on
his
them
to be.
manifold
translation;
of Heaven
translation, ap
e.g.,
in the 'outer
But
it is
emendations
"It is likely
chapters'...
that
was
originally the conclusion of the Tzu-ch'i episode [48-50]. . . . The poem
fitsvery neatly onto the end of the Tzu-ch'i dialogue" (Roth, 13); "At the
end
we
have
story ...;
a closely
of this material
Mohist
related
passage
placed
after
the conclusion
of the
I propose to shift it to the gap at the beginning" (Roth, 24). In
Canons/"
Reconstruction
of the 'Neo
as well; see "A Critique of A.C. Graham's
Journal of the American Oriental Society 119.1 (1999), 1-11.
Later Mohist Logic, Ethics and Science (Hong
19. The reference "G3" is to Graham's
Kong: Chinese University Press, 1978).
20. At the same time it must be said that these notes are not particularly useful for
with classical Chinese—a
point that
college students or other readers unacquainted
should consider if they hope to use Roth's Companion in college courses.
Most of the notes take the form "(;£)
Wang Shu-min" (Roth, 26), which means that
chih to wang. Only very
Graham followed Wang Shu-min, who suggested
emending
instructors
advanced
students
will know
what to do with this kind of information.
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214
BOOK
Graham's
but
it is no
basis
these
day,
longer
of one's
related."
Graham's
may
of what
transpositions
now
are
many
who,
been
"fits very
seem
standard
editorial
an ancient
and
neatly"
will
reasons,
practice,
text on
what
and
meddlesome
for these
criticism
of textual
principles
have
to re-organize
respectable
sense
there
Though
quite
private
Such
"shifts"
REVIEWS
arbitrary.
continue
there
unsatisfactory,
the
is "closely
to find
is still
no
denying that this is the work of a giant in his field, whose unique contri
butions
remain
central
to any
contemporary
discussion
of the Chuang-tzu
and its philosophy. As Roth notes, we are all "children of Angus" (4);
we
can
from
recognize
and
the limitations
commemorate
his
of his
unrivaled
methods
knowledge
without
failing
of ancient
philosophy.
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to learn
Chinese
