Zhuangzi Complete Version

Answer 1

Zhuangzi (369 - 286 B.C.), a member of the Zhuang family, named Zhou, also known as Zi Xiu (also known as Zi Mu), was born in the Song Kingdom during the Warring States Period. He was a philosopher, writer, and a representative of Taoism in the middle of the Warring States Period. He was also known as Lao Tzu and Zhuang Tzu.

Chuang Tzu was in the same era as King Xuan of Qi and King Hui of Wei, and was a good friend of Hui Shi. He had once served as a minor official in the Lacquer Garden of Mengdi, and he had also worn hemp shoes and cloth clothes to pay his respects to the King of Wei. Chuang Tzu did not want to be an official. It was said that King Wei of Chu once offered him a generous gift to be the Minister of Chu, but he refused. After that, he did not want to be an official and lived in seclusion. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhuangzi was given the title of "Immortal of Nanhua", and his "Zhuangzi" was revered as "Nanhua Zhenjing".

Zhuangzi was a Taoist work written by Zhuangzi and his descendants. There were fifty-two articles in the Han Dynasty. The contents were mostly strange and absurd, similar to the Classic of Mountains and Seas or the Book of Dreams. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Guo Xiang edited and edited thirty-three chapters of the current edition. Among them, seven of the inner chapters were generally believed to be written by Zhuangzi himself and were the core part of the whole book. The language style of the inner chapter was similar, the thoughts were coherent, and it was self-contained. There were fifteen outer chapters and eleven miscellaneous chapters. The outer chapters and miscellaneous chapters were believed to be written by Zhuangzi's disciples. Since the Song Dynasty, some scholars had raised the question of the distinction between inner, outer and miscellaneous chapters of Zhuangzi, and the authenticity of them. The process of their formation and spread needed to be verified and further studied by unearthed documents.

Chuang Tzu inherited and developed Lao Tzu's Taoism. He inherited and developed Lao Tzu's viewpoint of "Tao follows nature" and believed that "Tao" was an objective and real existence, the highest noumenon in the world. His thoughts contained simple and simple elements of metaphysics, which believed that things were in the process of development and change and had relativity. He advocated that through "sitting and forgetting", he could achieve the spiritual realm of "heaven and earth and I live together, all things and I become one". What Chuang Tzu pursued was a spiritual attitude of no worries, no fear, and no desire. He broadened his horizons and explored the meaning of human life in the vast world. His ideas influenced many China people and became the spiritual pillar for the ancient literati to survive when they were in a difficult life and mental pain. Especially when Confucianism dominated, many scholars who tried to get rid of the shackles of Confucianism sought relief and comfort from Zhuangzi's thoughts.

In terms of literature and aesthetics, Chuang Tzu had a romantic language art. In terms of ideology, he advocated Dao, paid attention to nature, emphasized non-interference and governance, materialization and emptiness. In China, it had a profound influence on the ancient politics of governing by inaction and the pursuit of nature in art. It was also introduced to Japan to influence its literature very early on. There were also scholars studying Zhuangzi in Europe and America.

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