Zhuang Lao Tong Bian---Qian Mu Works Series

Author: Qian Mu
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book is specifically dedicated to discussing and clarifying the chronological order of the thoughts of Zhuangzi and Laozi. The of their birth and death years, as well as the various historical legends, are all detailed in my previous work, Chronology of the Pre-Qin Philosophers. Besides Chronology of the Pre-Qin Philosophers, the works that can complement and verify this book include An Introduction to Chinese Learning, History of Chinese Thought, Mozi, and Hui Shi and Gongsun Long. I hope readers will consult them.
The authorship and composition date of the Laozi book have been a major "puzzle" in the field of Chinese intellectual history. The old view held that Laozi lived before Confucius. However, modern scholar Liang Qichao criticized Hu Shi's History of Chinese Philosophy, arguing that the Laozi book was written after Confucius. Gu Jiegang and Feng Youlan supported this view, asserting that Laozi lived before Zhuangzi. Following the principle of "seeking to know the person and then tracing their era," as advocated by Mencius, the author of this book meticulously examines the mutual influences, inheritances, and debates among various schools of thought in Daoist philosophy and the broader Pre-Qin intellectual history. With compelling arguments and solid evidence, the author convincingly concludes that the Laozi book should have been written after Zhuangzi.
Since the twelfth year of the Republic of China, spanning a total of thirty-eight years, the author has made successive discoveries, resulting in eighteen essays that have been compiled into this book.