Zhuangzi (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Wang Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Zhuangzi, also known as Zhou, was a native of Song and a representative figure of the Taoist school during the Warring States period. He is often referred to alongside Laozi as the "Lao-Zhuang." The Zhuangzi is revered as the Nanhua Jing and, along with Laozi's Dao De Jing, is one of the most important classics of Taoism. King Wei of Chu heard of Zhuangzi's wisdom and offered him the position of prime minister, but Zhuangzi refused and remained a recluse for his entire life. Despite his poverty, he despised the powerful and noble; he was naturally unrestrained and advocated for living in harmony with nature, yearning for a simple and natural ancient society. It is said that after his wife's death, Zhuangzi not only did not grieve but even danced with a pot, believing that after death, the body and soul merge with all things in nature. His carefree attitude toward life had a profound influence on later generations. Zhuangzi's writing is described as "vast and boundless, with myriad forms, surpassing all the works of the late Zhou philosophers." The Zhuangzi is rich in imagination and features a versatile style, resembling the "Kun Peng soaring freely in the clouds, embracing freedom" in Free and Easy Wandering, the "Don't know whether Zhou was transformed into a butterfly or the butterfly dreamt of being Zhou?" in On the Equality of Things, and the "It is better to forget each other in the vast wilderness than to moisten each other in the swamp" in On the Mandate of Heaven." Reading the Zhuangzi is like quietly listening to the ancient sages unveil the mysteries of the universe and the truths of life amidst a gentle breeze of immortality and Taoist wisdom. Li Bai became a poetic immortal because of his admiration for the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi; Changsun Wujin understood the principle of "the butcher's knife," becoming the prime minister of three Tang emperors.