Example subset explanation

Author: Yang Bojun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1979-10-01
Features: Li Zi, a figure who appears frequently in the Zhuangzi, is sometimes respectfully referred to as "Zi Li Zi," and even has a dedicated chapter titled "Li Yu Kou." "Yu Kou" is also written as "Yu Kou" or "Yu Kou." The characters "Yu," "Yu," and "Yu" have identical ancient pronunciations, making them interchangeable. This person was indeed real, as they are mentioned not only in the Zhuangzi. However, the "Free and Easy Wandering" chapter of the Zhuangzi portrays Li Zi as a immortal: "Li Zi travels on the wind, effortlessly and gracefully, returning after fifteen days." But in the same Zhuangzi, the "Letting the King Go" chapter says: "Zi Li Zi is destitute, his appearance showing signs of hunger." He is then portrayed as an ordinary mortal, needing to eat and drink. If he does not eat and drink enough, he becomes gaunt and emaciated. This contradictory portrayal is not due to the Zhuangzi being written by multiple authors, but rather because Zhuang Zhou allegorizes real people. The "Worlds" chapter of the Zhuangzi says, "The parable extends widely," and the "Parables" chapter states, "Nineteen out of twenty are parables." There are many examples in the Zhuangzi where real people are allegorized, and this is just one of them. Deifying Li Zi might be intended to show that although Li Zi is a "man of the Dao," capable of flying without wings, he still depends on the wind—far from truly "wandering freely." Li Zi's teachings are close to Zhuang Zhou's, but their influence at the time was not necessarily great or profound. This is because the "Worlds" chapter of the Zhuangzi critiques Mozi, Song Yan, Yin Wen, Tian Qian, Shen Dao, and Hui Shi, praises Guan Yin and Lao Dan, and even describes himself, but does not mention Li Yu Kou. The "Dismissing the Twelve Scholars" chapter of Xunzi also does not mention Li Zi, and Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" does not even mention Li Yu Kou once. Gao Si Jun, therefore, doubts Li Zi's existence, but his arguments are not convincing. Li Zi must have existed, and his beliefs are as described in the "Responding to the Rulers" chapter of the Zhuangzi: "Then Li Zi thought he had never studied and returned home, not leaving for three years. He cooked for his wife, ate pork as if it were human food. He had no close ties to anything, polished himself back to simplicity, standing alone in his true form. He was free and unbound, and remained so until the end. He did not serve as a vessel for fame, a repository for plans, a steward of affairs, or a master of knowledge. His body embraced infinity, and his wandering left no trace. He fully embraced what he had received from heaven, without any sense of achievement, and was nothing more than empty." The "Explaining Meanings" section of the "Erya" cites Xing Bing's commentary on the "Extending the Boundaries of Wisdom" chapter of the Shi Zi and the "Non-Distinction" chapter of the "Lüshi Chunqiu," both of which say, "Li Zi values emptiness," which aligns with what the Zhuangzi says. It seems that this Li Yu Kou had emotionally freed himself from the constraints of worldly status and fame, allowing things to be as they are, treating objective existence as non-existent, and thus did nothing at all. Zhuangzi's portrayal is based on some foundation, and it may not have been intentionally fabricated. As for the "Han Strategy" chapter of the "Zhan Guo Ce," which says that Shi Ji treated Li Zi's "Yu Kou" with the principle of "orthodox unity," this is close to Confucianism's "rectification of names." It cannot be considered the essence of Li Zi's teachings, but rather an estimate that a Warring States-era orator, taking advantage of the fact that Li Zi was no longer widely known, borrowed his name as a banner for persuasion.