Zhuangzi -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Classics

Author: Wang Yanjun, translated and annotated by Ji Yun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when the times were turbulent, there emerged some so-called "disloyal ministers and treacherous sons," while numerous influential cultural giants also arose, one of whom was Zhuangzi. As a brilliant star in the field of thought and culture during the Warring States period, Zhuangzi and his work Zhuangzi hold an important position in the history of Chinese thought and culture, making it a constant focus of academic attention. The book Zhuangzi is like a pool of water, allowing numerous scholars and followers of Zhuangzi to swim freely within it. Like the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought before the Qin Dynasty, Zhuangzi was not written solely by Zhuangzi but is a collection of works by the Zhuangzi school. Some parts are attributed to Zhuangzi himself, while others were compiled by his disciples based on his daily conversations, and some were written by his later followers. Zhuangzi has won the praise of countless literary scholars and scholars of Zhuangzi for its bizarre and supernatural characters, unpredictable storylines, unrestrained and vast writing style, and natural artistic realm. It can be said that Zhuangzi is an outstanding representative of ancient Chinese romantic literature. Zhuangzi is an extremely important work that embodies the Taoist doctrine, succeeding Laozi in this regard. The Zhuangzi currently in circulation is the annotated version by Guo Xiang of the Jin Dynasty, divided into three parts: "Inner Chapters," "Outer Chapters," and "Miscellaneous Chapters." There are seven chapters in the "Inner Chapters," nine in the "Outer Chapters," and eight in the "Miscellaneous Chapters," totaling thirty-three chapters. In terms of ideological content and writing style, the "Inner Chapters" are mainly the work of Zhuangzi himself, while the "Outer Chapters" and "Miscellaneous Chapters" are mostly the work of Zhuangzi's disciples or later followers.