Zhuangzi: A Treasury of Chinese Classics

Author: Zhuangzi (Warring States Period), translated and commented by Han Weizhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-02-01
Features: Zhuangzi (c. 369–286 BC), styled Zhou, courtesy name Ziyou, was a native of the eastern suburbs of Mengcheng County (now Dongcheng Road in Chengguan Town). He once served as an official in the Lacquer Garden and was a renowned thinker and litterateur of the Warring States Period. Throughout his life, Zhuangzi wrote over 100,000 words, compiling the book Zhuangzi. The emergence of this text marked the development of China's philosophical and literary thought during the Warring States Period to an extraordinary level of profundity and depth, making it a treasured classic of ancient Chinese literature. Thus, Zhuangzi was not only a famous thinker in the history of Chinese philosophy but also an outstanding litterateur in the history of Chinese literature. His philosophical ideas and literary language profoundly influenced generations of Chinese thinkers and litterateurs, holding a pivotal position in both the history of Chinese thought and literature. He once held a minor post as an official in the Lacquer Garden of Mengcheng (now the site of the Lacquer Garden on the northern bank of the Wehe River in the county seat), but resigned shortly thereafter. Dressed in coarse clothes and straw sandals, living on porridge and wild vegetables in a humble alley, he devoted himself to writing. When his life became difficult to sustain, he once borrowed grain from the Governor of the Supervisory River. The King of Chu heard that Zhuangzi was a knowledgeable and virtuous man in his realm and sent an envoy with a heavy gift of a thousand gold pieces to the Lacquer Garden (in Mengcheng) to invite Zhuangzi to serve as the prime minister of the Chu State. After the envoy explained the King's intention to appoint Zhuangzi as prime minister, Zhuangzi smiled and said to the envoy, "A thousand gold pieces can be considered a great gift, and the prime minister's post is the highest honor. But have you not seen the ox used in sacrifices? People fatten it up, dress it in colorful finery for the ceremony, and yet it is still led to the grand temple to be sacrificed. I would rather live a life of indifference and non-action than become a sacrificial ox." With a smile, Zhuangzi "refused the prime minister's post by comparing the ox to himself," and ultimately did not accept the position. In the early Warring States Period, the vassal states frequently engaged in warfare, leading to social instability. Against this backdrop, academic thought flourished, with various schools of thought emerging and developing unique philosophical systems and ideas. These schools were located only a hundred miles apart, hence their academic thought was also referred to as "the philosophy of Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the Wehe River." In his later years, Zhuangzi often fished in the Puyao River (now the Qian River in the south of the city) and the Wehe River, and wandered by the Hao Liang (southwest of Linhuai City in Fengyang County, Anhui), watching fish and enjoying the company of birds, content with a quiet and leisurely life. In the first year of the Tianbao era (742 AD), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty issued an imperial edict, granting Zhuangzi the title of "True Master of the Southern Hoa" and naming his book The True Classic of the Southern Hoa. Throughout history, there have been scholars who studied Zhuangzi, and their works number in the hundreds. In recent years, works such as Zhuangzi in Plain Language and The Modern Version of Zhuangzi have also been published. In autumn 1989, scholars from around the world gathered in Mengcheng to hold the first national academic conference on Zhuangzi.