Laozi · Zhuangzi (Family Bookshelf)

Author: Zhuang Zhou
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: The Tao Te Ching, also known as The Classic of the Way and Virtue, is one of the major classic works of Taoism and was praised by Liang Qichao as the "essence of Taoist thought." The author, Laozi, whose surname was Li and given name Er, styled himself Boyang, was a native of Ku County (now Luyi County) in the Chu State during the late Spring and Autumn period. He was later known as Laozi and once served as an official in charge of archives in the Zhou Dynasty. Due to his dissatisfaction with the turbulent and transformative social reality of his time, he quietly retired and disappeared without a trace. There has been ongoing debate about the composition date of The Tao Te Ching. The prevailing view is that it was established in the late Spring and Autumn period and finalized in the early Warring States period. After its completion, it was divided into two parts—the Upper Part The Way and the Lower Part The Virtue—comprising eighty-one chapters and approximately five thousand characters. It Laozi's philosophical system, which discusses the universe, then human life, and finally political governance. Laozi said, "Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature." These words are like a long river cascading down a waterfall, urging one to awaken and reflect. In his entire thought, "the Tao" is the highest category and the substance of all things in the universe, containing naive dialectical ideas. His social and political philosophy is primarily reflected in the concept of "governing through non-action," and the "policies of rest and recuperation" adopted by later emperors to some extent embody Laozi's political thought.
A comprehensive reading of The Tao Te Ching reveals that the entire five thousand words are written in rhyming verse, with frequent parallel structures. When read in ancient tones, they generally align with the rhyme, and even when read in modern tones, they retain a poetic rhythm and flavor. Upon careful reflection, one cannot help but admire the simplicity of its words and the profound depth of its meaning.
Zhuangzi, also known as The South China Classic, is hailed as one of the most literary philosophical works of the Pre-Qin period. The author, Zhuangzi, whose name was Zhou, was from Meng County in Suiyang during the Warring States period. He once served as an official in charge of lacquer gardens but grew weary of the political path and retired to write. After its completion, the book originally contained fifty-two chapters, but only thirty-three survive today, with seven inner chapters, fifteen outer chapters, and eleven miscellaneous chapters. The entire work revolves around the inner chapters, which include works such as On the Equality of Things, Freedom of the Will, and The Grand Master. Zhuangzi inherited and developed Laozi's idea of "the Tao following nature," believing that "the Tao" is boundless and emphasizing the self-generating and self-transforming nature of things, denying the existence of a divine. His thought contains naive dialectical elements, recognizing that all things are in a state of "change without motion and movement without time." He advocated the equality of self and other, right and wrong, life and death, and high and low, envisioning a spiritual realm where "heaven and earth are born with me, and all things are one with me." He advocated embracing the times and nature, achieving freedom and contentment.
In terms of writing style, Zhuangzi primarily used "allegories," "repeated words," and "spontaneous speech," with a unrestrained and boundless literary style, transcending the mundane. His arguments are enigmatic and mysterious, yet wondrous and magnificent, making each chapter a of Pre-Qin prose. Lu Xun once praised it as "the best among the works of the late Zhou scholars." Due to the continuity in their thought, Zhuangzi and Laozi were later collectively known as "the Lao-Zhuang school."
This book compiles both The Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi, allowing readers to experience the inheritance and evolution of Pre-Qin Taoist thought while reading.