Notes on Reading Zhuangzi

Name: Notes on Reading Zhuangzi
ISBN: 9789888734078

林振功China International Culture Press Limited · Hong Kong SAR, ChinaDec 2020

3.7

Word count: 548K words
Chapters: 43
ISBN: 9789888734078

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Summary

The Zhuangzi is a monumental work in the Daoist canon, its influence on later thought no less profound than that of the Laozi, and it holds great scholarly value. Random Notes on Reading Zhuangzi began as my own notes made while reading Wang Xianqian's Collected Explanations of the Zhuangzi and Qian Mu's Annotated Edition of the Zhuangzi; only later did I add my own annotations to the Zhuangzi and bring the book to completion. The annotations in this book are chiefly my own, supplemented by those of commentators through the ages, with the aim of uncovering the true purport of the Zhuangzi; the interpretations are my own reflections from reading, and may be regarded as an in-depth exposition of Zhuangzi's thought. In both annotation and interpretation this book frequently cites passages from the Laozi, the purpose being to reveal how Zhuangzi inherited and carried forward Laozi's doctrines—a defining feature of the book.

Editor's review

Random Notes on Reading Zhuangzi is not a rigorous scholarly commentary but a long, intimate dialogue across time between a contemporary scholar and Zhuangzi. Drawing on a deep grounding in classical literature and a lifetime of experience, the author, Mr. Lin Zhengong, brings the Zhuangzi's seemingly abstruse parables and bewildering arguments back into the felt fabric of everyday life and its spiritual predicaments. The book's greatest value lies in its "random notes" format: it does not strive for systematic completeness, yet at the flicker of a thought it often yields flashes of genuine insight. Writing from a modern perspective, the author sets the "Free and Easy Wandering" against the spiritual exhaustion of contemporary life, and links the "Discussion on Making All Things Equal" to the cognitive anxiety of a pluralistic world, giving wisdom more than two thousand years old a warmth and power that can heal the present. The prose is plain yet poetic, the interpretations approachable without losing depth, reading more like a learned friend who, over a leisurely cup of tea, slowly unfolds a map to inner freedom. For readers who wish to grasp the essence of Zhuangzi's thought but are daunted by the difficulty of traditional commentaries, this is an excellent window in; for those with some grounding already, the personal, life-infused reflections in these pages offer fresh dimensions for thought.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to or already versed in traditional Chinese philosophy, especially Daoist thought
Searchers under the pressures of modern life, seeking spiritual release and consolation
Lovers of the essay and notebook form who appreciate personal, experiential interpretation
Thinkers who wish to draw inspiration from classical wisdom to meet the confusions of real life

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic, rigorously textual scholarship on the Zhuangzi
Readers expecting standard answers or a single conclusive interpretation

Reading tips

There is no need to read in chapter order; browse as interest dictates and begin with passages that move you
Keep a copy of the Zhuangzi at hand for comparison, and feel the tension and resonance between the author's reading and the original text
Set the book's views against your own life experience and try writing your own "random notes"

About the publisher

China International Culture Press Limited Hong Kong, China · Founded in 2000

China International Culture Press Limited, headquartered in Hong Kong, is a comprehensive publisher serving Chinese-reading communities worldwide. Its publishing covers classics, art, literary appreciation, modern poetry, documentary literature and cultural studies. Representative titles include Gleaning Delights in the Sea of Art, Notes on Reading Zhuangzi, Studies in Rubbings and Appreciation of Fine Rubbings, Research on Mahler's Symphonies: Genre, Symbol and Intertextuality, An Appreciation of Mao Zedong's Couplet Collection, A Cool Stroll through a Mountain Village, A Cultural History of the Imperial Examination in the Late Imperial Period, and Moving Beyond Intergenerational Trauma from the Family of Origin, with authors such as Xu Jiaqiang, Lin Zhengong, Sun Honglin, Wu Ning, Liu Chunyong, Niu Qiushi and Jin Shang. The books in its catalogue show a balance between art appreciation and cultural scholarship, serving both general readers and specialized research. As public information is limited, other publishing features are not detailed here.

版权信息
序
再序
序言三
序言四
内篇
逍遥遊
齐物论
养生主
人间世
德充符
大宗师
应帝王
外篇
骈拇
马蹄
胠箧
在宥
天地
天道
天运
刻意
缮性
秋水
至乐
达生
山木
田子方
知北遊
杂篇
庚桑楚
徐无鬼
则阳
外物
寓言
让王
盗跖
说剑
渔父
列御寇
寓言
天下
后记

FAQ

How does this book differ from works on the Zhuangzi by Yu Dan, Fu Peirong, and others?

This book places greater emphasis on the interplay between the author's personal life experience and Zhuangzi's thought; in form it is closer to the notebooks of a traditional man of letters, more personal and more literary, rather than a systematic popular lecture or course transcript.

Can I understand this book without any grounding in classical Chinese?

Yes. The author provides vernacular explanations and extensions for all quoted original passages, focusing on bringing out their intellectual content and modern relevance. Little classical Chinese is required, though some grounding will yield a deeper appreciation.

What is this book's Douban rating?

Searches show that public ratings and reviews for this book on mainstream book platforms (such as Douban) are sparse; it is a relatively niche work of serious humanities writing, and its value depends more on how directly its contents match a reader's personal interests.

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About the author

林振功 Author

Lin Zhengong: publicly available information is limited, and details of his life, nationality, and dates of birth and death cannot currently be confirmed. All that is known is that one work by him survives, namely Du Zhuang Suiji (Random Notes on Reading Zhuangzi). Judging from the title and its common classification, the book belongs to the close study of classics and offers notes-style reading and interpretation centered on the Zhuangzi. Writing of this kind generally does not pursue a grand, systematic construction; instead it favors incidental commentary, excerpting passages for appraisal, and combining personal reading reflections with close textual reading, usually in plain and accessible language that helps ordinary readers approach a pre-Qin classic. Since only this one work is held in the database, the author's overall writing profile, stylistic development, and scholarly orientation are hard to sketch in full, and his influence must await more material before it can be assessed. On the available evidence, Lin Zhengong's writings are characterized by close reading of traditional classics and may serve readers interested in the Zhuangzi and in accessible introductions to classics.