Bi Dunyi is an author about whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality and dates of birth and death have not been clearly recorded. Judging from the works currently available, he focuses on the study and interpretation of Chinese classical texts. Two of his works are included in the collection, Secret Explanations of Zhuangzi and Secret Explanations of Laozi, both belonging to the category of culture. The titles, which use the term “secret explanations,” indicate that the author attempts to explore and interpret the two Daoist classics, Zhuangzi and Laozi, in depth and in a distinctive way, rather than merely offering conventional annotations. His approach tends toward close reading of the texts and analysis of their philosophical meaning, seeking to reveal the underlying threads of thought within the classics. Although his personal biography is unknown, these two works suggest that his research interests center on pre-Qin Daoist thought and that he has developed his own mode of expression in the interpretation of traditional classics. For readers who wish to understand the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi from different perspectives, Bi Dunyi’s works offer a reference point for interpretation.
