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Zhuangzi: Basic Writings
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Zhuangzi: Basic Writings Paperback - 2003

by Zhuangzi; Burton Watson (Translator)

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From the publisher

Only by inhabiting Dao (the Way of Nature) and dwelling in its unity can humankind achieve true happiness and freedom, in both life and death. This is Daoist philosophy's central tenet, espoused by the person--or group of people--known as Zhuangzi (369?-286? BCE) in a text by the same name. To be free, individuals must discard rigid distinctions between right and wrong, and follow a course of action not motivated by gain or striving. When one ceases to judge events as good or bad, man-made suffering disappears, and natural suffering is embraced as part of life.

Zhuangzi elucidates this mystical philosophy through humor, parable, and anecdote, using non sequitur and even nonsense to illuminate truths beyond the boundaries of ordinary logic. Boldly imaginative and inventively written, the Zhuangzi floats free of its historical period and society, addressing the spiritual nourishment of all people across time. One of the most justly celebrated texts of the Chinese tradition, the Zhuangzi is read by thousands of English-language scholars each year, yet, until now, only in the Wade-Giles romanization. Burton Watson's conversion to pinyin in this book brings the text in line with how Chinese scholars, and an increasing number of other scholars, read it.

First line

All we know about the identity of Zhuangzi, or Master Zhuang, the few facts recorded in the brief notice given him in the Shiji or Records of the Historian (ch. 63) by Sima Qian (145?-89? B.C.).

Details

  • Title Zhuangzi: Basic Writings
  • Author Zhuangzi; Burton Watson (Translator)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: first
  • Pages 168
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Columbia University Press, Irvington, New York, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 2003-04-16
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • ISBN 9780231129596 / 0231129599
  • Weight 0.44 lbs (0.20 kg)
  • Dimensions 6.88 x 5.52 x 0.41 in (17.48 x 14.02 x 1.04 cm)
  • Themes
    • Religious Orientation: Taoism
  • Category Religion - World Religions
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2002034766
  • Dewey Decimal Code 299.514

About the author

Burton Watson has taught at Columbia, Stanford, and Kyoto Universities and is one of the world's best-known translators of Chinese and Japanese works. His translations include The Demon at Agi Bridge and Other Japanese Tales, The Analects of Confucius, The Tales of the Heike, and The Lotus Sutra; the writings of Mozi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi; The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry; and Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian.
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Zhuangzi – Basic Writings (Translations from the Asian Classics): xiv

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ZHUANGZI BASIC WRITINGS
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Zhuangzi: Basic Writings

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Zhuangzi: Basic Writings

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