This is a glossary of Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu) exegesis (for further details on the early Chinese text, see the main article "Zhuangzi (book)" and the biographical article "Zhuang Zhou").
The glossary pertains to the transmission and commentary history of the Chinese literary and philosophical text, one of the two basic texts of the Daoist tradition, which is known in English under different titles.
Zhuangzi ( "Master Zhuang") or Zhuang Zhou (; c. 369-286 B.C) was a Daoist philosopher and poet during China's Warring States period. He holds an important position in the history of Chinese philosophy, literature, aesthetics, and intellectual thought. Among the prose works of various thinkers, Zhuangzi's writings are the most vivid and wonderful; they are rich in poetic atmosphere, picturesque in style, and display strong individual characteristics.
Two of the earliest known commentators to the Zhuangzi - before the textual editing by Guo Xiangcf. Richard John Lynn: Zhuangzi: A New Translation of the Sayings of Master Zhuang as Interpreted by Guo Xiang. 2022 (in partial view *) (in 33 chapters) - are Cui Zhuan 崔譔 (fl. 290 CE) and Xiang Xiu 向秀 (ca. 227−272 CE).
Today there are four common types of Zhuangzi editions: 1. consisting of only the text; 2. only with Guo Xiang's commentary (zhu); 3. with Guo Xiang's commentary followed by Lu Deming's notes (yinyi); 4. with Guo Xiang's commentary and Cheng Xuanying's sub-commentary (shu).
The German sinologist Christoph Harbsmeier characterizes the broad spectrum of the commentators with the words: These commentaries include those by philosophers like Guo Xiang (died 312 A.D.), by the eccentric emperor Jianwen (503 — 511 A.D.), by linguists like Lu Deming (died 630 A.D.), by Buddhist monks like Cheng Xuanying (fl. 631 A.D.), by the iconoclastic Neo-Confucian philosopher Li Zhi (1527–1602), by a great Neo-Confucian philosopher like Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692), by philologists like Guo Qingfan (1845–1897), and by embattled Marxists like Guan Feng (who published his commentary in 1961).Christoph Harbsmeier: The Zhuangzi Commentaries - wiko-berlin.de (a kind of preview to his own studies of the Zhuangzi commentaries)
Modern spade work in Chinese textual criticism did Wang Shumin 王叔岷 (1914–2008), who revised and expanded his Zhuangzi jiaoshi 庄子校释 / 莊子校釋 (Shanghai: Shangwu, 1947) later as → Zhuangzi jiaoquan 庄子校诠 / 莊子校詮 (Taipei: Institute of History and Philology, 1988), whereby his later textual research was included in the later volume of 1988. He based his research on reliable editions, added critical comments by Qing scholars and included reconstituted redactions of lost fragments of the Zhuangzi, incorporating most of the fragmentary and indirect testimony to the text. According to Harold D. Roth (in: ECT), it is "the most valuable work of textual criticism ever written" on the Zhuangzi.Harold D. Roth: "Chuang tzu", in: ECT (M. Loewe, ed.)
A new restored version is given in the Zhuangzi fuyuan ben 庄子復原本 (abb. ZZFYB) by Zhang Yuanshan 张远山 (2 vols., Beijing 2021), reconstructing a Wei Mou edition (Wei Mou ban 魏牟版) and Liu An edition (Liu An ban 刘安版).
The importance for the understanding of Daoism can also be derived from the fact (mentioned by Chinaknowledge), that the [...] imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, pretending to be a "complete collection" of writings, reduced the Daoist part practically to commentaries on the Daodejing, Zhuangzi 莊子 (Nanhua zhenjing 南華真經) or Liezi 列子 (Chongxu zhide zhenjing 沖虛至德真經) and shifted the Daoist section to the very end of the Masters category.Daozang 道藏, The Daoist Canon - chinaknowledge.de
Glossary Note: The following glossary of Zhuangzi exegesis (the Chinese word for exegesis is xunguxue: ) is not a glossary of the Zhuangzi contents, but rather of its transmission, editions, and commentary tradition — in other words, of the philological and exegetical tradition surrounding the text. Some book titles are roughly translated. The information provided does not claim to be complete or up-to-date (for a good overview, compare the voluminous collections edited by Yan Lingfeng 嚴靈峰, or the overview of Zhuangzi studies especially by Fang Yong 方勇 (who is also the author of Zhuangzi xueshi 莊子學史 (History of Zhuangzi studies). 3 vols. Beijing: Renmin chubanshe, 2008; later revised and enlarged), mentioned in the section: Bibliography (Overviews and collections)). - See also Appendix.
A
abbreviations ChK = Chinaknowledge (Ulrich Theobald, ed.) / ctext = Chinese Text Project / DZ = Daoist Canon (道藏) / ECT = Early Chinese Texts (M. Loewe, ed.) / HYDCD = Hanyu da cidian 汉语大词典 / HYDZD = Hanyu da zidian 汉语大字典 / SBCK = Sibu congkan 四部丛刊 / SKDCD = Siku da cidian 四库大辞典 / SKQS = Siku quanshu 四库全书 / ZZFYB = Zhuangzi fuyuan ben 庄子复原本 (Zhang Yuanshan) / ZZYG = Zhuangzi yigu 庄子译诂 (Yang Liuqiao) / ZZJC = Zhuzi jicheng 诸子集成 / ZZJJ = Zhuangzi jijie 庄子集解 (Wang Xianqian) / ZZJQ = Zhuangzi jiaoquan 庄子校诠 (Wang Shumin) / ZZJS = Zhuangzi jishi 庄子集释 (Guo Qingfan) / ZZYZ = Zhuangzi yizheng 庄子义证 (Ma Xulun) / ZZZJ = Zhuangzi zuanjian 庄子纂笺 (Qian Mu). - See also Short titles / Persons.
C
Cao Chuji Cao Chuji 曹础基, scholar; author of Zhuangzi qianzhu 庄子浅注 ("Shallow Commentary of the Zhuangzi") (Zhonghua shuju, Beijing 1982).
Cao Shoukun Cao Shoukun 曹受坤 (1879–1959), scholar and calligrapher; author of Zhuangzi zhexue 庄子哲学, and Zhuangzi neipian jieshuo 庄子内篇解说.
Chan Zhuang Chan Zhuang 闡莊 (1 juan), authored by Chen Zhu 陈柱 / 陳柱.
Chapter titles (33 chapters) Guo Xiang edition (alphabetically) Dá shēng 達生 19 / Dà zōngshī 大宗師 6 / Dào zhí 盜跖 29 / Dé chōng fú 德充符 5 / Gēngsāng Chǔ 庚桑楚 23 / Kè yì 刻意 15 / Liè Yùkòu 列禦寇 32 / Mǎtí 馬蹄 9 / Piān mǔ 駢拇 8 / Qiū shuǐ 秋水 17 / Qí wù lùn 齊物論 2 / Qū qiè 胠篋 10 / Ràng wáng 讓王 28 / Rénjiān shì 人間世 4 / Shān mù 山木 20 / Shàn xìng 繕性 16 / Shuō jiàn 說劍 30 / Tiān dào 天道 13 / Tiāndì 天地 12 / Tiān yùn 天運 14 / Tiānxià 天下 33 / Tiánzǐ fāng 田子方 21 / Wài wù 外物 26 / Xiāoyáo yóu 逍遙遊 1 / Xú wúguǐ 徐無鬼 24 / Yǎngshēng zhǔ 養生主 3 / Yìng dì wáng 應帝王 7 / Yùyán 寓言 27 / Yú fù 漁父 31 / Zài yòu 在宥 11 / Zé yáng 則陽 25 / Zhī běi yóu 知北遊 22 / Zhì lè 至樂 18 (7 neipian 內篇 (1-7), 15 waipian 外篇 (8-22), 11 zapian 雜篇 (23-33)) (in short) Xiao 逍 (1); Qi 齐 (2); Yang 养 (3); Ren 人 (4); De 德 (5); Da 大 (6); Ying 应 (7); Pian 骈 (8); Ma 马 (9); Qu 胠 (10); Zai 在 (11); Di 地 (12); Dao 道 (13); Yun 运 (14); Yi 意 (15); Xing 性 (16); Shui 水 (17); Le 乐 (18); Sheng 生 (19); Mu 木 (20); Fang 方 (21); You 游/遊 (22); Geng 庚 (23); Xu 徐 (24); Ze 则 (25); Wai 外 (26); Yu 寓 (27); Rang 让 (28); Dao 盗 (29); Tuo 说 (30); (Shuo 说 see Tuo 说); Yu 渔 (31); Lie 列 (32); Tian 天 (33) (52 chapters) Wei Mou edition (29 chapters - see ZZFYB) 1. Xiāo yáo yóu 逍遥游, 2. Qí wù lùn 齐物论, 3. Yǎng shēng zhǔ 养生主, 4. Rén jiān shì 人间世, 5. Dé chōng fú 德充符, 6. Dà zōng shī 大宗师, 7. Yìng dì wáng 应帝王, 8. Yù yán 寓言, 9. Shān mù 山木, 10. Dá shēng 达生, 11. Zhì lè 至乐, 12. Cáo shāng 曹商△, 13. Qiū shuǐ 秋水, 14. Tián Zǐ fāng 田子方, 15. Zhī běi yóu 知北游, 16. Gēng sāng chǔ 庚桑楚, 17. Xú wú guǐ 徐无鬼, 18. Guǎn zhòng 管仲△, 19. Zé yáng 则阳, 20. Wài wù 外物, 21. Ràng wáng 让王, 22. Dào zhí 盗跖, 23. Liè yù kòu 列御寇, 24. Tiān xià 天下, 25. Huì shī 惠施▲, 26. Yǔ tài dìng 宇泰定△, 27. Qū qiè 胠箧, 28. Tiān dì 天地, 29. Tiān yùn 天运 Liu An edition (23 chapters - see ZZFYB) 30. Pián mǔ 骈拇, 31. Mǎ tí 马蹄, 32. Kè yì 刻意, 33. Shàn xìng 缮性, 34. Zài yòu 在宥, 35. Tiān dào 天道, 36. Shuō jiàn 说剑, 37. Yú fǔ 渔父, 38. Tài chū 泰初△, 39. Bǎi lǐ xī 百里奚△, 40. Zǐ zhāng 子张△, 41. Mǎ chuí 马捶▲, 42. Yàn yì 阏弈▲, 43. Yóu fú 游凫▲, 44. Zǐ xū 子胥▲, 45. Yì xiū 意修▲, 46. Zhī yán 卮言▲, 47. Chóng yán 重言△, 48. Wèi lěi xū 畏累虚▲, 49. Kàng sāng zǐ 亢桑子▲, 50. Zhuāng zǐ hòu jiě 庄子后解▲, 51. Zhuāng zǐ lüè yào 庄子略要▲, 52. Jiě shuō dì sān 解说第三△ (cf. ZZFYB, here both additionally numbered)
Chen Bixu Chen Bixu 陈碧虚, see Chen Jingyuan 陈景元.
Chen Erdao Chen Erdao 陈尔道 (i.e. Chen Zhi'an 陳治安, Ming), author of Nanhua benyi 南華本義 Online.
Chen Guying Chen Guying 陈鼓应 (born 1935), modern philosopher and philologist, known for works on Daoism and Neo-Daoism; author of Zhuangzi jinzhu jinyi 庄子今注今译 (Zhonghua shuju 中华书局, Beijing 1983);Victor H. Mair relies on this edition in his translation of the Zhuangzi . Lao-Zhuang xinlun 老庄新论 (Shanghai guji chubanshe 上海古籍出版社, Shanghai 1992).
Chen Jingyuan Chen Jingyuan 陈景元/陳景元 [Ch'en Ching-yüan] (courtesy name Taichu 太初, pseudonym Bixuzi 碧虚子 (1035–1094), Song dynasty Daoist recluse, philologist; author of Nanhua zhenjing zhangju yinyi 南华真经章句音义, textual-critical notes on the Zhuangzi, listing variants from lost Tang and Song editions. The author also commentated the Daodejing.
Chen Jiru Chen Jiru 陈继儒 / 陳繼儒 (1558–1639) (Ming dynasty), author of Zhuangzi leiyu 庄子类语, Zhuangzi cui 庄子粹, and Zhuangzi jun 莊子雋 (1 juan).
Chen Pinqing Chen Pinqing 陈品卿, author of Zhuangxue yanjiu 庄学研究 (Taiwan Zhonghua shuju 台湾中华书局, Taibei 1982).
Chen Rongxuan Chen Rongxuan 陈荣选/陳榮選, author of Nanhua quanjing fenzhang jujie 南華全經分章句解, also called Nanhua jing jujie 南华经句解 (4 juan).
Chen Shen Chen Shen 陈深 (juren in 1549), author of Zhuangzi pinjie 庄子品节.
Chen Shouchang Chen Shouchang 陳壽昌 (Qing), author of Zhuangzi zhengyi fulu 莊子正義附錄 (3 juan) and Zhuangzi zhengyi 莊子正義 (4 juan).
Chen Xiangdao Chen Xiangdao 陈祥道 (1042–1093), Northern Song dynasty scholar; wrote the commentary Zhuangzi zhu 庄子注 (now lost), in which he drew on many classical texts such as the Zhouyi, Daodejing, Shangshu, Lunyu, Mengzi, Guanzi, Wenzi, and Liezi for interpretation (cf. klassiekchineseteksten.nl: Commentaren). Cited in Nanhua zhenjing yihai zuanwei 南华真经义海纂微 by Chu Boxiu 褚伯秀 (Southern Song dynasty).
Chen Yaosen Chen Yaosen 陈耀森, author of Zhuangzi xinkui 庄子新窥 (Taibei: Taiwan Shangwu yinshuguan 台湾商务印书馆, 1988).
Chen Yidian Chen Yidian 陳懿典 (Ming), author of Nanhua jing jingjie 南華經精解 (8 juan).
Chen Zhi'an Chen Zhi'an 陳治安 (Ming), author of Nanhua zhenjing benyi fulu 南華真經本義附錄 (8 juan) and Nanhua zhenjing benyi 南華真經本義 (16 juan).
Chen Zhiqing Chen Zhiqing 陈知青, author of Lao-Zhuang sixiang sujiang 老庄思想粹讲 (Dingyuan wenhua shiye gongsi 顶渊文化事业公司, Taibei 1989).
Chen Zhu Chen Zhu 陈柱/陳柱, modern scholar; author of Laozi yu Zhuangzi 老子与庄子 and Zhuangzi neipian xue 庄子内篇学, author of Chan Zhuang 闡莊 (1 juan).
Cheng Congda Cheng Congda 程從大 (Qing dynasty), author of Yong Zhuang ji 詠莊集 (1 juan).
Cheng Xuanying Cheng Xuanying 成玄英 [Ch'eng Hsüan-ying] (courtesy name Zishi 子實 (fl. mid-seventy century), Tang dynasty Daoist monk, representative of the "School of Double Mystery" (Chongxuan); author of Zhuangzi shu 庄子疏. This commentary survives as a sub-commentary to (Jin) Guo Xiang in the Nanhua zhenjing zhushu 南華真經注疏.
Cheng Yining Cheng Yining 程以宁 / 程以寧 (Ming dynasty), author of Nanhua zhenjing zhushu 南華真經注疏 (33 juan).
Cheng Zhaoxiong Cheng Zhaoxiong 程兆熊, author of Daojia sixiang: Lao-Zhuang dayi 道家思想：老庄大义 (Taibei 台北: Mingwen shuju 明文书局, 1985).
Chongxu zhide zhenjing Chongxu zhide zhenjing 沖虛至德真經, see Liezi 列子
Chu Boxiu Chu Boxiu 褚伯秀 (courtesy name Shixiu 師秀, pseudonyms Xue Zhe 雪轍, Huan Zhongzi 環中子, 1230–1287?, Song dynasty), Daoist priest, scholar; author of Zhuangzi yihai zuanwei 庄子义海纂微, this main work, also known as Nanhua zhenjing yihai zuanwei 南華真經義海纂微, comprises 106 bamboo scrolls, contains 13 different commentaries from the Wei-Jin to the late Song period, and focuses on the concepts of yangxing (nourishing one's nature), fuxing (returning to one's nature), and "total forgetting" (jianwang). (cf. klassiekchineseteksten.nl: Commentaren)
Classical texts relevant to the Zhuangzi (ZZFYB)