Summary
Zhuangzi is one of the most important classics of Taoism and one of the most important classics of China. It plays a pivotal role in the history of Chinese thought and culture. Mr. Chen Guying, a famous Taiwanese scholar, has studied Taoism for many years. On the basis of fully absorbing the achievements of his predecessors, he has...
Highlights
For the book "Zhuangzi's Modern Notes and Translations", written by Mr. Chen Guying, I have selected some wonderful sentences or paragraphs from it. These sentences or paragraphs have their own characteristics, some are profound in meaning, some are unique in perspective, some are beautiful in language, some are full of wisdom, and some are creative. The following is the output according to number 1-20 for readers' reference: 1. "Wandering between heaven and earth, and the mind is at ease." Comment: This sentence shows Zhuangzi's state of mind of pursuing freedom and forgetting fame and fortune. The language is concise and the artistic conception is profound. 2. "My life is also limited, but knowledge is also unlimited." Comment: Zhuangzi contrasts limited life with infinite knowledge, reminding people to make choices and focus on what is really important. 3. "Great knowledge is leisurely, small knowledge is intermittent; great words are fiery, small words are long." Comment: Through the comparison of "great knowledge" and "small knowledge", "great words" and "small words", Zhuangzi reveals the levels and realms of wisdom and words. 4. “You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of fish?” Comment: This sentence challenges the limitations of people’s cognition of others and reflects Zhuangzi’s profound thinking on the relationship between subjectivity and objectivity, self and others. 5. “The most perfect man has no self, the divine man has no merit, and the sage has no name.” Comment: Zhuangzi expressed his yearning for transcending self, utilitarianism, and fame by describing the realm of “the most perfect man”, “the divine man”, and “the sage”. 6. “The heaven and the earth have great beauty but do not speak, the four seasons have clear laws but do not discuss, and the myriad things have a complete reason but do not say.” Comment: This sentence uses the heaven and the earth, the four seasons, and all things as examples to explain the silence and depth of natural beauty and the inexpressibility of the laws of the universe. 7. “When you are born, you die; when you die, you are born; when you can, you cannot; when you cannot, you can.” Comment: Zhuangzi reveals the nature of things’ constant transformation and impermanence through dialectical thinking on life and death, and what is possible and what is impossible. 8. "Forget your liver and gallbladder, forget your ears and eyes; wander aimlessly outside the dust and dirt, and enjoy the idle work." Comment: This sentence describes the state of forgetting the body and transcending the world, showing Zhuangzi's ideal of pursuing spiritual freedom. 9. "Fingers are exhausted in the firewood, the fire is passed on, and I don't know when it will end." Comment: Zhuangzi uses the metaphor of passing on firewood to illustrate that the inheritance of knowledge, wisdom or spirit is endless. 10. "What people hate is only the lonely and widowed, but the kings and nobles call it so." Comment: Zhuangzi reveals the social phenomenon of inconsistency between name and reality and inverted values by comparing the lonely and widowed that people usually hate with the lonely and widowed that the kings and nobles call themselves. 11. "The earth carries me in form, toils me in life, relaxes me in old age, and rests me in death." Comment: This sentence describes the natural process of life from birth to death in beautiful language, reflecting Zhuangzi's attitude of following nature and knowing one's fate. 12. "I take the heaven and earth as my coffin, the sun and the moon as my jade pendants, the stars as my pearls, and all things as my gifts." Comment: Zhuangzi used the heaven and earth as his burial, showing his open-mindedness of transcending life and death and being one with nature. 13. "The Tao is hidden in small achievements, and words are hidden in splendor." Comment: This sentence points out that the true meaning of the Tao is often hidden in small achievements, while profound words are not covered by gorgeous appearances. 14. "Once upon a time, Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly, a butterfly that fluttered and fluttered, and he felt happy and contented!" Comment: Zhuangzi used the metaphor of dreaming of a butterfly to explore the dialectical relationship between reality and dream, subject and object, which is full of philosophical meaning and creativity. 15. "The frog in the well cannot talk about the sea because it is confined to the void; the summer insect cannot talk about ice because it is loyal to time." Comment: Through the metaphor of the frog in the well and the summer insect, Zhuangzi explained that human cognition is limited by space and time, and encouraged people to broaden their horizons and transcend the times. 16. "A dog is not good because it barks well, nor is a man virtuous because he speaks well." Comment: This sentence uses dogs and people as examples to illustrate that when evaluating things, we should not only look at the surface phenomenon, but also pay attention to the inner essence. 17. "Truth is the utmost sincerity. Without sincerity, it cannot move people." Comment: Zhuangzi emphasized the importance of sincerity, believing that only sincerity to the extreme can move people's hearts. 18. "Do nothing to gain fame, do nothing to make plans, do nothing to take on responsibilities, and do nothing to know the master." Comment: This sentence expresses Zhuangzi's detached attitude towards fame, wealth, planning, responsibilities and knowledge in simple language, reflecting his pursuit of nature and the idea of governing by doing nothing. 19. "The world has great beauty but does not speak, the four seasons have clear laws but do not discuss, and all things have their own principles but do not say. A sage is one who understands the beauty of the world and the principles of all things." Comment: Zhuangzi believes that a sage can see through the beauty of the world and the principles of all things, and this insight reflects his deep understanding of nature and the universe. 20
About the Author
Chen Guying: A modern interpreter of Zhuangzi's philosophy Chen Guying, a famous Chinese philosopher, cultural critic and translator, is well-known for his in-depth research and modern interpretation of Zhuangzi's philosophy.
His book "Zhuangzi: Modern Notes and Modern Translations" provides readers with a brand-new reading experience, giving this ancient philosophical work a new vitality.< Basic Personal Information Chen Guying was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China in 1935, and later moved to Taiwan with his family.
He grew up in Taiwan and received a traditional Chinese cultural education.< Education and professional background Chen Guying graduated from the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University, and then went to Harvard University in the United States for further studies and obtained a doctorate in philosophy.
His academic career was mainly spent in Taiwan and the United States, and he taught at universities such as National Taiwan University and the University of California, Los Angeles.< Writing career Chen Guying's writing career began in the 1960s, and his works cover many fields such as philosophy, cultural criticism, and translation.
His "Zhuangzi: Modern Notes and Modern Translations" is one of his representative works.< The book has been widely praised for its in-depth and easy-to-understand interpretation and fluent modern Chinese translation.
Style and theme of works Chen Guying's works are known for being easy to understand and plain.< He is good at expressing complex philosophical thoughts in plain language, so that ordinary readers can also appreciate the charm of philosophy.
His "Zhuangzi's Modern Notes and Modern Translations" is a typical representative of this style, which closely links Zhuangzi's philosophical thoughts with modern people's lives and triggers readers' deep thinking.< Personal life Chen Guying's personal life is relatively low-key.
He has invested more time and energy in academic research and writing.< His academic achievements and contributions to Chinese culture have made him enjoy a high reputation in the academic community.
Social influence Chen Guying's "Zhuangzi's Modern Notes and Modern Translations" has played an important role in promoting Zhuangzi's philosophy.< His interpretation has given this ancient philosophical work new vitality in modern society and has had a positive impact on improving the public's cultural literacy and philosophical thinking ability.
Quotes and comments Chen Guying's "Zhuangzi's Modern Notes and Modern Translations" has been highly praised by many authoritative media and experts.< The People's Daily once commented that the book "provides a new way for modern people to read Zhuangzi", while the famous philosopher Li Zehou praised it as "profound and easy to understand, and a masterpiece for understanding Zhuangzi's philosophy".
Latest News Although Chen Guying has retired, he is still active in the academic world, often participating in various academic conferences and lectures, and continues to contribute to the promotion of Chinese culture and philosophical thought.< His new book "A New Interpretation of Zhuangzi's Philosophy" is also about to be published, which is worth looking forward to.
In general, Chen Guying is an outstanding philosopher and cultural critic.< His "Zhuangzi's Modern Notes and Translations" provides us with a valuable perspective for understanding Zhuangzi's philosophy, which is worth our careful reading.