Zhuang Zhou facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhuangzi (莊子) Zhuang Zhou (莊周)
Born	c. 369 BC
Died	c. 286 BC (aged c. 82 – 83)
Notable work	Zhuangzi
Era	Ancient philosophy
Region	Eastern philosophy Chinese philosophy
School	Taoism Philosophical skepticism
Influences Zhou Era Chinese thought: Confucius, Laozi, Mozi, Hui Shi, Yang Zhu
Influenced Daoism, Chinese Buddhism, Zen, and other East Asian philosophies, Alan Watts, Aleister Crowley, Heidegger, Karen L. Carr

Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi
"Zhuangzi" in seal script (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	莊子
Simplified Chinese	庄子
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhuāngzǐ
Literal meaning	"Master Zhuang"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhuāngzǐ Bopomofo ㄓㄨㄤ   ㄗˇ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Juangtzyy Wade–Giles Chuang¹ Tzŭ³ Yale Romanization Jwāngdž Wu Romanization Tzaõ-tzy Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jōngjí Jyutping Zong1zi2 Southern Min Tâi-lô Tsong-tsú; Tsng-tsú Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Cŏng-cṳ̄ Middle Chinese Middle Chinese tʂjang-tzí Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[ts]raŋ tsәʔ
Zhuang Zhou
Traditional Chinese	莊周
Simplified Chinese	庄周
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhuāng Zhōu
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhuāng Zhōu Bopomofo ㄓㄨㄤ   ㄓㄡ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Juang Jou Wade–Giles Chuang¹ Chou¹ Yale Romanization Jwāng Jōu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jōng Jāu Jyutping Zong1 Zau1 Southern Min Tâi-lô Tsong Tsiu Middle Chinese Middle Chinese tʂjang tʃjuw Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[ts]raŋ tiw

Zhuang Zhou, commonly known as Zhuangzi ( Chinese: 莊子; literally "Master Zhuang"; also rendered in the Wade–Giles romanization as Chuang Tzu), was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States period, a period of great development in Chinese philosophy, the Hundred Schools of Thought. He is credited with writing—in part or in whole—a work known by his name, the Zhuangzi, which is one of the foundational texts of Taoism.

Life

The only account of the life of Zhuangzi is a brief sketch in chapter 63 of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, and most of the information it contains seems to have simply been drawn from anecdotes in the Zhuangzi itself. In Sima's biography, he is described as a minor official from the town of Meng (in modern Anhui) in the state of Song, living in the time of King Hui of Liang and King Xuan of Qi (late fourth century BC). Sima Qian writes that Zhuangzi was especially influenced by Laozi, and that he turned down a job offer from King Wei of Chu, because he valued his personal freedom.

The validity of his existence has been questioned by Russell Kirkland, who asserts that "there is no reliable historical data at all" for Chuang Chou/Zhuangzi, and that "the Chuang-tzu known to us today" is better attributed to its "commentator", the third-century writer Kuo Hsiang.

Writings

Zhuangzi is traditionally credited as the author of at least part of the work bearing his name, the Zhuangzi. This work, in its current shape consisting of 33 chapters, is traditionally divided into three parts: the first, known as the "Inner Chapters", consists of the first seven chapters; the second, known as the "Outer Chapters", consist of the next 15 chapters; the last, known as the "Mixed Chapters", consist of the remaining 11 chapters. The meaning of these three names is disputed: according to Guo Xiang, the "Inner Chapters" were written by Zhuangzi, the "Outer Chapters" written by his disciples, and the "Mixed Chapters" by other hands; the other interpretation is that the names refer to the origin of the titles of the chapters—the "Inner Chapters" take their titles from phrases inside the chapter, the "Outer Chapters" from the opening words of the chapters, and the "Mixed Chapters" from a mixture of these two sources.

Further study of the text does not provide a clear choice between these alternatives. On the one side, as Martin Palmer points out in the introduction to his translation, two of the three chapters Sima Qian cited in his biography of Zhuangzi, come from the "Outer Chapters" and the third from the "Mixed Chapters". "Neither of these are allowed as authentic Chuang Tzu chapters by certain purists, yet they breathe the very spirit of Chuang Tzu just as much as, for example, the famous 'butterfly passage' of chapter 2."

On the other hand, chapter 33 has been often considered as intrusive, being a survey of the major movements during the "Hundred Schools of Thought" with an emphasis on the philosophy of Hui Shi. Further, A.C. Graham and other critics have subjected the text to a stylistic analysis and identified four strains of thought in the book: a) the ideas of Zhuangzi or his disciples; b) a "primitivist" strain of thinking similar to Laozi in chapters 8-10 and the first half of chapter 11; c) a strain very strongly represented in chapters 28-31 which is attributed to the philosophy of Yang Chu; and d) a fourth strain which may be related to the philosophical school of Huang-Lao. In this spirit, Martin Palmer wrote that "trying to read Chuang Tzu sequentially is a mistake. The text is a collection, not a developing argument."

Zhuangzi was renowned for his brilliant wordplay and use of parables to convey messages. His critiques of Confucian society and historical figures are humorous and at times ironic.

See also

In Spanish: Zhuangzi para niños

• Tao Te Ching