ABSTRACT
The Chuang Tzu [Zhuang Zi), 1 along with the Too te ching (Dao de jing), is one of the principal texts in the philosophy of Taoism (Daoism). For more than two millennia it has had a profound and far-reaching influence on Chinese thought, literature, art, aesthetics, and religion. While one can think of other early philosophical texts which have exerted an equal or even greater influence on Chinese civilization, the Chuang Tzu is unique in being a book that appeals equally to reason and imagination. Since its compilation in the second century b.c.e., this text of philosophical mysticism has always been recognized as a literary monument in the Chinese tradition. Through translations, the Chuang Tzu has also attracted many admirers in the West during the last few decades. As one such admirer Arthur Waley has aptly described it, the Chuang Tzu is “one of the most entertaining as well as one of the profoundest books in the world.”
