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Did zhuangzi criticize mengzi?

  • Kim Chong Chong*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Articlepeer-review

Abstract

Mengzi 孟子 and Zhuangzi 莊子 lived around the same time in the mid–Warring States period of ancient China. The historical relation between them is unclear. There is no mention of each other in the texts named after them. But some authors have claimed that characterizations of deformed bodies, the heart-mind, and qi 氣 in the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi are directly critical of Mengzi. I argue that there is no good reason for this claim. Although their philosophies are conceptually opposed, this does not mean that there is a directly critical relation between them.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37-53
Number of pages17
JournalDao
Volume24
Issue number1
Early online date23 Dec 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

  • Mengzi 孟子
  • Zhuangzi 莊子
  • Deformed bodies
  • Heart-mind as ruler
  • Heart-mind and qi 氣
  • Heart-mind and zhi 志 (aims/aspirations)

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