Author Description

This book provides a glimpse into 17th-century Zhuāngzǐ (; ca. 4th through 3rd century BCE) studies by introducing the works of Hānshān Déqīng (; 1546-1623), Wáng Fūzhī (; 1619-1692), and Lín Yúnmíng (; 1628-1697), which give a sense of diverse approaches to Zhuāngzǐ during this period. The three commentators represent three distinct orientations as reflected by their respective roles, with Hānshān Déqīng being a Buddhist monk, Wáng Fūzhī a philosopher, and Lín Yúnmíng a literary critic. Their understanding of "carefree wandering" () is spelled out, followed by a complete translation of the Péng-bird passage through their eyes. The author concludes how this amounts to a conception of human flourishing. This is the first monograph on Zhuāngzǐ studies of any of these three thinkers in English. General readers or specialists of ancient Chinese philosophy can gain insight into how Zhuāngzǐ was read in culturally relevant contexts.