Did Zhuangzi Criticize Mengzi?

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.

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Publication Details

Journal
Dao
Published
2024-12-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-024-09975-2
Primary Topic
Chinese history and philosophy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Did Zhuangzi Criticize Mengzi?

Kim-chong Chong
Dao
Chinese history and philosophy
article

Did Zhuangzi Criticize Mengzi?

Kim-chong Chong
article en

Abstract

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.

DaoVol. 24(1)
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK), University of Hong Kong (HK)
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Openalex Percentile: Top 61%
Chinese history and philosophy
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