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.
Authors
- Kim-chong Chong
Institutions
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
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
Funders
- Hong Kong Baptist University
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology