A WALK IN THE NIGHT WITH ZHUANGZI: MUSINGS ON AN ANCIENT CHINESE MANUSCRIPT. By Kuan‐YunHuang. SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2023. Pp. xvi + 145. Hardback, $99.00; Paperback, $33.95.

This volume is a study of a Warring States period manuscript, the Fánwù liú xíng 凡物流形 (All Things Flow into Form), which had been circulating on the black market for a long time before being recovered and finally published by the Shanghai Museum. Despite its modest size, with around 800 characters, the interpretation of such a manuscript of largely unknown origin is thornier than expected. To this end, Huang emphasizes a comparative reading of contemporaneous texts, finding nuances in many similar keywords and expressions, such as those in the Zhuāngzǐ 莊子, Guǎnzǐ 管子, Xúnzǐ 荀子, and Chǔcí 楚辭 (The Songs of the South). Focusing on the core concept of “the heart of hearts,” Huang illuminates how this manuscript constructed an incremental process of self-cultivation aimed at realizing the ruler's virtue and duty, as well as ideal politics in practice. Simultaneously, the seemingly isolated topics of politics, morality, and the origin of the world are, in fact, integral components that together point to the key concept of what is called Oneness, or how to attain the Way. Moreover, a full translation by Huang is provided at the beginning of the volume. In sum, Huang seeks to find a narrative pattern within ancient Chinese texts and an alternative way of analyzing them, rendering this study far more valuable than an interpretation of the manuscript itself. This volume is highly recommended for scholars of early Chinese thought, especially those studying the Huáng-Lǎo school and the interaction between Confucianism and Daoism.