Tracing the source of nurturing life: a hermeneutic interpretation of Zhuangzi’s “Essence of Nurturing Life”

This study addresses a critical gap in Daoist scholarship by revisiting the concept of “nurturing life” (養生) in Zhuangzi: Essence of Nurturing Life, an idea often reduced to either medical pragmatism or mystical abstraction in contemporary interpretations. In light of rising global interest in holistic wellness, psychological resilience, and existential balance, this paper argues that Zhuangzi offers a philosophically rigorous and spiritually embodied model of life cultivation, distinct from both Confucian moralism and biomedical reductionism. Using hermeneutic textual analysis grounded in Daoist metaphysics, the study examines central parables, including Cook Ding, the marsh pheasant, and the Right Master, to uncover how Zhuangzi integrates physical finitude with intuitive freedom. The analysis also traces the philological evolution of 養生 across classical texts, such as Shuowen Jiezi, Zuo Zhuan, Mencius, and the Dao De Jing, revealing how Zhuangzi reconfigures the term from a ritual or ethical duty toward an existential alignment with the Dao. Rather than presenting nurturing life as a strategy for longevity, Zhuangzi frames it as a dynamic interplay between moderation, spontaneity, and self-acceptance. His view emphasizes attunement over control, serenity over striving, and resonance with natural rhythms over rigid prescriptions. This vision is further contextualized through comparative reference to Indian Purushartha and contemporary philosophies of flourishing. The findings position Zhuangzi not merely as a voice from antiquity, but as a relevant interlocutor in current discourses on health, meaning, and the art of living.