Zhuangzi

Master Zhuang is the second most influential writer in Daoism (Taoism). The book named after him, the Zhuangzi, includes 33 chapters and is divided into the inner chapters (1-7), the outer chapters (8-22), and miscellaneous chapters (23-33).

The Zhuangzi differs significantly in tone from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) because it is includes many parables and tales instead of only poetry. It can be difficult to understand at times and can require multiple readings (Zhuangzi, Introduction, page 21).

There is an uneven quality throughout the Zhuangzi with Chapters 1-7, 17-19, and 26 being particularly well written. Most see the inner chapters as the most important and they are written in a uniform poetic style.

“In the northern darkness there is a fish and his name is Kun. The Kun is so huge. I don’t know how many thousand li he measures. He changes and becomes a bird whose name is Peng. The back of the Peng measures I don’t know how many thousand li across, and when he rises up and flies off, his wings are like clouds all over the sky.

Zhuangzi, Chapter 1

Many of the remaining chapters are more of a reworking of the inner chapters, can even be called dull, and sometimes contradict the inner chapters (Zhuangzi, Introduction, page 19, 21).

Inner Chapters

  1. Free and Easy Wandering
  2. Discussion on Making All Things Equal
  3. The Secret of Caring for Life
  4. In the World of Men
  5. The Sign of Virtue Complete
  6. The Great and Venerable Teacher
  7. Fit for Emperors and Kings

Outer Chapters

  1. Webbed Toes
  2. Horses’ Hoofs
  3. Rifling Trunks
  4. Let It Be, Leave it Alone
  5. Heaven and Earth
  6. The Way of Heaven
  7. The Turning of Heaven
  8. Constrained in Will
  9. Mending the Inborn Nature
  10. Autumn Floods
  11. Supreme Happiness
  12. Mastering Life
  13. The Mountain Tree
  14. Tian Zifang
  15. Knowledge Wandered North

Miscellaneous Chapters

  1. Gengsang Chu
  2. Xu Wugui
  3. Zeyang
  4. External things
  5. Imputed Words
  6. Giving Away a Throne
  7. Robber Zhi
  8. Discoursing on Swords
  9. The Old Fisherman
  10. Lie Yukou
  11. The World

Resources

Complete Works Of Zhuangzi, Burton Watson, translator. Columbia University Press, 2013. A good and classic translation of Zhuangzi.