Guo Xiang (; born 252 AD – died 312 AD) is credited with the first and most important revision of the text known as the ''
Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to:
* ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism
**Zhuang Zhou
Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...
'' which, along with the ''
Tao Te Ching
The ''Tao Te Ching'' (, ; ) is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion d ...
'', forms the textual and philosophical basis of the
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
school of thought. He was also a scholar of
xuanxue
Xuanxue (), sometimes called Neo-Daoism (Neo-Taoism), is a metaphysical post-classical Chinese philosophy from the Six Dynasties (222-589), bringing together Taoist and Confucian beliefs through revision and discussion. The movement found its scri ...
.
''Zhuangzi''
The Guo Xiang
redaction of ''Zhuangzi'' revised a fifty-two chapter original by removing material he thought was superstitious and generally not of philosophical interest to his literati sensibilities, resulting in a thirty-three chapter total. He appended a philosophical commentary to the text that became famous, and within four centuries his shorter and snappier expurgated recension became the only one known.
This ''Zhuangzi'' recension is traditionally divided into three sections: ‘Inner Chapters’ (1-7), ‘Outer Chapters’ (8-22), ‘Miscellaneous Chapters’ (23-33). This division is quite old and is likely to have been part of the original recension.
Guo's redaction focuses on his understanding of Zhuangzi's philosophy of spontaneity (; literally "self so"). This practiced spontaneity is demonstrated by the story of Cook Ding, rendered as Cook Ting in the
Burton Watson
Burton Dewitt Watson (June 13, 1925April 1, 2017) was an American sinologist, translator, and writer known for his English translations of Chinese and Japanese literature.Stirling 2006, pg. 92 Watson's translations received many awards, includi ...
translation (which is itself ultimately derived from the Guo Xiang recension):
Here, the careful yet effortlessly spontaneous way in which Cook Ding is described cutting up the ox is both an example of the cognitive state of mind
Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to:
* ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism
**Zhuang Zhou
Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...
associated with the Tao and the assertion that this state is accessible in everyday life.
In popular culture
In 1990, a computer-generated image of Guo Xiang's head was used as the logo for the Russian television production company,
VID. In 2017, the old logo was heavily redesigned.
Телекомпания «ВИD» показала новую заставку. Совсем не страшную!
''Meduza'', 6 October 2017.
See also
*Xiang Xiu
Xiang Xiu () is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.
His most famous contribution is a commentary on the Zhuangzi, which was later used and amended by Guo Xiang. After his friend Xi Kang was killed by the ruling Jin dynasty, Xiang careful ...
* Chan
*Chinese philosophy
Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Warring States period (), during a period known as the " Hundred Schools of Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural develop ...
* Laozi
*Zhuangzi (book)
The ''Zhuangzi'' ( Chinese: , historically romanized ''Chuang Tzŭ'') is an ancient Chinese text from the late Warring States period (476221) which contains stories and anecdotes that exemplify the carefree nature of the ideal Taoist sage. Na ...
*Xuanxue
Xuanxue (), sometimes called Neo-Daoism (Neo-Taoism), is a metaphysical post-classical Chinese philosophy from the Six Dynasties (222-589), bringing together Taoist and Confucian beliefs through revision and discussion. The movement found its scri ...
*VIDgital
VIDgital (russian: ВИDgital), formerly and still commonly known as simply VID (, stylized as ВИD, lit. "View"; acronym of '' Vzglyad i Drugiye'', "Outlook and Others") is a Russian and former Soviet TV production company. VIDgital produces sh ...
References
External links
Complete Works Of Chuang Tzu
translated by Burton Watson
Burton Dewitt Watson (June 13, 1925April 1, 2017) was an American sinologist, translator, and writer known for his English translations of Chinese and Japanese literature.Stirling 2006, pg. 92 Watson's translations received many awards, includi ...
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Zhuangzi
A sculpture of Xiang's head
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guo, Xiang
Jin dynasty (266–420) philosophers
Jin dynasty (266–420) Taoists
3rd-century births
4th-century Chinese philosophers
312 deaths
Xuanxue
3rd-century Chinese philosophers