--- title: "Zhuangzi 莊子 – English Interpretation | Daozang" url: "https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/" canonical: "https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/" lang: "en" edition: - "Source: Kanripo (Kyoto University)" - "Daozang section: 洞神部" - "Kanripo ID: KR5c0126" - "Base edition (Kanripo): CHANT" - "Witness (Kanripo): chant" - "Size: 33 volumes · 286,098 characters" source: "Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（京都大学）" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" --- # 《莊子》 Dongshen 洞神部 · 33 volumes · 286,098 characters ## Introduction ### What this book is 《庄子》 (Zhuangzi, “The Book of Master Zhuang”) is an important work of ancient Chinese philosophy and one of the Daoist classics. It often uses fables, analogies, and dialogue to explore questions concerning human beings and nature, knowledge and life, and other matters. This site places it in the Dongshen Division of the Daoist Canon and includes thirty-three fascicles, about 286,000 characters in all. The base text is taken from Kyoto University’s Kanripo Chinese Classics Repository. ### Authorship and date Traditionally, this work is attributed to Zhuang Zhou, who is generally considered to have lived in the mid-Warring States period. The received text cannot all be confirmed as having been written by Zhuang Zhou himself; scholars generally believe that its chapters underwent additions and editing by later followers. The process by which it was completed and compiled is disputed, and its precise date is unknown. ### Structure The version of 《庄子》 included on this site consists of thirty-three fascicles, about 286,000 characters in all, and begins with “Free and Easy Wandering” (《逍遥游》). The text opens with “In the Northern Darkness there is a fish, whose name is Kun,” recounting how Kun transforms into Peng and rides the wind southward. It then contrasts the understanding of the cicada and the young dove with that of the little quail, developing a discussion of differences in size and distance, and the limits of perception. ### Core ideas 《庄子》 often begins from the premise that all things have their own circumstances and limits, reminding readers not to judge the myriad things of Heaven and Earth too hastily by their own views. “Free and Easy Wandering” uses Peng’s far journey and the small birds’ mockery as an analogy to present the differences between perspectives. The work also repeatedly discusses ideas such as following nature, transcending preconceptions, and freedom from entanglements in fame and profit. The writing and aims of the individual chapters vary, so they are best understood in relation to the specific chapters. ### How to read it on this site This site presents the original text alongside a plain-language interpretation, paragraph by paragraph. The page can be switched to traditional Chinese characters or a foreign-language interpretation. Longer works are read fascicle by fascicle; you can begin with 《逍遥游》 and use the original text and interpretation together to understand the analogies in its fables and their aims. 本站编辑整理；原文据 Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ KR5c0126 ## About this edition - **Source**: Kanripo (Kyoto University) - **Daozang section**: 洞神部 - **Kanripo ID**: [`KR5c0126`](https://github.com/kanripo/KR5c0126) - **Base edition (Kanripo)**: `CHANT` - **Witness (Kanripo)**: `chant` - **Size**: 33 volumes · 286,098 characters ## Contents (33 volumes) - [Vol. 1](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/1/index.md) - [Vol. 2](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/2/index.md) - [Vol. 3](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/3/index.md) - [Vol. 4](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/4/index.md) - [Vol. 5](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/5/index.md) - [Vol. 6](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/6/index.md) - [Vol. 7](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/7/index.md) - [Vol. 8](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/8/index.md) - [Vol. 9](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/9/index.md) - [Vol. 10](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/10/index.md) - [Vol. 11](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/11/index.md) - [Vol. 12](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/12/index.md) - [Vol. 13](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/13/index.md) - [Vol. 14](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/14/index.md) - [Vol. 15](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/15/index.md) - [Vol. 16](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/16/index.md) - [Vol. 17](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/17/index.md) - [Vol. 18](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/18/index.md) - [Vol. 19](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/19/index.md) - [Vol. 20](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/20/index.md) - [Vol. 21](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/21/index.md) - [Vol. 22](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/22/index.md) - [Vol. 23](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/23/index.md) - [Vol. 24](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/24/index.md) - [Vol. 25](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/25/index.md) - [Vol. 26](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/26/index.md) - [Vol. 27](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/27/index.md) - [Vol. 28](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/28/index.md) - [Vol. 29](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/29/index.md) - [Vol. 30](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/30/index.md) - [Vol. 31](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/31/index.md) - [Vol. 32](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/32/index.md) - [Vol. 33](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/juan/33/index.md) --- 原文底本：Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（京都大学），CC BY-SA 4.0。 Source text: Kanripo Chinese Classics Repository (Kyoto University), CC BY-SA 4.0. HTML version: https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0126/