Yan Zun’s Approach to Resolving Contradictions in Laozi’s Theory of the Dao: An Analysis of the Laozi Zhigui

The Laozi Zhigui of Yan Zun occupies an important place in the history of interpretation of the Laozi, and his thoughts had an enormous influence on the xuanxue scholars of the Wei-Jin period afterward. This study examines the ways in which Yan Zun attempted to resolve some contradictions in the theory of the Dao in the Laozi, such as how the Dao relates to the myriad things and to ziran, and the problem of how the Dao can be heard. This study also examines how, in his attempt to resolve these contradictions, Yan Zun could not escape creating a few contradictions of his own, such as the opposition between the theories that the Dao generates things and things self-generate; the opposition between Dao and Virtue following from ziran and the Dao embodying ziran inherently; and how the top, average and lowest kinds of scholars who have heard the Dao, despite all finding joy in their different hearings of the Dao, nevertheless exist in a hierarchical relation to each other. But from the point of view of the Laozi Zhigui as a whole, Yan Zun nevertheless tried to resolve these contradictions. Of course, some of these resolutions succeed, while others do not. This study also examines how, in his effort to resolve these contradictions, Yan Zun often took recourse to Zhuangzi’s conception of the Dao.