Reading Between Layers of Heaven and Human: A Unified Interpretation of the Tian-Ren Relationship in Zhuangzi

This paper explores the philosophical interplay among different conceptualizations of the heaven-human relationship (tian-ren guanxi 天人關係) in Zhuangzi. While existing scholarship often explains the apparent tensions among these conceptualizations in terms of different authors and historical dating, this paper sets aside questions of textual formation and brings to light conceptual patterns that emerge from Zhuangzi’s rich philosophical resources. Through a comprehensive analysis of the heaven-human relationship and its contextual usages across the corpus, this paper reveals that these seemingly incongruent conceptualizations constitute progressive transformations in philosophical perspective, with each conceptual layer building upon and refining the previous one. From one-sided views to the recognition of both sides, from rigid dichotomies to acknowledging ambiguities in epistemological categories and ultimately transcending these categories, this layered interpretative framework reveals an internally coherent and self-reflective vision underlying the Zhuangzi corpus as a whole.