Animal Images in the Zhuangzi : Extended Dialogue and Relational Imagination

Non-humans in the Zhuangzi are not mere allegories but portray themselves and their animalistic standpoints as participatory images (xiang 象). Although the Zhuangzi is often described as a text rich in imagination, the notion of xiang as a derivative for imaginative thinking has not been addressed through its linkage with animal standpoints. While xiang is commonly translated as “image”, it cannot be reduced to its English equivalent. Rather than replicating reality, xiang brings reality forward, emphasizing perception and an animal stance in imaginative thinking. By investigating the dialogues between Zhuangzi and Huizi in the inner chapters and the “happy fish” story, I suggest animal images ( xiang ) in the Zhuangzi appear as foundational to imagination and dialoguing processes.