Religion and Thought in Ancient China : Chuang Tzu - the Abandonment of Sober Language

This paper is a representation and adaptation of Kuang Ming Wu's reading of Chuang Tzu as a work of Poetic Philosophy. One: Saying Nothing I discuss the question of whether Chuang Tzu is to be interpreted as a consistent or a confused text. I present my own account of Chuang Tzu's poetic philosophy, and the centrality of the images of uselessness and saying nothing. Chuang Tzu's thought prospers in dialogue and is presented as dialogue，with a light-hearted anti-rationalism which resists systemisation. Two: Free as a bird I explore the themes of freedom，naturalness，poise，skill and balance in Chuang Tzu. He uses the images of birds flying and fish swimming to express these themes. His thought is ecological，relying on an understanding of concepts of scale and niche: what you value depends on where you stand. Three: Pigs and fishing Chuang Tzu prefers concrete imagery to abstract speculation. Comedy is central to his method. I portray his sories of pigs and fishing as poetic parables，and conclude that the chaotic and protean nature of the text justifies a poetic rather than an analytic interpretation.