Transcending the essentialism vs. non-essentialism dichotomy: Zhuangzi’s Qiwulun as a novel lens for rethinking two conceptual paradigms of intercultural communication

In recent decades, the field of intercultural communication has been shaped by an enduring debate between two competing paradigms: essentialism and non-essentialism. While essentialism can be useful for identifying relatively stable cultural patterns, there is a risk of stereotyping and reification. By contrast, non-essentialism foregrounds fluidity, context and agency, but may struggle to account for continuity and macro-level regularities. This paper uses Zhuangzi’s Qiwulun to reconsider this opposition. It argues that Qiwulun not only advocates the balanced use of both paradigms, but also reveals the epistemic, linguistic, and discursive conditions through which their dichotomy is constructed. Through the concepts such as Chengxin, Yiming, Deyiwangyan, Shiyushangxing and Liangxing, this paper offers a meta-paradigmatic pathway for moving beyond rigid dichotomous thinking. Rather than eliminating categories altogether, Qiwulun enables their reflexive and provisional use, allowing essentialist and non-essentialist insights to operate within their respective valid domains without being absolutised. In this way, the paper presents Qiwulun as a unique philosophical resource for achieving a more critical, reflexive, and holistic understanding of intercultural communication.