“Xiaoyaoyou” Reidentified: The Problem of Identification in Chapter 1 of the Zhuangzi

This essay offers a coherent reading of the Zhuangzi chapter “Xiaoyaoyou,” proposing that its core concern is the problem of identification, rather than xiaoyao as mere freedom or contentment. Other key themes—such as the distinction between big and small, and the reconsideration of usefulness—are analyzed through this lens. Structurally, the chapter comprises three sections that collectively respond to Huizi’s criticism of Zhuangzi’s words as “big and useless.” By establishing identification as the chapter’s central concern, the essay also explores its implications for the discourse of self in the Zhuangzi . Approaching the self through self-identification, the reading supports the SELF AS CONTAINER/ARENA model, provided that the boundaries of the self-circle can be redrawn.