The Philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi and the Bamboo-slip Essay Hengxian

Abstract

The bamboo slip essay Hengxian 恒先is historically valuable because it serves to further the ontological understanding and comprehension of issues related to the existence of the universe from the perspective of Laozi’s Daoist thought. Hengxian explores important propositions such as how “Qi originated and activated itself” and “they came out of the same source but differed in nature” from several aspects. The idea that “Hengxian is ‘being’ without any definiteness” responds to the issue of the relationship of difference and identity of all things in the world, and thus examines the interdependent relationships between subjects and objects. It proposes that humans can further understand the existence of the universe through cognitive activities and practices such as “analysis and comparison” in which objective realities are checked. The issues discussed in Hengxian are consistent with Laozi’s Dao de jing, the works of Zhuangzi, Huangdi sijing 黄帝四经 (The Four Classics from the Emperor Yellow) and other Daoist works, and deserve significant attention.

摘要

竹书 «恒先» 的历史价值在于以存在论的立场, 深化了老子开创的道家思想学说对于宇宙存在问题的认识理解。 “恒先无有” 因通过 “气是自生自作” 与 “同出而异性” 等重要命题的多方面阐释, 回答了宇宙万物差别与同一关系问题, 并且以此为依据考察了主客体之间的依存关系, 认为人类可以通过 “校比” 的认识实践活动, 与客观存在相对照检验, 实现对宇宙存在的洞察。 所论与老子 «道德经» 以及庄学、 «黄帝四经» 等多有一致之处, 非常值得重视。