无庄子(汉英双语)

There are already several English translations of ChuangTzu’s writings in circulation. Why shouldwe offer a new one?In answering this question, two reasons may be given: In the first place, atranslation is an interpretation or commenting. So far as the English translations of the Chuang-tzuare concerned,they may be good and useful from a literary or linguistic point of view. But in their interpretingthe Chuang-tzu, they do not seem to have touched the true philosophical spirit of the author. Inotherwords, they are successful in the literary or linguistic aspect, but not in the philosophical. SinceChuang Tzu’s writings, like Plato’s "Dialogues," are more a philosophical work than a literaryone, itseems that a new translation, which would put more emphasis on Chuang Tzu’s philosophy, is needed.In the second place, the Ching Dynasty is famous for scholarship. Through the works of many scholarsin the field of higher and textual criticism, most of the ancient books have become more readableand intelligible. The earlier English translations of the Chuang-tzu do not seem to have utilizedthe fruitof the labour of these scholars. In this respect, a new translation, which embodies the results ofrecent scholarship, is also needed. William James said that every great philosopher has his vision.When one has grasped the vision, the whole system is easily understood. Crocé said somewhere thatthe greater a philosophical system is, the simpler the central idea. Although the presenttranslation is limited to the first seven chapters of Chuang Tzu’s writings, it is believed that itcontains the main vision or idea ofthe author. With the Introduction, which was originally prepared in a lecture form delivered atdifferent institutions in Peking, and an appendix that was originally written for the PhilosophicalReview,Peking, it is hoped that something may be contributed to the right understanding of Taoism as aphilosophy.In preparing the present translation of the Chuang-tzu, I have consult