Title

Body, Metaphor and the Power of Transformation: On Two Kinds of Body and Thinking in the Zhuangzi

Author

Liu, Tsang-long

Genre

Article  

Pages

185-213

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

Zhuangzi, Body, Metaphor, Concept, Qi

Abstract

        Recent studies have shown that increasing attention has been given to body and metaphor in Western philosophy. This paper provides a new perspective to interpret Zhuangzi’s莊子 thought of body and metaphor. I argue that the crucial distinction between “Leib” (living body) and “Körper” (objective body), made by Nietzsche, may also play a role in the Zhuangzi. For Zhuangzi, the individual is the embodiment of the form of natural process (qi 氣). A living body gets energy from this natural process only if one can practice a way of living that utilizes metaphorical thinking. Zhuangzi criticizes Huishi 惠施 for overemphasizing conceptual thinking, which causes the connection between body and natural process to become lost. Thinking through the metaphor of qi, Zhuangzi, as Nietzsche, philosophizes with metaphor and emphasizes the role of metaphorical thinking. Conceptual thinking therefore no longer occupies the top priority for philosophy. In this article, I intend to explore what “body” means to Zhuangzi and investigate the relationship between body, thinking, and self-transformation. Finally, and most importantly, I examine the following question: What is the way of thinking and living implied in Zhuangzi’s theory of body and metaphor?