Zhuāngzǐ nèi piān dìng zhèng 莊子內篇訂正
Correctly Arranged Inner Chapters of the Zhuāngzǐ
by 吳澄 (Wú Chéng, hào Cǎo lú 草廬; 1249–1333) — the major Yuán scholar
A Yuán-dynasty critical-editorial reconstruction of the seven Inner Chapters (Nèi piān 內篇) of the Zhuāngzǐ by Wú Chéng 吳澄. Preserved in the Zhèngtǒng Dàozàng as DZ 741 / CT 741 (Dòngshén bù, Yù jué lèi 洞神部玉訣類). Wú Chéng’s editorial reworking parallels his bold 68-section rearrangement of the Dàodé jīng (KR5c0091, DZ 704) — together representing his radical text-critical programme for the Daoist classics.
About the work
Editorial programme
Wú Chéng produced two radical critical-editorial works on the classical Daoist texts:
- KR5c0091 DZ 704 Dàodé zhēn jīng zhù — rearrangement of the Dàodé jīng into 68 sections (rather than the canonical 81).
- DZ 741 Zhuāngzǐ nèi piān dìng zhèng — critical rearrangement of the 7 Inner Chapters of the Zhuāngzǐ.
Motivation
Per Robinet’s notice in Schipper & Verellen (2004, 2:2585–88, DZ 741):
“When Wú Chéng produced his commentary on the Dàodé jīng (704), he rearranged the traditional 81-chapter structure into 68 chapters. Following this same impulse, Wú composed this text. As indicated by the title, Wú Chéng’s own intention was critical-editorial — to correctly arrange the Inner Chapters.”
Scope
The work treats only the Inner Chapters (Nèi piān 內篇) — chapters 1–7 of the traditional 33-chapter Guō Xiàng redaction:
- Xiāoyáo yóu 逍遥遊
- Qí wù lùn 齊物論
- Yǎng shēng zhǔ 養生主
- Rén jiān shì 人閒世
- Dé chōng fú 德充符
- Dà zōng shī 大宗師
- Yìng dì wáng 應帝王
Per the modern philological consensus (Liú Xiàogǎn 劉笑敢, A. C. Graham), the Inner Chapters are the earliest and most authentically “Zhuāng Zhōu” stratum of the Zhuāngzǐ. Wú Chéng’s decision to focus his critical-editorial attention on these seven chapters — rather than on the outer or miscellaneous chapters — reflects a perceptive grasp of the text’s stratigraphy.
Method
The work rearranges passages within each Inner Chapter and across the seven chapters to produce what Wú Chéng judged the original textual order. The rearrangements are accompanied by brief philological notes explaining the critical-textual reasoning.
Prefaces
The received DZ 741 text contains brief prefatorial material. Its detailed contents are documented in Schipper & Verellen’s treatment (2004, 2:2585–88).
Abstract
The Dìng zhèng is a minor but philologically-serious Yuán-dynasty critical-editorial work on the most revered portion of the Zhuāngzǐ. Its parallel with Wú Chéng’s 68-section Dàodé jīng (KR5c0091) reveals a coherent editorial programme: the radical rearrangement of received Daoist texts on the basis of perceived philological-stratigraphic evidence. Modern scholarly consensus has not adopted Wú Chéng’s specific rearrangements, but his critical stance anticipates later textual-critical approaches.
Dating. Undated. Composition within Wú Chéng’s mature career (1280–1333). Per the project’s dating rule, the frontmatter gives 1280–1333 as a conservative window. Dynasty: 元.
Translations and research
- Schipper, Kristofer, and Franciscus Verellen, eds. The Taoist Canon: A Historical Companion to the Daozang. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004, 2:2585–88 (DZ 741, I. Robinet). Primary reference.
- Gedalecia, David. The Philosophy of Wu Ch’eng: A Neo-Confucian of the Yüan Dynasty. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999. For Wú Chéng’s scholarship.
- See also KR5c0091 (Wú Chéng’s Dàodé jīng commentary) and 吳澄.
Other points of interest
Wú Chéng’s radical-editorial approach to the Daoist classics — the 68-section Dàodé jīng and the rearranged Zhuāngzǐ Inner Chapters — reflects his characteristic combination of Confucian-philological rigour with Daoist interpretive engagement. As a disciple of Lǔ Xiàngshān’s 陸象山 xīn xué tradition, Wú Chéng brought a distinctive Sòng Neo-Confucian scholarly method to bear on the Daoist classical corpus, producing works of scholarly integrity but radical editorial ambition.
Links
- Kanseki Repository KR5c0134
- Schipper & Verellen, The Taoist Canon (2004), 2:2585–88 — DZ 741 entry (I. Robinet).
- Companion work: KR5c0091 Dàodé zhēn jīng zhù.
- Author: 吳澄 Wú Chéng.
- ctext.org: 莊子內篇訂正