Wú néng zǐ 無能子
Master Unable
Anonymous; late Táng (887)
A late-Táng Daoist-naturalist philosophical treatise in 34 short chapters, by an anonymous author who styles himself Wú néng zǐ 無能子 (“Master Unable”). Dated by internal reference to 887 (Guāng qǐ 3), the late Huáng Cháo 黃巢 rebellion period. The text advocates a radical primitivism, denying cultural artifice and advocating a return to unconditioned nature. Preserved as DZ 1028 / CT 1028 (Tài xuán bù 太玄部).
Dating. 887. Dynasty: 唐.
Translations and research
- Wang Ming 王明. Wú néng zǐ jiào zhù 無能子校注. Běijīng: Zhōng huá shū jú, 1981. Standard critical edition.