Late-Southern-Sòng 南宋 Daoist scholar, compiler of the monumental 106-juàn [[KR5c0127|Nán huá zhēn jīng yì hǎi zuǎn wēi 南華真經義海纂微]] (DZ 734, 1265) — the single most extensive commentary-compilation on the Zhuāngzǐ in the pre-modern period.
Lifedates. Born 1230; died after 1278 (per Schipper & Verellen 2004, 2:2413). His active period thus spans the final decades of the Southern Sòng and the onset of the Mongol-Yuán conquest (1279).
Origin. Native of Wǔ lín 武林 (modern Hángzhōu 杭州, Zhè jiāng) — the Southern-Sòng capital region.
Zì. Xuě yán 雪巖 (“Snow Crag”).
Formation. In 1246 — at age sixteen — Chǔ Bóxiù met Fāng Yuán yīng 方元英 in the capital. Fāng was:
- A Daoist master from Sìchuān 四川.
- Abbot of the Shòu níng guān 壽寧觀 on Héng shān 衡山 (the Southern Sacred Mountain, in Húnán).
- Author of a (still extant) Lǎozǐ Dàodé jīng gǔ běn jí zhù 老子道德經古本集註.
Chǔ studied the Zhuāngzǐ with Fāng for two years. On Fāng’s instruction, he then studied alone for seven further years. The total decade of preparation (1246–1256) preceded his mature scholarly work, culminating in the 1265 compilation of DZ 734.
Work. His sole substantial surviving work is the [[KR5c0127|Nán huá zhēn jīng yì hǎi zuǎn wēi]] (DZ 734, 1265, 106 juàn). The compilation:
- Gathers six major commentaries on the Zhuāngzǐ in parallel — including otherwise-lost texts.
- Adds Chǔ’s own interpretive commentary in the final position.
- Provides text-critical notes on variant readings across different editions.
Scholarly significance. Chǔ Bóxiù’s compilation preserves Lǚ Huìqīng’s 呂惠卿 (呂惠卿) Zhuāngzǐ commentary (otherwise lost until the 1920 Khara-khoto discovery), a version of Guō Xiàng’s 郭象 (郭象) commentary with Chén Jǐngyuán’s 陳景元 (陳景元) critical notes, and Wáng Pōu’s 王雱 (王雱) alternative Zhuāngzǐ commentary (distinct from the surviving DZ 743). The compilation is thus indispensable for the reconstruction of medieval Chinese Zhuāngzǐ commentary.
Dating. Active 1246–1278. No precise death date. No CBDB record identified.