Commentary on the Laozi

Introduction

Wang Bi died at twenty-three, yet his commentary on the Daodejing, written in the 240s, became the standard reading for centuries, and the version of the text transmitted with it is still the basis of most translations. Wang Bi was a leading figure of “Learning of the Mysterious” (xuanxue), which reinterpreted the Laozi, the Zhuangzi and the Book of Changes. He reads the text as a coherent philosophy: the myriad things that exist have their root in non-being (wu), which has no form or name and so cannot be grasped directly. A ruler should hold to this root rather than impose his will on its “branches”. Manuscripts found at Mawangdui (1973) and Guodian (1993) have since revealed older versions of the text.

Connections

Builds on

• Daodejingc. 400 BCE · Laozi

Criticized in

• Commentary on the Zhuangzic. 300 · Guo Xiang