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Dao Companion to Xuanxue 玄學 (Neo-Daoism)

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Editors:
  1. David Chai

    1. Department of Philosophy, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

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  • Offers a comprehensive introduction to the principal figures of Neo-Daoism and their contributions
  • Provides a holistic approach to Neo-Daoism via the three core concepts of classical Daoism: non-being, being, and oneness
  • Features 25 chapters written by world-renowned scholars

Part of the book series: Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy (DCCP, volume 14)

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Table of contents (25 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. Introduction

    • David Chai
    Pages 1-9

  3. Background of Xuanxue

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-11
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    2. Xuanxue’s Contributions to Chinese Philosophy

      • James D. Sellmann
      Pages 13-32

    3. The Metaphysical Style and Structural Coherence of Names in Xuanxue

      • Jana S. Rošker
      Pages 33-54

  4. Foreshadowing Xuanxue in the Eastern Han

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 55-55
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    2. Oneness in the Taipingjing

      • Barbara Hendrischke
      Pages 57-80

    3. Yin and Yang in the Taipingjing

      • Barbara Hendrischke
      Pages 81-101

    4. Dao and Ziran in Heshanggong’s Commentary on the Daodejing

      • Misha Tadd
      Pages 103-128

    5. The Walking Dead: Morality, Health, and Longevity in the Xuanxue Method of the Xiang’er Commentary on the Laozi

      • Ronnie Littlejohn
      Pages 129-148

    6. Wang Chong’s View of Ziran and its Influence on Wang Bi and Guo Xiang

      • Alexus McLeod
      Pages 149-163
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Keywords

About this book

This comprehensive volume surveys an important but neglected period of Chinese intellectual history: Xuanxue (Neo-Daoism). It provides a holistic approach to the philosophical and religious traits of this movement via the concepts of non-being, being, and oneness. Thinkers and texts on the periphery of Xuanxue are also examined to show readers that Xuanxue did not arise in a vacuum but is the result of a long and continuous evolution of ideas from pre-Qin Daoism.

The 25 chapters of this work survey the major philosophical figures and arguments of Xuanxue, a movement from the Wei-Jin dynastic period (220-420 CE) of early-medieval China. It also examines texts and figures from the late-Han dynasty whose influence on Xuanxue has yet to be made explicitly clear. In order to fully capture the multifaceted nature of this movement, the contributors brilliantly highlight its more socially-oriented characteristics. 

Overall, this volumepresents an unrivaled picture of this exciting period. It details a portrait of intellectual and cultural vitality that rivals, if not surpasses, what was achieved during the Warring States period. Readers of the Yijing, Daodejing, and Zhuangzi will feel right at home with the themes and arguments presented herein, while students and those coming to Xuanxue for the first time will acquire a wealth of knowledge.         




Reviews

“Chai has done an admirable job of bringing together a wide variety of scholars well-versed in one or more aspects of this important period in Chinese philosophy … . each chapter is worthy of consideration on its own merits. … it will be an indispensable source for all those interested in this period in Chinese Intellectual history.” (Steven Burik, Dao, Vol. 22 (1), 2023)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    David Chai

About the editor

David Chai is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the author of Zhuangzi and the Becoming of Nothingness (2019), and editor of Daoist Encounters with Phenomenology: Thinking Interculturally about Human Existence (2020). His work has also appeared in a wide variety of journals and edited anthologies covering the fields of Chinese philosophy, metaphysics, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and comparative philosophy.       



Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Dao Companion to Xuanxue 玄學 (Neo-Daoism)

  • Editors: David Chai

  • Series Title: Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49228-1

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-49227-4Published: 30 September 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-49230-4Published: 01 October 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-49228-1Published: 29 September 2020

  • Series ISSN: 2211-0275

  • Series E-ISSN: 2542-8780

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 529

  • Number of Illustrations: 61 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Non-Western Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion

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