Library of Chinese Classics: Liezi

Library of Chinese Classics: Liezi (Chinese-English)
Author: Liezi
Translated into modern Chinese by Li Jianguo
Translated into English by Liang Xiaopeng

Library binding book, dimensions 960 x 640, 1/16
Publisher: Zhonghua Book Company, 2005

ISBN: 7101042732 9787101042733

Liezi, one of the classics of Taoism, is said to be written by Liezi, or Lie Yukou, a representative Taoist of the Warring States Period. The teachings of Liezi were close to those of Zhuangzi; however, the present version reflects the contents of thinking and style of writing of the Eastern Jin in addition to its basic standpoint of and approach to the traditional Taoist world view of naturalism. For this reason, it is believed by some people to be a book composed by later enerations but put under the name of Liezi.Liezi contains a lot of fables, folktales, and myths which may serve as valuable materials of folklore in the ancient times. On the other hand, chapters like "Power and Destiny" and "Yang Zhu" are indirect reflections of the metaphysical thought of the Wei and Jin Period.
According to the Comprehensive Mirror of the Perfect Immortals Who Embodied the Dao, Liezi was a man of the state of Zheng, who lived there unknown for forty years. The author of the History of the Han Dynasty held that Liezi lived earlier than Zhuangzi, because Zhuangzi recorded many legends about Liezi.
The old version of the Liezi had twenty chapters, among which only eight chapters were left after Liu Xiang edited the book, omitting repetitions. It was classified into the school of Daoist philosophy, which grasped the fundamental root and advocated humility in self-cultivation. This agrees with the Six Confucian Classics. The book of Liezi was respected and given the title "Perfect Book of the Higher Virtue of Emptiness" in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang dynasty. Liezi was honoured with the title "Perfect Man of Emptiness" in the Tianbao era of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, and the title "Perfect Sovereign of Emptiness and Sublime Contemplation" in the Xuanhe era of the Song Dynasty.
The present English translation is complete one made by Liang Xiaopeng, Doctor of History in Dunhuang Studies and Professor of English at Ocean University of China. The vernacular Chinese version is translated by Li Jianguo, Senior Editor for Language and Literature Press and Secretary-general for China Glossarists' Society.