Figures of Taoism: Wunengzi 无能子

Wunengzi was a Taoist in the late Tang Dynasty.

He was born into a poor family, and the sons of his brothers also lived in cold and hunger. He once held an official position, but due to the chaos of the times, he lived in seclusion among the people. His residence was not fixed, and he suffered from cold and hunger, yet he did not care about it.

After going into seclusion, he concealed his name and identity, and no one knows his final whereabouts. Ideologically, influenced by the great peasant uprisings at the end of the Tang Dynasty, he denied the distinction between monarch and subjects, was deeply dissatisfied with the hierarchy of nobility and inferiority, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the etiquette of respect and inferiority, condemned sages, and was willing to be a madman of his time. Philosophically, he developed the Taoist view of nature, believing that all things in heaven and earth were formed by the natural development of qi (vital energy).

He said: "Before heaven and earth were separated, there was a chaotic mass of qi. This qi was abundant and then divided into two opposites, with clarity and turbidity, lightness and heaviness. The light and clear part rose to become yang and heaven; the heavy and turbid part sank to become yin and earth. Heaven is strong and dynamic, while earth is gentle and static. This is the natural state of qi." (Wunengzi·Sins of Sages, hereinafter only the chapter name is noted) This "chaotic mass of qi" is the material origin before the formation of heaven and earth. Its movement and differentiation gave birth to heaven, earth, yang and yin, and from heaven, earth, yang and yin came all living things and human beings. Wunengzi said: "After heaven and earth took their positions, yin and yang qi interacted, and thus naked insects, scaly insects, hairy insects, feathered insects, and shelled insects came into being. Humans are naked insects, existing together with scaly, hairy, feathered, and shelled insects. They all live in heaven and earth, merely through the interaction of qi, with no difference." (Sins of Sages)

He adhered to the monism of primordial qi, believing that everything from heaven and earth to living things originated from qi, and among living things, from birds, beasts, insects to humans, they also originated from qi: "Humans, birds, beasts, and insects all float in heaven and earth, being nothing but a single qi." (King Wen's Words)

His monism of primordial qi regarded all things in heaven and earth as the result of the natural development of material primordial qi, denying the role of supernatural and non-material forces such as gods and God in the formation of all things, showing a materialistic tendency. Moreover, his monism of primordial qi was also a concept of development and evolution: taking human evolution as an example, Wunengzi believed that humans and insects share the same qi, and humans evolved from naked insects. In ancient times, humans lived together with scaly, hairy, feathered, and shelled creatures. Males and females, males and females of animals, combined naturally, with no distinction between men and women, husbands and wives, and no order between fathers and sons, brothers. They just followed nature, pursued their natural instincts, with no one to rule over them, living in a state of simplicity and innocence. Later, wisdom gradually emerged, simplicity and innocence dispersed, and emotions and desires arose. With the progress and development of humans, "desires became more intense", and the trend of competing for wealth became increasingly fierce. Beyond benevolence, righteousness, morality, ritual, music, loyalty, and faith, it was necessary to establish punishments, prisons, and armies. As a result, "crimes punishable by chains, shackles, flogging, exile abounded in the country; weapons such as spears, halberds, bows, and arrows filled the world; disasters of family ruin and national subjugation continued endlessly; the suffering of people living in poverty and dying young went on without end." (Sins of Sages)

Wunengzi realized at that time that the struggles, wars, and various acts of oppression among people that troubled them did not exist from the beginning, but emerged in a certain historical period. In response to the social unrest, political corruption, and people's inability to make a living at that time, he particularly emphasized the Taoist thought of non-action. He said: "Heaven and earth act with non-action: the sun, moon, stars move day and night; rain, dew, frost, snow fall in autumn and winter; rivers flow without stopping; plants grow without ceasing. Therefore, acting with non-action allows for no stagnation; if one is stuck in intentional action, they cannot achieve non-action." (King Wen's Words)

He used the Taoist thought of non-action to analyze political issues, emphasizing non-action in politics, believing that non-action enables one to achieve everything, while intentional action may lead to inability to achieve certain things. He demanded that those in power should have no selfish intentions or desires, rid themselves of selfish thoughts, and then they could achieve everything, truly knowing when to stay and when to act, being content with self-cultivation when it is reasonable, and helping others when the situation allows, thus avoiding "human feelings deviating from nature and shortening their lives".

The Book of Tang·Bibliography recorded Wunengzi in the Taoist category, with 3 volumes, and stated: "The author's name is unknown; he lived in seclusion among the people during the Guangqi period."

The Zhengtong Taoist Canon (Taixuan section) included Wunengzi in 3 volumes: Upper, Middle, and Lower. It was also recorded in The Comprehensive Catalog of the Four Treasuries.