The Guo-Cheng Commentary on Zhuangzi 南华真经注疏

Annotated by Guo Xiang of the Jin Dynasty and supplemented with commentaries by Cheng Xuanying of the Tang Dynasty, this work consists of thirty-five volumes and is included in the Yujue (Jade Commentary) category of the Dongshen Section of the Daozang (Daoist Canon).

The Guo-Cheng Commentary on Zhuangzi

Guo Xiang was a Xuanxue philosopher of the Western Jin Dynasty. His Commentary on the Zhuangzi, built on Xiang Xiu’s theory of "carefree transcendence through the sufficiency of inherent nature", expounded the Xuanxue philosophy of "independent transformation"—an ontological philosophy holding that all things evolve independently. This philosophy served to substantiate his doctrine of "inner sageliness and outer kingship". Guo Xiang established himself as a great Xuanxue philosopher through his annotations on the Zhuangzi. Cheng Xuanying was a Daoist scholar in the early Tang Dynasty. Drawing on Guo Xiang’s annotations, he wrote Commentaries on the Zhuangzi, which, besides textual exegesis, also focused on elaborating philosophical connotations. Generally based on Guo Xiang’s theory of independent transformation, it expounded the Dao of "chongxuan" (double mystery).

This work is an important source for the study of Chinese philosophical history and Daoist intellectual history.