The Naturalness Exposition of Dao De Jing 道德真经解

Composed by Chen Xianggu of the Song Dynasty.

Consisting of two volumes, it is included in the Yujue (Jade Commentary) category of the Dongshen Section of the Daozang (Daoist Canon).

The scriptural text is not divided into chapters, in correspondence with the philosophical connotation that Dao and De are harmoniously unified and their wonderful functions are an integrated whole. The commentary takes returning to nature as its core tenet. Its preface states: "The Dao is inherently true and pure; its principle values tranquility and purity. People give rise to desires and passions, indulging in innumerable forms of deceit and fraud, being unable to preserve their lives, let alone spare time to save themselves from perishing. The Supreme Sage pitied them for their sufferings and composed this true text, holding that the Dao is not something born of oneself but is possessed by all people—yet they are confused and obstructed, thus losing their natural state." This doctrine essentially blends Confucianism and Taoism with the philosophy of nature and destiny.