The Syncretic Commentary on Dao De Jing 道德真经传

Composed by Lu Xisheng of the Tang Dynasty, this work consists of four volumes and is included in the Yujue (Jade Commentary) category of the Dongshen Section of the Daozang (Daoist Canon).

Prefaced with an autobiographical note by the author, it critiques the flaws of various scholars' interpretations. It states that Yang Zhu embraced the essence of Laozi yet erred on the side of insufficiency, leading to his doctrine of valuing one’s own life over material things. Zhuang Zhou practiced the application of Laozi’s thought but went to an extreme, thus advocating the abandonment of sages and wisdom. Shen Buhai and Han Feizi distorted the nominal essence of Laozi’s philosophy, resulting in harsh and rigid governance. Wang Bi and He Yan strayed from the true path of The Dao propounded by Laozi, falling into the pitfalls of nihilism and indulgence. The author holds that among all ancient scholars who expounded on Laozi’s philosophy, only Sima Qian came close to its true essence.

The commentary further asserts that Fuxi created the Eight Trigrams to symbolize all things in the universe, explore the principles of nature and life, and conform to the harmony of Dao and De—tenets shared by Laozi at their origin. King Wen observed the movements of yin and yang in the I Ching, emphasized firmness and transformation, and centered his philosophy on the mean, a core idea that aligns with Laozi’s fundamental tenets. Confucius inherited the legacy of Yao and Shun, followed the examples of King Wen and King Wu, and guided the people with benevolence and righteousness, a governance approach that dovetails with the pragmatic wisdom of Laozi. It concludes that Laozi "transformed and adapted the teachings of these three sages, then synthesized and unified them; he explored the mechanisms of ultimate transformation and probed the essence of supreme refinement—this can truly be called the acme of spiritual insight".

Guided by this core tenet, the entire work integrates Confucian and Taoist thought to elaborate on political philosophy, making it an important source for the study of ideological and academic trends in the late Tang Dynasty.