Who is Liu An 刘安?

Liu An (approximately 179–122 BCE), a Taoist philosopher of the Western Han Dynasty, also known as Master Liu An, was a grandson of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang. He was first enfeoffed as Marquis of Fuling and later as Prince of Huainan. In 122 BCE, he launched an armed rebellion; after its failure, he died. Fond of reading and playing the qin (a traditional Chinese zither), he excelled in literary composition. He assembled thousands of guests, scholars, and practitioners of esoteric arts, overseeing the compilation of works such as Huainanzi (Philosophical Writings of Huainan).

Academically, his ideas clashed with the official Confucian doctrine of the time, as he primarily expounded Huang-Lao philosophy and upheld Taoist views. He regarded the "Dao" (Tao) as the supreme category and ontological foundation, asserting that the Dao originated in emptiness (xukuo), from which the universe emerged; the universe generated qi (vital energy), and qi gave birth to heaven, earth, and all things (see Tianwen Xun [Discourse on Astronomy]). Here, his concept of the Dao was not identical with "primordial qi" but aligned closely with Zhuangzi’s notion of a pre-heavenly, pre-earthly Dao that generates heaven and earth.

Liu An advocated the Taoist principle of "non-action" (wuwei) and criticized a contemporary misunderstanding of it, arguing that "non-action" should not be interpreted as absolute stillness or indifference—literally, "not responding when summoned, not moving when pushed," or doing nothing at all. Instead, he defined wuwei as relinquishing personal biases to follow objective laws and guide events according to their inherent tendencies: "What I call non-action means that private ambitions do not intrude on public principles, and desires do not distort correct methods. One acts in accordance with reason, achieves merit by leveraging available resources, and harnesses the natural momentum of things, leaving no room for artifice. One accomplishes tasks without boasting and achieves merit without claiming fame. This is not about being unresponsive to stimuli or immovable when challenged" (Xiuwu Xun [Discourse on Cultivating Endeavors]).

He emphasized that to succeed, one must "follow the natural principles of heaven and earth"—that is, respect objective laws and adapt to natural trends. Using examples, he noted that Yu the Great dredged rivers to benefit the world but could not make water flow westward; Houji (the god of agriculture) cultivated land to encourage farming but could not make crops grow in winter. "Was this due to lack of human effort? No, it was because the natural trends made it impossible" (Zhushu Xun [Discourse on Ruling Techniques]).
Concurrently, Liu An stressed the importance of human initiative alongside respect for objectivity: "Though water naturally flows eastward due to the earth’s topography, humans must build channels for it to follow the valleys; though crops grow in spring, humans must tend to them for grain to ripen. If we merely let water flow and crops grow on their own, the achievements of Yu (and his father Gun) and the wisdom of Houji would never have been realized" (Xiuwu Xun). However, he did not consistently uphold this proactive view of wuwei. In some contexts, he reverted to its passive interpretation, advocating "tranquil reflection and dispassionate indifference," asserting that "the affairs of the world cannot be forced—one must push them forward by following their natural course; the changes of all things cannot be fully fathomed—one must grasp their underlying trends" (Yuandao Xun [Discourse on the Origin of the Dao]). This conception of wuwei inclined toward prioritizing inner cultivation over external achievements, advocating the preservation of spirit and the suppression of cunning: "Guard one’s spirit and set aside worldly schemes" (ibid.). As such, it often merged with the Taoist ideas of "valuing life" (guisheng) and "preserving the true self" (baozhen).

Liu An stated: "To speak with enlightenment, one reveres heaven and preserves the true self; to speak with penetration, one scorns material things and cherishes the body; to speak with depth, one distances oneself from external objects and returns to one’s emotions" (see Yaolüe [Summary of Essentials]). All three statements remain within the framework of "valuing the body" and "preserving the true self," which prioritize individual self-worth over the value of external objects. Thus, "valuing the body" and "despising things" became central to his philosophy. Under the tenet of "despising things," he rejected the pursuit of objective knowledge and undervalued universal truths. In fact, following Zhuangzi’s perspective on relative truth, he denied the existence of absolute truth, claiming that "there is no joy or anger, no pleasure or sorrow. All things are fundamentally one; there is no right or wrong" (Yuandao Xun).

His biography appears in Volume 118 of the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) and Volume 44 of the Book of Han (Hanshu). His most prominent extant work is the Huainanzi, comprising 21 chapters.