On Zhen In The Philosophy Of Chuang-Tzu

Zhen(true, genuine真)and Cheng(real, sincere, honest诚)are always linked together in today, which meaning is honest and genuine. However, in the pre-Qin dynasties, Zhen and Cheng were mutually independent from each other. Confucian often used the concept of Cheng, and the Taoists often used the concept of Zhen. In fact, Zhen was used firstly by Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu, and its meaning of philosophy was expounded by Chuang-Tzu. Zhen and its compounded words such as Zhen-zai (a real Lord真宰),Zhen-ren(true man真人)and Zhen-zhi(true knowledge真知)were all important conception in the book of Chuang-Tzu. On the other hand, Zhen has closely connection with another important conception of Chuang-Tzu such as Tao(waying道),Tian (heaven of nature天)and Te(virtue德). In this sense, we can say that Zhen is the core and fundamental conception in the philosophy of Chuang-Tzu.Zhen has many important meanings in the book of Chuang-Tzu. Firstly, Zhen has an ontological meaning when it connected with Tian and Tao. In this sense, Zhen means being such as itself and keeping nature such as itself. On the other hand, Zhen means making the things being as being. In fact, Zhen-zai(a real Lord真宰)means no supreme Lord in dependent of things. Secondly, Zhen has the meaning of virtue when it connected with Te(德)Te means getting concreteness from Tao. In this sense, we can also say that Te has the ontological meaning. However, when people attain Tao and make it inner, Te has the sense of virtue. Because thinking natural being is the most perfect existential state and way, Chuang-Tzu believes that people should learn from Tian and think highly of Zhen. For Chuang-Tzu, Zhen-ren(真人) means that a person who can obtain Tao and keep its Te in itself. Thirdly, Zhen has epistemological meaning. On one hand, Zhen-zhi(true knowledge) is on the opposite to experimental knowledge. In this sense, Chuang-Tzu thinks that people should transcend or forget the experimental knowledge in order to obtain true knowledge. On the other hand, Zhen-zhi is opposite to glimpses of the truth. In this sense, Chuang-Tzu advocates people to observe everything from the view of Tao and transcend the debating between right and wrong, either and or. Chuang-Tzu believes that only the true-man who may obtain the true knowledge. This proposition means that one’s knowledge can be restricted by its existence and its virtue. We can get a conclusion that the ontological meaning, the virtue meaning and the epistemological meaning of Zhen are inner linked together in the philosophy of Chuang-Tzu.