On the Realm of Discourse of "Enjoying Oneself in the Illimitable" in Zhuangzi: A Study of the Dual Meaning Correlations between "Zhi" (卮) and "Yan" (言)

Abstract: For a long time, the concepts of "Bu Yan" 不言 and "Yan Wu Yan" 言無言 in the Zhuangzi have been interpreted as an absolute state of silence. This view holds that the reflective and deconstructive attitude towards speech originates from Zhuangzi's distrust of language, leading him to be regarded as the most important linguistic skeptic in ancient China or the closest to a modern deconstructionist. In reality, the "Bu Yan" 不言 and "Yan Wu Yan” 言無言 in the Zhuangzi are not the deconstructionism of speech, but rather an attempt to address the issue of language being beclouded (言隱). Secular speech is always clouded by our fixed judgments of right and wrong. It is also influenced by our tendency to absolutize relative distinctions among things. This kind of speech reflects the arrogance of ordinary humans, who regard themselves as the arbiters of ultimate standards and judge others with their fixed prejudices. The disappearance of the Dao 道隱 and the process of our language being beclouded（言隱）occur simultaneously. More precisely, one major manifestation of the disappearance of the Dao is that our language is beclouded. The process of language being beclouded exacerbates the disappearance of the Dao. The manifestation of the Dao depends on awakening true speech from the cage of secular speech dominated by the individualized heart (心). This aspiration is implemented in Zhuangzi's transformation of speech. Zhuangzi creates a unique way of speech entitled "Zhiyan" 卮言. Zhuangzi combines "Zhi" (卮 wine cup) and "Yan" (言 speech) into one concept, blending the abstract with the concrete. Through the relationship between these two, Zhuangzi demonstrates that just as a wine cup holds wine, speech should embrace things, contain them, and just as a wine cup opens to infinite space, speech should also open to the infinite. Thus, "Zhiyan" 卮言 constructs an infinite domain that transcends worldly order, helping people to transcend finite perspectives and go wandering in the infinite.

Lecturer’s background: Dr. Huang Zixun received her philosophy degree from Fudan University in 2021. Currently she is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy of the School of Public Administration at Nanjing Normal University. Her interest and expertise include Pre-Qin Confucianism and Taoism, the study of Confucian classics (with a focus on the study of The Book of Songs) as well as Chinese classical aesthetics. Her book, Being Aroused by The Book of Songs: On the Traditional Way of Poetic Teaching and Poetic Living in China, was published in 2024. Additionally, she has published over ten papers in journals including Monthly Review of Philosophy and Culture, Thought and Culture, and Philosophical Analysis.

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