The Inner Chapters

The Inner Chapters are the oldest pieces of the larger collection of writings by several fourth, third, and second century B.C. authors that constitute the classic of Taoism, the Chuang-Tzu (or Zhuangzi). It is this core of ancient writings that is ascribed to Chuang-Tzu himself.

“More than just a translation of the renowned seven initial chapters of this foundational Taoist text, Angus Graham's Chuang-Tzu: The Inner Chapters includes about four-fifths of the entire work. It is the only Western translation organized around the distinct philosophical viewpoints in the text, and it is without a doubt the most innovative, philologically precise and religiously significant. It has been out of print for most of the past decade and its republication is most welcome. --Harold D. Roth, Brown University”

Graham's study and translation of the Zhuangzi remains one of the most valuable and important sources for students of Zhuangzi's thought. The Introduction is remarkably rich, and the combination of philological care and philosophical insight that Graham brings to the text make this the most philosophically revealing and productive translation available. --Philip J. Ivanhoe, Boston University

Angus Graham was for many of us the most distinguished sinologist of his generation. This annotated translation of the Zhuangzi is a splendid demonstration that only his rare combination of philological and philosophical acuity can provide the Western reader nuanced access to the profundity and humor of one of the world’s masterpieces of philosophical literature. --Roger T. Ames, University of Hawaii

A. C. Graham (1919-1991) was professor of Chinese, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a member of the British Academy.

The Inner Chapters are the oldest pieces of the larger collection of writings by several fourth, third, and second century B.C. authors that constitute the classic of Taoism, the Chuang-Tzu (or Zhuangzi). It is this core of ancient writings that is ascribed to Chuang-Tzu himself.

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