Collated and Critical Study of the Xiang’er Commentary to the Laozi

David Chai is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Series Editor of Daoism and the Human Experience (Bloomsbury Academic), Prof. Chai's research focuses on ancient and medieval Chinese philosophy, aesthetics, and comparative philosophy.

• Collected Works of Jao Tsung-i: Xuantang Anthology—Series IntroductionAcknowledgmentsList of FiguresTranslator’s PrefacePreface1 Explanatory Abstract2 Recorded Commentary of Xiang’er3 Annotative Discussion4 Annotative Notes1 The Origin of the Name “Daoist Religion”2 The Genuine Dao, Genuineness of the Dao, and the Genuine Text3 Tenets of the Dao4 Person of Dao, Daoist Priest, and Transcendent Person5 Guarding the One6 On Joy and Anger, Auspicious and Inauspicious Fortune7 The Sound of Rapidly Plucked Strings in Equilibrium8 On Life and Studying Life9 Auspicious Talismans of Great Peace10 The Natural11 Harmonizing the Five Elements12 Issuing Forth Prosperity to Overcome Confinement13 Halos of the Sun and Moon, and the Guest Who Defiantly Does Not Shine14 The Arsenal and Tower, Wolf and Fox, General and Cavalry Officials, Chamber and Spearhead Stars15 The Dragon Is without Sons, False Arts16 Jade Maiden17 Writings of the Yellow Emperor, Mysterious Maiden, and Rong Cheng18 Enriching the Marrow and Cherishing the Essence19 The Dao Prohibits Sacrificial Tributes to the Dead20 Disaster Returns to One’s Descendants21 Great Yin22 Officials of Earth23 Officers of Heaven and the Life-Count24 The Corpse and Corpse People25 The Compass26 The Bright Hall27 Straw Dogs28 Xi Zhong Made Carts, the Yellow Emperor Made Rooms29 Great Virtue30 The Character Zhuo 汋31 The Ladle32 Rhymed Words in the Xiang’er Commentary33 The Title of Laozi’s Book5 Different Explanations of the Xiang’er Commentary6 The Xiang’er Commentary and Heshang Gong’s Section and Verse1 Part 12 Part 27 Comparison between the Xiang’er Commentary and Suo Dongxuan Edition8 The Xiang’er Commentary and Scripture of Great Peace9 Supplement to the Lost Texts of the Xiang’er Commentary10 Examining Zhang Daoling’s Writings11 The Nine Precepts and Three Harmonies of the Xiang’er Commentary, with Additional Discussion on the Newly Published Critical Edition of the Scripture of Great Peace12 Continued Discussion of the Xiang’er Commentary1 Preface2 Addendum to manuscript number 6825 in the Stein Catalogue3 Sun Simiao Citing the Precepts of Xiang’er, with Further Discussion of Xiang’er being Called a Transcendent Person4 The Nine Practices of the Xiang’er Commentary and Lord Lao’s Visualization Diagram5 On the Xiang’er Commentary’s “First was the Scripture then the 5,000-Character Classic as the Daoist Numerical System.”6 The Xiang’er Scripture as Received by the Preceptor of Eminent Mystery7 Discussing “Do Not Harm the Kingly Breath” in the Twenty-Seven Precepts of Xiang’er and the Scripture of Great Peace8 A Brief Record of Daoist Writings Citing the Xiang’er Commentary9 Conclusion13 Four Points on the Xiang’er Commentary1 The Jixia Academy and the theory of Essence and Breath2 The State of Chu and the theory of Proper Breath and Primal Breath3 Huang-Lao and the Theory of Identical Breath, Profound Breath, and Tyrant Breath4 The “Five Elements” Silk Text and the School of Rites’ Theory of the Breath of Benevolence, Breath of Righteousness, and Breath of Ritual5 The Scripture of Great Peace’s theory of Preserving the Primal Breath and Wang Fu’s Theory of the Breath of the Dao6 The Early Han Mawangdui Recipe for Nourishing Life and the Theory of Contracting Breath as the Root of Zhang Daoling’s ThoughtAppendicesPostscriptBibliographyIndex