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The Liezi is a work attributed to the Daoist, Lie Yukou who, according to the traditional account, lived during the later part of the fifth and first part of the fourth centuries BCE. This places him between the first wave of philosophers of the pre-Han “Hundred Schools” (notably Lao Zi, Confucius, Mozi and Deng Xi) and the second wave, from mid-fourth to the end of the third centuries BCE. Thus, he may be said to have responded to the former and prefigured the latter. The Liezi we have today is the recension by the Xuanxue (Dark Learning) scholar Zhang Zhan and is accompanied by Zhang’s commentary, which is an engaging work, presenting profound philosophical ideas in a straightforward, down-to-earth and sometimes humorous way.
Price: $80.00
Pages: 840
Publisher: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
Imprint: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
Publication Date:
10 March 2026
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9789882373358
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
PHILOSOPHY / Taoist, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Asian / Chinese
Johnston’s and Wang’s definitive English translation and their critical Chinese text have provided us with the broadest interpretative context imaginable, with their own synoptic and compelling interpretation.
Ian Johnston was Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Sydney before retirement in 1999. He is an independent scholar pursuing a lifelong interest in ancient languages, including translations of Chinese classics such as the Mozi, the Daxue & Zhongyong, and the Mingjia.
Wang Ping is an Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Languages, the University of New South Wales, Australia, where she teaches classical Chinese literature and aesthetics.