Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social Reformer

3. Lin Xiyi original: "Lin Hsi-yi" of the Song original: "Sung" dynasty.

4. Wang Yu original: "Wang Yü" of the Song dynasty. He was the son of the famous statesman and reformer Wang Anshi original: "Wang An-shih".

5. Xing Tong original: "Hsing Tung", a Taoist priest of the Ming dynasty.

6. Lin Xizhong original: "Lin Hsi-chung", of the Ming and Qing original: "Ch’ing" dynasties.

Where there is a consensus of opinion, I have followed that interpretation without hesitation. However, where opinions differ, I have not hesitated to accept the interpretation that seemed to me most in harmony with the general spirit of Chuang Tzu’s philosophy. In cases where all commentators fail equally—as they sometimes do—to produce any clear meaning, I have then ventured to rely upon what Chuang Tzu himself would have called the "light of nature" This refers to using one's innate reason or natural intuition to find clarity.. I have always kept steadily in mind the grand principle of Lin Xizhong: that we should attempt to interpret Chuang Tzu according to Chuang Tzu himself—not according to Lao Tzu, Confucius, or Buddha.

Of the thirty-three existing chapters, the first seven are called the "Inner" original: "inside" chapters, the next fifteen are the "Outer" original: "outside", and the remaining eleven are "Miscellaneous."

The meaning of "Inner" and "Outer" is a matter of debate. Some Chinese critics have understood these terms in the sense of esoteric intended for a specialized, inner circle and exoteric intended for the general public. However, it is simpler to believe, as others do, that the titles of the first seven chapters are taken from their internal subject matter, while the outer chapters are so named because their titles are chosen randomly from words that happen to appear at the beginning (or "outside") of each chapter.