•  485
    This article presents and interprets a number of neglected paradoxes in early Chinese philosophical texts (ca. 500-100 B.C.). Looking beyond well-known paradoxes put forward by masters such as Hui Shi and Gongsun Long, it intends to complement our picture of Warring States and early Western Han paradoxical statements. The first section contrasts the neglected paradoxes with the well-known ones. It is contended here that our understanding of these latter paradoxes is hampered by a lack of context…Read more
  •  457
    Index to Volume Fifty-Six
    with Right Words Seem Wrong
    Philosophy East and West 56 (4): 709-714. 2006.
    In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Index to Volume Fifty-SixArticlesBernier, Bernard, National Communion: Watsuji Tetsurō's Conception of Ethics, Power, and the Japanese Imperial State, 1 : 84-105Between Principle and Situation: Contrasting Styles in the Japanese and Korean Traditions of Moral Culture, Chai-sik Chung, 2 : 253-280Buxton, Nicholas, The Crow and the Coconut: Accident, Coincidence, and Causation in the Yogavāiṣṭha, 3 : 392-408Chan, Sin Yee, The Confucian …Read more
  •  62
    This article explains Zhuangzi's philosophy by analyzing the metaphor of the potter's wheel. I argue that this is one of the central images in the core chapters of the _Zhuangzi_. Together with two cognate images, it not only appears in some crucial passages, but also allows us to integrate a variety of seemingly independent topics. The article consists of four sections. I start by placing the potter's wheel against a background of other artisan tools. A second section focuses on three major the…Read more
  •  33
    On Goblet Words
    NTU Philosophical Review 53 75-108. 2017.
    This article attempts to reframe the state of research on the notion of goblet words in the Zhuangzi. Recent studies predominantly view the notion of zhiyan as referring to peculiar stylistic forms exhibited in the Zhuangzi—forms such as dilemmatic questions and paradoxes. In this article, I question the quick identification of these forms as zhiyan. I argue that zhiyan are essentially definite yet provisional simple-form utterances located on the level of everyday interaction and coexistence. O…Read more
  •  27
    This article presents and interprets a number of neglected paradoxes in early Chinese philosophical texts . Looking beyond well-known paradoxes put forward by masters such as Hui Shi and Gongsun Long, it intends to complement our picture of Warring States and early Western Han paradoxical statements. The first section contrasts the neglected paradoxes with the well-known ones. It is contended here that our understanding of these latter paradoxes is hampered by a lack of context and that the negl…Read more
  •  9
    What is the Wheelwright Bian Story About?
    with C. Lynne Hong
    NTU Philosophical Review 57 77-110. 2019.
    《莊子•天道》中輪扁斲輪故事,看似旨在說明技藝之不可言傳性;若 連結到其他論及技藝與語言之《莊子》篇章來看,如此詮釋誠然有跡可循,而在現代學界也確實傾向以此脈絡來理解或應用輪扁之故事。鑒於《莊子• 天道》中,另有其他段落以「書」為題,本文擬從《莊子•天道》整章的脈 絡來探討輪扁故事之旨趣。本文將根據輪扁故事中有關書的問題,分別探 究:書的功能何在?為何批判書?書中少了什麼?依據《莊子•天道》提供 之線索探討上述諸問題時,可以發現輪扁之故事應視為政治論述之一環;換 言之,技藝與語言等議題,或許無關於其宏旨。