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Fan Gengyan(1894-1960), also known as Fan Weizeng, was an erudite scholar in Pre-Qin Philosophy. He wrote several Zhuangzi commentaries during the period of sheltering in Baoying in the 1940s, including Zhuangzi Zhangzhi, Zhuangzi Guyi Quangao, Zhuangzi Yin, and Zhuangzi Guyi. Although some of the pages were scattered during the Cultural Revolution, the surviving ones contain the most representative issues of the first half of the 20th century. In other words, Fan’s interpretation of Zhuangzi offers a multifaceted view of studies on Zhuangzi in the Republic of China and is worthy of further exploration.
Based on Fan’s four Zhuangzi commentaries and The Diary of Lingyanzhai, this paper outlines Fan’s studies of Zhuangzi from external environment to text features. Chapter two first clarifies the ideological basis of Fan’s studies, including his life, works, reading lists, and central thought among the inner, outer, and miscellaneous chapters.
Chapter three examines the structure and characteristics of Fan’s studies of Zhuangzi. For one thing, it discusses Fan’s comments about various annotations, including different scholar’s writing styles, and how annotations which get the higher citing rate ( Guo Xiang, Zhang Taiyan 's annotations of Zhuangzi ) have an influence on Fan. For another, it focuses on Fan’s exegetical methods, elucidation about the three teachings, and clarification on the similar concepts in Zhuangzi.
Chapter four discusses Fan’s reflections on modern and contemporary thought, which are divided into three aspects. First is “the saving spirit of Zhuangzi.” It analyzes the reasons why Fan assumed Zhuangzi had the saving spirit, and the discussions of contemporary politics and social systems. Second is “Zhuangzi’s view on knowledge.” It not only explains Fan’s comprehension of “zhi(知)” in Zhuangzi, but also explores the influences that Positivism brought to Zhuangzi’s ideas of equalization and epistemology. Third is “the western interpretations of Zhuangzi.” Apart from the stimulation of the eastward dissemination of western learning, it also reflects how Fan accepted or rejected Chinese and Western academic resources in modern times.
To sum up, Fan’s studies of Zhuangzi are based on textual research. Additionally, they involve western thoughts and academic studies in the early Republic of China. However, it should be noted that although Fan’s discussions about contemporary could benefit ethnicity and nation, it also forms associations and comparisons that deviate from the original text.
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