Note: This article is about the text. For the author of the same name, please see Lie Yukou.

Lie Zi (列子, pinyin: liè zĭ) or Lieh Tzu is a Daoist text that was inscribed in the imperial library's catalogue as Treatise of the perfect emptiness.

The author of this text is Lie Yukou. Please note that Lie Yukou is also called "Lie Zi".

It completes the famous Taoist trilogy with the more famous Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. It is generally considered to be the most practical of the major Daoist works, compared to the philosophical writings of Lao Zi and the poetic narrative of Zhuang Zi.

Contents

01 卷第一 天瑞篇 Heavens Gifts

02 卷第二 黃帝篇 Yellow Emperor

03 卷第三 周穆王篇 Zhou king Mu

04 卷第四 仲尼篇 Confucius

05 卷第五 湯問篇 Tang Questions

06 卷第六 力命篇 Endeavor & Destiny

07 卷第七 楊朱篇 Yang Chu

08 卷第八 說符篇 Explaining Conjunctions

A passage usually attributed to Lie Zi

Although Lie Zi has not been extensively published in the West, some fragments seem to be well-known especially to some scholars and other people who are interested in Chinese culture. The following excerpt is an example:

Lie Zi was practicing archery. He was looking for advice from some master. He found Kuan Yin, who asked:

"Do you know why you hit the target?"

"No", replied Lie Zi.

Lie Zi went away in order to practice. After three years he came back to Kuan Yin.

"Do you know why you hit the target?"

"Now I know."

"Then you really hit it. Grab this awareness and never lose it !"

This applies not only to mastering archery, but mastering onself. Thus, the sage carefully examines -- not the fact of life and death, but its reasons.

Problems

The final two chapters of the Book of Liezi are of ambiguous nature. Chapter 7, Yung Chu, is condemned as very un-Taoist and in contradiction with the rest of the book. Translator Graham and the original commentator Chang Chan call this the hedonist chapter, due to its focus on women, drink, and indulgence of other pyshical and temporary pleasures. Graham attributes this section to a different author, though Chang Chan seems to suggest it was from Liezi's earlier years as a hedonist, before he began to follow the school of the way.

The final chapter, Explaining Conjunctions, is noted for almost being entirely based on quotes from other texts - including considerably pasages from Confucian and Mohist texts, two opposing philosophies, which contradict Taoist thought as expounded by the rest of the Book.

Of note is that throughout the text, 27 passages are taken from the Zhuangzi, and six directly from the Tao teh Ching. It is likely other texts no longer extant have been borrowed from as well, particularly in the eighth chapter.

Bibliography

• The Book of Lieh-tzǔ: A Classic of Tao translated by A.C. Graham, Columbia University Press, New York, 1990, ISBN 0231072376
• Traité du vide parfait, Liè Zi, translated from Chinese to French by J-J Lafitte, Albin Michel, Paris, 1997, ISBN 2226094261

Taoist texts

Liezi | Lie Zi | Lie Zi | 列子