中国文化英语教程unite2.ppt

Unit2

LaozisPhilosophyofNon-actionName：陈立影20162213010王典20162213026

ContentLaozisLifeandThoughtNaturalnessandNon-actionThePhilosophyofNon-contentionReturningtoaNewbornState

LaozisLifeandThoughtLaozi(571-471BC)wealsocalledhimLaoDanisareclusewholivedduringtheSpringandAutumnPerio.Hewassaidtohaveonceheldalowcivilpositionintheroyalcourt,inchargeofthearchivalrecordsoftheZhouDynasty.TheClassicoftheWayandVirtueistheLaoziswork,whichconsistsofjust5000Chinesecharacters.Itslengthisshort,butitsthebasisofDaoismandtheessenceofLaozisthought.

NaturalnessandNon-actionManyofLaozisenlighteningviewsarebasedonLaozisphilosophyofnaturalnessandnon-action.“Naturalness”meansthateverythinghasitsownlaws,humansshouldnotbreakthelawofnature.Thisisalsothewaytoresolvingtheconflictsbetweenhumansandnature.Non-actionistheguaranteeof“naturalness”.Andmeansthathumanenterprisesshouldbebuildonthebasisofnaturalness,notonanyatenmptstointerrupttherhythmofnature.

AfterLaozi,Zhuangzi(369-286BC)carriedonLaozisphilosophyandtoldastoryabouta“uselesstree”.Thestoryisaboutasupertreeandacarpenter.Whilepeoplethrongedtoworshipit,thecarpenterpassedwithoutalook.Andhisapprenticewascurious.Thecarpentertoldhimthatthetreeproductuselesswoodthatwasthereasonwhyithadbeenabletolivesolong.Thewiasdomofthe“uselesstree”liesexactlyinitsuselessness,oritsnaturalness.

Whatis“Non-action”?Wuwei:means”non-action”or”totakethingslettheirowncourse”,proposedbyLaoZi,isnotdoingnothing,butcomplytonature,excludestheunnecessaryindulging,andnotreluctantlyusingpeople’spowertointerferethenaturalorsociallawsowndevelopment.老子提出无为，不是什么也不做，而是指要顺应自然，排除不必要的妄为，不要强求人事。

ThePhilosophyofNon-contentionOnthebasisof“naturalness”and“non-action”,Laoziproposedth