This book provides a glimpse into 17th-century Zhu?ngz? (??; ca. 4th through 3rd century BCE) studies by introducing the works of H?nsh?n Déq?ng (????; 1546–1623), Wáng F?zh? (???; 1619–1692), and Lín Yúnmíng (???; 1628–1697), which give a sense of diverse approaches to Zhu?ngz? during this period.
The three commentators represent three distinct orientations as reflected by their respective roles, with H?nsh?n Déq?ng being a Buddhist monk, Wáng F?zh? a philosopher, and Lín Yúnmíng a literary critic. Their understanding of "carefree wandering" (???) is spelled out, followed by a complete translation of the Péng–bird ? passage through their eyes. The author concludes how this amounts to a conception of human flourishing.
This is the first monograph on Zhu?ngz? studies of any of these three thinkers in English. General readers or specialists of ancient Chinese philosophy can gain insight into how Zhu?ngz? was read in culturally relevant contexts.