The Concept of “Body” in Lao Zi - Volume 9 Number 1 ( Feb. 2019) - IJSSH

Abstract—Rarely have been research objects more complicated and huge than “body.” Modern individuals tend to view the “body” from the perspective of Western medical science in which the “body” is constantly treated in a technical or even a mechanical way. Lao Zi pointed out a traditional Chinese view on “body” which connected the human body to the universe thereby formed a universe in human body. Through analyzing the text of Lao Zi, this article explores the relationship between human, Dao, nature, heaven and earth in detail, and aims to grasp Lao Zi’s body connotation from various dimensions. Meanwhile, through the interpretation of Lao Zi, it reveals a view of “body” under Chinese traditional ideology and culture, in order to provide a different view of the body perceived by people from the context of the Western culture. Index Terms—Lao Zi, body, Dao (Way), nature, heaven, earth, universe. Zeng Weijie and An Saiping are with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. She is now with the Department of Chinese Culture, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. (e-mail: zeng.wj.zeng@connect.polyu.hk, sp.an@connect.polyu.hk). [PDF] Cite: Zeng Weijie and An Saiping, "The Concept of “Body” in Lao Zi," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 13-16, 2019