Abstract

Besides Guo Xiang's Commentary on Zhuangzi, Lu Deming's ZhuangziYinyi is the only extant commentary on Zhuangzi left from the period of Wei, Jin, and the Northern-Southern Dynasties. This dissertation concentrates on the light the ZhuangziYinyi throws on the use of the language of the day as can be gleaned from the phonetic spelling appearing in ZhuangziYinyi, as well as its philosophy in contrast to other commentaries. It offers a sketch of Zhuangzi based on the various commentaries from Western Jin Dynasty through the Southern Dynasties. ;This dissertation is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is the introduction to the content of this dissertation and research direction, in addition to a brief and direct assessment of recent research findings by modern scholars in the field. ;The second chapter consists of an analysis of the phonetic system underlying ZhuangziYinyi. It attempts to analyse the author's presentation of the phonetic system in terms of its unique features of initials and in finals time frame space furnishing a reference frame determining the sounds on which the relationship to speech can be firmly based. ;Chapter three analyses words with multiple pronunciations. This chapter explores the way various commentators deal with "words with multiple pronunciations and meanings", as well as the implications these practices have for the comprehension of words and their meanings in the "Zhuangzi" text. Owing to the differences in time and space in which the various commentators, they followed different rules where "words with multiple pronunciations and meanings", are concerned with Lu Deming showing himself as the most strict and cautious in his studies. ;Chapter four analyses the punctuation adopted in ZhuangziYinyi. This chapter used judou as a means of ascertaining the text used by ZhuangziYinyi is indeed that of Guo Xiang's. When it comes to the judgment of judou, Lu Deming mostly deferred to the views of Guo Xiang. As to the other commentator, Cui Zhuan, the grammar and vocabulary of his version differs more radically from those of Guo Xiang and Lu Deming. ;Chapter five deals with the philosophic thought of Zhuangzi as embodied in ZhuangziYinyi. This chapter explored the related evolutionary changes in the interpretation of Zhuangzi from West Jin Dynasty through the South Dynasties. Cui Zhuan, Li Gui, and Sima Biao were all influenced by the Confucianism of the Han Dynasty, while Guo Xiang assumed an independence as a school of Xuan-Xue. Wang Shu Zhi depicted a pure Taoist School of thought. Lu Deming formed the Xuan-Xue Confucianism typical of the times. This shows up the difference between different periods in the development of the philosophy of Zhuangzi. ;Chapter six is the conclusion. This chapter summarises the academic fruits of the studies of various commentators. This study comes to a clearer understanding of the different contributions made by the various commentators in the ZhuangziYinyi. In addition, this study pays detailed attention to the voluminous xungu material in ZhuangziYinyi that has been neglected by students of Lu Deming's ZhuangziYinyi