Abstract

Most scholars accept the proposition that the doctrine of the “Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove” was inherited from Chuang-Tzu school. However, most of them believe that Hsiang-Hsiu and Kso-Hsiang’s commentary on Chuang-Tzu flourished Chuang-Tzu’s doctrine in Wei-Chin period. This paper argues that Hsi-Kang’s thought was of great significance, when we make use of “realistic sentiments” connect the thought of Hsi-Kang and Chuang-Tzu together. This paper highlights the significance of Hsi-Kang for the rise of Chuang-Tzu school in Wei-Chin period. Firstly, Hsi-Kang was concerned with individual life and longed for the freedom of the individual as a way to “transcend norms and be obedient to self-nature” in order to explore the spirit of the times. Secondly, by stating that to “transcend norms and be obedient to one’s own mind”, I thereby illuminate that Hsi-Kang appropriated Chuang-Tzu’s doctrine to include a vision of heaven and earth thinking and hoping for breaking through the plight of reality, and thus to develop an open mind. Finally, by Hsi-Kang’s reflection on the traditional functional viewpoint on music, I will explain how Hsi-Kang’s doctrine of “three voice” fable, states that “natural harmony of sound, and unrelated human feelings” can restore the free space of music and art.