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The Way of Nature
A delightfully illustrated selection of the great Daoist writings of Zhuangzi by bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai
C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of the profound and humorous Daoist writings of Zhuangzi, some of the most popular and influential in the history of Asian philosophy and culture.
The Way of Nature brings together all of Tsai's beguiling cartoon illustrations of the Zhuangzi, which takes its name from its author. The result is a uniquely accessible and entertaining adaptation of a pillar of classical Daoism, which has deeply influenced Chinese poetry, landscape painting, martial arts, and Chan (Zen) Buddhism.
Irreverent and inspiring, The Way of Nature presents the memorable characters, fables, and thought experiments of Zhuangzi like no other edition, challenging readers to dig beneath conventional assumptions about self, society, and nature, and pointing to a more natural way of life. Through practical insights and far-reaching arguments, Zhuangzi shows why returning to the spontaneity of nature is the only sane response to a world of conflict.
A marvelous introduction to a timeless classic, this book also features an illuminating foreword by Edward Slingerland. In addition, Zhuangzi's original Chinese text is artfully presented in narrow sidebars on each page, enriching the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the self-contained English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an introduction.
C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of the profound and humorous Daoist writings of Zhuangzi, some of the most popular and influential in the history of Asian philosophy and culture.
The Way of Nature brings together all of Tsai's beguiling cartoon illustrations of the Zhuangzi, which takes its name from its author. The result is a uniquely accessible and entertaining adaptation of a pillar of classical Daoism, which has deeply influenced Chinese poetry, landscape painting, martial arts, and Chan (Zen) Buddhism.
Irreverent and inspiring, The Way of Nature presents the memorable characters, fables, and thought experiments of Zhuangzi like no other edition, challenging readers to dig beneath conventional assumptions about self, society, and nature, and pointing to a more natural way of life. Through practical insights and far-reaching arguments, Zhuangzi shows why returning to the spontaneity of nature is the only sane response to a world of conflict.
A marvelous introduction to a timeless classic, this book also features an illuminating foreword by Edward Slingerland. In addition, Zhuangzi's original Chinese text is artfully presented in narrow sidebars on each page, enriching the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the self-contained English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an introduction.
256 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2019
34 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Zhuangzi
163 books479 followers庄子 or 莊子 Zhūangzi (c. 369 BC - c. 286 BC).
Zhuangzi, or “Master Zhuang” (also known in the Wade-Giles romanization as Chuang-tzu) was, after Laozi, one of the earliest thinkers to contribute to the philosophy that has come to be known as Daojia, or school of the Way. According to traditional dating, he was an almost exact contemporary of the Confucian thinker Mencius, but there appears to have been little to no communication between them. He is ranked among the greatest of literary and philosophical giants that China has produced. His style is complex—mythical, poetic, narrative, humorous, indirect, and polysemic.
Zhuangzi, or “Master Zhuang” (also known in the Wade-Giles romanization as Chuang-tzu) was, after Laozi, one of the earliest thinkers to contribute to the philosophy that has come to be known as Daojia, or school of the Way. According to traditional dating, he was an almost exact contemporary of the Confucian thinker Mencius, but there appears to have been little to no communication between them. He is ranked among the greatest of literary and philosophical giants that China has produced. His style is complex—mythical, poetic, narrative, humorous, indirect, and polysemic.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 26, 2021
I can't believe only 3 people have reviewed this! Love love love this book. The illustrations really add a lot to the interpretation of the Zhuangzi (and yes, even the Dao of Defecation is illustrated). For those not familiar with the Zhuangzi, it's a collection of short Taoist parables, all with lessons how to live, die, be satisfied with your life, experience nature, and understand yourself in relationship to the universe. But, you know, with stories about six fingers, an arrogant river, a wheelmaker, great sages being mistaken for ruffians, swallows, frogs, etc. Super entertaining and inspiring, even though it was written over a thousand years ago. This book is now a dear treasure in my home.
August 12, 2019
This is a beautifully illustrated book on the Zhuangzi. Reading like a graphic novel, it contains most of the text, with some if not most of the original Chinese script on the side of each page, corresponding to the text and dialogue in the illustrations. I'm grateful that C. C. Tsai did this book, and that Brian Bruya translated it into English. And I'm grateful to have run into this book while browsing at my local bookstore. If you'd like to read the Zhuangzi but don't really know if you want to begin with the complete translated version, this book is for you. But even if you have read all of it in even the original Chinese, you should still read this book if only for its humor.
June 15, 2021
I love this book.
January 27, 2022
The black and white illustrations of the short stories are in the same style as the other books in this series and I have enjoyed them thus far. In comparison to the book on Laozi, the stories are much more comical and bizarre as Zhuangzi inverts social expectations, whales transform into giant birds that ascend to heaven and dreams of butterflies dreaming of being Zhuangzi. The content is also different as Laozi is more focused on the philosophy of what the Dao is whereas Zhuangzi focuses more on skeptical attacks against received morality and how to live in accordance of the Dao but there is an overlap in the overall content. Despite the overlap, I would recommend reading Laozi first as the Dao is an important base concept for both and the book on Laozi explains it more in depth than this book. Overall I enjoyed the book and I would recommend reading it if you're just curious about Zhuangzi without wanting to commit to reading the primary text (the most dense part was the 5ish page introduction) or if you want to teach a child about Daoism.
April 10, 2021
Important: this is an abridged version. I was not expecting that when I bought it.
The Zhuangzi is (philosophical) Daoism put into parables, and it makes complete sense to put the parables in a pictorial form. The excerpts were chosen to reflect the important stories without losing the gist of the original (even though some explanations could be included for some passages), and the translation does a pretty decent job with capturing the essence.
Comparing the english translation with the chinese text in the margins, and reading some other baihua (modern chinese) renditions, the translation is dynamic and would not impress a purist (but I'm not one).
The cartoons are done by my all time favorite illustrator, with his signature style of pictorial humor adding to the humor of the text itself.
Would give this 5/5 if not for the occasional glaring typos/mistranslations, which ruined an otherwise perfect introduction to Daoism for me.
The Zhuangzi is (philosophical) Daoism put into parables, and it makes complete sense to put the parables in a pictorial form. The excerpts were chosen to reflect the important stories without losing the gist of the original (even though some explanations could be included for some passages), and the translation does a pretty decent job with capturing the essence.
Comparing the english translation with the chinese text in the margins, and reading some other baihua (modern chinese) renditions, the translation is dynamic and would not impress a purist (but I'm not one).
The cartoons are done by my all time favorite illustrator, with his signature style of pictorial humor adding to the humor of the text itself.
Would give this 5/5 if not for the occasional glaring typos/mistranslations, which ruined an otherwise perfect introduction to Daoism for me.
September 26, 2023
I love how accessible this translation of the Zhuangzi is. It provides a foothold to understand some of the deeper interpretations. One of the few books I return to every now and then.
March 22, 2021
"This is the way".
Although I'd like to steal our friend the Mandalorian's quote, I figure I'd take a crack at a real review on this one: Just like with the Analects, I went in not knowing much about the source material, and came away delighted with the exploration of Taoist principles through this book. A lot of care was taken to contextualize and explain Zhuangzi and his works, and of course to visualize his stories into easy-to-digest illustrations, which makes this a great read for anyone interested in Taoism and/or Chinese philosophy.
When reading the Analects I was able to power through in an evening; Confucius's stories are short, to the point, and easy enough to digest in the moment. Zhuangzi, on the other hand, differs quite greatly; it took me longer to get through overall as each short story or parable is quite a bit longer/more substantial than anything found in the Analects and, unlike Confucius, Zhuangzi tends to lean more towards playful or fantastical stories, versus the "Confucius once said..." style.
These more whimsical stories mean you should carefully read, reflect and consider the anecdotes that are served up, which made this a fun book for me. Whereas Confucius is (seems) pretty firmly rooted in personal duty and the way humans should act, Zhuangzi is more concerned with the nature of reality and of the nature of humanity as well, tackling more metaphysical and philosophical themes on existence, or on the nature of perception and alternate ways of thinking.
Overall it was a fascinating read, and an introduction into Taoism that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Although I'd like to steal our friend the Mandalorian's quote, I figure I'd take a crack at a real review on this one: Just like with the Analects, I went in not knowing much about the source material, and came away delighted with the exploration of Taoist principles through this book. A lot of care was taken to contextualize and explain Zhuangzi and his works, and of course to visualize his stories into easy-to-digest illustrations, which makes this a great read for anyone interested in Taoism and/or Chinese philosophy.
When reading the Analects I was able to power through in an evening; Confucius's stories are short, to the point, and easy enough to digest in the moment. Zhuangzi, on the other hand, differs quite greatly; it took me longer to get through overall as each short story or parable is quite a bit longer/more substantial than anything found in the Analects and, unlike Confucius, Zhuangzi tends to lean more towards playful or fantastical stories, versus the "Confucius once said..." style.
These more whimsical stories mean you should carefully read, reflect and consider the anecdotes that are served up, which made this a fun book for me. Whereas Confucius is (seems) pretty firmly rooted in personal duty and the way humans should act, Zhuangzi is more concerned with the nature of reality and of the nature of humanity as well, tackling more metaphysical and philosophical themes on existence, or on the nature of perception and alternate ways of thinking.
Overall it was a fascinating read, and an introduction into Taoism that I thoroughly enjoyed.
March 28, 2021
Absolutely loved this book and can see myself coming back to it regularly. C. C. Tsai's rendition of the Zhuangzi is offered with irreverence and joy, with Brian Bruya's English translation being concise and accessible. The summary bubbles at the end of most stories offered helpful takes on what you just read, without preventing you from forming your own opinions.
Would readily recommend this, so glad I got this book and took my time going through it!
Would readily recommend this, so glad I got this book and took my time going through it!
October 18, 2021
5 stars for the illustrations themselves but reduced to 4 for the content. I'm on the edge of grasping Zhuangzi. I think I'll need to reread this book one, if not two, more times. I know the stories are supposed to be nonsensical. Some stories feel intentionally nonsensical and you can grasp a theme. Other stories read like pure chaos.
August 9, 2024
Very fun, engaging and smarlty told stories. It's difficult to describe the theme of the book, because it can't be described.
Still, the illustrations makes Zhuangzi very fun to read. There are so many lessons to be unpacked, and so much to think about and to apply the stories in other contexts that it makes this book, a book for life. A source of an endless amount of wisdom.
Still, the illustrations makes Zhuangzi very fun to read. There are so many lessons to be unpacked, and so much to think about and to apply the stories in other contexts that it makes this book, a book for life. A source of an endless amount of wisdom.
March 2, 2020
I found it hard to get through so many mini stories
December 8, 2020
a wonderful and incredibly readable translation of Zhuangzi. The lessons taught in this ancient book of wisdom seem lost to time. Fret not! these teachings are still accessible even today.
July 1, 2021
This is by far the most thought-provoking book I read this year. Very cheeky!
Want to read
September 23, 2022fivebooks illustrated philosophy books
October 5, 2021
Haha, big bird go brrr.
Break your brain with some dashingly handsome Zhuangzi, then marvel as a tidal wave of Tao fills your vessel when you realize that it should never have been fixed in the first place!
G A L A X Y B R A I N
Jokes aside, Zhuangzi is the Chad of ancient China, and C. C. Tsai is the Chad of modern China. Tsai's ability to translate these teachings into such playful, clear, and concise cartoons that are genuinely accessible to Westerners all while capturing the true spirit of Zhuangzi is like a weaver spinning gold out of goose shit.
Good shit, C. C.
Break your brain with some dashingly handsome Zhuangzi, then marvel as a tidal wave of Tao fills your vessel when you realize that it should never have been fixed in the first place!
G A L A X Y B R A I N
Jokes aside, Zhuangzi is the Chad of ancient China, and C. C. Tsai is the Chad of modern China. Tsai's ability to translate these teachings into such playful, clear, and concise cartoons that are genuinely accessible to Westerners all while capturing the true spirit of Zhuangzi is like a weaver spinning gold out of goose shit.
Good shit, C. C.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews