Human and Natural: The Function of the Myri­ad Things (Wanwu 萬物) in the Zhuangzi 莊子

Massimiliano Lacertosa

doi:10.4312/as.2026.14.1.331-348

Authors

Massimiliano LACERTOSA Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2026.14.1.331-348

Keywords:

anthropocentrism, nature, Chinese philosophy, Daoism, decolonisation

Abstract

This paper analyses the function of the myriad things (wanwu 萬物) in the Zhuangzi 莊子, arguing that the text’s conception of the “myriad things’ transformation (wanwu zhi hua 萬物之化)” destabilises anthropocentrism and reconfigures the human-nature relationship. Through close analysis of key passages, I elucidate the ways in which the Zhuangzi’s non-hierarchical framing of wanwu subverts materialist paradigms that privilege human agency over the nonhuman world. Central to my thesis is the paradox that the absence of environmental preoccupations in the text enables its radical decentring of anthropocentrism. This aligns with decolonial critiques of the nature/culture binary, shifting ethical responsibility away from preservationist approaches towards refusal of self-harm through unobstructive action (wuwei 無為). Such attunement prevents injury both to the self and the relational continuum of wanwu, fostering adaptation to constant transformation. Consequently, the Zhuangzi offers a pluralistic framework for rethinking human-world relations beyond anthropocentric paradigms. It grounds ethics in participatory responsiveness to wanwu’s irreducible plurality, positioning adaptability—rather than domination—as the cornerstone of coexistence.

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