<<

This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 02 Oct 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK

The Routledge Companion to

Ann Garry, Serene J. Khader, Alison Stone

Dao Becomes

Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315758152-3 Robin R. Wang Published online on: 03 May 2017

How to cite :- Robin R. Wang. 03 May 2017, Dao Becomes Female from: The Routledge Companion to Feminist Philosophy Routledge Accessed on: 02 Oct 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315758152-3

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT

Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms

This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.

The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 reconfigure genderforourtime. vention, using resources from within classical Daoist thought in order to re-imagine or relationsisnotmodeledon actually existinggenderrelations—or,atleast,thatthe socialand political realityof a strategyforleadingflourishinglife.Themainpoints arethat lies inadepictionofthefemaleandfemininityascosmic force,awayofknowing,and /the feminine/thefemale.Theoverarchingfocal pointofthisunderstanding female consciousness,whichmayexpand,support,oralter feministassumptionsabout setting. InthischapterIpromoteasomewhatfemaleconsciousness of thought anditspossiblecontributiontofeminist inacontemporaryglobal chapter willplacefemininity/thefeminine/thefemalecenter stagetoinvestigateDaoist for LaoziandDaoism.Tohighlightthisuniquephilosophical aspectofDaoism,this feminine. Notsurprisingly,then,thefemaleandfemininityhaveenormoussignificance yielding is being the philosophyofyieldinginChineseintellectualhistory.Oneimportantaspect There isnoexistence,orliterallyno-thing,beyondDao. be theultimateorigin,source,andprincipleofuniversemyriadthings. tory, in thetextandhasacomplicatedmultilayeredmeaning.ThroughoutChinesehis as thefoundationofDaoism(orTaoism).ThetermDao about 5,250Chinesecharactersineighty-onebriefsectionsorparagraphs,yetisknown century Laozi’s the femaleorfeminineaspectof Daoism, a Dao hasbeencherishedbyallschoolsofthoughtandgenerallytakento Daodejing or bce, butpossiblydatesfromasrecentlythethirdcentury A GenderedReality,Knowledge, DAO BECOMESFEMALE Dao basedandinspiredteachingpractice,hasbeenconsideredtobe rou and StrategyforLiving Classics of Way and Its Power 柔—soft, gentle, supple—which the Robin R.Wang Dao, or Dao, becausethepatriarchyisnot Introduction 3 Dao asbecomingfemale,isafeministinter is traditionally assigned to the sixth 道 appearsseventy-threetimes Daodejing Dao Dao. Highlighting couples with the does notgovern Dao, oraDaoist bce. Ithasonly - - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 (tian xia All phenomenainnatureor,classicalChineseterminology,“allthingsunderheaven” the superior power, of complementarity inChinesethought,the with thisyinyangmatrix(Wang2012).Unlikeotherinterpretationsoftheyin/yang yang, andman/male/masculinitywoman/female/femininityarenaturallyidentified of generative process is highly valued and celebrated. Actually, the spontaneous potency ized. Itsbasicidentityasacosmicpotentialityandnecessarypartofanyevery out, disadvantaged,rejected,unwanted,abandoned,dislocated,orotherwisemarginal the perspective of the In chapter25,theDaodejingdefinesDao: In chapter52weencounterthismotheragain: Here themotherisdesignatedasbeginningofallthings orthenameofallthings. hidden, implicit,orempty. importance ofyinanditsgenerativecapacity,butalsodesignatesa is acommonmetaphorfor Dao isfemale,orbecomingfemale. This ishowtheDaodejingbegins: it camealivebeforeheaven andearth. it cametobeintheundifferentiated, There isathing— it isconsideredtheMotherofworld.天下有始、以爲天下母 The worldhasabeginning: is themotheroftenthousandthings. Having aname, is thebeginningoftenthousandthings. Having noname it isnotapermanentname. if itcanbespecifiedasaname, As toaname— it isnotapermanentDao. if itcanbespecifiedasaDao, As toaDao— 天下) canbedistinguishedaccordingtotheircharacteristicsaseither Dao asCosmicMotherandFemaleBody Daodejing the female/femininity is not excluded, shunned, frozen yin in general and the female and femininity in particular Dao intheDaodejing.Thismetaphorrevealsnotjust ENGAGING THEPAST Dao isassociatedwiththefemalebody,which 36 Daodejing suggeststheprimordiality,indeed (Moeller 2007:123) (Moeller 2007:3) yin originthatis . yin or From - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 powerful whentheypossessmalepowerratherthanthrough theirownpowersoffertility: Daoist feminineisalsodifferentfromtheancientGreek andRomangoddesseswhoare edence, andisaprimemoveruponthefeminine,passive matter(Bianchi2014:2).The different fromAristotle’smale–femalecosmosinwhich themasculine ally maletraits,likeforce,strength,oraggression,linked toDao.Thisgenderedworldis Interestingly, thereareno“male”imagesofDao,suchasfatherorson;nortradition - sexuality. Thesourceofthe variable and changing lies intheintrinsicfemininityof ceive theworldandreality.Asaresultthislensisoneofchange,uncertainty,body, things” (wanwu entiation, from one to two to three and to the myriad things, literally the “ten thousand from thatsourcetowardthetangibleworldisagainaprocessofspecificationanddiffer- The concreteworldoriginatesfromaunitarybutindistinctsource, Chinese philosophicallandscapeorhorizon. energy. Itisgenerationortransformation,notasubstanceBeing,whichbuildsupthe This linkbetweengenerationandthemothernaturallyleadstopriorityoffemale and “birth,”bothofwhichareencompassedintheChineseterm in classicalChinesetextsfortheoriginofmyriadthingsincorporateasense“life” and worldaregenerated,notcreated,through a multiplicativeprocess. Thetermsused one shouldfollow.Thisbasicphilosophicalcommitmentreflectsaviewthatthecosmos responsible for the origin of all things, is with all things, andprovidesthepatternsthat to meanthesourceofheavenandearthmyriad things inthem. word The In additiontothe word in relationtofemininity, In chapter42,theDaodejinggivesaspecificaccountoforiginationworld: or Artemissymbolisesthetraditionofvirginityandindependence ofmales,the ophers]. TheseRomangoddesses,borrowedfromtheAncient Greeks,asDiana The goddessesDianaandMinerva become the symbol ofthese women [philos and threenessgeneratesthetenthousandthings. twoness generatesthreeness, oneness generatestwoness, Dao generatesoneness, other It canbemothertoheavenandearth. Alone itstandsfastanddoesnotchange. What stillness!emptiness! Daodejing explainsthatthefirstwaytodescribe mu has abroaderrangeofmeaningsthanmerely“biologicalmother.”Itisexpanded

.

.

.

Athene/Minerva [is]thegoddess ofwisdomandwar. 萬物). Thus, mu (),the pin 牝 Dao disseminatesagenderedlensthroughwhichtoper appearingthreetimesand D ao

becomes incorporates two other sets of terms Daodejing incorporatestwoothersets of terms 37

female Dao (Hagengruber 2010:11) ci (Moeller 2007:107) (Moeller 2007:123) 雌 is sheng appearing twice. It is appearingtwice.Itis mu母, “mother.”The . The movement Dao. Themovement 生 (generation). telos takesprec- Dao/mother is - Dao. - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 Daodejing chapter40: porary ChinesescholarLiuXuyi( ously fromyouandwu,theforegroundbackground, yin andyang.Thecontem- being comesfromnon-being( the receivedversion,chapter40saysthatmyriadthings comefrombeing(you)and temporary Chinese)or important tohighlightthefactthatthesetermsaredifferentfrom before us,whilefemininity/yinreferstotheoriginthatishidden,implicit,orempty. On theotherhand,thereisaverticallevelinwhichmasculinity/yangreferstothings and masculinity/yangarecounterparts,bothofwhichembeddedinthemyriadthings. the onehand,thereiswhatwemightcallhorizontallevelinwhichfemininity/yin often takentorepresentthefemalegenitals. with becoming. Thecharacterforspirit, gendered sourcewithoutbeginningorend,persistinginperpetuity,istherealmof Here thepinismysterious,rootofheavenandearth,anunlimitedresource.This ci arewaystodemonstrateanaturalsupremacyandpotencyofthefeminine. refers toroosters(formorediscussionofthesetwopairs,seeRyden1997:29–36). to femaleanimalsingeneraland in theDaodejingatall.Both to in a social relationship. Thissocial construction of woman does not appear or fullness( with yin/femininity. being” or“presence”and“absence.” possessed. Byextension,thesetermscometo denote somethinglike“being” and“non- is literallytosaythatit“ishad,”whereasdoesnotexisthador “to have,”whereaswumeanslack.”TosaythatsomethingexistsinclassicalChinese In thiscontext,letusconsiderthepairingof With respectto“mysteriousfemininity,”onecannoticetwointerestingdirections.On We readinDaodejingchapter6: There areinherentconnectionsbetweenthepairingshaving ( Here The myriadthingsaregeneratedin generates leading to[the]otherbutrather theyareparallel, This iscalledtherootofheavenandearth. The gateofmysteriousfemininity[pin]— This iscalledmysteriousfemininity[pin]. The spiritofthevalleydoesnotdie— unchanging. Wuisapartof you. ence thathasaforminthe formless.Yet sheng (partofthecharacterforgenderandnatureortendencies),itsshapeis you (having) and shi)/void (xu).Excavatedversionsofthe wu. You andwuexistatthesametime. fu 婦 (womaninclassicalChinese).Thenotionof pin wu wu). Inotherwords,themyriadthingsformsimultane and (nothing) are not connected in a sequence, one ci refersspecificallytohens,asopposed ENGAGING THEPAST 刘绪义) explainstheimportanceofthisversion ci havebeentranslatedas“female”;infact gu You correspondswithyang/masculinity,and 谷, originallymeantgeneration,andisequated you (havingortohave)andwu(nothing). 38 you wu isformless,independentand 有 and You referstoageneralexist Daodejing supportthisunity.In Dao generatesyouandalso wu (Moeller 2007:17) 無. nu you)/not having(wu) You literallymeans 女 (Liu 2009:5) (womanincon refers nu orfurefers , which xiong, which refers pin refers and Pin and - wu - - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 by allhumansorbeings,irrespectiveoftheirsexedbodiesgenderroles. between femininityandmasculinity. contemporary feministthought,onethatassumesnorigiddivisionoropposition consciousness-raising mightprovideauniqueanddiverseconceptualresourcefor becoming femaledevelopsaradicallyalteredconsciousnessoffemininity,andthis our life.Thebecomingfemaleof to befemaleandacceptfemininityasarhythmofournaturetheway More importantly,theDaodejinginvitesustoshareinDao,thatis,bewith ence. Thischaracteristicof non-presenceoremptinessiswhatpermitscreates the and anepistemologicalstance. thinking andknowing.Thefeminineasavalueinthe knowing ofDao.Tocometoafemaleconsciousness utes of characteristics suchasbeing“empty,”“returning,”“low,”“soft,”and“yielding”areattrib world, butalsoresonateswiththemysticalmeaningsof nature. Thefemaleisnotjustportrayedandacclaimedasthe The with concrete things being born through the interplay of of generationandreproductionintheworldisbasedonsuchabiologicalmodel, of herdefinitionsloveisthedesiretogivebirthinbeauty. says, “Allofusarepregnant tive ability to become given birth, so sheis Liu illustratesthiswiththeexampleofayounggirlandmother.Ahasnot multi-dimensional depicts a rotating, self-creating cycle. The softening function of change in Returning andreversalasthe movementofDaoillustratesawaxingandwaning of mother isthewayof lows the biological ability and development of a female body. A young girl becoming a course, appearsinothercultures as well.Forexample,Diotimain Plato’s physical andontologicaloriginsbiologicalreproduction.Thisconnection,of sentative ofDao’sunityyouandwu. Daodejingchapter40saysthat: Dao’s tendencytowardsreproductionresultsinanassociationbetweenmeta- Weakness [softening, Reversal [returning,fan]isthemovementofDao, Presence isgeneratedfromnonpresence[wu]. The thingsoftheworldaregeneratedfrompresence[you ]. 者道之用) arguably designates one model of thinking about the feminine character of Daodejing arguablydesignatesonemodelofthinkingaboutthefemininecharacter . Thus, there is a robust association between the knowing of a female and the Dao. Thus,thereisarobustassociationbetweentheknowingoffemaleand time, justastheyinyangsymbol of twocurved,interlockinggeometricshapes space inwhichanunseenpotentiality isanecessarypartofallexist Dao; Laozi’s wu; however, she still hasthe potential to exercise her reproduc you, or a mother (Liu 2009: 287) Femininity asaWaytoKnowDao rou] is the usefulness [function] of

.

. D

. ao Dao isthemotherofallmyriadthings.Thisrepre

both inbodyandsoul”(Plato1993:xix).One Dao andtherhythmoffemininityareaccessible

becomes 39

female conveys a cognitive style Daodejing conveysacognitivestyle . Other traditionally feminine Dao. Othertraditionallyfeminine is to problematize a way of Dao istoproblematizeawayof

So this description of you and Dao. (反者道之動 ,弱 ) force of the yin, soft(rou)forceofthe (Moeller 2007:97) Dao elucidates agreat Dao asthesource wu, yin and Symposium Dao fol- yang. Dao - - - -

Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 femininity and Taken together, The still carriedalong,something feminine.Itiscarryingsomethingunseenornon-present. back). the background.Thus,this word to carryorbearsomethingonyourback,thatis,notin frontofyoubutbehindorin in theclassicalChinesedictionary what ispresent(you有). embraces directsunlight.Anotherextensionisconfronting whatisinfrontandseeing apparent ormasculine.Theideaof things allembraceorwraptheirarmsaroundthe often inasenseofholdingsomethingvaluable,as“to (負陰抱陽) [carry(embody) is foundintheDaodejingstatementchapter42:“Allmyriadthings specifies whatisprevailing,exposed,andatfront.Thismindfulnessofthebackground of femininity’spresence. Zhuangzi (Ziporyan2009:34).Moreimportantly,thisnon-presenceisalwaysapart muscles are what allowsCookDing to cutwithsuch ease inthe famous storyfromthe and growth that lets things function, much as the empty spaces between joints and presence). In itsorigin, shen. unseen and formless; only through dancing activities can one communicate with nicate withandknow make thespiritscomedownbywu Bao wu Jiezi ( shaman. The earliest comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters, the wu ing. Infact,therearethreecloselyrelatedcharacterswiththesamepronunciation: (turtleshellsusedfordivinationsinancientChina) The wu—no-presence—are thefoundationofDaoistmethod: the voidornon-presenceofDao. efficacy ofDao.Itisnoteworthythatthesoftness The word Femininity/yin emphasizesbackgroundandhiddenstructureswhilemasculinity/ According tothe 無 巫 術以虛無為本, 以因循為用]. lowing alongasitsfunction know. Its method takes emptiness and nonexistence as itsroot and takes fol undone. Itstheoryiseasytopracticebutitsexpressioninwordshard The DaoistSchoolisaboutnotdoing[ (抱) fuyin alwayspredicatesasetofsituations, auniquewayofbeingwiththeworld. Daodejing Wu’s dancingissomethingpresent,yettheyareworking( 說文解字) bytheHanscholarXuShen許慎 , meaningnothingness,wu (shamans)arewomenwhocanperformserviceto Fuyin (負陰) means toembrace,andliterallyrefersputtingyourarms aroundsomething, fu (負),translatedaboveas“embody,”hasmorethantwenty meanings uses thewordwu(no-presence/nothingness)101times.Inoracle yang/masculinity arewovenintotheconditionofmyriad things. fuyin Hanshu漢書 (TheBookofHan then refers to things that are not confronted, or not seen, but and baoyangrevealawarenessoftwoaspects ofreality:afeminine, shen wu(nothingness) is the undifferentiated source ofpotency 神 yin andembrace (spirits)(Xu1981:201).However,thesespiritsare [道家無為, ENGAGING THEPAST 舞 bao fu inthe Shuowen Jiezi , meaningtodance,and 舞 yang isderivedfromthesun:onefacessouthand (dancing).Dancingwasthewaytocommu- 40 又曰無不為, Daodejing canbetakenas wuwei] yang]” (Moeller2007:103).Here . Oneofthemainmeanings yang, whichisinfrontofthem,i.e. (58–147 , Dao isidentifiedwiththeempty, ad 111)“xu”—emptiness—and 無為, butleavingnothing 其實易行, bao yourchild.”Themyriad wu wu isthesymbolfordanc wu ce), explicatesthelink: 無 shi (Ban 1962:2713) 巫 (theshapeless)and , meaningafemale 事 其辭難知. ) withwu bei背 (onyour fu yinbaoyang Shuowen 其 (non- - yang fu is yin/ -

Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 Thus femininityisxu months. The power and uniqueness of the female’s slower effort should be recognized. can be completed. The female, however, works slowly, nourishing the fornine sperm meetsthefemale’segg, theformer’sfunctioninprocessofcreatingnew life female bodysuppliesallnutrients forafetustosurviveanddevelop.Whenthemale’s provides anourishingconditionthatallowsthechildto growandflourish,justasthe displayed. Inthesamewaythatsoilprovidesnourishment fortheseed,mother The powerofgrowingandnourishmentbelowthesurface allowsittospringupandbe places. Aplantcomesfromaseedthathasbeenhidden inthedepthsofearth. classical Chinesethought,everythingemergesfrom thedarkgroundandhidden heart ormindontheDaodejing’sconceptsofemptinessandquietness. the SchoolofPurityandStillness of theNorthernSchoolDaoisminSongdynasty. Herworkisthefoundationof nent femalemastersinDaoisthistory,theonlyfigure amongthesevenpatriarchs The feminineshouldbeguarded( yin/feminine. TheDaodejingcounteractsthistendencywithafocuson dency istolookmoreatwhatstandsbeforeus,which Although the hidden underlying structure, and a masculine, the explicit presence in front of us. ber to“stayatthefrontbykeepingrear”(Moeller2007:158). Dao.” AnotherfemaleDaoistSunBuer was regardedasthe“masteroftranquilityandhumanvirtueperfection tice ofbodycultivation.Forexample,femaleDaoistCaoWenyi conceptual formulationhaslaterbeendevelopedintoaspecificallyfemaleDaoistprac and Here theDaodejingnecessitatesaspecificmeditationmethodtoattainstageof This understandingof As Daodejingchapter16explains: To knowpermanence–thisisclarity[illumination,明ming]. The returntothemandate—thisispermanence. Stillness—this iswhatreturntothemandatecalled. they allreturnagaintotheirroot:stillness. The thingsintheworldaremanifold, So Iwatchwheretheyturn. The tenthousandthingsoccuralongwitheachother: This iscontrol. To keepstillness[靜jing]— This istheutmost. To reachemptiness[虛xu]— jing. This willstabilizethemindandenableustoattainming(illumination). baoyang andfuyinareinseparable,the because itcanofferaspace for athingtogrow.Femininityis xu andjingisrootedinnaturalphenomena.Accordingto D 清靜 (Qingjing),whichadvocatesconcentratingone’s ao shou

becomes 守) andprotected(bao 孫不二 (1119–1182)isoneofthemostpromi 41

female Daodejing arguesthatournaturalten yang/masculine, andtoignore 保). Oneshouldremem- (Moeller 2007:41) 曹文逸(1039–1119) yin/feminine. jing xu - - -

Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 dichotomy between a heavenly order of rationality and a terrestrial disorder of irrationality. dichotomy betweenaheavenly orderofrationalityandaterrestrialdisorderirrationality. and growthofachild. farming isverysimilartomothering, asspecialattentionisneededinthecultivation and benourished,whichwill allowittospringupandbeondisplaytheworld.And to thebackground. A seed is embracedinthedepths of the earth,whereitwill grow will growoutof the soil, butalsomake an effort tocultivatethe soil, thatis,theyattend femininity/yin. Farmers exemplify the yang, wepaygreatattentiontotheforegroundandoften ignorethebackground, Nonetheless, becausewenaturallyfocusonwhatispresent andavailable,masculinity/ contains infinite unknowing,becausetheknowndiscloses only apartofthe unknown. feminine, isonlyasmallknotingiantandcoherent genderedweb.Anyknowing lying thinking:anygivenpointofknowing,likethe male/masculine orthefemale/ The importanceofthisfeminineknowingbringsoutan epistemicassumptionunder (mysterious virtue). the (stillness) becauseitexemplifiesthepotencyofnourishing.Thisfemaleabilitywins Clearly this Daoist gendered knowing is not structured according to a Pythagorean Clearly thisDaoistgendered knowingisnotstructuredaccordingtoaPythagorean Daodejing’s philosophicalrecognitionandadmiration.Itiscalled“darkefficacy” This iscalled“darkefficacy.”[玄德xuande] Rearing withoutordaining: Acting withoutdepending, Generating withoutpossessing, Protects them. Fosters them, Secures them, Rests them, Accompanies them, Lets themgrow, Nourishes them, The Daogeneratesthem, cherishing theDe. Honoring theDao, and cherishtheDe[efficacy]. Therefore, thetenthousandthingshonorDao As thingstheyareformed;Andasutensilscompleted. The De[efficacy]nourishesthem; The Daogeneratesthem; ENGAGING THEPAST Daodejing’s point: they do not simply see what 42 (Moeller 2007:121) -

Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 (e.g. humilityandarrogance). and actions(e.g.receivinggiving).Thehenrooster expoundatypeofbehavior early .Thecowandbullcorrelatewithcategoriesof things(e.g.EarthandHeaven) traditionally men—musthaveacapacityforfosteringfemininity. actions. ThiscallingrippledthroughthefabricofChinese culture.Sages—whowere campaign toputgreaterpressureonthesages’leadership ability,moralcharacter,and who dominatedsocialandpoliticalinstitutions.The ever, thatinversionwentagainstmainstreamviews,particularlythoseoftheConfucians the valuesoftheseaspects,pointingoutpowerfeminine.Traditionally,how has beenassociatedwithyielding,flexibility,andsubmissiveness.The culine hasbeenassociatedwithpower,control,anddominance,whereasthefeminine In ageneralsense,throughoutmuchofhumanhistoryandacrossmanycultures,themas body, andengagementfromrationalityknowing.AsDaodejingchapter13claims: no dualisticdichotomythatseparatesreasonfromemotionandexcludesfemininity,the process thatdefinesanoriginalfullnessoftheultimaterealityandhumanbeing. is nomasculineoutsideofthefeminine.Thisprescribesadevelopmentalanddynamic a rejectionofthefeminine.Thereisnofeminineoutsidemasculine,andthere Daoism isnotbasedinanexclusionofthemasculine;normasculinetakentobe while thefemininegetsconstructedasadisavowedcorporeality.Butfemininityof tory ofWesternphilosophy,inwhichthemasculineposesasadisembodieduniversality and thesmallestelementsinhumanbeings. the interplayofcosmicforces,whichrulestarsinheaven,seasonsonearth, our observationandsensualexperience.Theworldofthesensesispervasivethroughout appeals toourthought,theotheravarietyofearthlyshapesandeventsimpingingupon There arenottwoqualitativelydifferentrealms—onethecalculableorderofheaventhat [ci]?” (Moeller 2007: 25). to bewithDaoandgainsthepowerthatdefeats thegreatandhard. The out pre-modernChinesesocial orders:wealth,health,andprogeny”(Ryden1997: 40). cock modeindicatesthathen modepromisestofulfillalltheclassicgoalstoutedthrough As somescholarswrite,“Interestingly,theparallelstructure inferredinthephrasingfor and destructionwhile Scholars have articulated two gendered animal sets for evaluating actions in Scholars havearticulatedtwogenderedanimalsetsfor evaluating humanactionsin Basically, thisfemaleDaoistthinkingisgroundedinthevalueofbody.There This Daoistviewchallengesthegenderasymmetrythathasbeenpervasiveinhis Daodejing 10asks:“Whenheaven’sgate opensandcloses,canyoubecomefemale then theworldcanbehandedovertoyou. if youloveyourbodyasitweretheworld, Then youcanbeentrustedwiththeworld; ing careoftheworld, Thus, ifyouesteemtakingcareofyourbody(sheng exemplifies this emphasis and promotes the “hen mode,” which is the path Daodejing exemplifiesthisemphasisand promotesthe“henmode,”whichispath The FemaleMode:UltimatePowerandStrategy cijie —hen mode—inevitably generates peace and prosperity. 雌節—hen mode—inevitablygeneratespeaceandprosperity.

Chapter 28 suggests: “Know Xiongjie D ao

becomes —rooster mode—invariably leads to fighting 雄節—rooster mode—invariablyleadstofighting 43

female Daodejing startedafull-fledged 身) morethanyoudotak- xiong (male) and maintain (Moeller 2007:33) Daodejing inverts ci - - - - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 the female[ greater powerofthefeminine,asinchapter61:“Alargestateislowlyingwaters, (female), betheworld’sriver”(Moeller2007:71).The Chunqiu of239 Another keyfactorinthis femininepowerisastrategyof softness: Daodejing Chapter 78reads: power andresilienceinchapter8: (Moeller 2007:141).The the malebyconstantstillness.Becausesheisstill,thereforefittinglyunderneath” Western terminology, this The suppleandthesoftdelicatefineare companionsoflife. The hardandtherigidarecompanionsofdeath. Therefore itissaid: When dead,theyaredriedoutandbrittle. When alive,thetenthousandthingsandgrassedtrees aresuppleandpliant. When dead,theyare,stretchedoutandreachingtheend, hardandrigid. When alive,menaresuppleandsoft. But stillnooneisabletopracticeit. No oneintheworldwhodoesnotknowthis, That thesoftdefeatshard: That waterdefeatsthesolid, because itisnottobechanged. but nothingsurpassesitintacklingthestiffandhard, Nothing intheworldissmootherandsofterthanwater; the peopledetest. And inthatit,whenthereiscontention,takesontheplacemassof Being beneficialtothetenthousandthings, The goodnessofwaterconsistsin The bestislikewater. chapter 76alsomakesasimpleobservationtoconfirmthesignificanceof pin] oftheworld,connectionworld.Thefemale[ bce, thenotionofrelyingon( Daodejing yin is similar to the idea of resourcefulness. In the ENGAGING THEPAST also useswaterasametaphorforintrinsicfeminine 44 因

yin) hasgreatimportance:“Byemploying Daodejing accentuatesthe yin (Moeller 2007:177) (Moeller 2007:181) (Moeller 2007:21) 因 . Incontemporary pin] overcomes Lüshi

Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 fies whatisdominant,open,andinfront.ThusLiezisays, feminine factors:yinemphasizesbackgroundandhidden structures,whereas complexity; itisrelyingonthecontextofassociations. Whatsagesrelyonarethe relationship that articulates a linear sequence between events. Relying is embedded in inherent tendencytounfoldinagivenmoment.Thisrelying isdifferentfromacausal importance oftrustingtherhythm,patterns,timing,and opportunitiesthathavean life evenuptoday. clear why everything musthavesomethingtorelyonforitsownexistence. Thisbeliefalsomakes available? Therecanbedifferentkindsofrelyingundercircumstances,but one needstofigureoutwhatkindsofthingscanbereliedon.Whataretheresources instead emphasizeswhatisalreadyavailableinagivensituation.Indifferentconditions, As astrategy,“relying”shiftsthefocusawayfromone’sownactionsandpowers minates further: The uniquenessofasageisfound,atleastpartly,inthisability.Anotherpassageillu heart. TheLüshiChunqiuarticulatesthisabilitytoberesourcefulthroughexamples: the natural propensityofthings,suchaswater’spower or the tendencies of thehuman making useofaboatorcart”(KnoblockandReigel2000:360).Whatonereliesonis tee thatthetimingoropportunitywillcome,soonemustalsorelyonability,justlike 358). “Relying”isatechniqueorstrategyforsuccess.Onwhatdoesonerely? and thesmallweakcancontrolstrongbig”(KnoblockReigel2000: the techniquesof‘relying’[ Relying, asaformofnon-actionor “The wiseinvariablyrelyontherighttimingoropportunity.Butthereisnoguaran If youwanttobehard( knowing andacting,itattainsthetruth. Dao ofthelordisnotknowingandacting.Yetbecauseitworthierthan what needisthereforthesovereigntoactinthatmatter?Thus,itsaid, quiescence. Relyingonwintercreatescold;relyingsummerheat— of ministers. Acting byoneselfentailsdisturbance;relianceonotherswill have The personofrelyingonhastheart/techniqueasovereign;actionisway The truekingsofantiquityactedlessontheirownandmoreby“relyingon.” of relyingonthenaturalstatethings[yin因]. of themonthwilloccurbyobservingmovementsmoon,thisisacase things. Whenthosewhokeepthecalendarsknowwhenfirstandlastdays the zodiacconstellations,thisisaninstanceofrelyingonnaturalstate When thosewhoscrutinizetheskyrecognizefourseasonsbyexamining lated inweaknesswillbenecessarily strong. accumulated insoftnesswill benecessarilyhardandstrengththatisaccumu want tobestrong,youmust protectitwithweakness(ruo guanxi (關係)—socialconnections—permeatesallaspectsofChinese social gang yin], thepoorandlowlycanvanquishrichnoble 剛), youmustguarditwithsoftness ( D ao

becomes wuwei 45

female (無為), orappearingsoft,indicatesthe (Knoblock andReigel2000:416) (Knoblock andReigel2000:367) 弱). Hardnessthatis (Graham 1990:83) rou 柔); ifyou yang speci- - yin/ - - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 Furthermore, genderassystem ofsocialcategorizationisperformativeandculturally those gender-biasedsocialexpectations andstandardstosurrenderasocialsystem. implies apredestinedbiological andsocialfate.Womenmenhaveinternalized roles. Thegenderidentification ofwomenwithfemininityandmenmasculinity view thatgenderisnotnatural andthatthereisnothingessentiallyfixedaboutgender or men.TheDaodejingwouldagreewithmanyWestern feministswhentheytakethe little todowithcontemporaryWesternconstructions ofthesocialgenderwomen lated tocapturethedynamicrhythmofnature,world, andhumanlife.Theyhave terminology. Theoriginalconceptsoffemaleandmale inthe masculinity andwoman/female/femininity,whichare constructedthroughgendered femininity. First,thisphilosophycanhelpustorethink theverynotionsofman/male/ two conceptualissueswemighttakefromtheancient ChineseDaoistphilosophyof tion offeministthoughttotrulyassistwomen’sliving conditions.Thereareatleast andcultivateadifferentvaluesystem.China todaygreatlyneedsaninjec yet itdoesnotfullysupportthatmainstreameither. Daoism doesnotmakeapoliticalcritiqueofthemainstreamConfucianpatriarchy, religious leadership.ManyDaoistmastersinChinatodayarewomen.Thus, practice doesnothavefixedrestrictionsonwhatwomencanorcannotdointermsof redefine thoserestrictive social expectations androles.Inparticular, Daoism as religious (daojiao) asareligiouspracticehasofferedanalternativewayforwomentoliveand of teachingdoesnotfighttobetterwomen’ssocialandpoliticalconditions.ButDaoism women associalbeingsnortojustifythepatriarchalsystem.Daoism( it takesthemtobeacosmicpotentforce.Todothis,however,isneitherrespect practically complex.Daoismvaluesfemalepowerandfemininityconceptuallybecause economically toadvancewomen’sinterestsandbenefits. Western feministsfightfor.The and politicalpositioninChina.Itdoesnotpromotethekindofgenderequalitythat and historicalcontext,sothatthetextwasnotintendedtochangewomen’ssocial However, femininity as the of femininity;rather,bothshouldcultivatetheirfemininitytoachieveeffectiveresults. ness inDaoistcontexts.Neitherwomennormenshouldrejecttheirimportantaspects This studyoftheDaodejingcanprofferausefulframeworkforraisingfemaleconscious- and relies on the feminine as a wayof thinking, knowing, experiencing, and desiring. The ( we havealreadyaddressedinmoreabstractterms.Emptiness( The necessity of considering on theunseen. the difficulty of addressing the non-present suggests a deliberate strategy for focusing we mightsaythatbothareequallyimportant,ourtendencytoseeonlythepresentand exist throughanelementofemptiness.Non-presenceisembeddedinpresence.While serves itspurposebecauseofemptiness.Thus,concretethingsthemselvesalways for example, a vessel or container (qi wu Nonetheless, aDaoistfeminismmightusefemininity tochallengesexist The historicalrelationsbetweenDaoismandpatriarchyarebothconceptually 無 Daodejing ) arealwaysintertwinedwithfullness( makes aphilosophicalimaginaryofthefeminineintoprivilegedlocus Daodejing yin factors arisesonseveraldifferentlevels, most of which Daodejing hasnotbeenusedpolitically,socially,and ENGAGING THEPAST Final Remarks 器 conceives it was situated in a particular cultural ), as discussed in the 46 shi 實 ) andbeing( Daodejing. A vessel only xu Daodejing werearticu- 虛 you ) andnothingness daojia) asaschool 有 ). Consider, - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 Bianchi, Emanuela(2014)TheFeminineSymptom:AleatoryMatter inTheAristotelianCosmos,NewYork: Ban Gu班固(1962)Hanshu漢書 [TheBookofHan],:ChinesePress. care ethics(Chapter44);multiculturalandpostcolonial (Chapter47). American chaostheoryandthepoliticsofdifference(Chapter 30);Confucianismand philosophy (Chapter2);language,writing,andgenderdifferences (Chapter24);Native Wang, RobinR.(2003) Moeller, Hans-Georg(2006)PhilosophyofTheDaodejing,NewYork:ColumbiaUniversityPress. Despeux, Catherine,andKohn,Livia(2005)WomeninDaoism,Cambridge,MA:ThreePinesPress. Bokenkamp, Stephen(1997)EarlyDaoistScriptures,Berkeley,CA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress. Allan, Sarah(1997)TheWayofWaterandtheSproutsVirtueAlbany,NY:SUNYPress. what societyprescribes. characteristics, be male or female, depending on the situation. One is not limited to they arenotdecisiveforone’sidentity.Apersoncan“play”ormovebetweendifferent be viewedasaspectsofthesituationwithwhichonecanchoosetogoalong.However, instead offixatingongenderrolesasadeterminingaspectone’sidentity,theycan nurturing equals.Thisisthemanifestationofcosmicforcesyin a rhythmicalandinterrelatedframework—anongoingdanceofmutuallyengaged masculinity, thechopsticks’exactpositionorclassificationmayvary,butonlywithin must beusedinconcertwithoneanother.Similartoclassificationsoffemininityand ating theutensils.Therefore,usingchopsticksisakindofharmonyinaction.They the formerconstitutesmoreofasingularharmoniousaction,withonehandnegoti like usingchopsticksratherthanaforkandknife.Thelatterrequiretwohands,while between themaleandfemaleinsociallifeshouldbehighlydynamicfluid a in another,andonecantalkabout ,thesameelementcanbeyin/femaleinacertainrelationbutyang/male gration. Daoismvaluesfluidity,notsolidity.Like culine constructionsmustbesituatedintherhythmofinteractionsandmutualinte existence asasustaineddanceofwuandyou,yinyang. concepts offemaleandmaleinthe taught, cognitivelyframed,andimplementedbyindividuals.Incontrast,theoriginal this ancientwisdom! the Daoistsovereigntocleaveroleoffemale.Wehavemuchlearnfrom of thefemalewaterelement,illuminatingpotencymother,andprescribing becomes thephilosophymostamenabletofemaleinfluence,glorifyinglatentforce Feminist methodsinthehistoryofphilosophy(Chapter 1); feminismandancientGreek yin/female. Moreover,liketheyinyangdistinctioninhumanbodydivision Finally, theDaodejingaffirmsremarkablefemalepowercontainedin Second, theDaoistconceptionoffemininityremindsusthatfeminineandmas Fordham UniversityPress. the SongDynasty,Indianapolis,IN:Hackett. Images ofWomeninChineseThoughtandCulture:WritingsfromthePre-Qin Periodto D ao Further Reading Related Topics Daodejing describetheebbandflowofeverythingin yin/female withina

References becomes 47

female yin and yang/male, or yang classifications ofthe yang/male within and Dao. Daoism yang. Thus,

.

.

.

more - - -

Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 21:04 02 Oct 2021; For: 9781315758152, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315758152-3 Ziporyn, Brook (trans.) (2009) Wang, RobinR.(2012) Shen Xu Ryden, Edmund(trans.)(1997)TheYellowEmperor’sFourCanons:ALiteraryStudyandEditionoftheText Plato (1993)TheSymposium,trans.R.E.Allen,NewHaven,CT:YaleUniversityPress. Moeller, Hans-Georg(trans.)(2007) Liu Xuyi Knoblock, John,andReigel,Jeffrey(trans.)(2000) Hagengruber, Ruth(2010)“VonDianazuMinerva:PhilosophierendeAristokratinnendes17.und18. Graham, AngusC.(trans.)(1990) Indianapolis. IN:Hackett. Cambridge UniversityPress. Shanghai GujiPress. from Mawangdui,Taipei:GuangqiPress. La Salle,IL:OpenCourt. People’s Press. Study, Stanford,CA:StanfordUniversityPress. Minerva, Munich:OldenbourgAkademie-Verlag,11–32. Jahrhunderts undihreNetzwerke,”inRuthHagengruberandAnaRodriguez(Eds.) Press. 刘绪义 (2009)TheWorldofHeavenandHumanBeing:AStudyOriginPre-QinSchools 許慎 (1981) Shouwen Jiezi Yinyang: TheWayofHeavenandEarthinChineseThoughtCulture Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries The BookofLieh-tzu:AClassicTao 說文解字 [ExplanationofPatterns Daodejing: ACompleteTranslationandCommentary ENGAGING THEPAST 48 The AnnalsofLüBuwei:ACompleteTranslationand ], Ed.DuanYucai , NewYork:ColumbiaUniversity 段玉裁, Shanghai: , Chicago,ILand Von Dianazu , Cambridge: , Beijing: ,