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Laozi: A Novel

Laozi, or Lao-tzu, is the legendary Taoist philosopher who wrote the famous Chinese text, Daodejing (《道德经》), 2,500 years ago. According to a Chinese folk legend, one day Laozi was riding on the back of a water buffalo on his way through Hangu Pass in Shaanxi Province. Knowing Laozi was a great philosopher, a local officer stopped him and begged him to write down his thoughts before he was allowed to continue. Laozi had no choice but to follow the order. He finished writing, left the pass, and was never seen again. The text he wrote at the pass was called the Daodejing, which became a fundamental text of Taoism and one of the most important literary works in Chinese philosophy.

Laozi had been reluctant to write, because he didn’t believe in any human effort in the first place, let alone in spreading his own thoughts. Contrary to Confucius, who always encouraged people to be proactive, Laozi advocated the doctrine of wuwei (《无为》)· (non-interference or inaction) and following as closely as possible the rules of nature. There is another Chinese folk legend about Laozi and Confucius: one day the two great masters met. Laozi opened his mouth, pointed to his teeth and tongue and then said, “Teeth are hard; tongue is soft. Teeth will eventually fall out while the tongue remains, you see.”

Full of deep thoughts, the Daodejing was written in such a mysterious style that numerous books have been written trying to explain the true meaning of Laozi. The most recent effort was by Chen Cun. In Laozi: A Novel, Chen notes the daily conversations and behaviours of two fictitious men to explain some of Laozi’s principles. There are 81 chapters in the book, to explain the 81 chapters of the Daodejing.

In one chapter, the two men discuss which animal is braver, a tiger or a mouse. One man says obviously a tiger is braver, since people cannot win a fight with it. The other says that a mouse is much braver, since it dares to live around people, knowing that people may kill it at anytime.

Speaking of the importance of Laozi, the author says in the prologue “It’s really lucky for us Chinese. Even when we lose everything in our life, Laozi is still there, teaching us wisdom, and calming us down.”