Laozi’s Thought on “Profound Virtue” and Its Internal Coherence between Metaphysics and Physics: A Comprehensive Review Based on the Extant Edition and Bamboo Slips and Silk Editions of Laozi  

Ye Shuxun

Abstract: In Laozi’s theories, the “profound virtue” (xuan de) not only has rich meanings on various levels, but also contains coherence among his metaphysics, political philosophy, and idea of mind. On the basis of comprehensively inspecting the extant edition and bamboo slips and silk editions of Laozi, as well as through the commentary and analysis of relevant contexts, the multiple argumentations of the thought “profound virtue” can be gradually found: the “profound virtue” in the metaphysical world means the dual function that the Tao “gives birth to the whole creation yet not occupies them”; while extending to the actual political life, the function just refers that the sage processing the “profound virtue” to “administer a state without wisdom” when following the Tao. Such act is not simply as external imitation, but there deeply contains the internal realization of “eliminating the subjective desires and distractions”, which expresses the significance of the “profound virtue” on moral cultivation. To explore the multiple meanings of “profound virtue” could not only make us gain a more comprehensive understanding of the idea, but also provide us a new reference for the internal relevance between Laozi’s metaphysics and physics.