A Dialectical Analysis of the Tripartite Qualities of 'Dao' in the Guanzi: Intricacy, Expansion, and Solidity
This paper provides an in-depth interpretation of the opening discourse on 'Dao' in the *Guanzi: Neiye*, analyzing the connotations and dialectical unity of its tripartite qualities: 'intricacy necessitates density, expansion necessitates ease, and solidity necessitates firmness.' It further explores their significance for self-cultivation and mental governance within the context of Pre-Qin and ancient thought.
I. "Guard what is good and do not abandon it" (守善勿舍)
Here, "good" (善, shàn) does not refer to moral "goodness" but to a state that conforms to the Dao. Laozi, Chapter Eight, states: "The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things and does not contend." This "good" means skillful, or conforming to. "Guard what is good and do not abandon it" means to maintain the state that conforms to the Dao and not to give it up.
Why is "do not abandon it" particularly emphasized$29 Because the greatest obstacle in cultivating the Dao is not ignorance but knowing yet being unable to sustain it. Laozi, Chapter Seventy, states: "My words are very easy to know and very easy to practice. Yet no one in the world can know or practice them." Also, Guanzi, Xinshu Xia, states: "Everyone desires knowledge but does not seek it. What they know is 'them'; what they use to know is 'this.' If you do not cultivate 'this,' how can you know 'them'$30"—People all wish to know the principles of external things but do not cultivate their inner selves. Knowing is easy, practicing is difficult, and sustaining goodness is even more difficult.