A Critical Analysis of 'Shen' and 'Zhi' in the Core Passages of the Guanzi's 'Nei Ye' and an Inquiry into Pre-Qin Theories of Mind and Nature

Section 6: "The Gentleman uses things, but is not used by things"—Establishing Subjectivity

Following "Adhering to the One without loss, one can govern all things," the Neiye chapter continues: "The Gentleman uses things (shǐ wù), but is not used by things (bèi wù shǐ)."

Though brief, this line reveals an extremely important philosophical proposition—the relationship between humanity and things, which is the establishment of subjectivity.

What is "using things" (shǐ wù)$8 "Shǐ" means to command or utilize. "Using things"—utilizing all things to serve one's own goals and values.

What is "being used by things" (bèi wù shǐ)$9 "Bèi" means to be subjected to. "Being used by things"—being commanded by external things, becoming a slave to them.

This proposition is widely discussed in Pre-Qin literature:

The Laozi, Chapter 44, states: "Which is dearer, fame or self$10 Which is greater, self or wealth$11 Which is more painful, gain or loss$12 Excessive love incurs great expense; abundant hoarding incurs great loss. Therefore, knowing contentment brings no disgrace; knowing when to stop brings no peril; and one can last long." Overly pursuing external fame and profit is "being used by things"; knowing contentment and knowing when to stop, taking the self as the foundation, is "using things."

The Zhuangzi, Shanmu states: "If one makes things into things, but is not made into a thing by things, how can one be burdened$13" "Making things into things" is "using things"; "not being made into a thing by things" is "being used by things."

The Zhuangzi, Yingdiwang states: "If you let your mind wander in placidity, unite your vital energy with vastness, follow the nature of things without imposing your private judgment, then the world will be ordered." Wandering the mind in placidity and vastness, following the nature of things without private judgment—this is the highest realization of "using things without being used by them."

The Xunzi, Xiushen states: "The Gentleman employs things; the small man is employed by things." "Employing things" (yì wù) is shǐ wù; "employed by things" (yì yú wù) is bèi wù shǐ. Xunzi uses this to distinguish the fundamental difference between the "Gentleman" and the "small person."

The Guanzi, Xinshu Shang states: "The Mind in the body holds the position of a ruler. The nine orifices (senses) have their functions, which are the divisions of the bureaucracy. When the Mind occupies its proper Dao, the nine orifices follow order. If desires and cravings become excessive, the eyes do not see colors, and the ears do not hear sounds. Thus it is said: If the superior abandons its Dao, the inferior fails in its duties." The Mind is the ruler of the body, just as a ruler is the ruler of the state. If the Mind deviates from the Dao (losing its proper state), the nine orifices lose their function. "If desires and cravings become excessive," this is the manifestation of "being used by things"—excessive desire leads to sensory disorder, which in turn disturbs the Mind.

Thus, "The Gentleman uses things, but is not used by things" is not just a proposition about cultivation, but a fundamental proposition about human subjectivity. Pre-Qin thinkers universally believed that what makes a person human is the ability to consciously govern their own conduct and destiny, rather than being pulled and manipulated by external objects. "Adhering to the One" is the core practice for establishing this subjectivity—when one adheres to the "One" (the internal root), one will not be pulled by external things, and can thus use things autonomously.