• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.34
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• pp.339-362
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• 2009

If we try to define the concept of beauty in the large sense, as Kant and Chaung-tzu all agree, It can not be fixed in the one sense, but whose connotation and denotation should be extended infinitely. In this sense, I would like to say that the beauty is liberty. Aesthetics of Kant is oriented toward subjective and reflexive dimension, while that of Chuang-tzu is oriented toward natural and practical one. The difference between aesthetics of the two philosophers begins from their philosophical methodology. If the transcendental methode which is proper to Kant's philosophy prefers to discriminate and devide everything especially from dichotomic viewpoint by langage. But Chuang-tzu' methode called Za-Mang criticizes such a dichotomic division and langage itself. Even so, the two in the long run agree as to the foundation of beauty. But Kant's liberty is one of will or transcendental, meanwhile that of Chuang-tzu is based on recognize the fact that we are all production of nature. according to Chuang-tzu, in the great beginning, there was non-being. It had neither being nor name. The One originates from it. When things obtain it and come into existence. As the One, Tao is in the excrement and urine. Everything is under the constant flux. All species have originative or moving power. Although the universe is vast, its transformation is uniform. Because all things are one. Vacuity, tranquillity, mellowness, quietness, and taking no action characterize the things of universe at peace and represent the ultimate of Tao and virtue. The material was transformed to be form, form was transformed to become life, and now life has transformed to become death. A basic principle of Chuang-tzu's art is expressed in the phrase "taking off clothes and squatting down bare-backed". The key of Chuang-tzu's aesthetics is to dedicate to the expression of inner spirit instead of physical verisimilitude, and painting should be a spontaneous and instantaneous flow of the brush. Kant's concepts such as "disinterested" and "purposiveness of nature" seem to imply in the long run the unification of nature and human being which is fundament to Chuang-tzu's aesthetics.