關于道家的"自然"觀念,現有的一些闡釋容易忽視不同情境下意義的變化,難免會籠統而論,由此帶來判斷的偏差。這在一定程度上和它語義的含混有關,為此需要先清理語義的模糊性。其中分析"自然"的不同成因是辨別其義的關鍵,由此將會發現道家"自然"具有兩種形態,它們的內涵各有不同,并且與"道""無為"等概念也表現出不同的關系。一種是強調外界無干涉,意謂自己如此、不受他者影響;在此一方"無為"是另一方"自然"的原因,具體到道物關系則是說道"無為"而萬物"自然"。另一種是強調內心無智故,意謂原本如此、不是有意造作;在此"自然"與"無為"描述同一對象的表現,可一并說明"道"的性狀。在它最早出現之際即老子思想中,"自然"表現為第一種形態,另一形態則是在莊子思想中開始出現,自此以后二者并行共存。概言之,此二者分別體現了道家哲學在不同方面的訴求:一是反對他者干涉,以保障活動的自發性;一是反對自我造作,以保持活動的本然性。厘清了"自然"的不同形態,對它的內涵及其相關問題才能進行更清楚的把握。

The concept of "ziran"in early Daoism is problematic: certain recent studies have found it difficult to avoid over-generalizing it,leading to errors of judgment. As such,we have to first analyze this concept semantically. Discriminating between the different factors contributing to it is the key to explaining the concept. In this way we find that there are two theoretical forms of the concept of ziran. The first emphasizes a lack of interference from the outside world,meaning that someone is self-so without being affected by others.In this form,others’ "wuwei 無為"is a cause of one’s ziran. The other form emphasizes having no inner intention,meaning that one’s state is original but not purposive. In this form,ziran and wuwei both describe the situation of one and the same object. In the beginning—that is,in Laozi’s thought—ziran only appeared in the first form. Later—in Zhuangzi’s thought—the other form began to appear,and since then,these two forms have coexisted in parallel. In general,we obtain a more in-depth understanding of this concept when we clarify its different forms.