- Ziran
Ziran (zh-cpw|c=自然|p="zìrán"|w="tzu-jen") is a key concept in
Daoism that literally means "self so; so of its own; so of itself" and thus "naturally; natural; spontaneously; freely; in the course of events; of course; doubtlessly".cite book |author=Slingerland, Edward G. |title=Effortless action: Wu-wei as conceptual metaphor and spiritual ideal in early China |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=2003 |pages= p.97|isbn=0-19-513899-6 |oclc= |doi=] [cite book |author=Karyn Lai |title=Learning from Chinese Philosophies: Ethics of Interdependent And Contextualised Self (Ashgate World Philosophies Series) (Ashgate World Philosophies Series) (Ashgate World Philosophies Series) |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |location= |year= |pages=p.96 |isbn=0-7546-3382-9 |oclc= |doi=] This Chinese word is a two-character compound of "zi" "nose; self; oneself; from; since" and "ran" "right; correct; so; yes", which is used as a "-ran"suffix markingadjective s oradverb s (roughly corresponding to English "-ly"). Wiktionarypar|自然"Ziran" first occurs in the
Daodejing (17, 23, 25, 51) and refers to the structure ofTao , which cannot be referred back to anything else.See also
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Laozi
*Records of the Grand Historian
*Xishen Jing Further reading
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References
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