Interpretation And Reception Of Dreams In Zhuang Zi

It is peculiar and unbelievable that there are so many dreams in Zhuang Zi. As a result, Zhuang Zi is regarded as a synthesizer and developer in dream-written literature, especially for the Pre-Qin Period. However the descendants often pay attention to how to understand the dreams accurately. They ignore the dreams’ influences in literature. So it is very important and necessary to make researches on this. The thesis discusses the interpretation and reception of dreams in Zhuang Zi.In Chapter One, firstly we introduce the dreams in Zhuang Zi. Then we summarize its theme as "Nature". What’s more, "Zhen Ren" who never had dreamed is the top criterion of all. Throughout the whole history of dream-written literature, Zhuang Zi has an significant effect. Before him, the people think that the dreams are mysterious. Out of the ordinary, Zhuang Zi regards the dream as a tool in his literary creation.From Chapter Two to Chapter Four, I analysis the representative dreams in Zhuang Zi. They are about "Butterfly Dream", "Skeleton Dream",’The Other Four Dreams", (which includes "Tree dream", "King Wen dream", "Yuan Jun dream", "Zheng Huan dream". And the debates can be divided into two parts. The first part is about the dreams’ philosophical implication. By analyzing this, we can find the result that the most of them is similar to Zhuang Zi itself. But the Zhuang Zi’s dreams which are reworked by the descendants are different from Zhuang Zi. The differences can be summarized for three parts. Firstly, the Later Zhuang Zi’s Dreams are easier for us to read. Secondly, the Later Zhuang Zi’s Dreams show us a richer and more incisive world. Thirdly, we can find a lot of materials in the Zhuang Zi’s Dreams.All in all, the Later Zhuang Zi’s Dreams have been melted into the former, so making researches on them is important and meaningful.