'Laozi': Re-visiting two early commentaries in the 'Hanfeizi'

The Laozi or Daodejing is the foundational text of both philosophical and religious Daoism, and is one of the most important books in Chinese history. The earliest extant commentaries on this text form chapters 20 and 21 of the Hanfeizi, a prominent text of the Legalist tradition. These commentaries, Jie Lao ('Explaining Laozi') and Yu Lao ('Illustrating Laozi'), are surrounded by questions of authenticity, and have often been misunderstood by scholars who interpret them in the spirit of Han Fei's Legalist philosophy. Therefore, this thesis re-visits these commentaries and analyzes each in isolation, considering their dating, authorship, and philosophical affiliations in order to better situate them within the context of Warring States intellectual history. Stylistic and doctrinal coherence are taken into account, as well as the impact of recent archaeological finds, including those at Mawangdui (1973) and Guodian (1993). Finally, complete new annotated translations of the commentaries are provided.