Abstract
Wuwei(lit. “without” + “doing”), a phrase most widely known as “non‐action,” has become one of the hallmarks of ancient Chinese philosophy in the modern era, yet its meaning(s) and usage in the early literature, as well as the analysis of its conceptual development and its “proper” translation, remain a source of disagreement. What is beyond doubt is that – regardless of questions of origins, which according to some may well be abandoned in favor of attention to inventive usage patterns – by the early imperial periodwuweihad become a linguistic and conceptual category variously used in the discourse of ideal rulership and governmental methods as well as the individual's psyche and action in the world. Extant translations accordingly suggest a wide range of notions, from physical idleness and delegation of authority, through the ease of spontaneity or skill, to an other‐orientedlaissez‐faireapproach. In light of such a variety of applications, readers should further allow for the possibility that not only the field of reference (i.e., self‐cultivation, rulership, or sometimes both) and the particular import may change from one instance to the other, but also, in accordance with the former, the linguistic analysis of the phrase itself: whether it performs as a hyperbole, a metaphor, or an image that claims descriptive qualities. Either way, as is by now widely acknowledged, references towuweiin the early textual corpus should not be assumed,a priori, to have served as a keyword encoding one particular philosophical tradition or school of thought.