Rudolf G. Wagner is Professor of Chinese Studies at the Institute of Chinese Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany. His previous books include Reenacting the Heavenly Vision: The Role of Religion in the Taiping Rebellion, The Contemporary Chinese Historical Drama: Four Studies, and Inside a Service Trade: Studies in Contemporary Chinese Prose. He received the Leibnitz Award for scholarly excellence from the German Research Foundation in 1993.

Preface
Introduction

1. Wang Bi: A Biographical Sketch

Wang Bi's Life
Wang Bi's Afterlife

2. The System of the Classics

A Sketch of Commentary Strategies during the Han Dynasty

3. Technique and the Philosophy of Structure: Interlocking Parallel Style in Laozi and Wang Bi

Introduction
The Discovery of Parallel Style in Western
The Problem: Molecular Coherence
Open Interlocking Parallel Style in the Laozi
Closed Interlocking Parallel Style in the Laozi
Interlocking Parallel Style in Early Texts
Interlocking Parallel Style in Wang Bi's Time
Conclusion
Scholarship
Outside the Laozi

4. Deconstructing and Constructing Meaning

The Hidden Meaning
The Implied Author and His Authority: Kongzi and Laozi
The Status of the Laozi and the Texts
Ascribed to Confucius
The Implied Reader and His Education
The Countertexts
The Homogeneity Hypothesis
The Potentiality of the Text: Comparing
Different Commentary Constructions of the Laozi
Example 1: Laozi 17.1
Example 2: Laozi 6
Example 3: Laozi 11
Conclusions

5. The Craft of Wang Bi's Commentary

Introduction
Integration of Commentary and Text
Emphatic Rejection of Other Readings
Explaining Metaphors, Similes,
Comparisons, and Symbols
Insertion of Subject
Defining Terms through Equivalence
Translating the Text
Merging Terms and Structures
Conclusions

Notes
Bibliography
Subject Index