Seminar and Colloquium

Zhuangzi’s Jie Xin 解心 (Untangling the HeartMind) and Navigating the Tensions of Animas and Logos, Bíos and Technê

Zhuangzi1employs the term 解 jie (untangling, dissecting, releasing, unraveling) in both 解⼼ (untangling the heartmind) and 解⽜ (dissecting the ox). In 解⼼, this 解 represents the process of "untangling" emotional and mental knots through a state of critique, releasing, and flow—similar to the precision and observation involved in dissecting the ox by understanding its natural structure. Why does Zhuangzi use jie 解 for both the ox and the heartmind? This essay will approach this question philosophically rather than as a mere lexical inquiry. It will further explore two interwoven philosophical problems: anima vs. logos and bíos vs. technê. Then essay will move to a final construction of miaoji 妙技 (subtle techne). It shows that the answer to my question lies in following the Dao. Cook Ding learns from his teacher the ox (bios), its natural grain, such human beings are given an opportunity to align with the natural flow of things by untangling the heartmind. The common thread is that transcending mere logos or techne and returning to animas and bios is to flow with the manifestation of the Dao. Jie is not merely an action but a philosophical state, horizon, or vision, pointing to the great unity of beings and life with clarity and wander, and preventing human creations, whether conceptual structures or artificial technology, to alienate us from Dao.