Concept in Chinese philosophy
Wu wei (traditional Chinese: 無為; simplified Chinese: 无为; pinyin: wúwéi) is a polymorphic, ancient Chinese concept expressing an ideal practice of "inaction", "inexertion" or "effortless action",[a][1][2] as a state of personal harmony and free-flowing, spontaneous creative manifestation. Connected with the idea of the Heart or Spirit (Shen 神) in Traditional Chinese medicine, it often relates to the behavior of the emperor, most commonly referring to an ideal form of governance or government.[3]
Wu wei appears as early as the Spring and Autumn period, with early literary examples in the Classic of Poetry.[4] It became an important concept in the Confucian Analects,[5] linking a Confucian ethic of practical morality to a state of being harmonizing intention and action.[6] It would go on to become a central concept in "Legalist" statecraft and Daoism, in Daoism as a concept emphasizing alignment with the natural Dao in actions and intentions, avoiding force or haste against the natural order.
Sinologist Jean François Billeter describes wu-wei as a "state of perfect knowledge (understanding) of the coexistence of the situation and perceiver, perfect efficaciousness and the realization of a perfect economy of energy".
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