Xiong Shili in Conversation: Transcultural Epistolary Exchange on the Daodejing

The present paper examines a letter that the Chinese philosopher Xiong Shili 熊十力 (1885‑1968) sent to the Italian journalist Luciano Magrini in 1936, with the purpose of elucidating the main purports of the Daodejing 道德經 (The Classic of the Way and Virtue). This letter will be studied from two dif...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pietrasanta, Linda Anna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari 2025-07-01
Series:Annali di Ca’ Foscari: Serie Orientale
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Online Access:http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2025/01/011
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Summary:The present paper examines a letter that the Chinese philosopher Xiong Shili 熊十力 (1885‑1968) sent to the Italian journalist Luciano Magrini in 1936, with the purpose of elucidating the main purports of the Daodejing 道德經 (The Classic of the Way and Virtue). This letter will be studied from two different perspectives, thus achieving a twofold aim: on the one hand, as a witness to the relationship between these two intellectual personalities; on the other, as a valuable source for philosophical speculation. For this reason, the first part of the article will adopt a historical perspective, aiming at reconstructing the context and background of this epistolary exchange, while the second will engage philosophically with the content of the letter, clarifying Xiong’s interpretation of Daoist philosophy and relating it to his personal philosophical system.
ISSN:2385-3042