The American sinologist Edward Slingerland is a pioneer who introduced conceptual metaphor theory into the discipline of Chinese philosophy. His book Effortless Action centers on the idea of wu-wei, a term first seen in the Daoist text the Loazi, and has generated extensive attention and debate among Western sinologists over the past two decades. This article reviews and examines Slingerland’s analysis of Daoist metaphors in the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, among which the “container metaphor” is given the most comprehensive discussion. Slingerland’s analysis of the Daoist container metaphor is explored in four sections: (1) the “Self as Container” metaphor, (2) self-control as object possession, (3) “Division between Inner and Outer,” as seen from the container image schema, and (4) difficulties in translating and interpreting the metaphors of being “sealed,” “closed off,” and “without cracks.” Through a close examination and comparison of Western and Eastern scholars’ studies of Daoist metaphors, this article considers salient topics in the contemporary study of Chinese philosophy and explores the challenges of translation and interpretation in cross-cultural comparative research.

cross-cultural studies, Self, Edward Slingerland, Daoist container metaphors, translation and interpretation

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APA Format	Chen, Y.-C. (2021). Crossing the Chasm of Metaphors: Innovations and Controversies in Slingerland’s Analysis of Daoist Container Metaphors. Journal of National Taiwan Normal University, 66(1), 67-88. https://doi.org/10.6210/JNTNU.202103_66(1).0003
Chicago Format	Chen, Yin-Ching. “Crossing the Chasm of Metaphors: Innovations and Controversies in Slingerland’s Analysis of Daoist Container Metaphors.” Journal of National Taiwan Normal University 66, no. 1 (2021): 67-88. https://doi.org/10.6210/JNTNU.202103_66(1).0003.