“Defining the Dao: physical images in the Daoshu chapter of Jia Yi (200-168) Xinshu”

The term xu 虛 is a key term in pre-Qin philosophical literature. Usually translated in English as “emptiness” or “undifferentiated”, the term refers to the Dao 道 and it is associated with xin 心, the heart/mind. My presentation will focus on the meaning of xu as it is expressed in Jia Yi 賈誼 Xinshu 新書, and mainly in the Daoshu 道術 (Techniques of the Dao) chapter. After a brief introduction of xu in pre-Qin text, I will focus on the Xinshu and analyze the term together with xin and shu 術 (techniques).