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An Evaluation of the Chen Jingyuan Case Based on Zhuangzi’s Philosophical Core Ideas
Zhuangzi (c. 369-286 BCE), a foundational Daoist thinker and putative author of the Zhuangzi, espoused a philosophy of radical freedom and natural spontaneity, centered on the Dao—the ineffable way of the universe—as the source of all harmony. His core ideas include qi wu lun (the equality of things), rejecting hierarchical distinctions in favor of relativistic perspective; xiao yao you (free and easy wandering), celebrating untrammeled individual autonomy beyond social constraints; and wu wei (non-action), advocating effortless alignment with nature over coercive intervention. Zhuangzi critiqued rigid norms, authority, and human artifices like law, viewing them as illusions that fragment the Dao’s flow, as in the butterfly dream parable questioning reality’s boundaries. The Chen Jingyuan case—a doctoral scholar sentenced to 20 months for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (PRC Criminal Law Article 293) over Twitter forwards—through Zhuangzi’s lens, exemplifies the folly of human meddling: judicial rigidity imposes artificial hierarchies on natural inquiry, stifling the free wandering of thought and fragmenting the Dao’s egalitarian flux.
1. The Equality of Things (Qi Wu Lun): Judicial Hierarchy as Illusory Distinction
Zhuangzi’s qi wu lun asserts the relativity of all phenomena—right and wrong, order and chaos are perspectival constructs, dissolving in the Dao’s impartial vastness.
The verdict fabricates distinctions: Chen’s forwards (e.g., Hayek critiques or the “Trump-kneeling Xi” cartoon) are hierarchically deemed “disruptive rumors,” elevating “social order” over the equality of discourse. This ignores Zhuangzi’s relativism: what the court calls “false” is but one perspective—Chen’s prison letter, equating art, emotion, reason, and fact in rumor taxonomy, embodies impartiality, yet is silenced. The selective enforcement (millions of similar shares unpunished) exposes the illusion: hierarchy crumbles under scrutiny, like Zhuangzi’s “useless tree” thriving in equality. Zhuangzi would mock this as human folly—imposing ranks on the Dao’s level plain, breeding disharmony where none exists.
2. Free and Easy Wandering (Xiao Yao You): Suppressed Inquiry as Caged Spirit
Zhuangzi’s xiao yao you celebrates the sage’s unbound roaming—mental and existential freedom beyond societal nets, aligning with the Dao’s spontaneous flow.
Chen’s scholarly forwards exemplify this wandering: effortless drifts through ideas (e.g., avalanche theory on non-causal chaos), untrammeled by convention. Yet the closed-door trial and “shut up” directive cage the spirit, sentencing wandering for “quarrel”—a Legalist net ensnaring the Dao’s fish. The non-oral appeal further binds: Chen’s letter, a free excursion into rumor boundaries, is grounded. Zhuangzi, who dreamed as a butterfly to question confinement, would lament this as spiritual atrophy: the judiciary’s “order” is but a smaller cage, fragmenting the vast sky of thought. True freedom lies in release, not restraint—suppressing inquiry invites the Dao’s indifferent return, where caged birds forget flight.
3. Wu Wei and the Perils of Coercive Artifice: Rigid Law as Anti-Natural Force
Wu wei—effortless action in harmony with nature—counsels rulers against overregulation; Laozi’s disciple Zhuangzi extends this to critique artificial laws as disruptions to spontaneous virtue.
Article 293’s “disruption” charge is coercive artifice: presuming “high education implies discernment” forces unnatural intent on natural expression, ignoring wu wei’s flow—Chen’s unforced inquiry yields no chaos, yet is dammed by evidentiary voids (unverified posts). The prosecutor’s admission underscores artifice’s brittleness: rigid enforcement (ba dao) breeds resentment, not harmony. Zhuangzi would decry this as the “net of heaven”—loose yet encompassing—trapping the fish of thought in vain. Law, untethered from Dao, multiplies like weeds, choking spontaneity; the case’s anomalies (zero ripple) reveal its futility, echoing Zhuangzi’s parable of the useless as most useful.
Conclusion: Zhuangzi’s Lens on the Case—A Caged Dao Yearning for Release
From Zhuangzi’s Daoist relativism, the Chen Jingyuan case is a fractured river: illusory hierarchies fragment equality, rigid nets snare wandering, and coercive artifices dam the Dao, engendering disharmony. As of October 22, 2025, no retrial or exoneration has occurred; Chen’s account remains dormant, its quiet a Zhuangzian yielding to the inevitable flux. This case cautions: true order flows unbound—meddle, and the Dao laughs last. As Zhuangzi mused, “Great knowledge is idle; small knowledge is busy”—may the busy cease, letting freedom roam.
昔有昆明一城，山川环抱，司法之宫巍峨，内藏一群贤士，自称秉公执法，守护国法如龙门。忽有一士子，名陈京元，隐于乡野，博览网文，偶转几帖，艺术漫画如撑伞少女，翩翩舞于风雨；情感烛光，点点泪痕映六四；理论争鸣，政治光谱分类，特朗普批判共产主义，蓬佩奥论中美，哈耶克与凯恩斯争锋；历史资料，毛泽东选集修订，离休干部工资单，我赞成小平同志退休，中乌军事合作，皆平常之物。
奈何昆明司法诸公，忽梦中惊醒，自以为大鹏展翅，捕风捉影，拘陈士子于牢笼。普会峻者，法官也，振振有词曰：“汝高学历，博学多闻，应明辨是非，明知谣言而转，扰乱秩序！” 陈士子笑曰：“嘻嘻，吾学历高，辨是非如辨蝴蝶梦周，周梦蝴蝶耶？尔等不到中学水平，怎知吾心？若吾明知，何不早避？若不明知，尔等推定，何异梦中判案？” 普公闻言，怒而判之，一年八个月，铁窗生涯。
葛斌检察、李湘云中院，齐声附和：“铁证如山，证据锁链！” 陈士子复笑：“嘻嘻，何铁证？撑伞女孩，艺术也，夸张象征，如李白白发三千丈，尔等判为谣言，岂不灭我中华诗魂？烛光六四，主观情感，如弗洛伊德梦杀国王，尔等判死，天下人心皆罪？理论文章，争鸣也，如波普尔批马克思，哈耶克争凯恩斯，皆入教科书，尔等谓攻击，天下学者尽成囚徒？历史资料，事实也，毛泽东选集修订，邓小平退休赞文，中乌合作，尔等称炮制，尔等岂非贼喊捉贼，自掘祖坟？”
昆明诸公，面红耳赤，强辩曰：“汝翻墙上网，境外谣言，扰乱严重！” 陈士子大笑：“嘻嘻，吾社交账号，粉丝几零，转发寥寥，至今无人关注，何扰乱？尔等造谣诽谤，虚构铁证，枉法仲裁，无鉴定无数据无因果，强塞口袋罪，剥辩护不公开，拒转控告书，选择性执法，党媒光明日报新浪同帖不追，独责一士子。尔等尸位素餐，玩忽职守，何异庄周梦蝶，不知蝶梦庄周耶？全面依法治国，尔等口惠实不至，背离依宪治国，践踏罪刑法定、无罪推定、证据裁判。尔等如赵高指鹿为马，倒打一耙，贼喊捉贼，自以为大鹏，实则井底之蛙！”
陈士子刑满释归，复盘账号，帖文完好，无人问津，无混乱迹象。大笑曰：“嘻嘻，昆明司法，梦中判案，醒来何在？天网恢恢，疏而不漏，普会峻辈，终身追责，报应不爽！吾逍遥乡野，博览古今，尔等陷于囹圄，何异南华真人笑世俗？”
呜呼，昆明司法之过，非一案之误，乃系统之弊。权大于法，私欲凌驾公义，造谣诽谤，枉法仲裁，反智灭文，扼杀思想。庄子嬉笑怒骂，世人醒悟否？法治之途，梦蝶而已！