Editing Liezi (section)

==Textual history==
The first two references to the ''Liezi'' book are from the former [[Han dynasty]]. The editor [[Liu Xiang (author)|Liu Xiang]] notes he eliminated repetitions in ''Liezi'' and rearranged it into eight chapters (''pian'' {{lang|zh|篇}}). The [[Book of Han]] bibliography section ({{lang|zh|藝文志}}) says it has eight chapters ({{lang|zh|篇}}) and concludes that since the ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]'' quotes Liezi, he must have lived before [[Zhuang Zhou|Zhuangzi]]. There is a three-century historical gap until the next evidence of the ''Liezi'': the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Jin dynasty]] commentary by Zhang Zhan {{lang|zh|張湛}} (fl. ca. 370 CE). Zhang's preface claims his ''Liezi'' copy was transmitted down from his grandfather. All received ''Liezi'' texts derive from Zhang's version, which is divided into eight chapters (''juan'' {{lang|zh|巻}}).

During the reign of [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang]], the ''Liezi'' was designated a Daoist classic, completing the trilogy with the more famous ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'' and ''Zhuangzi'', it was honorifically entitled the ''Chongxu zhenjing'' ({{lang|zh|沖虛真經}}; "True Classic of Simplicity and Vacuity", that is, ''Classic of the Perfect Emptiness''). This "Simplicity and Vacuity" is [[Wing-tsit Chan]]'s translation; ''chongxu'' (literally "soar/young/simple empty/skies/modest") usually means "soar aloft, rise high; carefree, unburdened with ambition". During the later reign of [[Emperor Zhenzong of Song]], the ''Liezi'' was further honored as the ''Chongxu zhide zhenjing'' ({{lang|zh|沖虛至德真經}}; “True Classic of Simplicity and Vacuity and Perfect Virtue”).