 The Taoist book Zhuangzi ( simplified Chinese : 庄子 ; traditional Chinese : 莊子 ; pinyin : Zhuāngzǐ ) , named after its purported author Zhuangzi , is a composite of writings from various sources , and is considered one of the most important texts in Taoism . The commentator Guo Xiang ( circa 300 AD ) helped establish the text as an important source for Taoist thought . The traditional view is that Zhuangzi himself wrote the first seven chapters ( the " inner chapters " ) and his students and related thinkers were responsible for the other parts ( the " outer " and " miscellaneous " chapters ) . The work uses anecdotes , parables and dialogues to express one of its main themes , that is aligning oneself to the laws of the natural world and " the way " of the elements . 
