Zhang Taiyan’s章太炎 scholarship evolved with political and historical changes， including his interpretation of Laozi老子. His profound ontological interpretation of Laozi appears mainly in

Dɑohɑn Weiyɑn

菿汉微言 and

Jian Lun

检论， in which he interprets Laozi through Mahayana Buddhism， allowing

Buddhism and Daoism to illuminate each other. In Zhang’s view， Laozi’s thought “overcomes the obstruction of knowledge while preserving worldly afflictions”. In terms of supreme wisdom， Laozi’s “constant non-being and being” is equivalent to the Buddhist “suchness emptiness”， both transcending appearances to reveal ultimate truth. Thus， Laozi’s wisdom equals Buddhist bodhi. Yet Laozi does not pursue nirvāṇa. Instead， he affirms the legitimacy of human desires and emotions. His idea of “favour and disgrace are like shock” reflects concern for the people rather than transcendental liberation. Compared with Buddhism， which aims at buddhahood， Laozi’s philosophy embodies the spirit of Mahayana bodhisattva practice： benefiting the people and taking the people’s mind as his own. This is the foundation of Laozi’s “Dao-based” thought， which integrates the transcendental and the secular without negating either.