The Taoist scripture traditionally attributed to Zhuang Zhou is the Zhuangzi, also known as the Book of Master Zhuang. It is one of the foundational texts of Taoism, alongside the Tao Te Ching.
The work is a collection of stories, dialogues, parables, fables, and philosophical reflections. Famous episodes include the butterfly dream and the story of Cook Ding, which explore changing perspectives, spontaneity, skill, freedom, and the limits of rigid distinctions.
Traditional attribution connects the book with Zhuang Zhou, a philosopher who probably lived during the Warring States period, around the 4th century BCE. Modern scholarship generally treats the received text as composite: its 33 chapters include material associated with Zhuang Zhou, his followers, and later writers.
A common mix-up is confusing the Zhuangzi with the Liezi or Wenzi, other Taoist works named after associated thinkers. “Zhuangzi” can mean both the historical Master Zhuang and the text attributed to him.