Language as Bodily Practice in Early China: A Chinese Grammatology By J. Geaney (2018) Albany: State University of New York Press, 350pp.

Wuwei (lit. “without” + “doing”), a phrase most widely known as “non‐action,” has become one of the hallmarks of ancient Chinese philosophy in the modern era, yet its meaning(s) and usage in the early literature, as well as the analysis of its conceptual development and its “proper” translation, remain a source of disagreement. What is beyond doubt is that – regardless of questions of origins, which according to some may well be abandoned in favor of attention to inventive usage patterns – by the early imperial period wuwei had become a linguistic and conceptual category variously used in the discourse of ideal rulership and governmental methods as well as the individual's psyche and action in the world. Extant translations accordingly suggest a wide range of notions, from physical idleness and delegation of authority, through the ease of spontaneity or skill, to an other‐oriented laissez‐faire approach. In light of such a variety of applications, readers should further allow for the possibility that not only the field of reference (i.e., self‐cultivation, rulership, or sometimes both) and the particular import may change from one instance to the other, but also, in accordance with the former, the linguistic analysis of the phrase itself: whether it performs as a hyperbole, a metaphor, or an image that claims descriptive qualities. Either way, as is by now widely acknowledged, references to wuwei in the early textual corpus should not be assumed, a priori , to have served as a keyword encoding one particular philosophical tradition or school of thought.

Empress Lü was the consort of Emperor Gaozu, founder of the Han dynasty (202 bce –220 ce ). As Empress Dowager – after Gaozu's death and during the reigns of his heir and two subsequent child emperors – she assumed the authority of the supreme ruler and became the first of three women who ruled the empire during over 2000 years of Chinese imperial history. The evaluation of her reign and character has relied heavily on the records made by Han historians Sima Qian and Ban Gu. Both portray, albeit with varying degrees of direct and indirect condemnation, the attempts of an Empress Dowager to retain and enhance the power of her own clan at the expanse of the ruling imperial clan – and perhaps in its stead. The stories these historians recount include some of the most horrific acts of violence and abuse in Chinese imperial history. In the literature from the Han onward, Lü's figure became a symbol of the ruthless greed for power that threatened the continuity of a dynastic line. Recent times, however, have seen an increase in diverging evaluations of Empress Lü as ruler and person, in both the academic arena and popular representations. A compilation of legal statutes and ordinances excavated in 1983 and dated to 186 bce adds to our knowledge of governance and administration during Lü's regime and may be further utilized in the emerging discourse of the first de facto female ruler in Chinese imperial history.