Wu-wei Chin., lit. “nondoing”; unmotivated, unintentional action. A concept of the Tao-te ching, designating nonintervention in the natural course of things; spontaneous action that, being completely devoid of premeditation and
intention, is wholly appropriate to a given situation. Wu-wei is said to be the attitude of a Taoist saint.
In Chapter 48 of the Tao-te ching (Feng & English 1972), Lao-tzu describes wu-wei as follows:
In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired [as regards our efforts and expectations].
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped [as regards our business and desires].
Less and less is done Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.
Wu-wei therefore does not denote absolute nonaction but rather a form of action that is free of any desires, intention, or motivation.
A Taoist adept, by following the ideal of wu-wei, imitates the Tao, the universal effective ness of which is a consequence of wu-wei:
Tao abides in non-action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
A Taoist therefore endeavors to imitate the Tao by not intervening in the course of things, thereby permitting all things to unfold in accordance with their own nature. Wu-wei may essentially be understood as action confined to what is natural and necessary.
The Tao-te ching furthermore applies the notion of wu-wei to the way a ruler acts. In this context, Lao-tzu illustrates the effectiveness of unmotivated action by the example of a ruler of whose existence the people, ideally, would not even be aware. Only by abiding in wu-wei is it possible for a ruler to have power and influence.
Chapter 37 of the Tao-te ching (ibid.) describes how someone following the ideal of unmotivated action would rule:
If kings and lords observed this, the ten thousand things [wan-wu] would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act, they would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquility.
In this way all things would be at peace.
This view is also shared by Confucius. In the Ana lects (Lun-yu) 1 5 .4 we read, “The Master said, ‘If there
was a ruler who achieved order without taking any action, it was, perhaps, (the legendary emperor) Shun.
There was nothing for him to do but to hold himself in a respectful posture and face due south’ ” (Lau 1979).
In addition, the ideal of nonaction is a central characteristic of Chinese Zen (Ch’an) Buddhism.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Wu-wei documents
Books on Wu-wei
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