Listen to this articlesānxuán 三玄
Three Metaphysical Classics
《老子》《庄子》《周易》等三部著作的合称。汉代五经之学盛行，魏晋时期思想大变，《老子》《庄子》《周易》为学者所关注。经由何晏、王弼、向秀、郭象等人的注解，这些经典被赋予了新的意义。“三玄”既是魏晋名士清谈的中心内容，也是玄学家借以发挥自己哲学思想的基本素材。“三玄”之学集中探讨了个体生命与外在世界之间的矛盾，也充分展现了儒家和道家思想之间的冲突与互补。
The term refers to three metaphysical works: Laozi, Zhuangzi, and The Book of Changes. During the Han Dynasty, the study of the Five Classics was the prevailing trend; but during the Wei and Jin dynasties, the way of thinking changed considerably. Scholars turned their attention to Laozi, Zhuangzi, and The Book of Changes. The annotations by such people as He Yan, Wang Bi, Xiang Xiu, and Guo Xiang gave these classics new meanings. The Three Metaphysical Classics were the focus of discourse among leading scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and they were regarded by scholars of metaphysic learning as a source of inspiration when they expressed their philosophical thinking. The study of the Three Metaphysical Classics focused on probing the contradiction between individual life and the outside world. It also fully demonstrated conflict and complementarity between the thinking of Confucian and Daoist scholars.
引例 Citation：
◎洎于梁世，兹风复阐，《庄》《老》《周易》，总谓“三玄”。（颜之推《颜氏家训·勉学》）
（到了梁代，这一风气再次获得阐扬，《庄子》《老子》《周易》三部著作，总称为“三玄”。）
In the Liang Dynasty, there was a renewed interest in the study of Zhuangzi, Laozi, and The Book of Changes, which were collectively referred to as the Three Metaphysical Classics. (Yan Zhitui: Admonitions for the Yan Clan)
