Zhuang Zhou (c. 369–286 BCE), commonly known as Zhuangzi, was a foundational Chinese philosopher of the Warring States period. He is considered the second great figure of Daoism after Laozi, and his writings form the core text of the Zhuangzi, a masterpiece of philosophical and literary imagination. He is said to have lived a life of deliberate obscurity, rejecting official positions to cultivate spiritual freedom and spontaneity.