Being so of itself
In this philosophical usage, ziran concerns being so of itself: how something occurs or maintains its condition. Its objects are not limited to landscapes or living things. In Laozi 17, people apply the expression to the completion of affairs, bringing it into the description of social life.
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The Dao and ziran
Chapter 25 relates people to earth, earth to heaven and heaven to the Dao, ending with the Dao following ziran. Wang Bi explains following through non-violation and illustrates it by square and round things retaining their forms. His interpretation does not introduce another commanding agent above the Dao.
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Its relation to wuwei
Wang Bi’s note to chapter 37 explicitly interprets wuwei through accord with ziran. Naturalness concerns how things are so, while wuwei examines a manner of acting without imposed contrivance. This connection is a particular commentarial route and should be read alongside the circumstances of the textual passages.
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Growth and domination
Chapter 51 relates generation, nurture and formation to the Dao, de, things and circumstances, then describes naturalness without a commanding order. It distinguishes giving life from possessing and fostering growth from domination. Naturalness thus enters the question of sustaining things without appropriating them or arbitrarily directing their course.
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