「遊」一字在中國思想中涵涉工夫與境界的意味，儒、道二家亦各自有所論述，《論語．述而》「志於道」章即言「志於道，據於德，依於仁，游於藝」四目，言說儒家成德工夫的歷程。《莊子．養生主》則有「庖丁解牛」的故事表述，闡論養生處事的修養工夫。從儒、道二家對於「遊」的旨趣探討，除了對比二家在工夫論的進路差異，亦可究清儒、道二家的價值趨向，即成德與逍遙的區別。再者，透過二家論「遊」的對照，探索儒、道的境界美學指向，以及於人間世的回應。

The Chinese character “you”（遊） connotes the attainment of a high level of expertise and skill. Both the Confucianists and the Daoists discussed the concept. In the “Shu Er” of Confucius’ Analects, the four praiseworthy actions include “setting on the path of duty, letting every attainment in what is good be firmly grasped, letting perfect virtue be accorded with, and letting relaxation and enjoyment be found in the polite arts,” which together represents the Confucian process to attain virtue. In the “Yangshengzhu” of the Zhuangzi, the story of the butcher cutting the ox offers the Daoist narrative of how to proceed to attain the art of living at ease with the nourishment of life. The discussion on the meanings of “you” in the Confucianist and Daoist contexts allows us to not only identify the differences between the two philosophical doctrines but also to clarify how their value tendencies represent two parallel strands, the path to a life of virtue and the path to life at ease. The contrast between the two “you” also points toward the aesthetic realm and a response to the human condition.