Are you sure it's ironic? There's a difference between religion and philosophy, and Daoism has copped its far share of religious dilution and distortion. Laozi and Zhuangzi did not write claptrap, and the idea of the immortal isn't about abandoning everyday life....
Yeah - I think that's actually what Cao Xueqin's point is here. Jia Jing has abandoned everyday life in the pursuit of something or other, but the only thing he is studying seems to be advice for living everyday life.
Are you sure it's ironic? There's a difference between religion and philosophy, and Daoism has copped its far share of religious dilution and distortion. Laozi and Zhuangzi did not write claptrap, and the idea of the immortal isn't about abandoning everyday life....
Yeah - I think that's actually what Cao Xueqin's point is here. Jia Jing has abandoned everyday life in the pursuit of something or other, but the only thing he is studying seems to be advice for living everyday life.