Abstract: The contradiction between “jing" (敬) and “le” (樂) was already present in the Northern Song Dynasty, and became more pronounced in the Southern Song Dynasty. Lin Xiyi (林希逸) , in his book Laozi yanzhai kouyi (老子庸齋口義) , seems to reconcile this contradiction and highlight the subject of mind by using the Laozi's lack of attention to the mind. However, due to various constraints, the result of the reconciliation is not satisfactory. But in fact, it has provided valuable experience for later generations to deal with this contradiction effectively.

Key words: Lin Xiyi, Laozi yanzhai kouy, subject of mind