This seems to be saying that Daoism is the retreat of the loser. However, if we make comparisons with other cultures we can be clear that, under the influence of the spirit of the Daoist "aesthetic self," the artistic realm contains another concept of value that is not necessarily a defeatist philosophy.
常有人說，中國知識份子在不失敗的正常情況下，個個都是儒家，標榜治國平天下。