This article challenges the dominant notion of the ‘high-performing education system’ and offers an alternative interpretation from a Daoist perspective. The paper highlights two salient characteristics of such a system: its ability to outperform other education systems in international large-scale assessments; and its status as a positive or negative ‘reference society’. It is contended that external standards are applied and imposed on educational systems across the globe, judging a system to be high- or low- performing, and consequently worthy of emulation or deserving of criticism. Three cardinal Daoist principles that are drawn from the Zhuangzi are expounded: a rejection of an external and oppressive dao (way); the emptying of one’s heart-mind; and an ethics of difference. A major implication is a celebration of a plurality of high performers and reference societies, each unique in its own dao but converging on mutual learning and appreciation.

本文对“高性能教育体系”的主流概念提出了挑战，并从道教的角度提出了另一种解释。该论文强调了这种系统的两个显着特征：在国际大规模评估中其性能优于其他教育系统；以及其作为积极或消极的“参照社会”的地位。有人认为，外部标准适用于全球的教育系统，并被认为是高绩效或低绩效的系统，因此值得效仿或受到批评。阐述了从庄子中得出的三个主要道教原则：拒绝外部压迫道（道路）; 放空一个人的思想；和差异伦理。一个主要的含义是多个高绩效和参考的社会，在自己的每一个独特的庆祝刀，但收敛于相互学习和赞赏。