春秋末年，「古道」分裂為「常道」和「非常道」。孔子提倡的是仁義之「常道」、「恆道」。老子認為，「常道」、「恆道」是「道」的非真狀態，「非常道」是「常道」的否定狀態，「非常名」是「道」的本真之名。通過物質圖像、傳世文獻、口傳文化等諸多證據，本文認為，「自」是自身於內心世界中，從本真狀態與原初之心來領會自身的存在狀態，是對自身本真狀態的信仰認同，自身從本真元氣方面來規定自身的存在，通達的是「神道」的本真狀態。「自然」就是「依據自身的本真元氣或本身狀態而有所是」的文化規定，「自然而然」就是「依據本身元氣所是而有所是」。

In the last years of Chun-qiu Periods, “Ancient Dao”(古道) was divided to “Normalized Dao” (常道) and “Unnormalized Dao” (非常道). Lao Tzu thinks that “Normalized Dao” is the untrue state of Dao, and “Unnormalized Dao” is the true state of Dao, “Unnormalized Name” (非常名) is the true name of Dao. By the evidences as material image, traditional document, oral culture, we think, the cultural meaning of “Zi” (自) is the belief identity to the true state of the Self which the self comprehends the being state from the true state of the Self or the Primitive Heart in the inward word, and obtains the true state of divine Dao. So the cultural meaning of Zi Ran (自然) is the cultural regulation according to the true state of the Self or the Yuan Qi (元氣).