在晚明思潮中，李卓吾因其「異端」成為現今學界關注的研究焦點，他的學思傾向始終是學界爭論的重要問題，或說其為儒家叛徒，或說其為三教合一。本文認為探究李卓吾的學思傾向和他的身體形象都是為了釐清他的文化身分（儒者╱和尚），借用西方的文化研究更可觀察出這個議題存在著身分認同的話語權力關係。本文將以「文化身分」作為切入，探討李卓吾用佛家的身體語彙挑戰顛覆儒家的身體威儀，並對儒家聖人及經典文本重新詮釋，以解消、反諷的修辭策略，回應自我認同的焦慮心理。李卓吾在當時的身分曖昧不定，現今在學界研究中的樣貌也是一樣，「李卓吾」已經是一個具多義性的符號，他是在不同歷史空間中，因其主流思潮的改變所賦予的不同意義。

Contemporary scholarship on Li Zhuowu 李卓吾has focused on explaining his “heresy” within the context of late Ming thought. Li’s academic inclinations have always been an important point of contention, with some identifying him as a traitor to Confucianism, and others asserting that he advocated the unity of the Three Teachings. This article investigates Li Zhuowu’s intellectual inclinations as well as his bodily image in order to clarify his cultural identity (Confucian scholar/monk). Using cultural studies from the west, it is possible to further observe that this issue involves a relationship between discourse power and his sense of identity. This article begins by employing the concept of “cultural identity” to discuss how Li Zhuowu made use of Buddhist body conceptual terminology to not only challenge and topple the physical dignity of Confucianism, but also to re-interpret Confucian saints and classical texts. Li’s objective was to neutralize his opponents’ rhetorical strategy as well as issue a response to the anxious mentality of self-identification. At that time, Li’s identity was ambiguous, and this façade has come to be accepted by the modern academy. Li Zhuowu has in fact become a symbol imbued with multiple meanings, and the diverse array of what he stands for reveals the influence of changing intellectual trends.