The process of shijie in Taoism is often compared to a cicada's molting, as both involve a transformation and leaving behind an old form. Shijie refers to the act of shedding one's physical body and ascending to immortality, symbolizing a spiritual rebirth. Wang Chong, a Chinese philosopher, used the cicada analogy to explain this process, highlighting the cicada's transformation from nymph to adult by molting its exoskeleton, which is similar to the concept of shijie.

Cicadas undergo a molting process where they shed their old exoskeleton to allow for growth and development. This process is essential for their metamorphosis from a nymph to an adult, which can take around 30 minutes for the new carapace to harden and the wings to be pumped full of blood.

In comparing shijie to cicada molting, both processes involve a significant change and the casting off of an old form to make way for a new state of being. The cicada's physical transformation serves as a powerful metaphor for the spiritual transformation implied in the concept of shijie. This analogy helps to illustrate the idea of rebirth and the shedding of the physical body in Taoist philosophy, much like the cicada sheds its exoskeleton to emerge as a mature insect.