Zhuangzi

北冥有鱼，其名为鲲。鲲之大，不知其几千里也。化而为鸟，其名为鹏。鹏之背，不知其几千里也；怒而飞，其翼若垂天之云。是鸟也，海运则将徙于南冥。南冥者，天池也。齐谐者，志怪者也。谐之言曰：「鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟扶摇而上者九万里，去以六月息者也。」野马也，尘埃也，生物之以息相吹也。天之苍苍，其正色邪？其远而无所至极邪？其视下也，亦若是则已矣。且夫水之积也不厚，则其负大舟也无力。覆杯水于坳堂之上，则芥为之舟；置杯焉则胶，水浅而舟大也。风之积也不厚，则其负大翼也无力。故九万里，则风斯在下矣，而后乃今掊风；背负青天而莫之夭阏者，而后乃今将图南。蜩与学鸠笑之曰：「我决起而飞，枪榆枋而止，时则不至而控于地而已矣，奚以这九万里而南为？」适莽苍者，三餐而反，腹犹果然；适百里者，宿舂粮；适千里者，三月聚粮。之二虫又何知！小知不及大知，小年不及大年。奚以知其然也？朝菌不知晦朔，蟪蛄不知春秋，此小年也。

In the northern abyss there exists a fish named Kun, vast beyond measurement, which transforms into a bird called Peng whose wings spread like hanging clouds as it ascends ninety thousand li upon the wind; this same creature is described by observers who note its journey to the southern ocean, while smaller insects laugh at its elevation, just as short-lived creatures cannot comprehend long years.

For a reader today This text invites reflection on how perspective and capacity shape our understanding of reality, reminding us that those with limited experience may fail to grasp truths accessible to others.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

卷三下 第七 应帝王 啮缺问于王倪，四问而四不知。啮缺因跃而大喜，行以告蒲衣子。蒲曰：「而乃今知之乎？有虞氏不及泰氏。有虞氏，其犹藏仁以要人；亦得人矣，而未于非人。泰氏，其卧徐徐，其觉于于；一以己为马，一以己为牛；其知情信，其真，而未始入于非人。」 肩吾见狂接舆。狂接舆曰：「日中始何以语女？」肩吾曰：「告我君人，以己出经式义度，人孰敢不听而化诸！」狂接舆曰：「是德也；其于治天下也，犹涉海凿河而使蚊负山也。夫圣人之治也，治外乎？正而后行，确乎能其事者而已矣。且鸟高飞以避矰弋之害，鼷鼠深穴乎神丘之下避熏凿之患，而曾二虫之无知！」 天根游于殷阳，至蓼水之上，适遭无名人而问焉，曰：「请问为天下。」人曰：「去！汝鄙人也，何问之不豫也！予方将与造物者为人，厌，则又乘夫莽眇之鸟，以出六极之外，而游无何有之乡，以处圹埌之野。汝又何帠以治天下予之心为？

Niquè asked Wang Ni four questions and received four answers of ignorance; upon jumping for joy at this lack of knowledge, Niquè told Pu Yizi, who replied that you have truly understood now, as the noble Yu family merely hoarded kindness to win people but failed to embrace the non-human nature of reality, whereas the great Tai simply lay down slowly and woke up leisurely, accepting being called horse or cow without resistance, living in truthful simplicity never entering the realm of false distinction. When Jian Wu saw the mad Jiēyú, he asked how Dao Shǐ spoke to you; the latter said that while JIàn Wù's ruler shapes rules from himself so others must obey, it is like crossing the sea by digging a river or forcing mosquitoes to carry mountains, whereas sages govern not by external control but by first becoming upright so that those capable of their tasks act naturally, and as birds fly high to avoid traps or mice hide deep to escape fire, these two creatures act without conscious thought yet follow their nature perfectly. Heaven Root met the Unknown Man at Yin River's edge and asked about governing the world; he dismissed him rudely, saying you are vulgar for inquiring when I am preparing with the Creator to grow weary and ride vast misty birds beyond the six extremes to roam nowhere-land in boundless wildernesss, making your concern for my mind unnecessary.

For a reader today This passage invites you to reflect on how forcing order upon nature often backfires, while trusting one's natural state can lead to freedom. It encourages you to observe how even small beings follow their instincts effortlessly, suggesting that true harmony comes from aligning with the flow rather than imposing rigid control.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

孔子行年五十有一而不闻道，乃南之沛见老聃。老聃曰：「子来乎？吾，北方之贤者也，子亦得道乎？」孔子曰：「未得也。」老子曰：「子恶乎求之哉？」：「吾求之于度数，五年而未得也。」老子曰：「子又恶乎求之哉？」曰：「吾求于阴阳，十有二年而未得也。」老子曰：「然，使道而可献，则人莫不献之于其；使道而可进，则人莫不进之于其亲；使道而可以告人，则人莫不告其兄弟；使而以与人，则人莫不与其子孙。然而不可者，无它也，中无主而不止，外无正而。由中出者，不受于外，圣人不出；由外入者，无主于中，圣人不隐。名，公器，可多取。仁义，先王之蘧庐也，止可以一宿而不可久处。觏而多责。古之至人，道于仁，托宿于义，以游逍遥之墟，食于苟简之田，立于不贷之圃。逍遥，无为也；苟简，易养也；不贷，无出也。古者谓是采真之游。

After fifty-one years of seeking without finding the Way, Confucius traveled south to Pei to meet Laozi. When asked if he had discovered the Dao, Confucius admitted he had not, explaining that he spent five years searching through celestial measurements and twelve more studying yin and yang before meeting Laozi. Laozi explained that the Dao cannot be offered or given away; it arises from within without needing external validation and cannot enter those whose hearts lack its principle. He compared ren and yi to a rest house for ancient kings—fit only for a single night, not for long residence—and described the sage's true journey as wandering in freedom, living simply, and remaining unyielding.

For a reader today This passage invites us to reflect on the limits of intellectual effort versus inner realization, suggesting that true understanding cannot be taught or transferred like knowledge but must be cultivated internally. It challenges readers to question whether they are seeking external systems or practices that may offer only temporary comfort rather than enduring transformation.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

生也死之徙，死也生之始，孰知其纪！人之生，气之聚也。聚则为生，散则为死。若死生为徙，吾又何患！故万一也。其所美者为神奇，其所恶者为臭腐。臭腐复化为神奇，神奇复化为臭腐。故曰：天下一气耳。』圣人故贵一。」知谓黄帝曰：「吾问无为谓，无为谓不应我，非我，不知应我也；吾问狂屈，狂屈中欲告我而不我告，非不我告，中欲告而忘。今予问乎若，若知之，奚故不近？」黄帝曰：「彼其真是也，以其不知也；此其也，以其忘之也；予与若终不近也，以其知之也。」狂屈闻之，以黄帝为知言。 天地有大美而不言，四时有明法而不议，万物有成理而不说。圣人者，地之美而达万物之理。是故至人无为，大圣不作，观于天地之谓也。今彼神明至精，百化，物已死生方圆，莫知其根也。扁然而万物自古以固存。六合为巨，未离；秋豪为小，待之成体；天下莫不沉浮，终身不故；阴阳四时运行，各得其序；若亡而存；油然不形而神；万物畜而不知。此之谓本根，可以观于天矣！

Life is death's migration and death is life's beginning; the cycle of transformation is beyond knowing. Living is the gathering of Qi, dying is its scattering, so if we view this merely as a shift, there is nothing to fear. What people praise as miraculous transforms into what they despise as decay, and vice versa; thus, all is one breath in nature, which the sage cherishes. I asked Wúwéiwèi and he could not respond; I asked Kuángqū but he wanted to speak yet forgot; I ask you now, knowing it all, why do you not come closer? He is truly right because of his ignorance, this one is so because of forgetting, while I and you remain distant because we know too much. The vast heavens hold beauty without speech, the seasons follow clear laws without debate, and all things follow inherent principles without explanation; the sage embraces this perfection and understands their order. Thus, the highest being acts through non-action, the great sage creates nothing, simply observing heaven and earth. Divine spirits are so refined that countless transformations occur from round to square, yet no one knows their root; all things have existed since ancient times in their natural form. Whether vast as the six directions or tiny as a single hair, everything remains within this foundation, rising and falling throughout life without change, while yin and yang move in perfect sequence so that loss becomes existence seamlessly; thus, these are the true roots through which one may understand heaven.

For a reader today This text invites you to find harmony by recognizing the unity of all things and trusting in nature's timeless patterns, rather than seeking control over life's inevitable changes. It encourages quiet observation of how everything arises and passes away according to natural laws that need no human interference.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

始时所是，卒而非之，未知之所谓是之非五十九非也。」惠子曰：「孔子勤志服知也。」庄子曰：「孔子谢之矣，其未之尝言。孔子云：『夫受才乎大本，复灵以生。鸣而当律，言而当法。利义陈前，而好恶是非直服人之口而已矣。使人乃以心服，而不敢蘁，立定天下之定。乎，已乎！吾且不得及彼乎！」 曾子再仕而心再化，曰：「吾及亲仕，三釜而心乐；后仕，三千锺不洎，心悲。」弟子问于仲尼曰：「若参者，可谓无所县其罪乎？」曰：既已县矣！夫无所县者，可以有哀乎？彼视三釜、三千锺，如观雀蚊虻相过乎前也。」 颜成子游谓东郭子綦曰：「自吾闻子之言，一年而野，二年而从，三年通，四年而物，五年而来，六年而鬼入，七年而天成，八年而不知死、不知生，九年大妙。

What was once considered right but later rejected is merely one of sixty cases where understanding has shifted; Huizi said that Confucius diligently applies his mind and knowledge, while Zhuangzi noted that Confucius has already stepped back from such discourse, declaring that true speech arises from the fundamental source of life to match natural laws, aiming not just to sway others' words but to win their hearts so decisively that it establishes enduring order in the world; Zengzi recounted that after taking office again while his parents were alive, earning three cooking pots filled with rice brought him joy, whereas later positions yielding vast stores failed to bring even a drop of joy, leading his disciple to ask Master Kong if one could be free from such emotional ties, to which he replied that such freedom is impossible, as the difference between small and large rewards remains like watching swallows and mosquitoes pass before one's eyes; Yan Chengziyou told Dongguo Ziqi that since hearing his words, after a year I became uncultured, two years later I followed convention, three years passed with understanding things, four years I aligned with external objects, five years I welcomed them naturally, six years spirits entered me, seven years I matched heaven's way, eight years knowing neither death nor life, nine years reaching profound wonder.

For a reader today This passage illustrates how ancient texts explore evolving perspectives on truth and moral standing while depicting a spiritual journey toward deeper harmony with existence; it encourages readers to reflect on the nature of personal contentment versus external achievements without offering predictions or advice.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.