Zhuangzi

Whereas a man who should regard his distinctive abilities as of his own making, without reference to his parents, would be like the man of Ch'i who dug a well and then wanted to keep others away from it. Forgetting that God put the spring there in the first instance. Hence the saying that the men of to-day are all Huans. Wherefore it follows that men of true virtue are unconscious of its possession. How much more then the man of TAO? This is what the ancients called escaping the vengeance of God. Which would be incurred by aping his goodness. The true Sage rests in that which gives rest, and not in that which does not give rest. The world rests in that which does not give rest, and not in that which does give rest. The natural and the artificial. Chuang Tzŭ said, "To know TAO is easy. The difficulty lies in the elimination of speech. To know TAO without speech appertains to the natural. To know TAO with speech appertains to the artificial. The men of old were natural, not artificial. "Chu P'ing Man spent a large patrimony in learning under Chih Li I how to kill dragons. To acquire TAO. There is no record of the persons mentioned.

Plain English · paraphraseA man who thinks his special abilities are his own doing, without considering his parents, is like the man from Ch'i who dug a well and then tried to keep others from using it, forgetting that God placed the spring there in the first place. Hence the saying that all people today are like Huan. Therefore, people of true virtue are unaware they possess it. How much more so the man of TAO? This is what the ancients called escaping the vengeance of God, which is incurred by pretending to be good. The true Sage rests in what gives rest, not in what does not give rest. The world rests in what does not give rest, not in what does give rest. The natural and the artificial. Chuang Tzŭ said, "To know TAO is easy. The difficulty lies in the elimination of speech. To know TAO without speech appertains to the natural. To know TAO with speech appertains to the artificial. The men of old were natural, not artificial." "Chu P'ing Man spent a large patrimony in learning under Chih Li I how to kill dragons. To acquire TAO." There is no record of the persons mentioned.

By the end of three years he was perfect, but there was no direction in which he could show his skill. TAO cannot be put into practice. "The true Sage regards certainties as uncertainties; therefore he is never up in arms. In a state of mental disturbance. Men in general regard uncertainties as certainties; therefore they are constantly up in arms. To accustom oneself to arms causes one to fly to arms on every provocation; and to trust to arms is to perish." "The intelligence of the mean man does not rise beyond bribes and letters of recommendation. His mind is be-clouded with trivialities. Yet he would penetrate the mystery of TAO and of creation, and rise to participation in the ONE. The result is that he is confounded by time and space; and that trammelled by objective existences, he fails to reach apprehension of that age before anything was. "But the perfect man, - he carries his mind back to the period before the beginning. Content to rest in the oblivion of nowhere, passing away like flowing water, he is merged in the clear depths of the infinite. "Alas! man's knowledge reaches to the hair on a hair, but not to eternal peace."

A man of the Sung State, named Ts'ao Shang, acted as political agent for the prince of Sung at the court of the Ch'in State. When he went thither, he had a few carriages; but the prince of Ch'in was so pleased with him that he added one hundred more. On his return to Sung, he visited Chuang Tzŭ and said, "As for living in poverty in a dirty hovel, earning a scanty subsistence by making sandals, with shrivelled face and yellow ears, - this I could not do. Interviewing a powerful ruler, with a retinue of a hundred carriages, - that is my forte." "When the prince of Ch'in is sick," replied Chuang Tzŭ, "and he summons his physician to open a boil or cleanse an ulcer, the latter gets one carriage. The man who licks his piles gets five. The more degrading the work, the greater the number of carriages given. You, Sir, must have been attending to his piles to get so many carriages. Begone with you!" "Not," says Lin Hsi Chung, "from the pen of Chuang Tzŭ." Duke Ai of Lu asked Yen Ho, saying, "Were I to make Confucius a pillar of my realm, would the State be profited thereby?"

"It would be most perilous!" replied Yen Ho. "Confucius is a man of outward show and of specious words. He mistakes the branch for the root. Accessories for fundamentals. He seeks to impress the people by an overbearing demeanour, the hollowness of which he does not perceive. If he suits you, and you entrust him with the welfare of the State, it will only be by mistake that he will succeed. This passage is variously interpreted. "To cause the people to leave the true and study the false does not so much affect the people of to-day as those of coming generations. Wherefore it is better not to have Confucius. "The difficulty of governing lies in the inability to practise self-effacement. Man does not govern as God does. Regardless of self. "Merchants and traders are altogether out of the pale. Of TAO. Or if chance ever brings them within it, their rights are never freely admitted. "External punishments are inflicted by metal and wood. Internal punishments are inflicted by anxiety and remorse. Fools who incur external punishment are treated with metal or wood. Those who incur internal punishment are devoured by the conflict of emotions. It is only the pure and perfect man who can succeed in avoiding both."

Plain English · paraphrase"It would be very dangerous!" replied Yen Ho. "Confucius is a man of outward show and of smooth words. He mistakes the branch for the root. The secondary for the essential. He tries to impress the people with a domineering attitude, not realizing how hollow it is. If he suits you, and you put him in charge of the state's well-being, he will only succeed by accident. This passage is interpreted in different ways. 'To lead the people away from the true and toward the false affects not so much the people of today as those of future generations. Therefore, it is better not to have Confucius. 'The difficulty of governing lies in the inability to put oneself aside. People do not govern as God does. Without regard for self. 'Merchants and traders are completely outside the realm of the Tao. Or if by chance they ever enter it, their place is never freely accepted. 'External punishments are carried out by metal and wood. Internal punishments are carried out by anxiety and guilt. Fools who suffer external punishment are dealt with by metal or wood. Those who suffer internal punishment are eaten up by conflicting emotions. It is only the pure and perfect man who can avoid both."

Confucius said, "The heart of man is more dangerous than mountains and rivers, more difficult to understand than Heaven itself. Heaven has its periods of spring, summer, autumn, winter, daytime and night. Man has an impenetrable exterior, and his motives are inscrutable. Thus some men appear to be retiring when they are really forward. Others have abilities, yet appear to be worthless. Others are compliant, yet gain their ends. Others take a firm stand, yet yield the point. Others go slow, yet advance quickly. "Those who fly to duty towards their neighbour as though thirsting after it, drop it as though something hot. Thus the loyalty of the superior man is tested by employing him at a distance, his respectfulness by employing him near at hand. His ability, by troublesome missions. His knowledge, by unexpected questions. His trustworthiness, by specification of time limits. His integrity by entrusting him with money. His fidelity, by dangerous tasks. His decorum, by filling him with wine. His morality, by placing him in disreputable surroundings. Under the application of these nine tests, the inferior man stands revealed. "Chêng K'ao Fu, on receiving his first appointment, bowed his head. On receiving his second appointment, he hunched his back. On receiving his third appointment, he fell upon his face, walking away at the side of the path.

Plain English · paraphraseConfucius said, "The human heart is more dangerous than mountains and rivers, more difficult to understand than Heaven itself. Heaven has its seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter, day and night. But a man has an impenetrable exterior, and his motives are hard to read. So some men seem to be retiring when they are really forward. Others have ability but appear worthless. Others are compliant but get their way. Others stand firm but give in. Others move slowly but advance quickly. "Those who rush to duty toward their neighbor as if they are thirsty for it drop it as if it's hot. So the loyalty of the superior man is tested by sending him far away. His respectfulness is tested by putting him close at hand. His ability is tested by giving him difficult tasks. His knowledge is tested by asking unexpected questions. His trustworthiness is tested by setting time limits. His integrity is tested by giving him money. His faithfulness is tested by dangerous tasks. His decorum is tested by giving him wine. His morality is tested by placing him in disreputable surroundings. Under these nine tests, the inferior man is revealed. "Cheng Kao Fu, on receiving his first appointment, bowed his head. On receiving his second appointment, he hunched his back. On receiving his third appointment, he fell face down and walked away at the side of the path."

Instead of in the middle as any blustering braggart would have done. Who would not try to be like him? "Yet ordinary men, on their first appointment, become self-important. On their second, they give themselves airs in their chariots. On their third, they call their own fathers by their personal names. As we should say, "by their Christian names." The term "fathers" includes uncles. Which of them can be compared with Hsü Yu of old? "There is nothing more fatal than intentional virtue, when the mind looks outwards. Spontaneity is the essence of real virtue. For by thus looking outwards, the power of introspection is destroyed. "There are five sources of injury to virtue. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and thought. Of these, that which aims at virtue is the chief. What is it to aim at virtue? Why a man who aims at virtue practises what he approves and condemns what he does not practise. Compounds for sins he feels inclined to By damning those he has no mind to. "There are eight causes of failure, three certain elements of success. There are six sources of strength and weakness. "Beauty, a long beard, size, height, robustness, grace, courage, daring, - these eight, in which men surpass their fellows, are therefore passports to failure. "Modesty, compliance, humility, - these three are sure roads to success.

"Wisdom manifests itself in the external. Whereby the internal suffers. Courage makes itself many enemies. Charity and duty towards one's neighbour incur many reproaches. Three sources of weakness. "To him who can penetrate the mystery of life, all things are revealed. He who can estimate wisdom at its true value, Sc. at nothing. is wise. He who comprehends the Greater Destiny, becomes himself part of it. Of the great scheme of the universe, seen and unseen. He who comprehends the Lesser Destiny, resigns himself to the inevitable." Referring to life as ordinarily regarded by mortals. Three sources of strength. A man who had been to see the prince of Sung and had been presented with ten chariots, was putting on airs in the presence of Chuang Tzŭ. "At Ho-Shang," said the latter, "there was a poor man who supported his family by plaiting rushes. One day his son dived into the river and got a pearl worth a thousand ounces of silver. The father bade him fetch a stone and smash it to pieces, explaining that he could only have got such a pearl very deep down from under the nose of the dragon, which must have been asleep. And he said he was afraid that when the dragon waked, the boy would have a poor chance.

Plain English · paraphraseWisdom shows itself in the outside world. This causes suffering inside. Courage makes many enemies. Kindness and duty to your neighbor bring many criticisms. Three sources of weakness. To the one who can understand the mystery of life, everything is revealed. The one who can judge wisdom at its true value, which is nothing, is wise. The one who understands the Greater Destiny becomes part of it, part of the great plan of the universe, seen and unseen. The one who understands the Lesser Destiny gives in to what cannot be changed. This refers to life as mortals usually see it. Three sources of strength. A man who had visited the prince of Sung and received ten chariots was showing off in front of Chuang Tzŭ. "At Ho-Shang," said the latter, "there was a poor man who supported his family by weaving reeds. One day his son dove into the river and found a pearl worth a thousand ounces of silver. The father told him to get a stone and break it, explaining that such a pearl could only come from deep under the dragon's nose, which must have been asleep. He was afraid that when the dragon woke, the boy would not stand a chance."

If found with it in his possession. "Now the State of Sung is deeper than a deep river, and the prince of Sung is fiercer than a dragon. To get these chariots, you must have caught him asleep. And when he wakes, you will be ground to powder." Some prince having invited Chuang Tzŭ to enter his service, Chuang Tzŭ said in reply to the envoy, "Sir, have you ever noticed a sacrificial ox? It is bedecked with ribbons and fares sumptuously. But when it comes to be slaughtered for the temple, would it not gladly exchange places with some neglected calf?" Quoted, with variants, by the historian Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien, in his biographical notice of Chuang Tzŭ. See Introduction. When Chuang Tzŭ was about to die, his disciples expressed a wish to give him a splendid funeral. But Chuang Tzŭ said, "With Heaven and Earth for my coffin and shell; with the sun, moon, and stars as my burial regalia; and with all creation to escort me to the grave, - are not my funeral paraphernalia ready to hand?" And had he not high honour? - The hillside for his pall; To lie in state while angels wait With stars for tapers tall;

And the dark rock pines like nodding plumes Above his bier to wave, And God's own hand in that lonely land To lay him in the grave. The Burial of Moses (Mrs. Alexander). "We fear," argued the disciples, "lest the carrion kite should eat the body of our Master"; to which Chuang Tzŭ replied, "Above ground I shall be food for kites; below I shall be food for mole-crickets and ants. Why rob one to feed the other? With this may be compared the reply of Diogenes on a similar occasion. When the old cynic asked to be left unburied, his friends objected that he would be eaten by dogs and birds. "Place my staff near me," said Diogenes, "that I may drive them away." "How will you manage that?" enquired the friends. "You will not be conscious." "What then will it matter to me to be torn by beasts," cried Diogenes, "if I am not conscious of it?"

"If you adopt, as absolute, a standard of evenness which is so only relatively, your results will not be absolutely even. If you adopt, as absolute, a criterion of right which is so only relatively, your results will not be absolutely right. Those who trust to their senses become slaves to objective existences. Those alone who are guided by their intuitions find the true standard. So far are the senses less reliable than the intuitions. Yet fools trust to their senses to know what is good for mankind, with alas! but external results." As the genuine text of the Spring and Autumn ends with the appearance of the ch'i lin (or kilin) and the death of Confucius, so have disciples of Chuang Tzŭ agreed that the genuine text of Chuang Tzŭ comes to a fitting close at the death-bed of their great Master. The final chapter is but a summary of the whole, compiled by the early editors of the work.

Plain English · paraphraseIf you take as absolute a standard of evenness that is only relative, your results will not be absolutely even. If you take as absolute a standard of right that is only relative, your results will not be absolutely right. Those who rely on their senses become slaves to external things. Only those who follow their intuitions find the true standard. How much less reliable the senses are than the intuitions! Yet fools trust their senses to know what is good for mankind, with, alas, only external results. As the genuine text of the *Spring and Autumn* ends with the appearance of the *ch'i lin* (or *kilin*) and the death of Confucius, so have the disciples of Zhuangzi agreed that the genuine text of Zhuangzi ends fittingly at the deathbed of their great Master. The final chapter is only a summary of the whole, compiled by the early editors of the work.

THE EMPIRE. [Summary by early editors.] Systems of government are many. Each man thinks his own perfect. Where then does what the ancients called the system of TAO come in? There is nowhere where it does not come in. It may be asked whence our spirituality, whence our intellectuality. The true Sage is born; the prince is made. Yet all proceed from an original ONE. He who does not separate from the Source is one with God. He who does not separate from the essence is a spiritual man. He who does not separate from the reality is a perfect man. He who makes God the source, and TÊ the root, and TAO the portal, passively falling in with the modifications of his environment, - he is the true Sage. These are but four different denominations of the ideal man. He who practises charity as a kindness, duty to one's neighbour as a principle, ceremony as a convenience, music as a pacificator, and thus becomes compassionate and charitable, - he is a superior man. We sink here to a lower level, though still a high one. The "superior man" is the ideal man of Confucian ethics. In him divinity finds no place.

He who regulates his conduct by law, who regards fame as an external adjunct, who verifies his hypotheses, who bases his judgment upon proof, - such men rank one, two, three, four, etc. It is thus that officials rank. In a strict sense of duty, in making food and raiment of paramount importance, in caring for and nourishing the old, the weak, the orphan, and the widow, they all exemplify the principle of true government. Partly, if not wholly. This the dead level of ordinary mortality, still within the operation of TAO. Thus far-reaching was the extension of TAO among the ancients. The companion of the gods, the purifier of the universe, it nourishes all creation, it unites the empire, it benefits the masses. Illuminating the fundamental, it is bound up with the accessory, reaching to all points of the compass and to the opposite extremes of magnitude. There is indeed nowhere where it is not!

How it enlightened the polity of past ages is evidenced in the records which historians have preserved to us. Its presence in the Canons of Poetry, History, Rites, and Music, has been made clear by many scholars of Chou and Lu. It informs the Canon of Poetry with its vigour, the Canon of History with its usefulness, the Canon of Rites with its adaptability, the Canon of Music with its harmonising influence, the Canon of Changes with its mysterious Principles, and the Spring and Autumn with its discriminations. Spread over the whole world, it is focussed in the Middle Kingdom, and the learning of all schools renders constant homage to its power. But when the world is disorganised, true Sages do not manifest themselves, TAO ceases to exist as ONE, and the world becomes cognisant of the idiosyncrasies of the individual. These are like the senses of hearing, sight, smell, and taste, - not common to each organ. Or like the skill of various artisans, - each excellent of its kind and each useful in its turn, but not equally at the command of all.

Consequently, when a mere specialist comes forward and dogmatises on the beauty of the universe the principles which underlie all creation, the position occupied by the ancients in reference to the beauty of the universe, and the limits of the supernatural, - it follows that the TAO of inner wisdom and of outer strength is obscured and prevented from asserting itself. Every one alas! regards the course he prefers as the infallible course. The various schools diverge never to meet again; and posterity is debarred from viewing the original purity of the universe and the grandeur of the ancients. For the system of TAO is scattered in fragments over the face of the earth. Not to covet posthumous fame, nor to aim at dazzling the world, nor to pose as a benefactor of mankind, but to be a strict self-disciplinarian while lenient to the faults of others, - herein lay the TAO of the ancients. Mih Tzŭ and Ch'in Hua Li A disciple of Mih Tzŭ. became enthusiastic followers of TAO, but they pushed the system too far, carrying their practice to excess. The former wrote an essay Against Music, and another which he entitled Economy. To be found in the collection which passes under the name of Mih Tzŭ.

There was to be no singing in life, no mourning after death. He taught universal love and beneficence towards one's fellow men, without contentions, without censure of others. He loved learning, but not in order to become different from others. Yet his views were not those of the ancient Sages, whose music and rites he set aside. The Yellow Emperor gave us the Hsien-ch'ih. Yao gave us the Ta-chang. Shun, the Ta-shao. Yü, the Ta-hsia. T'ang, the Ta-hu. Wên Wang, the P'i-yung. Wu Wang and Chou Kung added the Wu. Famous musical compositions. The mourning ceremonial of old was according to the estate of each, and determined in proportion to rank. Thus, the body of the Son of Heaven was enclosed in a seven-fold coffin. That of a feudal prince, in a five-fold coffin. That of a minister, in a three-fold coffin. That of a private individual, in a two-fold coffin. But now Mih Tzŭ would have no singing in life, no mourning after death, and a single coffin of only three inches in thickness as the rule for all alike! Such doctrines do not illustrate his theory of universal love; They betray a want of sympathy with human weaknesses.

Plain English · paraphraseThere was to be no singing in life, no mourning after death. He taught universal love and kindness toward one's fellow people, without arguments, without criticizing others. He loved learning, but not to become different from others. Yet his views were not the same as the ancient Sages, whose music and rites he rejected. The Yellow Emperor gave us the *Hsien-ch'ih*. Yao gave us the *Ta-chang*. Shun, the *Ta-shao*. Yü, the *Ta-hsia*. T'ang, the *Ta-hu*. Wên Wang, the *P'i-yung*. Wu Wang and Chou Kung added the *Wu*. Famous musical compositions. The mourning ceremonies of old were based on one's status, and varied according to rank. Thus, the body of the Son of Heaven was placed in a seven-layer coffin. That of a feudal prince, in a five-layer coffin. That of a minister, in a three-layer coffin. That of a private person, in a two-layer coffin. But now Mih Tzŭ would have no singing in life, no mourning after death, and a single coffin only three inches thick as the rule for everyone alike! Such teachings do not support his theory of universal love. They show a lack of understanding of human weaknesses.

neither does his practice of them establish the fact of his own personal self-respect. They may not suffice to destroy his system altogether; though it is unreasonable to prohibit singing, and weeping, and rejoicing in due season. He would have men toil through life and hold death in contempt. But this teaching is altogether too unattractive. It would land mankind in sorrow and lamentation. It would be next to impossible as a practical system, and cannot, I fear, be regarded as the TAO of the true Sage. It would be diametrically opposed to human passions, and as such would not be tolerated by the world. Mih Tzŭ himself might be able to carry it out; but not the rest of the world. And when one separates from the rest of the world, his chances of developing an ideal State become small indeed. Mih Tzŭ argued in favour of his system as follows: - Of old, the great Yü drained off the flood of waters, and caused rivers and streams to flow through the nine divisions of the empire and the parts adjacent thereto, - three hundred great rivers, three thousand branches, and streams without number. With his own hands he plied the bucket and dredger, in order to reduce confusion to uniformity, Make all streams flow to the sea.

until his calves and shins had no hair left upon them. The wind bathed him, the rain combed him; but he marked out the nations of the world, and was in very truth a Sage. And because he thus sacrificed himself to the commonwealth, ages of Mihists to come would also wear short serge jackets and straw sandals, and toil day and night without stopping, making self-mortification their end and aim, and say to themselves, "If we cannot do this, we do not follow the TAO of Yü, and are unworthy to be called Mihists." The disciples of Hsiang Li Ch'in, A professor of Mihism. the followers of the five princes, Mihists of the south, such as K'u Huo, Chi Ch'ih, and Têng Ling, - all these studied the canon of Mih Tzŭ, but their disagreements and agreements were not identical. They called each other schismatics, and quarrelled over the "hard and white," the "like and unlike," and argued over questions of "odd and even." Chü Tzŭ was their Sage, and they wanted to canonise him as a saint, that they might carry on his doctrines into after ages. Even now these differences are not settled.

Thus we see that Mih Tzŭ and Ch'in Hua Li, while right in theory, were wrong in practice. They would merely have taught mankind to vie with each other in working the hair off their calves and shins. The evil of that system would have predominated over the good. Nevertheless, Mih Tzŭ was undoubtedly a well-meaning man. In spite of failure, with all its withering influences, he stuck to his text. He may be called a man of genius. But not a true Sage. Not to be involved in the mundane, not to indulge in the specious, not to be overreaching with the individual, nor antagonistic to the public; but to desire the tranquillity of the world in general with a view to the prolongation of life, to seek no more than sufficient for the requirements of oneself and others, and by such a course to purify the heart, - herein lay the TAO of the ancients.

Sung Hsing and Yin Wên became enthusiastic followers of TAO. They adopted a cap, shaped like the Hua Mountain, as a badge. They bore themselves with kindly discrimination towards all things. They spoke of the passive qualities of the heart as though they had been active; and declared that whosoever could bring joy among mankind and peace within the girdle of ocean should be made ruler over them. They suffered obloquy without noticing the insult. They preserved the people from strife. They prohibited aggression and caused arms to lie unused. They saved their generation from wars, and carried their system over the whole empire, to the delight of the high and to the improvement of the lowly. Though the world would have none of them, yet they struggled on and would not give way. Hence it was said that when high and low became tired of seeing them, they intruded themselves by force. In spite of all this, they did too much for others, and too little for themselves. "Give us," said they, "but five pints of rice, and it will be enough." The master could not thus eat his fill; but the disciples, although starving, did not forget the world's claims.

This is not satisfactorily explained by any commentator. Kuo Hsiang says that these two men regarded the world as their "master." Day and night they toiled on, saying, "Must we necessarily live? Shall we ape the so-called saviours of mankind?" "The superior man," they say, "is not a fault-finder. He does not appropriate the credit of others. He looks on one who does no good to the world as a worthless fellow. He regards prohibition of aggressive actions and causing arms to lie unused, as external; the diminution and restraint of our passions, as internal. In all matters, great or small, subtle or gross, such is the point to which he attains." To be public-spirited and belong to no party, in one's dealings not to be all for self, to move without being bound to a given course, to take things as they come, to have no remorse for the past, no anxiety for the future, to have no partialities, but to be on good terms with all, - herein lay the TAO of the ancients.

P'êng Mêng, T'ien P'ien, and Shên Tao, became enthusiastic followers of TAO. Their criterion was the identity of all things. "The sky," said they, "can cover but cannot support us. The earth can support but cannot cover us. TAO can embrace all things but cannot deal with particulars." They knew that in creation all things had their possibilities and their impossibilities. Therefore they said, "Selection excludes universality. Training will not reach in all directions. But TAO is comprehensive." Consequently, Shên Tao discarded all knowledge and self-interest and became a fatalist. It is about as difficult to apprehend TAO apart from fatalism as the omniscience of God apart from predestination. Passivity was his guiding principle. "For," said he, "we can only know that we know nothing, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. "Take any worthless fellow who laughs at mankind for holding virtue in esteem, any unprincipled vagabond who reviles the great Sages of the world, and subject him to torture. In his agony he will sacrifice positive and negative alike. If he can but get free, he will trouble no more about knowledge and forethought. Past and future will cease to exist for him, in his then neutral condition.

"Move when pushed, come when dragged. Be like a whirling gale, like a feather in the wind, like a mill-stone going round. The mill-stone as an existence is perfectly harmless. In motion or at rest it does no more than is required, and cannot therefore incur blame. "Why? Because it is simply an inanimate thing. It has no anxieties about itself. It is never entangled in the trammels of knowledge. In motion or at rest it is always governed by fixed laws, and therefore it never becomes open to praise. Hence it has been said, 'Be as though an inanimate thing, and there will be no use for Sages.' "For a clod cannot be without TAO," - at which some full-blooded young buck covered the argument with ridicule by crying out, "Shên Tao's TAO is not for the living, but for the dead!" It was the same with T'ien P'ien. He studied under P'êng Mêng; with the result that he learnt nothing. TAO cannot be learnt. P'êng Mêng's tutor said, "Those of old who knew TAO, reached the point where positive and negative ceased to exist. That was all." Now the bent of these men is one of opposition, which it is difficult to discuss. They act in every way differently from other people, but cannot escape the imputation of purpose.

Which takes the place of spontaneity. What they call Tao is not TAO; and what they predicate affirmatively cannot escape being negative. The fact is that P'êng Mêng, T'ien P'ien, and Shên Tao, did not know TAO. Nevertheless they all had a certain acquaintance with it. To make the root the essential, to regard objective existences as accidental, to look upon accumulation as deficiency, and to meekly accept the dispositions of Providence, - herein lay the TAO of the ancients. Kuan Yin and Lao Tzŭ became enthusiastic followers of TAO. For Kuan Yin, see p. 230. They based their system upon nothingness, with ONE as their criterion. Their outward expression was gentleness and humility. Their inward belief was in unreality and avoidance of injury to all things. Kuan Yin said, "Adopt no absolute position. Let externals take care of themselves. In motion, be like water. At rest, like a mirror. Receptive, but not permanently so. Respond, like the echo. Only when called upon. Be subtle, as though non-existent. Be still, as though pure. Regard uniformity as peace. Look on gain as loss. Do not precede others. Follow them." Lao Tzŭ said, "He who conscious of being strong, is content to be weak, - he shall be a cynosure of men.

This is quoted by Huai Nan Tzŭ as a saying by Lao Tzŭ, and appears in ch. xxviii of the Tao-Tê-Ching. See The Remains of Lao Tzŭ, p. 21. "He who conscious of purity, puts up with disgrace, - he shall be the cynosure of mankind. "He who when others strive to be first, contents himself with the lowest place, is said to accept the contumely of the world. "He who when others strive for the substantial, contents himself with the unsubstantial, stores up nothing and therefore has abundance. There he is in the midst of his abundance which comes to him without effort on his part. He does nothing, and laughs at the artifices of others. "He who when others strive for happiness is content with security, is said to aim at avoiding evil. Compare the Tao-Tê-Ching, ch. xxii. "He who makes depth of fundamental importance and moderation his rule of life, is said to crush that which is hard within him and temper that which is sharp. "To be in liberal sympathy with all creation, and not to be aggressive towards one's fellow-men, - this may be called perfection." O Kuan Yin! O Lao Tzŭ! verily ye were the true Sages of old.

Silence, formlessness, change, impermanence, now life, now death, heaven and earth blended in one, the soul departing, gone no one knows where: suddenly, no one knows whither, as all things go in turn, never to come back again; - herein lay the TAO of the ancients. Chuang Tzŭ became an enthusiastic follower of TAO. In strange terms, in bold words, in far-reaching language, he gave free play to his thoughts, without following any particular school or committing himself to any particular line. He looked on the world as so sunk in corruption that it was impossible to speak gravely. Therefore he employed "goblet words" which apply in various directions; he based his statements upon weighty authority in order to inspire confidence; and he put words in other people's mouths in order to secure breadth. See ch. xxvii ad init. In accord with the spirit of the universe, he was at peace with all creation. He judged not the rights and wrongs of mankind, and thus lived quietly in his generation. Although his book is an extraordinary production, it is plausible and harmless enough. Although the style is most irregular, it is at the same time ingenious and attractive.

As a thinker, he is endlessly suggestive. Above, he roams with God. Below, he consorts with those who are beyond the pale of life and death, who deny a beginning and an end. In relation to the root, The origin of all things. he speaks on a grand and extensive scale. In relation to TAO, he establishes a harmony between man and the higher powers. Nevertheless, he yields to the modifications of existence and responds to the exigencies of environment. His arguments are inexhaustible, and never illogical. He is far-reaching, mysterious, and not to be fully explored. It is impossible for a European critic to believe that Chuang Tzŭ penned the above paragraphs. See post, p. 454. Hui Tzŭ was a man of many ideas. His works would fill five carts. But his doctrines are paradoxical, and his terms are used ambiguously. He calls infinite greatness, beyond which there is nothing, the Greater One. He calls infinite smallness, within which there is nothing, the Lesser One. Recognising two absolute extremes. He says that that which is without dimensions measures a thousand li. On the principle that mathematical points, though themselves without dimensions, collectively fill up space. That heaven and earth are equally low. That mountain and marsh are equally level. It depends upon the point of view.

That the sun at noon is the sun setting. To people living farther east. That when an animal is born, it dies. As regards its previous state it dies when leaving it for a new state. That the likeness of things partly unlike is called the lesser likeness of unlikes. That the likeness of things altogether unlike is called the greater likeness of unlikes. That southwards there is no limit, and yet there is a limit. That one can reach Yüeh to-day and yet be there before. That joined rings can be separated. That the middle of the world is north of Yen and south of Yüeh. It is wherever the speaker is. The space between Yen and Yüeh is as zero compared with the infinite. That he loves all creation equally, just as heaven and earth are impartial to all. In covering and supporting all. Accordingly, Hui Tzŭ was regarded as a great philosopher and a very subtle dialectician; and became a favourite with the other dialecticians of the day. He said that there were feathers in an egg. Because on a chicken. That a fowl had three feet. The third being volition. That Ying was the world. As you cannot say it is not the world.

That a dog could be a sheep. That a mare could lay eggs. That a nail has a tail. Names being arbitrary in all cases. That fire is not hot. It is the man who feels it hot. That mountains have mouths. As evidenced by echoes. That wheels do not press down the ground. Touching only at a point. That the eye does not see. It is the man. That the finger does not touch. That the uttermost extreme is not the end. That a tortoise is longer than a snake. Because longer lived! That a carpenter's square is not square. Like Horace's Whetstone which makes other things sharp, "exsors ipsa secandi." That compasses will not make a circle. It is the draughtsman. That a round hole will not surround a square handle. That the shadow of a flying bird does not move. That there is a moment when a swiftly-flying arrow is neither moving nor at rest. That a dog is not a hound. Two things cannot be identical unless even their names are the same. That a bay horse and a dun cow are three. Taken separately they are two. Taken together they are one. One and two make three. That a white dog is black. If his eyes are black. Part standing for the whole.

That a motherless colt never had a mother. When it had a mother, it was not an orphan. That if you take a stick a foot long and every day cut it in half, you will never come to the end of it. Compare "Achilles and the Tortoise," and the sophisms of the Greek philosophers. And such was the stuff which dialecticians used to argue about with Hui Tzŭ, also without ever getting to the end of it. Huan T'uan and Kung Sun Lung were of this class. By specious premisses they imposed on people's minds and drove them into false conclusions. But though they won the battle in words, they did not carry conviction into their adversaries' hearts. Theirs were but the snares of the sophist. Hui Tzŭ daily devoted his intelligence to such pursuits, purposely advancing some preposterous thesis upon which to dispute. That was his characteristic. He had besides a great opinion of his own wisdom, and used to say, "The universe does not hold my peer." Hui Tzŭ makes a parade of his strength, but is devoid of any sound system. An eccentric fellow in the south, named Huang Liao, asked why the sky did not fall and the earth sink; also, whence came wind, rain, and thunder.

Hui Tzŭ was not backward in replying to these questions, which he answered unhesitatingly. He went into a long discussion on all creation, and talked away without end, though to himself he seemed to be saying very little. He supplemented this with most extraordinary statements, making it his chief object to contradict others, and being desirous of gaining fame by defeating all comers. Thus, he was never popular. Morally, he was weak; physically, he was violent. His was a dark and narrow way. Looked at from the point of view of the TAO of the universe, the value of Hui Tzŭ may be compared with the efforts of a mosquito or a gadfly. Of what use was he to the world? As a specialist, he might have succeeded. But to let him put himself forward as an exponent of TAO, would have been dangerous indeed. He would not however be content to be a specialist. He must needs roam insatiably over all creation, though he only succeeded in securing the reputation of a sophist.

Plain English · paraphraseHui Tzu was quick to answer these questions, and he did so without hesitation. He gave long discussions about everything in creation, speaking endlessly, though to himself he felt he was saying very little. He added to this with strange and unusual statements, making it his main goal to argue against others and to gain fame by defeating all who opposed him. Because of this, he was never well-liked. Morally, he was weak; physically, he was aggressive. His path was dark and narrow. From the point of view of the Way of the universe, the value of Hui Tzu can be compared to the efforts of a mosquito or a gadfly. What use was he to the world? As a specialist, he might have succeeded. But to let him present himself as an expert on the Way would have been very dangerous. He would not, however, be satisfied with being a specialist. He had to endlessly explore all of creation, though he only ended up with the reputation of a sophist.

Alas for the talents of Hui Tzŭ! He is extravagantly energetic, and yet has no success. He investigates all creation, but does not conclude in TAO. He makes a noise to drown an echo. He is like a man running a race with his own shadow. Alas! As to the genuineness of this concluding chapter, every one may form his own opinion. The question has been hotly fought, and great names could be mentioned on each side. Wang An Shih and Su Tung P'o both thought that it might well have come from the hand of Chuang Tzŭ. Lin Hsi Chung thought not, and on his side the majority of Western students will in all probability be ranged.