故事英语：庄子钓鱼

⽆忧考英⽂写作翻译频道为⼤家整理的经典名著英⽂翻译庄⼦语录中英双语，供⼤家参考:)故⽈，⾄⼈⽆⼰，神⼈⽆功，圣⼈⽆名。

——《庄⼦》内篇《逍遥游》Therefore, as the saying goes, “The perfect man cares for no self; the holy man cares for no merit; the sage cares for no name.”——Wandering in Absolute Freedom, Inner Chapters,ZhuangZiEnglish Translation By Wang Rongpei⼤知闲闲，⼩知间间；⼤⾔炎炎，⼩⾔詹詹。

——《庄⼦》《齐物论》Men of great wits are open and broad-minded; men of small wits are mean and meticulous. Men of great eloquence speak with arrogance; men of small eloquence speak without a point.——On the Uniformity of All Things, ZhuangZiEnglish Translation By Wang Rongpei可呼可，不可呼不可。

道⾏之⽽成，物谓之⽽然。

恶呼然？然于然。

恶呼不然，不然于不然。

物固有所然，物固有所可。

⽆物不然，⽆物不可。

——《庄⼦》《齐物论》Something is approved because we approve it; something is disapproved because we disapprove it. A path is formed because we walk on it; a thing has a name because we call it so. When something is approved, there are reason to approve it; when something is disapproved, there are reasons to disapprove it. When something is like this, there are reasons for it to be like this; when something is not like this, there are reasons for it to be not like this. Why is is like this? Because it is like this. Why is is not like this? Because it is not like this. Since something is approved, why should it be disapproved? Womethkng is disapproved only when it is diaapproved. It is inherent in everything that it should be approved. Nothing should not belike this; nothing should not be approved.——On the Uniformity of All Things ,,ZhuangZiEnglish Translation By Wang Rongpei为善⽆近名，为恶⽆近刑。

庄子钓鱼濮水
原文：
庄子钓于濮水，楚王使大夫二人往先焉，曰：“愿以境内累矣！”庄子持竿不顾，曰：“吾闻楚有神龟，死已三千岁矣，王巾笥而藏之庙堂之上。

此龟者，宁其死为留骨而贵，宁其生而曳尾涂中乎？”
二大夫余曰：“宁生而曳尾涂中。

”
庄子曰：“往矣！吾将曳尾于涂中。

”
译文：
庄子在濮河钓鱼，楚国国王派两位大夫前去请他（做官），（他们对庄子）说：“想将国内的事务劳累您啊！”庄子拿着鱼竿没有回头看（他们），说：“我听说楚国有（一只）神龟，死了已有三千年了，国王用锦缎包好放在竹匣中珍藏在宗庙的堂上。

这只（神）龟，（它是）宁愿死去留下骨头让人们珍藏呢，还是情愿活着在烂泥里摇尾巴呢？”
两个大夫说：“情愿活着在烂泥里摇尾巴。

”
庄子说：“请回吧！我要在烂泥里摇尾巴。

”
意义
表现了庄子鄙弃富贵权势,不为官所累，坚持不受束缚,逍遥自在生活的高尚品质,表现了他对人格独立,精神自由的追求
内容归纳
庄子是道家的代表人物，他说过这样的一句话“道之真以治身”，就是说，道真正有价值的地方是用来养生的。

在这篇文章中，集中体现了庄子这一思想：拒绝到楚国做高官，宁可像一只乌龟拖着尾巴在泥浆中活着，也不愿让高官厚禄束缚了自己，让凡俗政务让自己身心疲惫。

理解
第一层：写楚王派大夫请庄子出仕。

第二层：庄子拒绝出仕。

通过对庄子动作，神态，语言的描写，刻画庄子向往自由，超然物外，不为世俗所羁，视名利为浮云的思想表现出其机敏善辩，超凡脱俗，珍爱生命，珍爱自由，不为名利所动，不屑与统治者同流合污的形象。

庄子秋水(Zhuangzi’s Autumn Water)庄子秋水，是庄子这位古代中国哲学家的一篇重要作品。

庄子是道家学派的代表人物之一，他以其独特的思想和寓言故事闻名于世。

在《庄子》一书中，他运用富有想象力和诗意的语言，表达了对自然、生命和人性的深刻思考。

其中，《庄子秋水》被认为是他最著名的篇章之一。

篇章简介《庄子秋水》以描写秋天湖泊中水面上飘浮的树叶为起点，通过对树叶与湖水相互关系的比喻，表达了庄子对生命变化、无常和虚无之道的理解。

文章以简洁而生动的文字将读者带入一个虚幻而超脱尘世的境界，引发人们对生命意义和存在状态的思考。

翻译以下是我对《庄子秋水》这篇文章进行的英文翻译：Autumn Water by ZhuangziThe autumn water in Zhuangzi’s work is one of the important pieces written by this ancient Chinese philosopher. Zhuangzi is one of the representatives of the Daoist school of thought, known for his unique ideas and allegorical stories. In the book “Zhuangzi,” he uses imaginative and poetic language to express profound reflections on nature, lif e, and human nature. Among them, “Autumn Water” is considered one of his most famous chapters.Introduction“Autumn Water” begins with the description of floating leaves on the water surface of a lake during autumn. Through the metaphorical relationship between leaves and water, Zhuangzi expresses his understanding of the changes in life, impermanence, and the way of emptiness. The concise and vivid writing style brings readers into an illusory and detached realm, prompting people to contemplate the meaning of life and their state of existence.TranslationHere is my English translation of “Autumn Water” by Zhuangzi:Autumn WaterThe autumn water is clear; it reflects the floating leaves with brilliance. The leaves dance upon the surface like butterfliesfluttering in a dream. They drift aimlessly in the wind, carried by an invisible force that guides their path.The water embraces these transient guests with gentle ripples. It holds them for a moment before releasing them back into the world. Their journey continues as they are carried away by the current, never to return to their original resting place.In this endless cycle of change, we find a reflection of our own existence. Like the leaves on the water, we too are swept along by unseen forces. We float through life without control or direction, surrendering ourselves to the ebb and flow of time.Yet amidst this constant flux, there is beauty to be found. The leaves shimmer in the sunlight, creating a tapestry of colors that captivates our senses. They remind us that even in uncertainty, there is grace and harmony.The autumn water teaches us a valuable lesson – that life is fleeting and ever-changing. It urges us to let go of our attachments and embrace the natural course of things. By doing so, we can find peace and contentment in the midst of chaos.So let us learn from the leaves on the water, and allow ourselves to be carried by the currents of life. Let us embrace the beauty of impermanence and find solace in the knowledge that everything is as it should be.Conclusion“Autumn Water” is a masterpiece that showcases Zhuangzi’s profound thoughts on life and existence. Through its poetic language and metaphorical storytelling, it invites readers to contemplate the transient nature of life and find meaning in impermanence. The English translation provided aims to capture the essence of Zhuangzi’s original work while conveying its messages to a wider audience.。

《庄子》中的两则寓言英译分析摘要：《庄子》中“庄周梦蝶”和“庄子与惠子游于濠梁”两则寓言，其英译文以詹姆斯?理雅各和伯顿?沃森的版本为典型，分析两种译文的语言风格和技巧策略，以辨识二者之异同优劣。

关键词：《庄子》“庄周梦蝶”“庄子与惠子游于濠梁”英译一《庄子》是一部集中体现道家思想的的哲学著作，具有强烈的浪漫主义色彩。

鲁迅先生誉其文章“汪洋辟阖，仪态万方，晚周诸子之作，莫能先也”[1]。

《庄子》的第一个全译本是1889年翟理斯翻译的，“但他的译文加入个人成分较多，与《庄子》原意出入较大”[2]，且“维多利亚时代的语言风格读来也显冗长乏味”[3],因此效果并不太理想。

本文抽取了《庄子》中两则最为著名的寓言，即“庄周梦蝶”和“庄子与惠子游于濠梁”，分析詹姆斯?理雅各的1891年版和伯顿?沃森的1968年版两种译文的语言风格和技巧策略，以辨识二者之异同优劣。

二昔者，庄周梦为蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也，自喻适志与！不知周也。

俄然觉，则蘧蘧然周也。

不知周之梦为蝴蝶与，蝴蝶之梦为周与？周与蝴蝶，则必有分矣。

此之谓物化。

（《庄子?内篇?齐物论第二》）（限于篇幅，文内译文均略）。

从译文可以看出，理雅各运用多种手法，尽量忠实原文，所以理雅各的译本具有一定的权威性和开创性。

但细读文本，其中亦有不大理想的地方。

首先分析理雅各对具体字词的处理。

“昔者”意为“从前，以前”，具体理解就是过去有一次，即在以前有一次，庄周做梦梦见蝴蝶；而formerly的意思是“in earlier times”, 即“过去，以前”，给人的印象是过去较长时间和时间意义上的连续性。

把“昔者”译成“formerly”，就会使读者产生庄周经常梦见蝴蝶的印象，所以不大合适。

“栩栩然”是说蝴蝶翩翩起舞，悠然自得。

“栩栩”的叠音给人一种轻灵诗意的感觉，“然”的结尾则使人联想到一种意犹未尽的美好意境。

理雅各把“栩栩然”译作“flying about”，略显单调杂乱，失却了意象的飘逸洒脱。

天生我才必有用 everyone is made special for something.我相信每个人在自己年轻的时候都曾有过梦想，但是随着时间的流逝，我们或许不再做梦，有的时候可能是因为被现实之中的失败所打击而一蹶不振不再有曾经的斗志。

有的时候即使你努力了，现实还是不会让你在某些方面成功。

你气馁了，但是也许它只是想告诉你你在某些方面的弱点，也许它只是想帮助你真正找到你的强项。

就像视频中一样，在惠子眼里一无是处的葫芦，庄子却能发现它有用的一面。

人无完人却总有自己能够闪光的地方，每个人都有自己的价值，都有自己存在的意义，所以，不要自卑，不要自怨自艾，相信自己，是金子总会发光。

i believe that man once had a dream when he was young.like i,when i was a little girl,i used to dream a lot.for example,when i was at primaryschool,all i wanted to do is being a scientist.some may think that the dream a littlechild dreaming of is kind of ridiculous,or maybe unrealistic,but i want to ask youthen :how many of you are still dreaming.sometimes i think that a dream’s broken is because the failure on theroad of your growing up may let you feel despair,thinking that whether i was goodfor nothing.but what i want to tell you now is that every man is good for something.just asthe story in the video shows, 当我看到nick vujicic的故事，我真的深深的被他感动到了。

ERNEST RICHARD HUGHES, born in London, 5th January 1883. M.A., Oxon.Missionary in the interior of China, 1911-29. In Shanghai, 1929 – 31. Reader inChinese Religion and Philosophy in Oxford University, 1934-41; seconded toChungking, 1942. Books include The invasion of China by the Western World,1937.CHINESE PHILOSOPHY INCLASSICAL TIMESEdited and Translated byE. A. HUGHESLONDON: J. M. DENT & SONS LTD.NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. INC.First published 1942Last reprinted 1944Chapter 1. Excursions into Freedom.In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, its name the Kun [Leviathan], its size I know nothow many li. 1 By metamorphosis it becomes a bird called the P‟eng […Roc‟], with a back Iknow not how many li in extent. When it rouses itself and.flies, its wings darken the skylike clouds. With the sea in motion this bird transports itself to the Southern Ocean, theLake of Heaven. In the words of Ch‟i Hsieh, a recorder of marvels, …When the P‟eng transports itself to the Southern Ocean, it thrashes the water for three thousand li, and mounts in a whirlwind to the height of ninety thousand li, and flies continuously for six months before it comes to rest.‟A mote in a sunbeam (that in one sense is all that this1 Li –the Chinese mile, roughly a third of the English mile. 165166 TAO EXPERTSvast Roc is): flying dust which living creatures breathe- in and out! And that blueness ofthe sky! Is it an actual colour, or is it the measureless depth of the heavens which we gazeat from below and see a s …blue,‟ just like that and nothing more? Again take water, withoutthe dense accumulation of which there is no power for the floating of a great ship. And (think of) a cup of water upset in a corner of the hall. A tiny mustard seed becomes a ship (afloat), but the cup which held the water will remain aground because of the shallownessof the water and the size of the cup as a ship.So with the accumulation of wind, without sufficient density 1 it has no power to floathuge wings. Thus it is that the P‟eng has to rise ninety thousand li and cut off the wind beneath if. Then and not before, the bird, borne up by the down-pressed wind, floats in theazure heavens with secure support. Then and not before, it can start on its journey south.A cicada and a young dove giggled together over the P‟eng. The cicada said, …When weexert ourselves to fly up on to the tall elms, we sometimes fail to get there and are pulledback to the ground; and that is that. Why then should any one mount up ninety thousand liin order to go south?‟ Well, the man who goes out to the grassy country near by takes onlythree meals with him and comes back with his stomach well filled. But the man who has totravel a hundred li grinds flour for one night on the way; and the man who has to travel a thousand li requires food for three months. These two little creatures (the cicada and the dove), what can they know?Small knowledge is not equal to great knowledge, just as a short life is not equal to along one. How do we know this to be so? The mushroom with one brief morning‟s existence has no knowledge of the duration of a month. The chrysalis knows nothing of thespring and the. autumn. This is due to their short life. In the south of Ch‟u State1 …Density‟ seems the only word to represent t he Chinese. This is an admirable example of the realistic way in which a reallygreat poet‟s imagination works.CHUANG CHOU 167there is a Ming-ling tree whose springs and autumns make five hundred years. In theold days there was a Ta-ch‟un tree whose sp rings and autumns made eight thousandyears. Right down to the present Grandfather P‟eng 1 is famed for his immense age –although if all man matched him, how wretched they would be!...A variant version of the story of the Leviathan and the Roc is here given, winding upwith a quail laughing at the P‟eng and describing its flight among the bushes as …theperfection of flight.‟ Chuang Chou says that this is due to the difference between smalland great. He then continues:Thus it is that the knowledge of some men qualifies them for a small office and foreffecting unity in one district, whilst the moral power of another man fits him to be aruler and proves itself throughout a whole country. These men have a view ofthemselves which is like the quail‟s vie w of himself.On the other hand, Master Yung of Sung State just laughs at these men. If the wholeworld should admire or criticize him, he would neither be encouraged nor discouraged.Having determined the difference between what is intrinsic and what extrinsic, hedisputed the accepted boundaries of honour and dishonour. In this he was himself, andthere are very few such men in the world. Nevertheless he was not really rooted.Take Master Lieh. He could drive the wind as a team and go, borne aloft, away forfifteen days before returning. Such a man attains a happiness which few possess. Yet inthis, although he had no need to walk, there was still something on which he-wasdependent [viz. the wind]..Sup-posing, however, that he were borne on the normalityof the heavens and earth, driving a team of the six elements in their changes, and thuswandered freely in infinity-eternity, would there be anything then on which he wasdependent?Thus it is that I say, …The perfect man has no self, the spirit-endowed man noachievements, the sage no reputation.‟1 The Methuselah of Chinese tradition.168 TAO EXPERTS(The Emptiness of Fame.)Take the Sage-king Yao, who wished to abdicate his throne in favour of the recluse HsuYu. Yao said, …When the sun or the moon i s shining, if you should keep a torch alight, itsurely would be difficult for it to give light. When the seasonal rain is falling, if you shouldkeep on watering the ground, that would surely be waste of labour. Do you, my Teacher, establish yourself on the throne and the Great Society will be ordered. I am but a dead body. I see myself as incompetent. Pray then, reach out for the Great Society.‟Hsu Yu replied, …You, Sire, in ordering the Great Society have brought it to perfect order. If I should now take your place, it surely would be only for fame. But fame is onlythe transient part of the actual. Am I to act for a transient end? The tit builds its nest in thedeep forest, but that nest takes up no more room than a twig. The tapir drinks from a greatriver, but it only fills its belly. Return and take your kingship easily. For my part there is noway by which I can be of use to the Great Society. If a cook cannot cope with his kitchen'(and prepare the sacrificial meats), the impersonator of the dead or the liturgist in the halldoes not seize the cups and stand and take the cook‟s place.‟(The Spiritual Man and the Inability of the Non-spiritualto understand him.)Chien Wu [an inquirer about the Taoist Way] inquiredfrom Lien Shu, saying, …I heard Chi eh Yu say somethingwhich went too far and is not really true. It carried oneout, but did not bring one back, so its likeness to the bound-less Milky Way frightened me. It was grossly deceptive,removed from human experience.... He said that aspirit man lived on the Miao-ku-she mountain. His fleshand skin were like ice and snow: his delicate grace like agirl‟s. His food was not that of ordinary men, for hebreathed in the wind and drank the dew. He mounted theCHUANG CHOU 169clouds in the air and drove a team of flying dragons, wandering out beyond the Four Seas.His spirit was congealed. Yet he delivered living things from corruption and every yearmade the crops ripen. For me this was a wild tale, and I did not believe him.‟…So,‟ said Lien Shu, …th e blind man has no conception of the beauty of art, nor the deafman of the music of the bells and drums. Blindness and deafness are by no means confinedto material things. These defects also exist in relation to things of the mind pit. to knowledge], and these words of yours make it appear that you are defective in this way.The virtue in that spirit man is such that all things are of little worth to him: they are all oneto him. The world may be anxious to be governed: but why should he bother himself about society? That man, nothing can injure him. If there were a flood reaching to the sky, he would not be drowned. If there were a great drought and the metals and stones becameliquid and the soil of the mountains were burnt up, he would not be hot. Why, the very refuse of his body would serve to manufacture a great sage-emperor.(How Greater Knowledge changes a Man‟s Sense of Values.)A man of Sung State took some sacrificial caps to the State of Yueh 1 to sell. But the people of Yueh wore their hair short and adorned their bodies [? when they sacrificed], sothat they had no use for the caps. In the same way the Sage-king Yao, who ruled the peoples of the Great Society and who had brought peace to all within the Four Seas, wentto see the Four Masters of Miao-ku-she mountain. On his return to his capital, his Great Society no longer existed for him.(The sophist) Master Hui 2 in conversation with Master Chung said, …The King of Weisent me the seed of a great gourd. I planted it and the result was a gourd as big as g five-bushel measure. When I used it for holding water, it1 Yueh was a country on the borders of Chinese civilization,2 This is Hui Shih, who is dealt with in PartFour, Chapter IX,170 TAO EXPERTSwas not rigid enough to bear lifting. If I had cut it up tomake ladles, they would have been too shallow for thepurpose. There was indeed no purpose for which it wasnot too big, so I broke it to pieces as useless.‟Master Chuang said, …Sir, you were stupid over the useof big things. For example, there was a man of SungState who possessed a salve which healed chapped hands.His family, one generation after another, had been washersof silk. A stranger who had heard of this salve overed hima hundred ounces of gold for it. The clan, when calledtogether to consider tne matter, said, “We have been wash-ing silk for generations and have only made a few ouncesof gold. Now in one morning we can make a hundredounces. Let us sell the salve.” The stranger, havingobtained the salve, went and told the King of Wu, who washaving trouble with Yueh State and had made the un-known man commander of his ships. He engaged the menof Yueh in winter time [when hands get chapped], and inthe battle on the water he defeated the Yueh forces. 'Forthis he was rewarded with land and made a noble. The- ability to heal chapped hands was in both cases the same,but in the one case it meant a title of nobility, in the otherit meant being tied down to washing silk. The differencelay in the way of using the salve. Now, Master Hui, youpossessed a gourd as big as a five-bushel measure. Whythen did you not consider it as a huge cup in which youcould float on the rivers and lakes? instead of which youwere distressed that it was too shallow to be a ladle. Theconclusion, sir, is that it looks as if you had a dull mind,doesn‟t it?‟Master Hui said, …I have a huge tree.... Its greattrunk is so knobby and its small branches so twisted thatyou cannot put the measuring tools square on them. Itstands by the public road, but no carpenter casts a glanceat it. Now, Master Chuang; your words are big but ofno use. Every one agrees in rejecting them.‟Master Chuang said, …Have you never seen a wild cat, itsbody crouching low as it waits for its prey? It springs fromCHUANG CHOU 171this side to that, now high, now low – end it gets caught in a trap and dies in a net! There is the yak, so big that it looms over one like a cloud in the sky. That is being really big; and yet it is no use for catching mice. Now, sir, you have a huge tree and you are distressed because it is of no use. Why do you not plant it in the village of non-exis-tence, in the open country of nothingness. Beside it you could wander in inaction; and beneath it you could befree to sleep. No axe would cut it down, nothing would injure it, for there would be no purpose for which it might be used. Would you not be free from trouble then?‟Chapter 2. The (Inner) Harmony of (Opposing) Things. 1Tzu Ch‟i, a man from Nan Kuo, leant against a low table as he sat on the ground. Helooked up to heaven, and his breath died down. Without a sound he seemed to lose hispartnership (of soul and body). Yen Ch‟eng Tzu Yu, who was standing before him inattendance, said, …How is this, that you can make your body like a sapless tree and yourmind like dead ashes? At this moment the person leaning against the table is not the personwho was leaning against it before.‟Tzu Ch‟i said, …Yen, this is a good question you are asking. At the moment, you mustunderstand, my self was gone clean away. You have listened to the music which manmakes, but you have not listened to the music of the earth; or you may have listened to themusic of the earth, but you have not listened to the music of Heaven.‟Tzu Yu said, …May I ask you for an explanation of this?‟Tzu Ch‟i said, …The great mass of breath (in the atmosphere) is,called the wind. Thereare times when the wind does not move. When it does move, a myriad apertures arearoused to make sounds. Have you never listened to the liao liao of the wind? You knowthe cavities and holes in the rugged heights of the mountains and the woods – with trees ahundred spans in girth. There are, as it were,1 …Things‟ in this chapter, as often elsewhere, includes not only things in Nature, but also institutions and ideas of every kind.172 TAO EXPERTSnoses and mouths and ears, square sockets and round depressions, mortars and ditches andpools. So there is a roaring and a snoring, a whistling and a sizzling, a howling and ayowling. The wind dies down and there is a tiny melody: it comes at full blast and there isa great diapason. There is a lull and every hole is devoid of sound....‟Tzu Yu said, …Since the music of the earth is just a matter of all kinds of holes, andhuman music a matter of pipes, may I ask what the music of Heaven is?‟Tzu Ch‟i said, …All this blowing varies in a myriad ways. Who then can there be whoexcites all this and makes each way be itself and all of them be self-produced?‟(Supreme Knowledge and Partial Knowledge, and theConditions under which they arise.)Great knowledge includes everything: small knowledge is restricted. Great speech hasno pungency to it: small speech (may be pungent but) it is just chatter.Whether men are asleep and soul has communion with soul, or whether they are awakeand the body is freed and its contacts are the basis of intercourse, the mind is day by dayengaged in struggle. There are indecisions, grief', reservations, small fears giving rise toperturbation, great fears giving rise to recklessness.Consider the mind. In some men it shoots forth like a bolt from a cross-bow, assumingmastery of right and wrong. In others it holds back, merely guarding (the opinions) theyhave won. In others it decays like the decline of the year, in other words, day by daycrumbling away to nothing. In others it is sunk in creaturely activity from which it cannotbe drawn back. In others it is sealed with hates, in other words like an old drain (chokedwith muck). Thus the mind has one foot in the grave, and there is no way of reviving it [lit.bringing it back to the light of the sun].(Consider the emotions.) Joy and anger, sorrow and delight, anxiety and regret, the fireof sex passion 1 and the1 Emending the character pien to luan.CHUANG CHOU 173(subsequent) feeling of contentment: evanescent moods, like the music coming fromemptiness, like mushrooms coming from damp heat. Day and night alternate beforeour eyes, and there is no knowing what they may bring forth. (An emotion) gone, isgone, and to-morrow can by no means 1 reproduce it.What is the cause of the emotions? It is near to the truth to say that without themthere is no …I,‟ and without an …I‟ they have nothing to take hold of. But we areignorant as to what makes this so. There must be a True Lord, but we are least ableto discover traces of His existence. We may act in the belief that He exists, but wecannot see His form, for the Reality. that exists has no form.(Consider the body and its parts,) its nine apertures and six internal organs, all in their places. Which of them shall we like best? Or are we to be pleased with them allalike? (As a matter of fact) each has its personal function, and thus all are in theposition of servants: is that not so? As servants they have not the power to controleach other: is that not so? Then can they take turn and turn about in being master andservant? (As a matter of fact) they have a tru e ruler in his place [viz. the …I‟]; andwhether they try or not to find out his reality does not add to or subtract from thetruth about him.Once this …I‟ has received its complete form and so long as it awaits the completion of its span, it cannot be nonexistent. But as it rubs and fights against thematerial world it is moving towards this completion with the speed of a gallopinghorse; and nothing can stop this. Alas, alas, to be throughout one‟s life dispatched onservice, but to see no achievement co ming from it! To be wearied with one‟s serviceand not to know what is its final object! Surely we are right in lamenting this. Andnothing is gained by men affirming that there is no physical death. The bodydecomposes, and the mind decomposes with it. And surely we are right in alarmingthat this is supremely1 Emending mu to mo.174 TAO EXPERTSlamentable. Thus man's life is like a passing dream, 1 is it not? Unless it be that I alone am dreaming and other men are not dreaming.Men follow the dictates of their made-up minds, and there is no one who does not dothis. But how can a priori knowledge take the place of the mind choosing for itself? Thisdoes happen, but it is the ignorant who allow it to happen. To make the distinction betweenright and wron g apart from the making up of the mind is equivalent to …going to Yueh to-day and arriving there in the past.‟ 2 It amounts to making nothing be something.. But if nothing can be something, even a divine Yu 3 could not have knowledge, and there wouldbe nothing we could do about it.Take speech. It is not just an emission of breath. The man who speaks has something tosay, and what he has to say is by no means absolutely predetermined [i.e. apart from the speaker]. Are we to infer that the words exist (waiting to be said) or that they do not existuntil they are said? And this is a question of whether we can prove a distinction between human speech and the chirping of fledgelings.The question has to be asked: how the Tao becomes obscured so that there is the distinction of true and false. Also, how is speech obscured so that there is the distinction ofright and wrong? The Tao cannot go away (for a moment) and cease to be here; neith”r canwords be here [i.e. have been spoken] and be impossible. The obscuring of the Tao is in relation to one-sided thinking, and the obscuring of speech is in relation to the embroideryof eloquence. Thus it is that there are the distinctions of right and wrong made by the Confucianists and the Mohists, the one affirming what the other denies, and denying whatthe other affirms. If then we want to affirm what they (both) deny and deny what they affirm, there is no other way than that of a clearer understanding.1 Emending the character man to meng.2 The famous paradox by Hui Shih. Cp. Part Four, Chapter IX.3 The Sage-king Yu;CHUANG CHOU 175(We have to realize that) a thing is both a …That‟ and a …Tis,‟ and it cannot see itself as a …That.‟ If you know yourself, then you know. (Otherwise you do not know.) Thus it is thatI mai ntain that the …That‟ proceeds from the …This,‟ also that the …This‟ is linked to the …That.‟ The' …That‟ and the …This‟ together, life interpreted under conditions (of time)!After all, now there is life, now death; now death, now life. What is possible at one time is impossible at another: arid what is impossible at one time is possible at another. Beinglinked to the right is being linked to the wrong, and being linked to the wrong is beinglinked to the right. That is why the sages do not follow these distinctions and Co become enlightened by Heaven, 1 and are linked to the …This.‟(As has already been stated) a …This‟ is also a …That,‟ and a …That‟ is also a …This.‟ Thenin addition, a …That,‟ as also a …This,‟ is equally affirmable and deniable, with t he resultthat we cannot infer either that they exist, or that they do not exist. Do not let them get tothe point of being a pair of opposites. This is called (reaching) the axis of the Tao; for anaxis from the outset is in position at the centre of a circle and meets the requirements ofevery change endlessly. Since both the right and the wrong are endlessly (changing), therefore I maintain that there is no other way than that of illumination....The possibility of the possible and the impossibility of the impossible – it is the Tao in action which brings this about. Thus a thing is described as being so [i.e. what it is]. How is it just what it is? Through the so-ness in its being just what it is. How is it not what it is? Through the not-so-ness in its being just so. A thing never varies in having what makes it what it is, nor in having what makes it possible. There is not anything which is not what it is, nor which is impossible. Thus it is that there are roof-slats alongside of solid pillars, ugliness alongside of beauty, and to be great [kuei], to alter [kuei], to flatter [kuei], to be1 T’ien, the transcendental side to Nature,176 TAO EXPERTS marvellous [kuei]; 1 all these through Tao have the unity of mutual interpenetration. For a thing to be separated out (from the mass) is for it to become a thing. For it to become a (complete) thing is for it to de-become. Every single thing both becomes and de-becomes, 2 both processes being to and fro in the unity of mutual interpenetration.Only the man of all-embracing intelligence knows this unity of mutual interpenetration. Because he has this intelligence, he cannot be made use of but takes up his abode in its common functioning. His functioning has utility, for to be of (real) use is to interpenetrate and be interpenetrated; and to penetrate and be interpenetrated is to achieve. To arrive at achievement is about all a man can do. Following on from that comes stopping; and to stop without knowing that one is stopping that is – Tao.For a man to wear out his spirit and intelligence in an effort to make a unity of things, and to be ignorant of the fact that they are in agreement, this is to be described by …The Morning Three.‟ What do I mean by that? Well, there was a certain monkey-keeper who had charge of their diet of acorns. He ordered three in the morning and four at night for each one. The monkeys were all angry about this. The keeper said, …Very well, then, you can have four in the morning and three at night.‟ The monkeys were all pleased. Thus in name there was actually no change for the worse, whilst scope was given to feelings of pleasure and anger and the arrangement was in conformity with those feelings. It is in this way that sages by means of the surface distinctions of …the right‟ and …the wrong‟make harmony, and yet take their ease in Heaven‟s levelling out. By levelling out I mean going two ways at once.1 The modern pronunciation of these four characters given here as kueiis as follows: k’uei, kuei, ch’ueh, and kuai. The traditional rhyme of thefirst is k’uei. Chuang Chou‟s selection of these four somewhat unconnect-able concepts here is with a view to showing that there must be someconnection since the ideographs exist and, what is more, are expressed bythe same sound in speech. N.B.–I have no reason to suppose that thatsound was actually kuei, but it must have been something like it.2 The text is emended, a pu being added to the wei to make a doublenegative. Without this sense seems hardly possible.CHUANG CHOU 177 The knowledge which the men of old had was perfect in one respect. How this was so, is as follows. There were men who held that before there began to be (so many) things (in the world), that was perfection, a state of completion to which nothing could be added. Then there came a second stage in which there were a large number of things, but they had not begun to be carefully differentiated. Next to this came a stage when things were differentiated, but there had not begun to be a distinction between right (things) and wrong (things). This ornamentation (of things) as right and wrong was the process which brought about the waning of the Tao in the world, and the same process brought about the rise of personal preference. And it is equally out of the question to infer either that there really is progress and regress or that there is not. If we say there is, it is a case of …Chao‟s fine playing of the lute.‟ If we say there is not, it is a case of …Chao‟s inability to play the lute.‟ 1 Chao Wen‟s playing and Shih Huang‟s wielding of the conductor‟s baton and Master Hui‟s leaning against a Wu tree: the three experts‟ knowledge was just more or less. Hence each went on till the last year of his life; but it was only they who prized their knowledge and regarded it as extraordinary c ompared to any one else‟s. Because they prized it they wanted to enlighten people with it. But other people were opposed to their enlightening and enlightening. The result was the confusion worse confounded of Master Hui‟s argument about hardness and whiteness –his son (you know) tried for his whole life to reach the conclusion of the argument and failed. If that is the meaning of progress, then I too (in this argument) am adding to the progress. If, however, it may not be described as progress, then there is no progress, not even with me (and my arguing!). These are the reasons why sages aim at the glorious light which comes from slippery doubts. It is why they cannot be used and on the contrary make1 Chao Wen is said to have been a music master in Cheng State. The reference here seems to be to a dividedopinion about him, some, including himself, saying he was a fine player, and some that he was not.178 TAO EXPERTStheir abode in common functioning. I describe this as increasing one‟s intelligence.I will illustrate. Here are some words, and I do not know whether they are classifiable ornot as right – for any things to -be classifiable and not classifiable is for them together tomake a new class, and then they are in the same position as the other classified things. However that may be, allow me to try and say what I want to say. Since there is such athing as the beginning, there is also such a thing as a beginning before the beginning, andthere is also such a thing as a beginning to before the beginning to before the beginning.Since there is such a thing as something, there is also such a thing as nothing; and then,since there is such a thing as before the beginning of something and nothing, there is alsosuch a thing as a beginning to before the beginning of something and nothing. There we are!And I do not know which of the two, something and nothing, is something and which is nothing. Coming to myself and what I have just described, presumably it is a description of something, but I do not know whether it is really something or whether it is really nothing.(It has been argued that) 1 …in the world of our experience (there is a sense in which)there is nothing bigger than the tip of a new-grown hair, whilst a great mountain is a tiny thing: that there is no greater age than that of a baby cut off in infancy, whilst GrandfatherP‟eng (with his 700 years) died in his youth: that heaven and earth were born at the sametime that I was, and so all things in nature arid I are one and the same thing.‟ Sin ce they areone, you can still find words to express it, can you? 2 And since it has been expressed, canit still be unexpressed? …One plus the words about it makes two, and two plus the oneness(of the two) makes three.‟ If we go on like this, even the cl everest reckoner breaks down:and how much more the ordinary run of men!1 There follow quotations from Master Hui and his fellow sophists.2 Chuang Chou‟s position is that the use of words invariably involvescomparison.CHUANG CHOU 179Thus it is that by going on from nothing to something we arrive at three. Howmuch more if we go on from something to something! Don‟t let us go on! Let usstop here!The Tao has never begun to have mutually exclusive distinctions. Words, on the other hand, have never begun to have permanency. Because this is so there are linesof division. With your permission I will mention them. The left involves the right.Reasoned statements (about a thing being on the left or the right, etc. etc.) involvejudgments. Then divisions of opinion involve arguments. Then controversiesinvolve quarrels. These may be called the Eight To-and-Fro‟s. 1 What is beyond theworld of space, the sage holds within himself, but he does not reason about it. Whatis within the world of space he reasons about, but he does not make any judgmenton it. About the annals and the records of past kings he makes a judgment, but hedoes not argue, with the result that division of opinion is not really division ofopinion, nor arguing really arguing. How that comes about is by reason of the sageembracing all things. The mass of men argue with a view to demonstrating to eachother; which is why I say that arguing is not a revealing process.The supreme 2 Tao cannot be talked about, and the supreme 2 argument does not require speech. (So also) supreme benevolence is not just being charitable, supremepurity not just being disinterested, and supreme courage not just brute violence. Ifthe Tao were to glitter, it would not be the Tao. The speech which argues comesshort of what it might be. The benevolence that is stereotyped does not succeed.The purity that is flawless does not engage confidence. The courage that isabsolutely unyielding defeats its own end....Thus it is that he who knows how to stop at what he doesnot know is perfect. ‟Who can know the argument which is not put into speech andthe Tao that has no name? If1 Emending the text as Ma Hsu-lun suggests.2 The character ta (big) in many contexts' conveys the impression of meaning authoritative or transcendent.180 TAO EXPERTSthere should be the ability to know' in this way, this knowledge might be described as 'theStore of Heaven.‟ Pour into it and it does not overflow. Pour out from it and it does not become empty. It does not know the source of its k nowing. This is the meaning of …storingup the light.‟。

庄子（选二）The Carefree Excursion (excerpted)[战国]庄子逍遥游（节选）By Zhuang Tzu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。

In the northern ocean there is a fish, called the leviathan, which is no one knows how many thousand li in size. This fish changes into a bird called the roc, whose back spreads over no one knows how many thousand li.When the bird rouses itself and ilies, its wings are as clouds, hanging over the sky. When it moves itself in the sea, it is preparing to start for the southern ocean, which is the Celestial Lake,齐谐者，志怪者也。

谐之言曰: “鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里,搏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，亦如是则已矣。

A man named Ch'i-hsieh was a collecter of strange tales. Chli-hsieh said; "When the roc travels to the southern ocean, it flaps along the water for three thousand li, and then it soars upon a whirlwind to a height of ninety thousand li, for a flight lasting six months.There is the floating air, there are the darting motes—liule bits ofcreatures blowing one against another with their breath.We do not know whether the blue of the sky is its real color, or is simply caused by its infinite height. Whichever it is, the roc will get the satne effect when it looks down from above.。

Autumn Floods (英文版庄子-秋水全篇)In the time of autumn floods, a hundred streams poured into the river. It swelled in its turbid course, so that it was impossible to tell a cow from a horse on the opposite banks or on the islets. Then the Spirit of the River laughed for joy that all the beauty of the earth was gathered to himself. Down the stream he journeyed east, until he reached the North Sea. There, looking eastwards and seeing no limit to its wide expanse, his countenance began to change. And as he gazed over the ocean, he sighed and said to North-Sea Jo, "A vulgar proverb says that he who has heard a great many truths thinks no one equal to himself. And such a one am I. Formerly when I heard people detracting from the learning of Confucius or underrating the heroism of Po Yi, I did not believe it. But now that I have looked upon your inexhaustibility -- alas for me ! had I not reached your abode, I should have been for ever a laughing stock to those of great enlightenment!"To this North-Sea Jo (the Spirit of the Ocean) replied, "You cannot speak of ocean to a well-frog, which is limited by his abode. You cannot speak of ice to a summer insect, which is limited by his short life. You cannot speak of Tao to a pedagogue, who is limited in his knowledge. But now that you have emerged from your narrow sphere and have seen the great ocean, you know your own insignificance, and I can speak to you of great principles."There is no body of water beneath the canopy of heaven which is greater than the ocean. All streams pour into it without cease, yet it does not overflow. It is being continually drained off at the Tail-Gate yet it is never empty. Spring and autumn bring no change; floods and droughts are equally unknown. And thus it is immeasurably superior to mere rivers and streams. Yet I have never ventured to boast on this account. For I count myself, among the things that take shape from the universe and receive life from the yin and yang, but as a pebble or a small tree on a vast mountain. Only too conscious of my own insignificance, how can I presume to boast of my greatness?"Are not the Four Seas to the universe but like ant-holes in a marsh? Is not the Middle Kingdom to the surrounding ocean like a tare-seed in a granary? Of all the myriad created things, man is but one. And of all those who inhabit the Nine Continents, live on the fruit of the earth, and move about in cart and boat, an individual man is but one. Is not he, as compared with all creation, but as the tip of a hair upon a horse's body?"The succession of the Five Rulers, the contentions of the Three Kings, the concerns of the kind-hearted, the labors of the administrators, are but this and nothing more. Po Yi refused the throne for fame. Chungni (Confucius) discoursed to get a reputation for learning. This over-estimation of self on their part -- was it not very much like your own previous self-estimation in reference to water?""Very well," replied the Spirit of the River, "am I then to regard the universe as great and the tip of a hair as small?""Not at all," said the Spirit of the Ocean. "Dimensions are limitless; time is endless. Conditions are not constant; terms are not final. Thus, the wise man looks into space, and does not regard the small as too little, nor the great as too much; for he knows that there is no limit to dimensions. He looks back into the past, and does not grieve over what is far off, nor rejoice over what is near; for he knows that time is without end. He investigates fullness and decay, and therefore does not rejoice if he succeeds, nor lament if he fails; for he knows that conditions are not constant. He who clearly apprehends the scheme of existence does not rejoice over life, nor repine at death; for he knows that terms are not final."What man knows is not to be compared with what he does not know. The span of his existence is not to be compared with the span of his non-existence. To strive to exhaust the infinite by means of the infinitesimal necessarily lands him in confusion and unhappiness. How then should one be able to say that the tip of a hair is the ne plus ultra of smallness, or that the universe is the ne plus ultra of greatness?""Dialecticians of the day," replied the Spirit of the River, "all say that the infinitesimal has no form, and that the infinite is beyond all measurement. Is that true?""If we look at the great from the standpoint of the small," said the Spirit of the Ocean, "we cannot reach its limit; and if we look at the small from the standpoint of the great, it eludes our sight. The infinitesimal is a subdivision of the small; the colossal is an extension of the great. In this sense the two fall into different categories. This lies in the nature of circumstances. Now smallness and greatness presuppose form. That which is without form cannot be divided by numbers, and that which is above measurement cannot be measured. The greatness of anything may be a topic of discussion, and the smallness of anything may be mentally imagined. But that which can be neither a topic of discussion nor imagined mentally cannot be said to have greatness or smallness."Therefore, the truly great man does not injure others and does not credit himself with charity and mercy. He seeks not gain, but does not despise the servants who do. He struggles not for wealth, but does not lay great value on his modesty. He asks for help from no man, but is not proud of his self-reliance, neither does he despise the greedy. He acts differently from the vulgar crowd, but does not place high value on being different or eccentric; nor because he acts with the majority does he despise those that flatter a few. The ranks and emoluments of the world are to him no cause for joy; its punishments and shame no cause for disgrace. He knows that right and wrong cannot be distinguished, that great and small cannot be defined."I have heard say, 'The man of Tao has no (concern) reputation; the truly virtuous has no (concern for) possessions; the truly great man ignores self.' This is the height ofself-discipline.""But how then," asked the Spirit of the River, "arise the distinctions of high and low, ofgreat and small in the material and immaterial aspects of things?""From the point of view of Tao," replied the Spirit of the Ocean, "there are no such distinctions of high and low. From the point of view of individuals, each holds himself high and holds others low. From the vulgar point of view, high and low (honors and dishonor) are some thing conferred by others. "In regard to distinctions, if we say that a thing is great or small by its own standard of great or small, then there is nothing in all creation which is not great, nothing which is not small. To know that the universe is but as a tare-seed, and the tip of a hair is (as big as) a mountain, -- this is the expression of relativity."In regard to function, if we say that something exists or does not exist, by its own standard of existence or non- existence, then there is nothing which does not exist, nothing which does not perish from existence. If we know that east and west are convertible and yet necessary terms in relation to each other, then such (relative) functions may be determined."In regard to man's desires or interests, if we say that anything is good or bad because it is either good or bad according to our individual (subjective) standards, then there is nothing which is not good, nothing -- which is not bad. If we know that Yao and Chieh each regarded himself as good and the other as bad, then the (direction of) their interests becomes apparent."Of old Yao and Shun abdicated (in favor of worthy successors) and the rule was maintained, while Kuei (Prince of Yen) abdicated (in favor of Tsechih) and the latter failed. T'ang and Wu got the empire by fighting, while by fighting, Po Kung lost it. From this it may be seen that the value of abdicating or fighting, of acting like Yao or like Chieh, varies according to time, and may not be regarded as a constant principle. "A battering-ram can knock down a wall, but it cannot repair a breach. Different things are differently applied. Ch'ichi and Hualiu (famous horses) could travel 1,000 li in one day, but for catching rats they were not equal to a wild cat. Different animals possess different aptitudes. An owl can catch fleas at night, and see the tip of a hair, but if it comes out in the daytime it can open wide its eyes and yet fail to see a mountain. Different creatures are differently constituted."Thus, those who say that they would have right without its correlate, wrong; or good government without its correlate, misrule, do not apprehend the great principles of the universe, nor the nature of all creation. One might as well talk of the existence of Heaven without that of Earth, or of the negative principle without the positive, which is clearly impossible. Yet people keep on discussing it without stop; such people must be either fools or knaves."Rulers abdicated under different conditions, and the Three Dynasties succeeded each other under different conditions. Those who came at the wrong time and went against the tide are called usurpers. Those who came at the right time and fitted in with their age are called defenders of Right. Hold your peace, Uncle River. How can you know thedistinctions of high and low and of the houses of the great and small?'"In this case," replied the Spirit of the River, "what am I to do about declining and accepting, following and abandoning (courses of action)?""From the point of view of Tao," said the Spirit of the Ocean."How can we call this high and that low? For there is (the process of) reverse evolution (uniting opposites). To follow one absolute course would involve great departure from Tao. What is much? What is little? Be thankful for the gift. To follow a one-sided opinion is to diverge from Tao. Be exalted, as the ruler of a State whose administration is impartial. Be at ease, as the Deity of the Earth, whose dispensation is impartial. Be expansive, like the points of the compass, boundless without a limit. Embrace all creation, and none shall be more sheltered or helped than another. This is to be without bias. And all things being equal, how can one say which is long and which is short? Tao is without beginning, without end. The material things are born and die, and no credit is taken for their development. Emptiness and fullness alternate, and their relations are not fixed. Past years cannot be recalled; time cannot be arrested. The succession of growth and decay, of increase and diminution, goes in a cycle, each end becoming a new beginning. In this sense only may we discuss the ways of truth and the principles of the universe. The life of things passes by like a rushing, galloping horse, changing at every turn, at every hour. What should one do, or what should one not do? Let the (cycle of) changes go on by themselves!""If this is the case," said the Spirit of the River, "what is the value of Tao?""Those who understand Tao," answered the Spirit of the Ocean "must necessarily apprehend the eternal principles and those who apprehend the eternal principles must understand their application. Those who understand their application do not suffer material things to injure them. "The man of perfect virtue cannot be burnt by fire, nor drowned by water, nor hurt by the cold of winter or the heat of summer, nor torn by bird or beast. Not that he makes light of these; but that he discriminates between safety and danger, is happy under prosperous and adverse circumstances alike, and cautious in his choice of action, so that none can harm him."Therefore it has been said that Heaven (the natural) abides within man (the artificial) without. Virtue abides in the natural. Knowledge of the action of the natural and of the artificial has its basis in the natural its destination in virtue. Thus, whether moving forward or backwards whether yielding or asserting, there is always a reversion to the essential and to the ultimate.""What do you mean," enquired the Spirit of the River, "by the natural and the artificial?""Horses and oxen," answered the Spirit of the Ocean, "have four feet. That is the natural.Put a halter on a horse's head, a string through a bullock's nose. That is the artificial."Therefore it has been said, do not let the artificial obliterate the natural; do not let will obliterate destiny; do not let virtue be sacrificed to fame. Diligently observe these precepts without fail, and thus you will revert to the True."The walrus envies the centipede; the centipede envies the snake; the snake envies the wind; the wind envies the eye; and the eye envies the mind. The walrus said to the centipede, "I hop about on one leg but not very successfully. How do you manage all those legs you have?""I don't manage them," replied the centipede. "Have you never seen saliva? When it is ejected, the big drops are the size of pearls, the small ones like mist. At random they fall, in countless numbers. So, too, does my natural mechanism move, without my knowing how I do it."The centipede said to the snake, "With all my legs I do not move as fast as you with none. How is that?""One's natural mechanism," replied the snake, "is not a thing to be changed. What need have I for legs?"The snake said to the wind, "I wriggle about by moving my spine, as if I had legs. Now you seem to be without form, and yet you come blustering down from the North Sea to bluster away to the South Sea How do you do it?""'Tis true," replied the wind, "that I bluster as you say. But anyone who sticks his finger or his foot into me, excels me. On the other hand, I can tear away huge trees and destroy large buildings. This power is given only to me. Out of many minor defeats I win the big victory. And to win a big victory is given only to the Sages."When Confucius visited K'uang, the men of Sung surrounded him by several cordons. Yet he went on singing to his guitar without stop. "How is it, Master," enquired Tselu, "that you are so cheerful?""Come here," replied Confucius, "and I will tell you. For a long time I have not been willing to admit failure, but in vain. Fate is against me. For a long time I have been seeking success, but in vain. The hour has not come. In the days of Yao and Shun, no man throughout the empire was a failure, though this was not due to their cleverness. In the days of Chieh and Chou, no man throughout the empire was a success, though this was not due to their stupidity. The circumstances happened that way."To travel by water without fear of sea-serpents and dragons, -- this is the courage of the fisherman. To travel by land without fear of the wild buffaloes and tigers, -- this is thecourage of hunters. When bright blades cross, to look on death as on life, -- this is the courage of the warrior. To know that failure is fate and that success is opportunity, and to remain fearless in times of great danger, -- this is the courage of the Sage. Stop bustling, Yu! My destiny is controlled (by someone).Shortly afterwards, the captain of the troops came in and apologized, saying, "We thought you were Yang Hu; that was why we surrounded you. We find we have made a mistake." Whereupon he apologized and retired.Kungsun Lung said to Mou of Wei, "When young I studied the teachings of the elders. When I grew up, I understood the morals of charity and duty. I learned to level together similarities and differences, to confound arguments on "hardness" and "whiteness", to affirm what others deny, and justify what others dispute. I vanquished the wisdom of all the philosophers, and overcame the arguments of all people. I thought that I had indeed understood everything. But now that I have heard Chuangtse, I am lost in astonishment. I know not whether it is in arguing or in knowledge that I am not equal to him. I can no longer open my mouth. May I ask you to impart to me the secret?"Prince Mou leaned over the table and sighed. Then he looked up to heaven and laughed, saying, "Have you never heard of the frog in the shallow well? The frog said to the turtle of the Eastern Sea, 'What a great time I am having! I hop to the rail around the well, and retire to rest in the hollow of some broken bricks. Swimming, I float on my armpits, resting my jaws just above the water. Plunging into the mud, I bury my feet up to the foot-arch, and not one of the cockles, crabs or tadpoles I see around me are my match. Besides, to occupy such a pool all alone and possess a shallow well is to be as happy as anyone can be. Why do you not come and pay me a visit?'"Now before the turtle of the Eastern Sea had got its left leg down its right knee had already stuck fast, and it shrank back and begged to be excused. It then told the frog about the sea, saying, 'A thousand li would not measure its breadth, nor a thousand fathoms its depth. In the days of the Great Yu:, there were nine years of flood out of ten; but this did not add to its bulk. In the days of T'ang, there were seven years of drought out of eight; but this did not make its shores recede. Not to be affected by the passing of time, and not to be affected by increase or decrease of water, -- such is the great happiness of the Eastern Sea.' At this the frog of the shallow well was considerably astonished and felt very small, like one lost."For one whose knowledge does not yet appreciate the niceties of true and false to attempt to understand Chuangtse, is like a mosquito trying to carry a mountain, or an insect trying to swim a river. Of course he will fail. Moreover, one whose knowledge does not reach to the subtlest teachings, yet is satisfied with temporary success, -- is not he like the frog in the well?"Chuangtse is now climbing up from the realms below to reach high heaven. For him nonorth or south; lightly the four points are gone, engulfed in the unfathomable. For him no east or west - starting from the Mystic Unknown, he returns to the Great Unity. And yet you think you are going to find his truth by dogged inquiries and arguments! This is like looking at the sky through a tube, or pointing at the earth with an awl. Is not this being petty?"Have you never heard how a youth of Shouling went to study the walking gait at Hantan? Before he could learn the Hantan gait, he had forgotten his own way of walking, and crawled back home on all fours. If you do not go away now, you will forget what you have and lose your own professional knowledge." Kungsun Lung's jaw hung open, his tongue clave to his palate, and he slunk away.Chuangtse was fishing on the P'u River when the Prince of Ch'u sent two high officials to see him and said, "Our Prince desires to burden you with the administration of the Ch'u State." Chuangtse went on fishing without turning his head and said, "I have heard that in Ch'u there is a sacred tortoise which died when it was three thousand (years) old. The prince keeps this tortoise carefully enclosed in a chest in his ancestral temple. Now would this tortoise rather be dead and have its remains venerated, or would it rather be alive and wagging its tail in the mud?""It would rather be alive," replied the two officials, and wagging its tail in the mud.""Begone!" cried Chuangtse. "I too will wag my tail in the mud.Hueitse was Prime Minister in the Liang State, and Chuangtse was on his way to see him. Someone remarked, "Chuangtse has come. He wants to be minister in your place." Thereupon Hueitse was afraid, and searched all over the country for three days and three nights to find him.Then Chuangtse went to see him, and said, "In the south there is a bird. It is a kind of phoenix. Do you know it? When it starts from the South Sea to fly to the North Sea, it would not alight except on the wu-t'ung tree. It eats nothing but the fruit of the bamboo, drinks nothing but the purest spring water. An owl which had got the rotten carcass of a rat, looked up as the phoenix flew by, and screeched. Are you not screeching at me over your kingdom of Liang?"Chuangtse and Hueitse had strolled on to the bridge over the Hao, when the former observed, "See how the small fish are darting about! That is the happiness of the fish.""You not being a fish yourself," said Hueitse, "how can you know the happiness of the fish?""And you not being I," retorted Chuangtse, "how can you know that I do not know?""If I, not being you, cannot know what you know," urged Hueitse, "it follows that you, notbeing a fish, cannot know the happiness of the fish.""Let us go back to your original question," said Chuangtse. "You asked me how I knew the happiness of the fish. Your very question shows that you knew that I knew. I knew it (from my own feelings) on this bridge."[文档可能无法思考全面，请浏览后下载，另外祝您生活愉快，工作顺利，万事如意!]。

庄子_英文_09.1huangzi is,after Laozi,one of the earliest thinkers to contribute to the philosophy that has come to be known as Taoism.His work Zhuangzi is considered as one of the definitive 1texts of Taoism and is thought to be more comprehensive than TaoTe Ching ,which is attributed to Laozi,the first philosopher of Taoism.Zhuangzi is ranked among the greatest of literary and philosophical giants that China has produced.His teach -ings also exerted a great influence on the development of Chinese Buddhism and had consid -erable effect on Chinese landscape painting 2and poetry.In spite of his importance,details of Zhuangzi ’s life are unknown.According to the great Han Dynasty historian,Sima Qian,Zhuangzi was a native of the town of Meng,his per -sonal name was Zhou,and he was a minor official at Qiyuan in his hometown.3He lived dur -ing the reign of King Wei of Chu and was therefore a contemporary of Mencius,an eminent Confucian sc holar known as China ’s “Second Sage ”,but there appeared to have little com -munication between them.4What we know of the philosophy of Zhuangzi comes primarily from the book that bears his name,Zhuangzi .In general,his philosophy is mildly skeptical 5,arguing that our life is limited and the amount of things to know is unlimited.To use the limited to pursue the un -limited,he said,was foolish.6Our language and cognition in general presuppose 7a Tao to *崔刚，清华大学外语系教授，博士生导师，本刊编委。