秋水

The autumn floods came on schedule. A hundred streams poured into the Yellow River. The current swelled until, looking across from one bank to the other, you could not tell an ox from a horse. The Lord of the River was delighted with himself, thinking that all the beauty in the world was his alone. He followed the current east until he reached the North Sea. Looking east, he could not see the far shore. Then the Lord of the River began to turn his face, gazing out across the expanse toward Ruo of the North Sea, and sighed: 'There is a common saying: "He who has heard a hundred teachings thinks no one can match him." That was me.'

Zhuangzi was fishing in the Pu River. The King of Chu sent two high officials to him with this message: 'I wish to trouble you with the administration of my realm!' Zhuangzi held his rod and, without turning his head, said: 'I have heard that in Chu there is a sacred tortoise, dead now for three thousand years. The king keeps it wrapped in cloth and boxed, stored in the ancestral temple. Now would this tortoise rather be dead and have its bones left behind and honored? Or would it rather be alive and dragging its tail in the mud?' The two officials said: 'It would rather be alive and dragging its tail in the mud.' Zhuangzi said: 'Go away! I shall go on dragging my tail in the mud.'

Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling on the bridge over the Hao River. Zhuangzi said: 'See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That is what fish really enjoy!' Huizi said: 'You are not a fish — how do you know what fish enjoy?' Zhuangzi said: 'You are not me — how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?' Huizi said: 'I am not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. But you certainly are not a fish, so the case is complete that you don't know what fish enjoy.' Zhuangzi said: 'Let us go back to the beginning. You said, "How do you know what fish enjoy?" — which means you already knew that I knew it when you asked the question. I knew it from up here above the Hao.'