三劍之喻
The Parable of Three Swords
莊子曰："臣有三劍，唯王所用。請先言而後試。"王曰："願聞三劍。"曰："有天子劍，有諸侯劍，有庶人劍。"
Zhuangzi said: 'Your servant has three swords, for the king to use as he sees fit. Allow me to describe them first, then demonstrate.' The king said: 'I should like to hear about the three swords.' 'There is the Sword of the Son of Heaven, the Sword of the Feudal Lords, and the Sword of the Commoner.'
Notes
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Chapter 30 is unique in the Zhuangzi for its political engagement. Zhuangzi uses the metaphor of swords to persuade King Wen of Zhao to abandon his obsession with swordfighting and take up proper governance. The 'Sword of the Son of Heaven' uses the entire geography of China as its blade — a vision of statecraft on a cosmic scale.