The Mountain Tree
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
庄子行于山中,见大木,枝叶盛茂。伐木者止其旁而不取也。问其故,曰:“无所可用。”
English translation
Zhuangzi was walking in the mountains and saw a great tree, whose branches and leaves were thick and flourishing. Woodcutters stopped beside it but did not take it. He asked the reason, and they said, "There is nothing about it that can be used."
Original Chinese text
庄子曰:“此木以不材得终其天年。”
English translation
Zhuangzi said, "This tree, by being useless as timber, is able to live out its natural lifespan."
Original Chinese text
夫子出于山,舍于故人之家。故人喜,命竖子杀雁而烹之。竖子请曰:“其一能鸣,其一不能鸣,请奚杀?”
English translation
The Master came out from the mountains and lodged at an old friend's house. The old friend was delighted and ordered a young servant to kill a wild goose and cook it. The young servant asked for instructions, saying, "One of them can call, and the other cannot; which one shall I kill?"
Original Chinese text
主人曰:“杀不能鸣者。”
English translation
The host said, "Kill the one that cannot call."
Original Chinese text
明日,弟子问于庄子曰:“昨日山中之木,以不材得终其天年;今主人之雁,以不材死。先生将何处?”
English translation
The next day, a disciple asked Zhuangzi, "Yesterday the tree in the mountains, by being useless as timber, was able to live out its natural lifespan; today the host's wild goose, by being useless, dies. Where will you place yourself, Master?"
Original Chinese text
庄子笑曰:“周将处乎材与不材之间。材与不材之间,似之而非也,故未免乎累。若夫乘道德而浮游则不然,无誉无訾,一龙一蛇,与时俱化,而无肯专为。一上一下,以和为量,浮游乎万物之祖。
English translation
Zhuangzi laughed and said: 'I, Zhou, will place myself between being useful and being useless. Between useful and useless seems so, yet is not; therefore one cannot avoid entanglement. But if one rides on the Way and its virtue and wanders freely, it is not so: without praise and without blame, now a dragon, now a snake, changing with the times, and unwilling to be fixed in any one course. Now up, now down, taking harmony as the measure, wandering in the source of all things.'
Original Chinese text
物物而不物于物,则胡可得而累邪!此神农、黄帝之法则也。若夫万物之情,人伦之传则不然:合则离,成则毁,廉则挫,尊则议,有为则亏,贤则谋,不肖则欺。胡可得而必乎哉!悲夫,弟子志之,其唯道德之乡乎!”
English translation
To work with things without being controlled by them—how could one be entangled! This is the rule of Shennong and the Yellow Emperor. As for the true nature of the myriad things and the transmission of human relations, it is not so: joined, then separated; completed, then destroyed; upright, then thwarted; honored, then criticized; active, then diminished; worthy, then plotted against; the unworthy, then bullied. How can anything be made certain! How sad! Disciples, remember this: perhaps it is only the homeland of the Way and its virtue!
Original Chinese text
市南宜僚见鲁侯,鲁侯有忧色。市南子曰:“君有忧色,何也?”
English translation
Shinan Yiliao had an audience with the Marquis of Lu, who wore a worried expression. Master Shinan said: 'You, my lord, wear a worried expression—why?'
Original Chinese text
鲁侯曰:“吾学先王之道,修先君之业;吾敬鬼尊贤,亲而行之,无须臾离居。然不免于患,吾是以忧。”
English translation
The Marquis of Lu said: 'I study the way of the former kings and cultivate the legacy of the former rulers; I revere ghosts and honor the worthy, and I personally practice these things without departing from them for a moment. Yet I cannot avoid trouble; this is why I am worried.'
Original Chinese text
市南子曰:“君之除患之术浅矣!夫丰狐文豹,栖于山林,伏于岩穴,静也;夜行昼居,戒也;虽饥渴隐约,犹且胥疏于江湖之上而求食焉,定也。然且不免于罔罗机辟之患,是何罪之有哉?其皮为之灾也。
English translation
Master Shinan said: 'Your method of removing trouble is shallow! The great foxes and patterned leopards dwell in the mountains and forests and hide in rocky caves—this is their stillness. They travel by night and rest by day—this is their caution. Though hungry and thirsty, they still keep their distance amid the rivers and lakes while seeking food—this is their settled way. Yet they cannot avoid the trouble of nets, snares, and traps. What crime do they have? It is their skins that bring disaster on them.'
Original Chinese text
今鲁国独非君之皮邪?吾愿君刳形去皮,洒心去欲,而游于无人之野。南越有邑焉,名为建德之国。其民愚而朴,少私而寡欲;知作而不知藏,与而不求其报;不知义之所适,不知礼之所将。
English translation
Now, is the state of Lu not just your outer skin? I wish that you would hollow out your form and strip away the skin, wash your heart and remove desires, and wander in the wild where no one is. In southern Yue there is a settlement named the Country of Established Virtue. Its people are foolish and plain, with few private interests and scant desires; they know how to work but not how to store things away; they give and do not seek repayment; they do not know where rightness is headed, nor where ritual propriety is leading.
Original Chinese text
猖狂妄行,乃蹈乎大方。其生可乐,其死可葬。吾愿君去国捐俗,与道相辅而行。”
English translation
They act with unrestrained abandon and move as they please; thus they tread the Great Way. In life they can be joyful; in death they can be buried. I wish you, my lord, to leave the state and cast off custom, and to walk together with the Way in mutual support.
Original Chinese text
君曰:“彼其道远而险,又有江山,我无舟车,奈何?”
English translation
The lord said: 'That road is distant and perilous, and there are rivers and mountains besides. I have neither boat nor carriage—what am I to do?'
Original Chinese text
市南子曰:“君无形倨,无留居,以为君车。”
English translation
Shinanzi said: 'Let there be no arrogance in your bodily form, and do not remain fixed in one place; make these your carriage.'
Original Chinese text
君曰:“彼其道幽远而无人,吾谁与为邻?吾无粮,我无食,安得而至焉?”
English translation
The lord said: 'That road is deep and remote, with no people. With whom shall I be neighbors? I have no grain and no food—how could I reach there?'
Original Chinese text
市南子曰:“少君之费,寡君之欲,虽无粮而乃足。君其涉于江而浮于海,望之而不见其崖,愈往而不知其所穷。送君者皆自崖而反。君自此远矣!故有人者累,见有于人者忧。故尧非有人,非见有于人也。
English translation
Master Shinan said: 'Lessen your expenditures and diminish your desires; though there be no grain, you will still be sufficient. You should cross the River and float out upon the sea. Gazing toward it, one does not see its shore; the farther you go, the less you know its limit. Those who see you off will all turn back from the shore. From this point you will be far away! Therefore, one who owns others is burdened; one who is owned by others is anxious. Thus Yao did not own others, nor was he owned by others.'
Original Chinese text
吾愿去君之累,除君之忧,而独与道游于大莫之国。方舟而济于河,有虚舩来触舟,虽有惼心之人不怒。有一人在其上,则呼张歙之。一呼而不闻,再呼而不闻,于是三呼邪,则必以恶声随之。
English translation
I wish to remove your burdens and dispel your worries, and to wander alone with the Dao in the country of Great Nothing. When one is crossing a river in two boats joined side by side, and an empty boat comes and strikes the boat, even a narrow-minded person will not become angry. But if there is someone on that boat, one calls out to him to steer clear. If the first call is not heard, and the second call is not heard, then on the third call one is sure to follow with angry words.
Original Chinese text
向也不怒而今也怒,向也虚而今也实。人能虚己以游世,其孰能害之!”
English translation
Earlier you were not angry, but now you are angry: earlier it was empty, now it is full. If a person can make himself empty and wander through the world, who can harm him?
Original Chinese text
北宫奢为卫灵公赋敛以为钟,为坛乎郭门之外。三月而成上下之县。王子庆忌见而问焉,曰:“子何术之设?”
English translation
Beigong She, for Duke Ling of Wei, collected taxes to cast bells, and built an altar outside the outer city gate. In three months he completed the upper and lower suspension/arrangement of the bells. Prince Qingji saw him and asked, 'What method have you employed?'
Original Chinese text
奢曰:“一之间无敢设也。奢闻之:‘既雕既琢,复归于朴。’
English translation
Beigong She said: 'Within the One, I did not dare to set up anything. I have heard it said: "Having carved and having polished, one returns to uncarved simplicity."'
Original Chinese text
侗乎其无识,傥乎其怠疑。萃乎芒乎,其送往而迎来。来者勿禁,往者勿止。从其强梁,随其曲傅,因其自穷。故朝夕赋敛而毫毛不挫,而况有大途者乎!”
English translation
I was simple and unknowing, as if without knowledge; I was vague and drifting, as if slack and uncertain. In the gathering blur, I merely sent off what departed and welcomed what arrived. Those who came I did not forbid; those who went I did not stop. I followed the strong and overbearing, went along with the bent and dependent, and let each exhaust itself. Thus, though I collected levies morning and evening, not a hair was harmed—how much more so for one who possesses the Great Way!
Original Chinese text
孔子围于陈蔡之间,七日不火食。大公任往吊之,曰:“子几死乎?”
English translation
Confucius was surrounded between Chen and Cai and for seven days had no cooked food. Dagong Ren went to console him and said, “Master, were you not close to death?”
Original Chinese text
曰:“然。”
English translation
Confucius said, “Yes.”
Original Chinese text
“子恶死乎?”
English translation
Dagong Ren said, “Do you detest death?”
Original Chinese text
曰:“然。”
English translation
Confucius said, “Yes.”
Original Chinese text
任曰:“予尝言不死之道。东海有鸟焉,其名曰意怠。其为鸟也,翂翂翐翐,而似无能;引援而飞,迫胁而栖;进不敢为前,退不敢为后;食不敢先尝,必取其绪。是故其行列不斥,而外人卒不得害,是以免于患。
English translation
Ren said, 'I once spoke of the way of not dying. In the Eastern Sea there is a bird named Yidai. As a bird, it flutters weakly and seems incapable; it flies only when drawn along, and perches only when pressed close; advancing, it dares not go in front; retreating, it dares not lag behind; eating, it dares not taste first, but must take the leftovers. For this reason it is not rejected in its ranks, and outsiders in the end cannot harm it; thus it escapes misfortune.'
Original Chinese text
直木先伐,甘井先竭。子其意者饰知以惊愚,修身以明汙,昭昭乎如揭日月而行,故不免也。昔吾闻之大成之人曰:‘自伐者无功,功成者堕,名成者亏。’
English translation
“Straight trees are felled first; sweet wells are drained first. You perhaps think: ‘I embellish knowledge to startle the foolish; I cultivate myself to make defilement manifest; I shine brightly as if carrying the sun and moon as I walk.’ Therefore you cannot escape. Long ago I heard the man of great completion say: ‘Those who praise themselves have no merit; those who complete merit fall; those who complete fame are diminished.’”
Original Chinese text
孰能去功与名而还与众人!道流而不明居,得行而不名处;纯纯常常,乃比于狂;削迹捐势,不为功名。是故无责于人,人亦无责焉。至人不闻,子何喜哉!”
English translation
'Who can discard merit and fame and return to be with the common crowd? The Way flows but does not dwell in the bright; virtue is put into practice but claims no name. Pure and ordinary, one is compared to a madman; erasing traces, discarding power, not acting for merit or fame. Therefore he finds no fault with others, and others find no fault with him. The Perfect Man is not known—why are you delighted?'
Original Chinese text
孔子曰:“善哉!”
English translation
Confucius said, 'Excellent!'
Original Chinese text
辞其交游,去其弟子,逃于大泽,衣裘褐,食杼栗,入兽不乱群,入鸟不乱行。鸟兽不恶,而况人乎!
English translation
He took leave of his associates, left his disciples, fled to the great marshes, wore furs and coarse cloth, ate acorns and chestnuts; entering among beasts, he did not disturb the herd; entering among birds, he did not disturb the flock. Birds and beasts did not loathe him—how much less would people!
Original Chinese text
孔子问子桑雽曰:“吾再逐于鲁,伐树于宋,削迹于卫,穷于商周,围于陈蔡之间。吾犯此数患,亲交益疏,徒友益散,何与?”
English translation
Confucius asked Zisang Hu, saying: “I was expelled from Lu twice, suffered the felling of a tree in Song, had my traces erased in Wei, was reduced to hardship in Shang and Zhou, and was besieged between Chen and Cai. Having encountered these several calamities, my kin and close associates have grown more distant and my disciples and friends more scattered. Why is this?”
Original Chinese text
子桑雽曰:“子独不闻假人之亡与?林回弃千金之璧,负赤子而趋。或曰:‘为其布与?赤子之布寡矣;为其累与?赤子之累多矣。弃千金之璧,负赤子而趋,何也?’
English translation
Zisang Hu said: “Have you not heard of the flight of the people of Jia? Lin Hui abandoned a jade disk worth a thousand pieces of gold and, carrying an infant on his back, fled. Someone said: ‘Was it for gain? The infant brings little material gain. Was it for the burden? The infant’s burden is great. To abandon a jade disk worth a thousand pieces of gold and carry an infant on his back as he flees—why is this?’”
Original Chinese text
林回曰:‘彼以利合,此以天属也。’
English translation
Lin Hui said: “That one is joined by profit; this one is bound by natural kinship.”
Original Chinese text
夫以利合者,迫穷祸患害相弃也;以天属者,迫穷祸患害相收也。夫相收之与相弃亦远矣,且君子之交淡若水,小人之交甘若醴。君子淡以亲,小人甘以绝,彼无故以合者,则无故以离。”
English translation
Those joined by profit, when pressed by poverty, misfortune, trouble, and harm, abandon one another. Those joined by natural ties, when pressed by poverty, misfortune, trouble, and harm, take one another in. The distance between taking in and abandoning is great indeed. Moreover, the friendship of the noble person is bland as water; the friendship of the petty person is sweet as sweet wine. The noble person is bland yet intimate; the petty person is sweet yet severed. Those who join without cause will separate without cause.”
Original Chinese text
孔子曰:“敬闻命矣!”
English translation
Confucius said: “I respectfully receive your instruction.”
Original Chinese text
徐行翔佯而归,绝学捐书,弟子无挹于前,其爱益加进。异日,桑雽又曰:“舜之将死,真泠禹曰:‘汝戒之哉!形莫若缘,情莫若率。’
English translation
He walked back slowly and leisurely, cut off learning and threw away books; his disciples no longer bowed before him, yet their affection for him increased all the more. Another day, Sang Hu said again: “When Shun was about to die, he admonished Yu in earnest, saying: ‘Be on your guard! For the body, nothing is better than following along; for the feelings, nothing is better than following one’s true nature.’”
Original Chinese text
缘则不离,率则不劳。不离不劳,则不求文以待形。不求文以待形,固不待物。”
English translation
Follow along, and one does not become separated; follow one’s true nature, and one is not toiled. Not separated and not toiled, one does not seek adornment to serve the body. Not seeking adornment to serve the body, one naturally does not depend on things.”
Original Chinese text
庄子衣大布而补之,正緳系履而过魏王。魏王曰:“何先生之惫邪?”
English translation
Zhuangzi wore a robe of coarse cloth that had been patched; he straightened his belt and tied his shoes, and passed by the King of Wei. The King of Wei said: “Why is the Master so worn out?”
Original Chinese text
庄子曰:“贫也,非惫也。士有道德不能行,惫也;衣弊履穿,贫也,非惫也,此所谓非遭时也。王独不见夫腾猿乎?其得楠梓豫章也,揽蔓其枝而王长其间,虽羿、逢蒙不能眄睨也。
English translation
Zhuangzi said: “It is poverty, not exhaustion. When a scholar possesses the Way and its virtue but cannot put them into practice, that is exhaustion; worn clothes and shoes with holes are poverty, not exhaustion—this is what is called not meeting the right time. Has the King not seen the leaping monkey? When it finds itself among nan, zi, and yuzhang trees, it grasps the vines and branches and lords it over them as king and elder; even Yi and Fengmeng could not look at it askance.
Original Chinese text
及其得柘棘枳枸之间也,危行侧视,振动悼栗,此筋骨非有加急而不柔也,处势不便,未足以逞其能也。今处昏上乱相之间而欲无惫,奚可得邪?此比干之见剖心征也夫!”
English translation
When it reaches the midst of zhe, ji, zhi, and gou thickets, it walks warily and looks sideways, trembling and shuddering. This is not because its sinews and bones have become more tense and no longer supple, but because its situation is disadvantageous, not enough for it to display its ability. Now to dwell between a benighted ruler and chaotic ministers and wish not to be exhausted—how could that be possible? This is the proof of Bi Gan’s having his heart cut out!”
Original Chinese text
孔子穷于陈蔡之间,七日不火食。左据槁木,右击槁枝,而歌猋氏之风,有其具而无其数,有其声而无宫角。木声与人声,犁然有当于人之心。颜回端拱还目而窥之。
English translation
Confucius was stranded between Chen and Cai and for seven days had no fire-cooked food. With his left hand resting on a withered tree and his right striking a withered branch, he sang the air of the Biao clan: there was the instrument but no fixed measure; there was sound but no gong or jue notes. The sound of the wood and the sound of the man were distinct and fittingly attuned to the human heart. Yan Hui held his hands clasped respectfully and turned his eyes to look at him.
Original Chinese text
仲尼恐其广己而造大也,爱己而造哀也,曰:“回,无受天损易,无受人益难。无始而非卒也,人与天一也。夫今之歌者其谁乎!”
English translation
Zhongni feared that he might enlarge himself into grandiosity and love himself into grief. He said, “Hui, not to receive Heaven’s harm is easy; not to receive man’s benefit is hard. There is no beginning that is not also an end; man and Heaven are one. Who is it, then, that sings now?”
Original Chinese text
回曰:“敢问无受天损易。”
English translation
Yan Hui said, “May I ask what is meant by ‘it is easy not to suffer harm from Heaven’?”
Original Chinese text
仲尼曰:“饥渴寒暑,穷桎不行,天地之行也,运物之泄也,言与之偕逝之谓也。为人臣者,不敢去之。执臣之道犹若是,而况乎所以待天乎?”
English translation
Zhongni said, “Hunger and thirst, cold and heat, being distressed and constrained so that one cannot proceed—these are the courses of Heaven and Earth, the flow of things in motion. This is what is meant by saying, ‘pass away together with them.’ As a subject, one dares not depart from them. If holding to the way of a subject is already like this, how much more so the way of facing Heaven!”
Original Chinese text
“何谓无受人益难?”
English translation
“What does ‘not to receive man’s benefit is hard’ mean?”
Original Chinese text
仲尼曰:“始用四达,爵禄并至而不穷。物之所利,乃非己也,吾命有在外者也。君子不为盗,贤人不为窃,吾若取之何哉?故曰:鸟莫知于鷾鸸,目之所不宜处不给视,虽落其实,弃之而走。其畏人也而袭诸人间。
English translation
Zhongni said: “At first being employed, one reaches everywhere; rank and emolument both arrive and do not run out. The benefit that comes from things is not the self; my mandate has what lies outside me. The gentleman does not act as a robber, the worthy does not steal—if I were to take it, what would that be? Hence it is said: No bird is wiser than the yier swallow; where its eyes deem it unfit to stay, it does not give a glance; even if it drops a fruit, it abandons it and flies away. It fears humans, yet it enters among human dwellings.
Original Chinese text
社稷存焉尔!”
English translation
The altars of soil and grain remain there—that is all!
Original Chinese text
“何谓无始而非卒?”
English translation
“What is meant by ‘there is no beginning that is not also an end’?”
Original Chinese text
仲尼曰:“化其万物而不知其禅之者,焉知其所终?焉知其所始?正而待之而已耳。”
English translation
Zhongni said, “The myriad things are transformed and succeed one another, yet how this succession occurs remains unknown. How could one know where it ends or begins? Remain upright and await the changes—that is all.”
Original Chinese text
“何谓人与天一邪?”
English translation
“What is meant by ‘humans and Heaven are one’?”
Original Chinese text
仲尼曰:“有人,天也;有天,亦天也。人之不能有天,性也。圣人晏然体逝而终矣!”
English translation
Zhongni said, “There is the human, and this is Heaven; there is Heaven, and that too is Heaven. Human beings cannot take possession of Heaven: such is their nature. The sage calmly lets the body pass away with change and comes to an end.”
Original Chinese text
庄周游于雕陵之樊,睹一异鹊自南方来者。翼广七尺,目大运寸,感周之颡,而集于栗林。庄周曰:“此何鸟哉!翼殷不逝,目大不睹。”
English translation
Zhuang Zhou was wandering in the enclosure at Diaoling when he saw a strange magpie coming from the south. Its wings spanned seven chi, and its eyes were large, measuring an inch from top to bottom. It brushed against Zhuang Zhou’s forehead and settled in the chestnut grove. Zhuang Zhou said, 'What bird is this! Its wings are large, yet it does not fly away; its eyes are large, yet it does not see.'
Original Chinese text
蹇裳躩步,执弹而留之。睹一蝉方得美荫而忘其身。螳螂执翳而搏之,见得而忘其形。异鹊从而利之,见利而忘其真。庄周怵然曰:“噫!物固相累,二类相召也。”
English translation
Lifting his robe, he strode quickly, holding his slingshot and waiting for it. He saw a cicada that had just gained fine shade and forgotten its own body. A mantis, taking cover, pounced on it, and seeing the gain before it forgot its own form. The strange magpie followed and profited from it, and seeing profit forgot its true nature. Zhuang Zhou, startled, said, 'Ah! Things indeed entangle one another; the two kinds summon one another.'
Original Chinese text
捐弹而反走,虞人逐而谇之。庄周反入,三月不庭。蔺且从而问之,“夫子何为顷间甚不庭乎?”
English translation
He dropped his slingshot and turned and left; the keeper of the chestnut grove chased him and berated him. Zhuang Zhou went back and for three months did not go out. Lin Qie followed and asked him, 'Master, why have you remained indoors lately?'
Original Chinese text
庄周曰:“吾守形而忘身,观于浊水而迷于清渊。且吾闻诸夫子曰:‘入其俗,从其令。’
English translation
Zhuang Zhou said: 'I kept to the outward form and forgot my own person; I looked at muddy water and became lost in the clear depths. Moreover, I heard my teacher say: "When entering their customs, follow their commands."'
Original Chinese text
今吾游于雕陵而忘吾身,异鹊感吾颡,游于栗林而忘真。栗林虞人以吾为戮,吾所以不庭也。”
English translation
Today I roamed in Diaoling and forgot myself; a strange magpie touched my forehead, and I wandered in the chestnut grove and forgot my true nature. The keeper of the chestnut grove regarded me as a disgrace; that is why I did not go out.
Original Chinese text
阳子之宋,宿于逆旅。逆旅人有妾二人,其一人美,其一人恶。恶者贵而美者贱。阳子问其故,逆旅小子对曰:“其美者自美,吾不知其美也;其恶者自恶,吾不知其恶也。”
English translation
Yangzi went to Song and lodged at an inn. The innkeeper had two concubines: one was beautiful and one was ugly. The ugly one was honored and the beautiful one was lowly. Yangzi asked the reason. The young man of the inn replied, “The beautiful one considers herself beautiful, but I do not know her as beautiful; the ugly one considers herself ugly, but I do not know her as ugly.”
Original Chinese text
阳子曰:“弟子记之:行贤而去自贤之行,安往而不爱哉!”
English translation
Yangzi said, “Disciples, remember this: if you practice worthiness but remove the conduct of considering yourself worthy, where could you go and not be loved?”