Philosophically, Zhuangzi inherited and developed Laozi's thought, holding that "Tao" is an objective and real existence, and regarded "Tao" as the origin of all things in the universe. He said: "The truth of Tao is to cultivate one's morality. Thought thinks of the country and the country thinks of the world." It means that the essence of the avenue is used for self-cultivation, its surplus is used for governing the country, and its dross is used for educating the world.
He also said: "Heaven never shuts one door but he opens another, life never shuts one door, and fame never shuts one door. As the saying goes, friends are true." It means, don't destroy nature for man's sake, don't destroy life for the sake of sophistication, don't die of fame and fortune for greed, and stick to heaven without losing it. This is the return to nature.
He believes that "Tao" is infinite, "self-rooted" and "omnipresent", emphasizing the self-development of things and denying the domination of God. Put forward "one ear in the world", "people are angry and live, and people are scattered and die." His thought contains simple dialectical factors.
He believes that "Tao" is a "place of life" and has never been sealed (that is, "Tao" has no boundaries). He saw that everything was in a state of "motionless, motionless at times", but ignored the stability and differences of things, thinking that "the world is nothing more than late autumn, and Mount Tai is small; Mo Shou almost died, and so did Peng Zu. " .
He believes that there is only unconditional identity between heaven and man, between things and me, between life and death and even between everything, that is, absolute "unity"; He advocates the unity of things and me, the unity of right and wrong, the unity of life and death, and the unity of nobility and inferiority, and fantasizes about a subjective spiritual realm of "heaven and earth coexist with me, and everything and me are one", so as to live and work in peace and contentment, and the ultimate destination of learning Tao is just to eliminate all differences and enter "doing nothing" from "waiting". In the way of thinking, relativism was absolutized and turned to mysterious sophistry.
Zhuangzi believes that people living in the world must be broad-minded and calm, such as "swimming in the village, being in the middle, being in the middle;" However, those who lose will die "("Inner Chapter DeChongFu "), Yi," Those who are good at shooting will be destroyed in the world before those who are interested in attacking each other ",which easily refers to the gains and losses of interests." Therefore, those who avoid the harm of bows and arrows think they are clever and happy, and if they avoid it in time, they will hate its absurdity and be humiliated.
Regarding the cruelty of the monarch, Zhuangzi has repeatedly stressed, "When you return to Brunei, you are strong and independent; Use its country lightly, but not see its country; If the people are suicidal, the deceased and the country are like bananas, and the people are like nothing. " . So Zhuangzi doesn't want to be an official, because he thinks that a companion like a tiger can only be "smooth".
"You don't know who has a tiger! Dare not bring creatures, and be angry with them for killing them; Dare not take the whole thing as anger of its decision; When he is hungry, he will get angry. It is also appropriate for tigers to be different and flatter themselves; Therefore, the murderer is also rebellious. We must also prevent flattery from being photographed on horseback. " If a husband loves a horse, he will fill an arrow with a basket and drown it with a dragonfly. There are mosquitoes and servants, and from time to time, lack of titles destroys the first broken chest. "The difficulty of accompanying you can be seen. Zhuangzi believed that life should pursue freedom.
Extended data:
Zhuangzi was born about 369 BC. This is mainly investigated from two aspects: First, Records of the Historian recorded that Zhuangzi and Liang, and at the same time, and sent messengers to hire Zhuangzi at a large sum of money. The first year of Chu Weiwang (the first 339 years), that is, the 32nd and 3rd years of Liang.
Wang Wei died in the eleventh year (the first 329 years). "If Zhou can be hired by Chu, he must be thirty or forty years old." Then Zhuangzi was born no later than the first 369 to the first 359 years. Secondly, Zhuangzi was called history when he was in Wuhou, but was called king at the beginning, so Zhuangzi's birth year should be "in the world of Wuhou, at the latest in the early years", that is, 369 BC.
Zhuangzi served as an official of lacquer garden in Song Dynasty, and was a contemporary of Liang and Liang. He learned to acquire high wealth with Zhuangzi's talent, but Zhuangzi had no intention of being an official, and only became a small official in charge of the paint garden in a very short time. Zhuangzi was knowledgeable, traveled to many countries, and studied, analyzed and criticized various schools of thought at that time.
Chu Weiwang heard that he was very talented, so he sent an emissary with a generous gift and asked him to be the prime minister. Zhuangzi smiled and said to the envoy of Chu: "A thousand dollars is valuable; Qing Xiang's status is also respected. But didn't you see the sacrificed cow? Feed it for a few years, then cover it with bright patterns and take it to the ancestral temple as a sacrifice.
At this time, it wants to be a pig and avoid being slaughtered, but it can't do it. Go away and don't insult me. I would rather be happy in the mud pond like a turtle than be bound by a monarch. I will never be an official, let me be free and happy forever. "
Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhuangzi