It means: Human life is limited, but knowledge is infinite. Use limited life to pursue infinite knowledge.

From "Zhuangzi · Nei Pian · Health Preservation Master No. 3".

Original text: "My life also has a limit, and my knowledge has no limit. If there is a limit, it will be without limit, and it is already gone! Those who are already known are gone! There is no near name for good deeds, and there is no near punishment for evil deeds. , Yuandu believes that this sutra can protect one's life, support one's entire life, support one's relatives, and extend one's life."

Translation: Human life is limited, but knowledge is infinite, so pursue it with a limited life. Infinite knowledge is bound to fail. Even if you already know this fact, you still have to do it. Failure is certain. Do good deeds without pursuing fame and fortune, do bad deeds without violating the criminal law, and regard doing things according to the laws of nature as the law of doing things. You can protect your life, preserve your nature, nourish your spirit, and enjoy your family.

Extended information:

Introduction to "Zhuangzi·Inner Chapter·The Third Master of Health Preservation":

This is an article about health preservation. "Health master" refers to the basic elements of health care.

Zhuangzi believes that the way to maintain health is to adapt to nature and forget feelings, rather than being lagging behind from the outside world. The full text is divided into three parts. The first part is "You can complete your life", which is the outline of the entire article. It points out that the most important thing in maintaining good health is to realize "Yuan Du believes the sutra", that is, adhering to the virtual way of things, Follow the changes and developments of nature.

The second part is about "how to maintain health", using the cook to decompose the body of a cow as a metaphor for human health maintenance, indicating that life and dealing with things should be "because it is natural" and "according to the laws of nature", and Only by adopting "there is a gap" in the middle and virtual can we "be at ease" and avoid the entanglement of right and wrong and contradictions.

What remains is the third part, which further explains the sage's stagnation in things, the grace of his heart, the harmony with nature, the smoothness of peace, and the poverty of others. ,?Full of nature,?An attitude towards life. This is what Wen Huijun basically understands.

However, Zhuangzi wanted to express more than this. The center of Zhuangzi's thought is: first, there is no freedom, and second, it is against human nature. Although the lines of this article are about health preservation, they actually reflect the author's philosophical thoughts and the purpose of life.

Baidu Encyclopedia-My life also has a limit