"If you are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish" means: You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish. It shows that you should not always look at others through your own eyes, and it also means "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you". A sentence from Huizi was recorded in Zhuangzi. "Autumn Water".

1. Original text

Zhuangzi and Huizi were swimming on Haoliang.

Zhuangzi said: "The minnow travels calmly, which is the happiness of fish."

Huizi said: "You are not a fish, how can you know the happiness of fish?"

Huizi said: "I am not a son, so I don't know the joy of fish; I am not a fish, so I don't know how to fish." "Happiness, it's all there." Zhuangzi said: "Please follow the principle. The master said, 'You know the joy of fish.' If you ask me since you know what I know, I know what it is." "

2. Translation

Zhuangzi and his friend Hui Shi were traveling and talking on a bridge in Haoshui.

Zhuangzi looked at the minnow jumping out of the water and said: "The minnow is leisurely and contented. This is the happiness of fish."

Huizi said: "You are not a fish, how do you know about fish? What about the happiness of fish?"

Zhuangzi said: "You are not me, how do you know that I don't know the happiness of fish?"

Huizi said: "I am not you, I don't know it in the first place? You; you are not a fish in the first place, and it is absolutely certain that you do not know the happiness of fish."

Zhuangzi said: "Please go back to the topic at the beginning. You said: 'How do you know about fish? "Happiness" and so on, you already know I know the happiness of a fish jumping out of the water and ask me, I know it on the Haoshui Bridge" (I stand higher than the fish)

Zhuangzi. Characteristics of Creation

Zhuang Zhou refused to be hired by King Wei of Chu because he advocated freedom. In his life, he only served as a lacquer garden official in the Song Dynasty. Known as the "Proud Official of Qiyuan" in history, he was hailed as a model for local officials. Zhuangzi was the first to propose the idea of ??"inner sages and outer kings" which had a profound influence on Confucianism. Zhuangzi had an insight into the principles of the Yi and profoundly pointed out that "the Yi deals with yin and yang"; Zhuangzi's "three sounds" thought is consistent with the three talents in the Yi Jing. His representative work is "Zhuangzi", among which famous articles include "Xiaoyaoyou", "Equality of Things" and so on. As famous as Lao Tzu, he is called Lao Zhuang.

Zhuangzi's imagination is extremely rich, his language can be used freely and flexibly, and he can explain some subtle and unspeakable philosophies in a fascinating way. His works are called "philosophy of literature, literature of philosophy". It is said that he lived in seclusion in Nanhua Mountain. Therefore, in the early days of Emperor Xuanzong's reign in the Tang Dynasty, he decreed that Zhuang Zhou be the real person of Nanhua, and his book "Zhuangzi" was called "Nanhua Zhenjing".