Analysis of Selected Quotes of Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi was a great thinker, philosopher, and writer in my country’s Pre-Qin (Warring States) period. He was originally a descendant of the Duke of Chu State and King Zhuang of Chu. He later moved to Meng, State of Song Dynasty due to chaos. He is the main founder of Taoism. Below I have compiled Zhuangzi’s famous quotes for you. You are welcome to read and learn from them. I hope it can help everyone!

1. Great knowledge is idle, small knowledge is momentary; big words are eloquent, but small words are Zhanzhan. "Zhuangzi: Equality of Things" The wisest people always show an open-minded and generous attitude; people with little talent always like to worry about trivial rights and wrongs. Speeches that are in line with the Dao are as powerful as a prairie fire, both beautiful and grand, making people feel convinced after hearing them. Those clever remarks are trivial and full of nonsense.

2. My life has a limit, but my knowledge has no limit. If you are at the end of the world and follow the endless world, it is almost gone; if you have known it for a long time, it is almost gone. "Zhuangzi? Health Preservation Master" Human life is limited, but knowledge is infinite. If you want to use your limited life to pursue infinite knowledge, you will feel very tired; in this case, if you have to continue to pursue knowledge, you will become even more tired!

3. Qifu Shuizhi If the accumulation is not thick, it will not be able to carry a large boat. "Zhuangzi? Xiaoyaoyou" If the water is neither deep nor thick, then it will not have the strength to carry a large ship. From the relationship between a boat and water, we can at least get this inspiration: To pursue great studies and do great things, we must lay a solid and profound foundation.

4. Phase and nothingness are phase-and-ness, phase-being is in non-phase-being. "Zhuangzi." "The Great Master" makes friends with each other in non-friendship, and makes each other in doing nothing. To make friends, friendship should be achieved without intention, and mutual help should be achieved through inaction. This is the "irreconcilable friendship".

5. Although the cooks do not manage the cooks, the corpses will not pass over the bottles but will be replaced. "Zhuangzi? Xiaoyaoyou" Although the chef does not make sacrifices, the master of ceremonies who presides over the sacrifices will not go beyond the table of arranging the sacrifices and do it on the chef's behalf. This means that even if the chef fails to perform his duties, the corpse does not have to go beyond the scope of his authority to worship the gods and act on his behalf. It expresses Zhuangzi's idea of ??governing by doing nothing, and the idiom "Yue Zu Dai Pao" comes from this.

6. If you enter the space without thickness, there will be room for you to be at ease. "Zhuangzi: The Master of Health Preservation" uses no thick and narrow gaps, so it is still generous and has room for operation. It explains that things should be done in accordance with the laws of nature, and that there should be no limit to what is necessary. This is the core of Zhuangzi's theory of health preservation. At the same time, it explains the need to understand the laws of nature and act in accordance with the laws of nature. The two idioms "a cow with no eyesight" and "with ease" both come from here.

7. Use fire to fight fire and water to fight water. This is called more benefit. "Zhuangzi: The Human World" uses fire to put out fire and water to put out water. Not only does this fail to correct the problem, but it will increase (Wei Jun's) faults. Let’s use the words Confucius taught Yan Hui to illustrate a way of life. The idioms "fire to fight fire" and "water to fight water" come from this.

8. Nothing is other than that, and nothing is other than what it is; if you know yourself, you will not see it, but if you know yourself, you will know it. Therefore, it is said: He comes from this, and this is also caused by that. "Zhuangzi: Equality of Things" Everything in the world has an opposite side, and everything has an opposite side. What is not clear from the other side can be seen more clearly from this side. Therefore, the other comes from this, and this cannot be separated from the other. That is to say, there are two opposite sides of things, and no one can live without the other. It reveals the law of the unity of opposites in the development of things and denies metaphysics and absolute theory. It was 2,400 years before the German physicist Einstein created the theory of relativity. For more famous quotes from Mencius, please pay attention to related articles on the Xigutang Chinese Studies website.

9. Don’t you know your husband’s praying mantis? He is so angry that his arms are like ruts, and you don’t know he is incompetent. This is the beauty of his talent. "Zhuangzi: Human World" Don’t you know that mantis? Dance it. Those two sword-like arms tried to block the rolling wheels. It doesn't understand that its own strength is completely incompetent, but it self-righteously believes that its abilities are very powerful. The allusion to the idiom "a mantis with its arms like a chariot" comes from this, which is a metaphor for overestimating one's own capabilities.

10. Mountain trees are invaded by invaders, and burned by fire. Gui is edible, so cut it down; lacquer can be used, so cut it. Everyone knows the uses of useful things, but no one knows the uses of useless things. "Zhuangzi: The Human World" The trees growing on the mountains were cut down because of the needs of nature, the ointment was burned because it could illuminate, the osmanthus tree was cut down because it was edible, and the bark was cut off because it could be used as lacquer.

Everyone knows the uses of useful things, but not the uses of useless things. Being useful and doing something will be harmful, but being useless and doing nothing is a blessing. It elucidates the "use of futility" that is often overlooked and contains simple dialectics.

11. When the spring dries up, the fish and the fish are on the land. They wet each other with their gnawing, and wet each other with foam. It is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes. "Zhuangzi? Great Master" There has been a long drought without rain, and the river has dried up. Many fish were trapped on the beach in the river. They relied on each other closely, opening and closing their mouths to spit to moisten their bodies (in order to delay their lives and wait for the heavy rain to come). It would be better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes. It is a metaphor here that people should forget life and death and wander in the land of great roads. The idiom "to moisten each other with foam" (also known as "to moisten each other with foam") comes from this.

12. Don’t let things discourage your ambition. "Zhuangzi? Heaven and Earth" disturbs one's own mind due to external objects (in this way, virtue is gone). Playthings are boring.

13. I am confused by the easy prescription, but I am confused by the easy nature. "Zhuangzi? Parallel Thumb" Small confusion can make people go in the wrong direction, and big confusion can make people lose their true nature. It shows that pure human nature is the natural nature of human beings, while benevolence and righteousness are not only inconsistent with human nature, but also harmful to the world.

14. A filial son does not flatter his relatives, and a loyal minister does not flatter his king. This is the prosperity of ministers and sons. "Zhuangzi? Heaven and Earth" A filial son does not flatter his parents, and a virtuous and loyal minister does not flatter the monarch. This is the highest state of being a virtuous minister and a filial son. We lament that worldly flattery has become a common practice, lament that the world is so confused and hopeless, and call for true filial sons and virtuous ministers.

15. If there is no action, then there will be more than enough for the world; if there is action, there will be not enough for the world. "Zhuangzi? The Way of Heaven" If you do nothing, you will be able to take advantage of the world, and you will feel that you have more leisure; if you do something, you will be taken advantage of by the world, and you will feel urgent and inadequate. Use nothingness, nature, and inaction to explain the rule of inaction.

16. A bird becomes white without being bathed in the sun, and a bird becomes black without being exposed to the sun. "Zhuangzi? Tianyun" Swans do not bathe every day, but their feathers are white; crows do not bathe every day, but their feathers are black. All things come from nature and cannot be changed by force.

17. There is no greater sorrow for a husband than the death of his heart, and the death of a human being is also the second most grieving thing. The greatest sorrow in "Zhuangzi Tian Zifang" is that the heart is ashen and the spirit is destroyed, while the death of the human body is still secondary. People need to have some spirit.

18. The stinky rot turned into magic again, and the magic turned into stinky rot again. Therefore, it is said that "the whole world is connected with one breath." "Zhuangzi? Zhibeiyou"

People regard the things they like as magical things and the things they hate as stinky rot; however, stinky rot can be transformed into magical things. , magic can also change into stinking rot, so it is said that "the whole world is just a kind of qi." "Opposite things can transform into each other. The idiom "turn decay into magic" comes from this.

19. The beauty of heaven and earth cannot be explained, the laws of the four seasons are clear and reasonable, and everything has its own reason. Don't say. "Zhuangzi? Zhibeiyou"

The heaven and earth have great creation and merit without talking about them. The four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter have clear laws without discussing them. All things have their natural formation principles without explaining them. Everything must be done in accordance with the law of development of things.

20. The reason for the Tsuen is to be in the fish, and if you get the fish, you will forget the Tsuen; the reason why the hoof is in the rabbit, and if you get the rabbit, you will forget the hoof; "Zhuangzi? Foreign Objects"

The bamboo cage is used for fishing, but someone catches the fish but forgets the bamboo cage; the rabbit net is used for catching rabbits, but someone catches the rabbit but forgets it. Forget the rabbit net; language is used to express thoughts, but some people understand the thoughts but forget the language. Use fish and rabbits as metaphors, emphasizing that catching fish and rabbits is the purpose, and the crabs and hooves are just to achieve the goal. The method vividly illustrates the rationality of "forgetting to speak when you are proud". This is where the idiom "forgetting to catch fish" comes from.

21. Those who are content will not benefit themselves. Those who are self-satisfied will not be afraid of losing it; those who practice inner cultivation will not be discouraged. , people who pay attention to inner moral cultivation will not feel ashamed if they do not have an official position. This is how I know the luxuriance of pines and cypresses. "Zhuangzi? King Rang"

The cold season has arrived, and the frost and snow have fallen. At this time, the luxuriance of pines and cypresses can be seen even more. It means that a gentleman has noble moral character.

23. If you beat one foot, you will get half of it every day, and it will last forever. "Zhuangzi? The World"

If you cut off half of a foot-long whip every day, you will never be able to finish it. Matter is infinitely divisible.

24. If there is a machine, there must be an idea, and if there is an idea, there must be an intention. If the mind is in the chest, it will be pure and unprepared; if pure and unprepared, the spirit will be uncertain; if the spirit is uncertain, the Tao will not contain it. "Zhuangzi Heaven and Earth"

With machinery, ingenuity will arise; with ingenuity, ingenuity will arise; if ingenuity is placed in the heart, it will destroy the quality of pure white. Those who do not have the quality of pure whiteness will be unsettled, and those who are unsettled will be abandoned by the Tao. Utilitarianism is indeed a bad thing that harms people.

25. Forgetting things and forgetting heaven is called forgetting oneself and forgetting oneself. Those who forget themselves are said to have entered into the unity of heaven and man.

Chinese people forget themselves, have no self, and forget themselves. Westerners emphasize human subjectivity, personality, and self.

26. I wonder if Zhou’s dream is Hu Dieyu, or the butterfly’s dream is Zhou Yu? "Zhuangzi? On the Equality of Things"

I wonder if Zhuang Zhou turned into a butterfly in his dream, or a butterfly Did he transform into Zhuang Zhou in a dream? Zhuangzi showed his own experience and believed that dreams and awakening are no different. They are both materialized phenomena of Tao. Therefore, if we want to be consistent with the theory of things, we must first get rid of the idea of ????self and become one with all things.

27. It refers to being short of money, and the fire is spreading, and you don’t know how to use it up. "Zhuangzi? Master of Health Preservation"

The fat is burned out, but the fire is passed on endlessly. This sentence uses fuel as a metaphor for shape and fire as a metaphor for spirit. The passing of fire upon death means that although the body dies, the spirit remains forever. Later, the fire was used as a metaphor to pass down the knowledge from master to disciple.

28. Although the shank of a duck is short, it will be sad if it is continued; although the shank of a crane is long, it will be sad if it is broken. "Zhuangzi Parallel Thumb"

Although the wild duck's legs are short, if a section is added to it, it will suffer; although the crane's legs are long, if a section is amputated, it will be sad. It shows that forceful thinking will inevitably cause misfortune and pain. The idioms "Crane grows long and ducks are short" and "A broken crane continues a flock of ducks" both come from here. For more famous quotes from Mencius, please pay attention to related articles on the Xigutang Chinese Studies website.

29. The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water, while the friendship between villains is as sweet as wine. "Zhuangzi Mountain Trees"

The friendship between gentlemen is as thin as water, while the friendship between villains looks as sweet as wine. A true friend never talks about benefits.

30. If there is a gap between heaven and earth in life, it will happen suddenly. "Zhuangzi Knows His Journey to the North"

Life between heaven and earth is like seeing a white horse galloping through a gap, but it only lasts a moment. The idiom "The white horse passes through the gap" comes from this. Life is short, don't waste it.

31. The problem is getting worse in the supervision market, and it gets worse every time. "Zhuangzi Knows His Journey to the North"

A famous city official asked a butcher about the method of checking the fatness of a big pig. The butcher said that the more he stepped down, the more he would understand. The Tao is everywhere, and the more you look at it from humble places, the more you can see the true situation of the Tao. ?

32. Small knowledge is not as good as big knowledge, and small years are not as good as big ones. "Xiaoyaoyou"

Those with little knowledge do not understand those with much knowledge, those with short lives do not understand those with long lives.

33. The perfect person has no self, the god has no merit, and the saint has no name. "Xiaoyaoyou"

The perfect man has eliminated the opposition and distinction between things and me, and there is no more "I". Gods and men listen to nature and completely abandon the concept of "merit"; the sage understands the truth deeply and completely Abandon the shackles of fame. Great people are not burdened by ego, achievements, or fame.

34. Everyone knows the useful uses, but no one knows the useless ones. "Human World"

People all know the usefulness of usefulness, but they do not understand the greater use of uselessness.

35. What is Tao? There is the Tao of Heaven and the Tao of Man. Those who are respected by doing nothing are the way of heaven; those who are tired by doing something are the way of humanity. The master is the way of heaven; the minister is the way of humanity. The way of heaven and the way of humanity are far apart, so we must observe them. "In You"

What is Tao? There is the Tao of Heaven and the Tao of Man. What is noble by doing nothing is the way of heaven; what is tired by doing is the way of humanity. What is in the dominant position is the way of heaven; what is in the subordinate position is the way of humanity. There is a huge gap between the way of heaven and the way of humanity, which cannot be ignored.

36. Although the heaven and the earth are big, they are uniform; although all things are many, they are governed by one; although there are many people, they are the ruler. The king originates from virtue and emerges from heaven. Therefore, it is said that the kings of the Xuan Dynasty did not do anything in the world. They only had virtue from heaven. "Heaven and Earth"

Although the heaven and the earth are vast, their movements and changes according to their own nature are the same; although all things are numerous, their self-sufficiency is the same; although the people are numerous, their ruler is only the monarch. The monarch is based on virtue and succeeds by following the way of nature and doing nothing. Therefore, it is said that the ancient kings governed the world by doing nothing, and they just followed the natural way of heaven.

37. Therefore, it is said that a man is indifferent, lonely, nihilistic and inactive. This is the peace of the world and the quality of morality. "Deliberately"

Therefore, tranquility, loneliness, emptiness, and inaction are the origin of heaven and earth and the highest state of moral cultivation.

38. Those who are sad and happy are the faults of virtue; those who are happy and angry are the faults of the Tao; those who like and dislike are the faults of the heart. "Deliberately"

Sorrow and joy will lead to deviant morality; if one does not forget joy and anger, he will regard the Tao as his fault; if he falls into likes and dislikes, he will lose his morality.

39. Everyone values ??profit, honest people value reputation, wise people value ambition, and saints value essence. "Deliberately"

Most people value profit, honest people value reputation, wise men value ambition, and saints value spirit.

40. In the time of Yao and Shun, there were infinite people in the world, so it was not a matter of knowing what to gain; in the time of Jie and Zhou, there were no people in the world, so it was not a matter of knowing what to lose; the situation was appropriate. "Autumn Water"

In the era of Yao and Shun, there were no poor people in the world, not because they were wise; in the era of Jie and Zhou, there were no wise people in the world, not because they were not wise, everything was caused by luck. Yes.

41. After death, there is no king above and no ministers below; there are no events in the four seasons, so the heaven and earth are regarded as the spring and autumn. Even if the king is happy in the south, he cannot pass it. "Bliss"

A dead person has no king above, no ministers below, and no worries all year round. He can indulge freely and coexist with heaven and earth. Even if he is the king in the south, the joy of it cannot be exceeded. .

42. Now you show your knowledge in order to frighten the foolish, and cultivate your morality in order to expose the filthy. It is as clear as if you uncovered the sun and the moon and walked the people. "Dasheng"

Now you modify your own wisdom to awaken ignorance, cultivate yourself to show others' despicableness, and look bright and dazzling like walking while holding the sun and moon.

43. If a scholar is morally incompetent, he is tired; if he wears poor clothes and shoes, he is poor, but he is not tired. This is not the right time to suffer. "Mountain Wood"

If a person with lofty ideals cannot practice his morals, he is tired; if his clothes are tattered and his shoes are worn out, it is poverty, not fatigue. This is what is called not experiencing a good world.

44. Disciples remember that if one behaves virtuously and abandons the behavior of self-virtue, it will be easy to live without loving it!? "Mountain Wood"

Disciples remember that one should behave virtuously and be able to Get rid of the idea of ????self-righteousness, how can you not be loved!

45. The Tao cannot be achieved, and the virtue cannot be achieved. Benevolence can be done, righteousness can be compromised, and etiquette can be fake. "Zhibeiyou"

Tao cannot be obtained, virtue cannot be achieved. Benevolence can be done, righteousness can be despised, and etiquette can deceive each other.

46. The great beauty of heaven and earth is not mentioned, the laws of the four seasons are clear but not discussed, and the principles of all things are not explained. A saint understands the beauty of heaven and earth and understands the principles of all things.

The heaven and earth have the greatest virtues but do not explain them. The four seasons have clear laws but do not discuss them. All things have their origins but do not explain them. The sage studies the virtues of heaven and earth and understands the principles of the creation of all things.

47. The shape is like a haggard corpse, the heart is like death, but you really know it, and you don’t hold on to it. "Zhi Bei You"

The body is like withered bones, and the heart is like ashes. True and pure knowledge does not insist on old opinions.

48. I don’t know? People call me Zhu Yu. Zhihu? I am worried about my body. If you are not benevolent, you will harm others; if you are benevolent, you will be troubled by yourself. If you are unjust, you will hurt others; if you are righteous, you will hurt yourself. "Gengsang Chu"

Don't you know? People say I am stupid. You know? It's actually harmful to my body. If you fail to practice benevolence, you will harm others; if you practice benevolence, you will harm yourself; if you fail to practice righteousness, you will harm others; if you do righteousness, you will harm yourself.

49. The reason why Tsuen is in the fish, he gets the fish and forgets the Tsuen; the reason why the hoof is in the rabbit, he gets the rabbit and forgets the hoof; the speaker is so concerned about it, but he is proud and forgets to speak.

How can I talk to someone who has forgotten what I have to say! "Foreign Objects"

Bamboo cages are used for fishing, and the bamboo cages are forgotten when the fish are caught; rabbit nets are used for catching rabbits Yes, you will forget the rabbit net when you catch the rabbit; language is used to express ideology, and you will forget the language once you master the ideology. Where can I find someone who has forgotten the language to talk to him!

50. Those who are famous are the tools of competition; those who know the language are the tools of competition. The murder weapons of the two are not always the same. "The Human World"

Fame is the reason for mutual strife; wisdom is the means of mutual struggle. The two are murderous weapons and cannot be used in full force. ;