Story: Zhuangzi was fishing in the vortex river, and the king of Chu sent two officials to ask him to become an official. Zhuangzi said calmly: "There is a magical turtle in the state of Chu. It has been killed for three thousand years. The king of Chu cherished it very much. I would like to ask you two, would this turtle prefer to have bones after death and be valuable, or would rather live in muddy water? What about sneaking and tailing?" The two doctors said, "Of course I want to walk in the mud with my tail alive." Zhuangzi said, "Both doctors, please come back! I also want to walk with my tail in the mud." /p>

From "Zhuangzi Fishing in the Pu River", from "Zhuangzi Autumn Waters", during the Warring States Period, author Zhuangzi

Original text: Zhuangzi fished in the Pu River, and the King of Chu sent the official The two of them went ahead and said, "I hope the territory will be exhausted!" Zhuangzi held the pole and ignored it, saying, "I heard that there is a magical turtle in Chu. It has been dead for three thousand years. The king hid it in a scarf. On top of the temple, would this turtle rather be alive and drag its tail in the middle? Zhuangzi said. : "Go! I will drag my tail in the paint."

Translation: Zhuangzi was fishing in Pu River. The king of Chu sent two officials to express his feelings and asked him to be an official. (They expressed their feelings to Zhuangzi. ) said: "I hope I can trouble you with the whole territory (government affairs)." Zhuangzi took the fishing rod without looking back at (them) and said: "I heard that there was (a) divine turtle in the state of Chu, and it was already dead when it died. It was three thousand years old. The king wrapped it in brocade and put it in a bamboo box and kept it in the hall of the ancestral temple.

Would this turtle rather die to leave its bones and show its dignity? Would you rather drag your tail in the mud?" The two doctors said, "I'd rather drag my tail in the mud." Zhuangzi said, "Go back! I'd rather drag my tail in the mud." (Alive).

Related content introduction:

Zhuangzi seems to be a cynical person. He lived during the Warring States Period, at the same time as King Hui of Liang and King Xuan of Qi, and was about the same age as Meng Ke. He was slightly younger and once worked as a clerk in Qiyuan. His life was very poor, but he did not accept the large sum of money hired by King Wei of Chu. Morally, he was actually a very honest, upright, and sharp person.

Zhuangzi advocates spiritual freedom and freedom, so in terms of body, he also tries to achieve a free and comfortable state that does not need to rely on external forces; Zhuangzi advocates that everything in the universe is equal. The nature of human beings is integrated into all things, thus ending and beginning with the universe; Zhuangzi advocates the maintenance of the master of life, that is, the human spirit, to obey the laws of nature and to be at peace with the times; Zhuangzi requires attention to the cultivation of inner virtue, With sufficient virtue, life naturally exudes the power of a self-sufficient spirit.

He refused to be a high-ranking official in Chu State. He would rather live like a turtle dragging its tail in the mud than to be a high-ranking official. He restrained himself with a generous salary and let the mundane government affairs exhaust him physically and mentally. It showed that he despised wealth and power, was not burdened by officialdom, insisted on the noble quality of living a free and unfettered life, and showed his pursuit of personal independence and spiritual freedom. .