It comes from "Zhuangzi Autumn Waters" written by the thinker Zhuangzi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Excerpts from the original text are as follows:

Bei Hairuo said: "Looking at it from the Taoist perspective, things are neither noble nor cheap; looking at them from the perspective of things, one is noble but others are humble; looking at it from a vulgar perspective, one is not noble or cheap. . Looking at it from the perspective of difference, everything is big if it is big; if it is small, everything is small. If you know that the sky and the earth are like rice, and you know that the smallest part is a hill or a mountain, then there is a difference. See you.

The translation is as follows:

Poseidon replied: "From a natural perspective, there is no distinction between high and low in all things. From the perspective of all things themselves, each is noble and others are inferior. From a secular point of view, nobleness or disgrace does not lie in the things themselves. According to the differences between things, if you observe the large side of various objects, you will think that the objects are big, then there is nothing in all things that is not big.

If you observe the small side of various objects, you will think that the objects are small, then there is nothing in all things that is not small; know that although the world is big, compared with bigger things, they are like small grains of rice. , knowing that even though the end of a hair is as small as a tall hill compared to smaller things, the difference and quantity of all things can be clearly seen.

Extended information:

Appreciation of the work

This long dialogue can be divided into seven fragments according to the content of the questions and answers. "Is there more to you than water?" is the first fragment. It describes that the river god is small but thinks he is big, compared with the sea god who is big but thinks he is small, which illustrates the relative perspective of understanding things.

The second fragment is "How can we know that the universe of heaven and earth is as vast as possible?" It is extremely difficult to know for sure things and determine their size, which shows that cognition is often affected by the uncertainty of things themselves and the nature of things. Affected by the infinity of the whole.

The third fragment is "The End of Reconciliation", which closely follows the previous dialogue and further illustrates the difficulty of understanding things. Often, "words" cannot be "discussed" and "meaning" cannot be "observed". ". "The Little Big House" is the fourth fragment. Starting from the relativity of things, it further points out that neither high nor low is absolute, and therefore should not be discerned in the end.

Introduction to the work

Zhuangzi's articles are highly imaginative, varied in writing style, and have a strong romantic color. They adopt the form of fables, full of humor and irony, and have a profound influence on future generations. Literary language has a great influence. His extraordinary imagination and unpredictable fables constitute Zhuangzi's unique imaginative world, "unexpected, strange things come into being in his writing." (Liu Xizai's "Yi Gai·Wen Gai")

Zhuang Zhou wrote "Zhuangzi" (regarded as "South China Sutra" by Taoism), one of the Taoist classics. "Hanshu Yiwenzhi" records fifty-two chapters of "Zhuangzi", but only thirty-three chapters remain. "Zhuangzi" has very high research value in philosophy and literature.

Mr. Lu Xun once said: "His writings are as vast as the oceans, and his manners are infinite. The works of all the scholars in the late Zhou Dynasty are unparalleled." ("Outline of the History of Chinese Literature") Famous articles include "Xiaoyaoyou" ", "Zhuangzi·Outer Chapter·Autumn Waters", "Equality of Things", "The Master of Health Preservation", etc. The "Pao Ding Jie Niu" in "The Master of Health Preservation" is especially passed down to later generations.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Zhuangzi Qiushui