Expert answer:discuss the use of story narrative in these select
Expert answer:Read PDF sections from 2-5, using examples (from at least three sectionsm), discuss the use of story narrative in these selections from Zhuangzi.About 200 words
zhuangzi__trans._victor_mair___wandering_on_the_way____narrative_selections.pdf
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Hlai r
CAREFREE WANDERIN G
The Chuang Tzu begins with an examination of the relativity of big an d
little. The benefits that result from creative spontaneity are illustrated by severa l
of the most memorable tales in the book .
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In the darkness of the Northern Ocean, there is a fish name d
K’un. The K’un is so big that no one knows how many thou sands of tricents [three hundred paces] its body extends . After i t
metamorphoses into a bird, its name becomes P ‘eng. The P ‘eng
is so huge that no one knows how many thousands of tricents it s
back stretches . Rousing itself to flight, its wings are like cloud s
suspended in the sky. When the seas stir, the P’eng prepares for
its journey to the Southern Ocean, the Lake of Heaven .
In the words of The Drolleries of Ch’i, a record of marvels, “O n
its journey to the Southern Ocean, the P’eng beats the wate r
with its wings for three thousand tricents, then it rises up on a
whirlwind to a height of ninety thousand tricents and travels o n
the jet streams of late summer.”
There galloping gusts and motes of dust are blown about by
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the breath of living organisms . Is azure the true color of the sky ?
Or is the sky so distant that its farthest limits can never b e
reached? When the P’eng looks down at the sky from above, i t
must appear just the same as when we look up . . . .
A cicada and a dovelet laughed at the P’eng, saying, “Wing s
aflutter, we fly up until we land in an elm or a dalbergia tree .
Sometimes, when we don’t make it, we just fall back to the
ground and that ‘s that. What ‘s the use of flying up ninety
thousand tricents to go south? ”
If you ‘re going on an outing to the verdant suburbs you onl y
need to take along three meals and you’ll still come back with a
full stomach . If you ‘re traveling a hundred tricents, you need t o
husk enough grain for an overnight stay . But if you’re journeyin g
a thousand tricents, you’ ve got to set aside three months’ worth
of grain . What do these two creatures know ?
Small knowledge is no match for great knowledge, nor is a
short lifespan a match for a long one . How do we know this is
so? The mushroom that sprouts in the morning and dies b y
evening doesn’t know the difference between night and day. Th e
locust doesn’t know the difference between spring and autumn .
These are examples of short lifespans . In the southern part o f
the state of Ch ‘u, there is a tortoise called Dark Spirit for who m
spring and autumn each lasts five hundred years . In high antiquity, there was a large cedrela tree for which spring and autum n
each lasted eight thousand years . These are examples of lon g
lifespans . Nowadays Progenitor P ‘ eng is famous for his mor e
than seven hundred years of longevity . Isn’t it pathetic that
people try to emulate him ?
A question put by T’ang, the first emperor of the Shan g
dynasty, to his wise minister Chi is similar . T ‘ang asked, “Do up ,
down, and the four directions have a limit? ”
`Beyond their limitlessness there is another limitlessness ,
said Chi. ” In the barren north there is a dark sea, the Lake o f
Heaven. In the sea there is a fish named K’un that is severa l
thousand tricents in breadth, but no one knows its length . There
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is also a bird named P ‘ eng whose back is like Mount T’ai an d
whose wings are like clouds suspended in the sky. It rises upon a
twisting whirlwind to a height of ninety thousand tricents ,
pierces the clouds and then heads south on its journey t o
the distant Southern Ocean with the blue sky touching it s
back .
‘A marsh sparrow laughs at the P’eng, saying, ‘Where doe s
he think he’s going? I spring up into the air and come back dow n
after not much more than a few yards . Flitting about amidst th e
bushes and brambles, this is the ultimate in flying! So where doe s
he think he’s going? ‘
” This shows the difference between the great and the small .”
Thus there are those whose knowledge qualifies them for a
minor bureaucratic appointment, those whose conduct is suitable for overseeing a village, and those whose virtue befits the m
for rulership and who can win the confidence of an entir e
country. Their self-estimation is like that of the marsh sparrow ,
so Master Sung Jung smiled at them complacently.
Here was a man who would neither feel flattered if the whol e
world praised him nor frustrated if the whole world censured
him . Master Sung was able to be like this simply because h e
could tell the difference between what was intrinsic and what wa s
extrinsic, because he made a distinction between honor an d
disgrace . Although he was not embroiled in worldly affairs, stil l
there was something that he was unable to achieve .
Master Lieh could ride upon the wind wherever he pleased ,
drifting marvelously, and returning only after fifteen days . Al though he was not embroiled in the pursuit of blessings and thu s
was able to dispense with walking, still there was something tha t
he had to rely upon .
Supposing there were someone who could ride upon th e
truth of heaven and earth, who could chariot upon the transformations of the six vital breaths and thereby go wandering i n
infinity, what would he have to rely on ?
Therefore, it is said that the ultimate man has no self, the
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spiritual person has no accomplishment, and the sage has n o
name.
not eat any of the five grains, but inhales the wind and drinks th e
dew. He rides on the clouds, drives a flying dragon, and wander s
beyond the four seas . His spirit is concentrated, saving thing s
from corruption and bringing a bountiful harvest every year .’
Thinking this madness, I refused to believe what he said.”
“Indeed! ” said Lien Shu. “The blind cannot share in th e
display of pattern and ornament, the deaf cannot share in th e
sound of bells and drums . Not only are there physical blindnes s
and deafness, they also exist on an intellectual plane . It woul d
appear that Chieh Yii’s words were directed at you . The spiri t
man is of such integrity that he mingles with the myriad things
and becomes one with them . Worldly strife leads to chaos . Why
should he exhaust himself with the affairs of all under heaven ?
Nothing can harm the spirit man . He would not be drowned in a
flood that surges to heaven, nor would he be burned in a fierc e
drought that melts minerals and scorches the hills . One coul d
mold a Yao or a Shun from his dust and residue . Why should he
be willing to bother himself with such things? ”
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Yao wished to abdicate his rulership of all under heaven to Hs ŭ
Yu, saying, ” If one did not extinguish a candle when the sun an d
moon come out, wouldn’t it be hard to discern its light? If on e
continues to irrigate the fields when the seasonal rains fall ,
wouldn’ t it have little effect upon the amount of moisture i n
them? Once you are established on the throne, master, all unde r
heaven will be well ordered . Yet I am still the ruler and conside r
myself inadequate to the task . Allow me to hand over the empir e
to you.”
9 “You are governing all under heaven ;’ said Hsu Yu, “and the
empire is already well ordered . If I were to replace you, would I b e
doing it for the name? A name is but an attribute of reality .
Would I be doing it for the sake of attribution? The wren nest s
in the deep forest, occupying but a single branch . The mol e
drinks from the river, merely filling its little belly. Return, o h
lord, and forget this business . I have no need for all under heaven !
Even supposing that the cook were not attending to his kitchen ,
the impersonator of the dead would not leap over the pots an d
pans to take his place .”
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Chien Wu said to Lien Shu, “I have heard Chieh Yi speak . His
words are impressive but not to the point . Once he goes off on a
tangent, he never comes back . I was astounded by his words ,
which were limitless as the Milky Way . They were extravagant
and remote from human experience .”
“What did he say? ” asked Lien Shu .
” `Far away on Mount Kuyeh there dwells a spirit man whos e
skin is like congealed snow and who is gentle as a virgin . He does
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A man of Sung who traded in ceremonial caps traveled to th e
state of Viet . But the people of Viet cut off their hair an d
tattooed their bodies, so the caps were of no use . Yao brought
order to all the people under heaven and brought peace to all
within the four seas . He went to distant Mount Kuyeh to visi t
the Four Masters. Upon returning to his capital on the nort h
bank of the Fen River, he fell into a daze and forgot all about hi s
empire .
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Master Hui said to Master Chuang, “The King of Wei presente d
me with the seeds of a large gourd . I planted them and they grew
to bear a fruit that could hold five bushels . I filled the gourd with
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liquid but its walls were not strong enough for me to pick it up . I
split the gourd into ladles but their curvature was so slight the y
wouldn’t hold anything . Although the gourd was admittedly o f
huge capacity, I smashed it to bits because it was useless .”
“Sir;’ said Master Chuang, “it’s you who were obtuse abou t
utilizing its bigness . There was a man of Sung who was good a t
making an ointment for chapped hands . For generations, the
family occupation had been to wash silk floss . A stranger wh o
heard about the ointment offered him a hundred pieces of gol d
for the formula . The man of Sung gathered his clan together an d
said to them, ‘We have been washing silk floss for generation s
and have earned no more than a few pieces of gold . Now we’l l
make a hundred pieces of gold in one morning if we sell th e
technique. Please let me give it to the stranger : After the strange r
obtained the formula, he persuaded the King of Ngwa of it s
usefulness . Viet embarked on hostilities against Ngwa, so th e
King of Ngwa appointed the stranger to the command of hi s
fleet. That winter, he fought a naval battle with the forces of Vie t
and totally defeated them [because his sailors ‘ hands didn’t ge t
chapped] . The king set aside a portion of land and enfeoffe d
him there.
” The ability to prevent chapped hands was the same, but on e
person gained a fief with it while the other couldn ‘t even fre e
himself from washing floss . This is because the uses to which th e
ointment was put were different . Now you, sir, had a five-bushe l
gourd. Why didn’t you think of tying it on your waist as a bi g
buoy so that you could go floating on the lakes and rivers instea d
of worrying that it couldn’t hold anything because of its shallo w
curvature? This shows, sir, that you still have brambles fo r
brains!”
MastcrHui said to Master Chuang, “I have a big tree peopl e
call Stinky Quassia . Its great trunk is so gnarled and knotte d
that it cannot be measured with an inked line . Its small branches
are so twisted and turned that neither compass nor L-square ca n
be applied to them . It stands next to the road, but carpenters pay
no attention to it. Now, sir, your words are just like my tree —
big, useless, and heeded by no one .”
“Sir ;” said Master Chuang, ” are you the only one who hasn’t
observed a wild cat or a weasel? Crouching down, it lies in wait
for its prey . It leaps about east and west, avoiding neither high ,
nor low, until it gets caught in a snare or dies in’a net . Then there
is the yak, big as the clouds suspended in the sky . It’s big, al l
right, but it can’t catch mice . Now you, sir, have a big tree and ar e
bothered by its uselessness . Why don’t you plant it in Nevernever Land with its wide, open spaces? There you can roam i n
nonaction by its side and sleep carefreely beneath it . Your Stink y
Quassia’s life will not be cut short by axes, nor will anything els e
harm it. Being useless, how could it ever come to grief”
q-}
Z
ON THE EQUALIT Y
OF THING S
The Great Clod, a metaphor for the Earth and the Way, is introduced. A n
extended discussion of self and other, right and wrong, affirmation and denial,
ensues . Transcendent knowledge goes beyond all such dichotomies.
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Sir Motley of Southurb sat leaning against his low table . He
looked up to heaven and exhaled slowly. Disembodied, h e
seemed bereft of soul . Sir Wanderer of Countenance Complete ,
who stood in attendance before him, asked, “How can we explai n
this? Can the body really be made to become like withered wood ?
Can the mind really be made to become like dead ashes? The on e
who is leaning against the table now is not the one who wa s
formerly leaning against the table .”
” Indeed,” said Sir Motley, “your question is a good one, Yen .
Just now, I lost myself Can you understand this? You may have
heard the pipes of man, but not the pipes of earth . You may hav e
heard the pipes of earth, but not the pipes of heaven.”
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“I venture ;’ said Sir Wanderer, “to ask their secret .”
“The Great Clod,” said Sir Motley, ” emits a vital breath
called the wind. If it doesn’t blow, nothing happens . Once it
starts to blow, however, myriad hollows begin to howl . Have you
not heard its moaning? The clefts and crevasses of the towerin g
mountains, the hollows and cavities of huge trees a hundre d
spans around : they are like nostrils, like mouths, like ears, lik e
sockets, like cups, like mortars, or like the depressions that for m
puddles and pools . The wind blowing over them makes th e
sound of rushing water, whizzing arrows, shouting, breathing ,
calling, crying, laughing, gnashing . The wind in front sings aiee
and the wind that follows sings wouu . A light breeze evokes a
small response ; a powerful gale brings forth a mighty chorus .
When the blast dies down, then all the hollows are silent . Have
you not seen the leaves that quiver with tingling reverberations? ”
“The pipes of earth,” said Sir Wanderer, “are none other
than all of the hollows you have described . The pipes of man are
bamboo tubes arrayed in series . I venture to ask what the pipes o f
heaven are.”
` As for the pipes of heaven, ” said Sir Motley, “the myria d
sounds produced by the blowing of the wind are different, yet all
it does is elicit the natural propensities of the hollows them selves . What need is there for something else to stimulate them? ”
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Great knowledge is expansive ;
Small knowledge is cramped.
Great speech blazes brilliantly ;
Small speech is mere garrulousness .
When people sleep, their souls are confused ; when they awake ,
their bodies feel all out of joint .
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Their contacts turn into conflicts ,
Each day involves them in mental strife .
They become indecisive, dissembling, secretive .
Small fears disturb them ;
Great fears incapacitate them .
Some there are who express themselves as swiftly as the release of a
crossbow mechanism, which is to say that they arbitrate right an d
wrong. Others hold fast as though to a sworn covenant, which i s
to say they are waiting for victory. Some there are whose decline i s
like autumn or winter, which describes their dissolution day by
day. Others are so immersed in activity that they cannot b e
revitalized. Some become so weary that they are as though seale d
up in an envelope, which describes their senility . Their minds are
so near to death that they cannot be rejuvenated .
Pleasure and anger ; sorrow and joy; worry and regret ; vacillation and trepidation ; diffidence and abandon; openness an d
affectedness . These are all like musical sounds from empty tubes ,
like fungi produced from mere vapors . Day and night the y
alternate within us, but no one knows whence they arise .
Enough! Enough! The instant one grasps this, one understands
whence they arise!
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“If there were no `other,’ there would be no ‘Elf there were no ‘I,’
there would be nothing to apprehend the `other : ” This is near
the mark, but I do not know what causes it to be so . It seems as
though there is a True Ruler, but there is no particular evidenc e
for Her. We may have faith in Her ability to function, but
cannot see Her form. She has attributes but is without form .
The hundred bones, the nine orifices, and the six viscera are
all complete within my body. With which am I most closely
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identified? Do you favor all of them equally? Or are there thos e
to which you are partial? Assuming that you treat them equally ,
do you take them all to be your servants? If so, are your servant s
incapable of controlling each other? Or do they take turns bein g
lord and subject among themselves? If not, do they have a Tru e
Lord over them all? Whether or not we succeed in specifying Hi s
attributes has neither positive nor negative effect upon the trut h
of the Lord .
Once we have received our complete physical form, w e
remain conscious of it while we await extinction . In our strife
and friction with other things, we gallop forward on our cours e
unable to stop . Is this not sad? We toil our whole life without
seeing any results . We deplete ourselves with wearisome labor ,
but don’t know what it all adds up to. Isn’t this lamentable?
There are those who say that at least we are not dead, but what’s
the good of it? Our physical form decays and with it the min d
likewise . May we not say that this is the most lamentable of all ?
Is human life really so deluded as this? Am I the only one who i s
so deluded? Are there some individuals who are not deluded ?
is not valid, has anything actually been spoken? Or has speec h
never actually occurred? We may consider speech to be distinc t
from the chirps of hatchlings, but is there really any differenc e
between them?
How has the Way become so obscured that there are tru e
and false? How has speech become so obscured that there are
right and wrong? Could it be that the Way has gone off and is n o
longer present? Could it be that speech is present but has lost it s
ability to validate? The Way is obscured by partial achievements ;
speech is obscured by eloquent verbiage . Thus there are controversies between Confucians and Mohists over what’s right an d
what’s wrong. They invariably affirm what their opponents deny
and deny what their opponents affirm . If one wishes to affir m
what others deny and deny what others affirm, nothing is bette r
than lucidity.
Everything is “that ” in relation to other things and “this” i n
relation to itself. We may not be able to see things from th e
standpoint of “that,” but we can understand them from the
standpoint of “this .” Therefore, it may be said that “that” derive s
from “this” and that “this ” is dependent upon “that .” Such is th e
notion of the cogenesis of “this” and “that .” Nonetheless, fro m
the moment of birth death begins simultaneously, and from th e
moment of death birth begins simultaneously . Every affirmatio n
is a denial of something else, and every denial is an affirmation o f
something else . “This ” and “that” are mutually dependent; right
and wrong are also mutually dependent. For this reason, the sage
does not subscribe to [the view of absolute opposites] but see s
things in the light of nature, accepting “this ” for what it is .
“This” is also “that” ; “that” is also “this .” “This” implies a
concept of right and wrong ; “that” also implies a concept o f
right and wrong. But is there really a “this” and a “that “? Or is
there really no “this” and no “that”? Where “this ” and “that ”
cease to be opposites, there lies the pivot of the Way. Only whe n
the pivot is located in the center of the circle of things can w e
respond to their infinite transformations . The transformations
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If we follow our prejudices and take them as our guide, who wil l
not have such a guide? Why should only those who are intelligent make such mental choices for themselves? The foolish d o
the same thing. If one claims that right and wrong exist before
they are established in the mind, that is like saying one sets ou t
for Viet today but arrived there yesterday. To do so is to make
something out of nothing . Even Holy Yŭ couldn’t make something out of nothing . How could I alone do so ?
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Speech is not merely the blowing of air . Speech is intended to sa y
something …
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