Zhuangzi

The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits, and when the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas, and when the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so that I can have a word with him?

Once I, Zhuang Zhou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuang Zhou. Soon I awoke, and there I was, veritably Zhuang Zhou. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of things.

You are not a fish; how do you know what makes a fish happy?

The Way is made by walking.

He who knows what is in nature and what is in man will not be entangled by what is in nature; he will not be entangled by what is in man. He will not be entangled by what is in nature and what is in man, so he will be able to roam freely in the world.

The sage has no fixed principles; he takes the world as his mirror.

Forget the years, forget distinctions. Leap into the boundless and make it your home!

Joy, anger, sorrow, delight, forethought, regret, inconstancy, compliance, pride, greed, indulgence, willfulness, flattery, insolence — these are like the musical chords from an empty hollow, or mushrooms in damp places. They keep alternating and changing, day and night, but no one knows what they spring from. Let it be! Let it be! How can we find the source of their beginning?

Life is the companion of death, and death is the beginning of life. Who knows their cycles? Life's transformation to death, and death's transformation to life are like the changing of the seasons.

To forget the whole world is to be a true wanderer. To forget the whole world is to find the Way.

The torch of doubt is lit at the moment of our birth and is not extinguished until the moment of our death.

If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat collides with his own skiff, even though he be a bad-tempered man, he will not get angry. But if there is someone in the other boat, he will shout at him to steer clear. If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin to curse. And all because there is someone in the other boat. Yet if the boat was empty, he would not be angry. You can apply this to the world. If you can empty your own boat, you will be able to cross the rivers of the world, and no one will oppose you.

The greatest joy is to be without joy.

When the mind is not agitated, it is in its natural state. When it is agitated, it is like a trapped bird.

If a man has no way to control his desires, he is like a fish in a dry rut, waiting for the north wind to blow the water into it.

The duck's legs are short, but if we try to lengthen them, the duck will suffer. The crane's legs are long, but if we try to shorten them, the crane will suffer. So we must not amputate what is long, nor lengthen what is short. What is natural is not to be tampered with.

Life comes to an end, but the Way does not.

When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten. When the belt fits, the belly is forgotten. When the heart is right, 'for' and 'against' are forgotten.

The sage is like a mirror. He does not welcome things, nor does he usher them away. He responds to them but does not store them. Therefore, he can triumph over things and not be injured.

The mind of the perfect man is like a mirror. It grasps nothing, it refuses nothing, it receives but does not keep.