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Introductory Notes

BOOK XVII. KHIÛ SHUI.

Khiû Shui, or 'Autumn Waters,' the first two characters of the first paragraph of this Book, are adopted as its title. Its subject, in that paragraph, however, is not so much the waters of autumn, as the greatness of the Tâo in its spontaneity, when it has obtained complete dominion over man. No illustration of the Tâo is so great a favourite with Lâo-dze as water, but he loved to set it forth in its quiet, onward movement, always seeking the lowest place, and always exercising a beneficent influence. But water is here before Kwang-dze in its mightiest volume,—the inundated Ho and the all but boundless magnitude of the ocean; and as he takes occasion from those phenomena to deliver his lessons, I translate the title by 'The Floods of Autumn.'

To adopt the account of the Book given by Lû Shû-kih:—'This Book,' he says, shows how its spontaneity is the greatest characteristic of the Tâo, and the chief thing inculcated in it is that we must not allow the human element to extinguish in our constitution the Heavenly.

'First, using the illustrations of the Ho and the Sea, our author gives us to see the Five Tîs and the Kings of the Three dynasties as only exhibiting the Tâo, in a small degree, while its great development is not to be found in outward form and appliances so that it cannot be described in words, and it is difficult to find its point of commencement, which indeed appears to be impracticable, while still by doing nothing the human may be united with the Heavenly, and men may bring back their True condition. By means of the conversations between the guardian spirit of the Ho and Zo (the god) of the Sea this subject is exhaustively treated.

'Next (in paragraph 8), the khwei, the millepede, and other subjects illustrate how the mind is spirit-like in its spontaneity and doing nothing. The case of Confucius (in par. 9) shows the same spontaneity, transforming violence. Kung-sun Lung (in par. 10), refusing to comply with that spontaneity, and seeking victory by his sophistical reasonings, shows his wisdom to be only like the folly of the frog in the well. The remaining three paragraphs bring before us Kwang-dze by the spontaneity of his Tâo, now superior to the allurements of rank; then, like the phœnix flying aloft, as enjoying himself in perfect ease; and finally, as like the fishes, in the happiness of his self-possession.' Such is a brief outline of this interesting chapter. Many of the critics would expunge the ninth and tenth paragraphs as unworthy of Kwang-dze, the former as misrepresenting Confucius, the latter as extolling himself. I think they may both be allowed to stand as from his pencil.

Book XVII
Part II Section X

Khiû Shui, or 'The Floods of Autumn¹.'

1. The time of the autumnal floods was come, and the hundred streams were all discharging themselves into the Ho. Its current was greatly swollen², so that across its channel from bank to bank one could not distinguish an ox from a horse. On this the (Spirit-) earl of the Ho³ laughed with delight, thinking that all the beauty of the world was to be found in his charge. Along the course of the river he walked east till he came to the North Sea, over which he looked, with his face to the east, without being able to see where its waters began. Then he began to turn his face round, looked across the expanse, (as if he were) confronting Zo³, and said with a sigh, 'What the vulgar saying expresses about him who has learned a hundred points (of the Tâo), and thinks that there is no one equal to himself, was surely spoken of me. And moreover, I have heard parties making little of the knowledge of Kung-nî and the righteousness of Po-î, and at first I did not believe them. Now I behold the all-but-boundless extent (of your realms). If I had not come to your gate, I should have been in danger (of continuing in my ignorance), and been laughed at for long in the schools of our great System⁴.'

Zo, (the Spirit-lord) of the Northern Sea, said, 'A frog in a well cannot be talked with about the sea;—he is confined to the limits of his hole. An insect of the summer cannot be talked with about ice;—it knows nothing beyond its own season. A scholar of limited views cannot be talked with about the Tâo;—he is bound by the teaching (which he has received). Now you have come forth from between your banks, and beheld the great sea. You have come to know your own ignorance and inferiority, and are in the way of being fitted to be talked with about great principles. Of all the waters under heaven there are none so great as the sea. A myriad streams flow into it without ceasing, and yet it is not filled; and afterwards⁵ it discharges them (also) without ceasing, and yet it is not emptied. In spring and in autumn it undergoes no change; it takes no notice of floods or of drought. Its superiority over such streams even as the Kiang and the Ho cannot be told by measures or numbers; and that I have never, notwithstanding this, made much of myself, is because I compare my own bodily form with (the greatness of) heaven and earth, and (remember that) I have received my breath from the Yin and Yang. Between heaven and earth I am but as a small stone or a small tree on a great hill. So long as I see myself to be thus small, how should I make much of myself? I estimate all within the four seas, compared with the space between heaven and earth, to be not so large as that occupied by a pile of stones in a large marsh! I estimate our Middle States, compared with the space between the four seas, to be smaller than a single little grain of rice in a great granary! When we would set forth the number of things (in existence), we speak of them as myriads; and man is only one of them. Men occupy all the nine provinces; but of all whose life is maintained by grain-food, wherever boats and carriages reach, men form only one portion. Thus, compared with the myriads of things, they are not equal to a single fine hair on the body of a horse. Within this range are comprehended all (the territories) which the five Tîs received in succession from one another; all which the royal founders of the three dynasties contended for; all which excited the anxiety of Benevolent men; and all which men in office have toiled for. Po-î was accounted famous for declining (to share in its government), and Kung-nî was accounted great because of the lessons which he addressed to it. They acted as they did, making much of themselves;—therein like you who a little time ago did so of yourself because of your (volume of) water!'

2. The earl of the Ho said, 'Well then, may I consider heaven and earth as (the ideal of) what is great, and the point of a hair as that of what is small?' Zo of the Northern Sea replied, 'No. The (different) capacities of things are illimitable; time never stops, (but is always moving on); man's lot is ever changing; the end and the beginning of things never occur (twice) in the same way. Therefore men of great wisdom, looking at things far off or near at hand, do not think them insignificant for being small, nor much of them for being great:—knowing how capacities differ illimitably. They appeal with intelligence to things of ancient and recent occurrence, without being troubled by the remoteness of the former, or standing on tiptoe to lay hold of the latter:—knowing that time never stops in its course. They examine with discrimination (cases of) fulness and of want, not overjoyed by success, nor disheartened by failure:—knowing the inconstancy of man's lot. They know the plain and quiet path (in which things proceed), therefore they are not overjoyed to live, nor count it a calamity to die: the end and the beginning of things never occurring (twice) in the same way.

'We must reckon that what men know is not so much as what they do not know, and that the time since they were born is not so long as that which elapsed before they were born. When they take that which is most small and try to fill with it the dimensions of what is most great, this leads to error and confusion, and they cannot attain their end. Looking at the subject in this way, how can you know that the point of a hair is sufficient to determine the minuteness of what is most small, or that heaven and earth are sufficient to complete the dimensions of what is most large?'

3. The earl of the Ho said, 'The disputers of the world all say, "That which is most minute has no bodily form; and that which is most great cannot be encompassed;"—is this really the truth?' Zo of the Northern Sea replied, 'When from the standpoint of what is small we look at what is great, we do not take it all in; when from the standpoint of what is great we look at what is small, we do not see it clearly. Now the subtile essence is smallness in its extreme degree; and the vast mass is greatness in its largest form. Different as they are, each has its suitability,—according to their several conditions. But the subtile and the gross both presuppose that they have a bodily form. Where there is no bodily form, there is no longer a possibility of numerical division; where it is not possible to encompass a mass, there is no longer a possibility of numerical estimate. What can be discoursed about in words is the grossness of things; what can be reached in idea is the subtilty of things. What cannot be discoursed about in words, and what cannot be reached by nice discrimination of thought, has nothing to do either with subtilty or grossness.

'Therefore while the actions of the Great Man are not directed to injure men, he does not plume himself on his benevolence and kindness; while his movements are not made with a view to gain, he does not consider the menials of a family as mean; while he does not strive after property and wealth, he does not plume himself on declining them; while he does not borrow the help of others to accomplish his affairs, he does not plume himself on supporting himself by his own strength, nor does he despise those who in their greed do what is mean; while he differs in his conduct from the vulgar, he does not plume himself on being so different from them; while it is his desire to follow the multitude, he does not despise the glib-tongued flatterers. The rank and emoluments of the world furnish no stimulus to him, nor does he reckon its punishments and shame to be a disgrace. He knows that the right and the wrong can (often) not be distinguished, and that what is small and what is great can (often) not be defined. I have heard it said, "The Man of Tâo does not become distinguished; the greatest virtue is unsuccessful; the Great Man has no thought of self;"—to so great a degree may the lot be restricted.'

4. The earl of the Ho said, 'Whether the subject be what is external in things, or what is internal, how do we come to make a distinction between them as noble and mean, and as great or small?' Zo of the Northern Sea replied, 'When we look at them in the light of the Tâo, they are neither noble nor mean. Looking at them in themselves, each thinks itself noble, and despises others. Looking at them in the light of common opinion, their being noble or mean does not depend on themselves. Looking at them in their differences from one another, if we call those great which are greater than others, there is nothing that is not great, and in the same way there is nothing that is not small. We shall (thus) know that heaven and earth is but (as) a grain of the smallest rice, and that the point of a hair is (as) a mound or a mountain;—such is the view given of them by their relative size. Looking at them from the services they render, allowing to everything the service which it does, there is not one which is not serviceable; and, extending the consideration to what it does not do, there is not one which is not unserviceable. We know (for instance) that East and West are opposed to each other, and yet that the one cannot be without (suggesting the idea of) the other;—(thus) their share of mutual service is determined. Looking at them with respect to their tendencies, if we approve of what they approve, then there is no one who may not be approved of; and, if we condemn what they condemn, there is no one who may not be condemned. There are the cases of Yâo and Kieh, each of whom approved of his own course, and condemned the other;—such is the view arising from the consideration of tendency and aim.

'Formerly Yâo and Shun resigned (their thrones), and yet each continued to be Tî; Kih-khwâi⁶ resigned (his marquisate) which led to his ruin. Thang and Wû contended (for the sovereignty), and each became king; the duke of Pâi⁷ contended (for Khû), which led to his extinction. Looking at the subject from these examples of striving by force and of resigning, and from the conduct of Yâo (on the one hand) and of Kieh (on the other), we see that there is a time for noble acting, and a time for mean;—these characteristics are subject to no regular rule.

5. 'A battering ram may be used against the wall of a city, but it cannot be employed to stop up a hole;—the uses of implements are different. The (horses) Khih-kî and Hwâ-liû⁸ could in one day gallop 1000 lî, but for catching rats they were not equal to a wild dog or a weasel;—the gifts of creatures are different. The white horned owl collects its fleas in the night-time, and can discern the point of a hair, but in bright day it stares with its eyes and cannot see a mound or a hill;—the natures of creatures are different.

'Hence the sayings, "Shall we not follow and honour the right, and have nothing to do with the wrong? shall we not follow and honour those who secure good government, and have nothing to do with those who produce disorder?" show a want of acquaintance with the principles of Heaven and Earth, and with the different qualities of things. It is like following and honouring Heaven and taking no account of Earth; it is like following and honouring the Yin and taking no account of the Yang. It is clear that such a course cannot be pursued. Yet notwithstanding they go on talking so:—if they are not stupid, they are visionaries. The Tî sovereigns resigned their thrones to others in one way, and the rulers of the three dynasties transmitted their thrones to their successors in another. He who acts differently from the requirements of his time and contrary to its custom is called an usurper; he who complies with the time and follows the common practice is said to be righteous. Hold your peace, O earl of the Ho. How should you know what constitutes being noble and being mean, or who are the small and who the great?'

6. The earl of the Ho said, 'Very well. But what am I to do? and what am I not to do? How am I to be guided after all in regard to what I accept or reject, and what I pursue or put away from me?' Zo of the Northern Sea replied, 'From the standpoint of the Tâo, what is noble? and what is mean? These expressions are but the different extremes of the average level. Do not keep pertinaciously to your own ideas, which put you in such opposition to the Tâo. What are few? and what are many? These are denominations which we employ in thanking (donors) and dispensing gifts. Do not study to be uniform in doing so;—it only shows how different you are from the Tâo. Be severe and strict, like the ruler of a state who does not selfishly bestow his favours. Be scrupulous, yet gentle, like the tutelary spirit of the land, when sacrifice is offered to him who does not bestow his blessing selfishly. Be large-minded like space, whose four terminating points are illimitable, and form no particular enclosures. Hold all things in your love, favouring and supporting none specially. This is called being without any local or partial regard; all things are equally regarded; there is no long or short among them.

'There is no end or beginning to the Tâo. Things indeed die and are born, not reaching a perfect state which can be relied on. Now there is emptiness, and now fulness;—they do not continue in one form. The years cannot be reproduced; time cannot be arrested. Decay and growth, fulness and emptiness, when they end, begin again. It is thus that we describe the method of great righteousness, and discourse about the principle pervading all things. The life of things is like the hurrying and galloping along of a horse. With every movement there is a change; with every moment there is an alteration. What should you be doing? what should you not be doing? You have only to be allowing this course of natural transformation to be going on.'

7. The earl of the Ho said, 'What then is there so valuable in the Tâo?' Zo of the Northern Sea replied, 'He who knows the Tâo, is sure to be well acquainted with the principles (that appear in the procedures of things). Acquainted with (those) principles, he is sure to understand how to regulate his conduct in all varying circumstances. Having that understanding, he will not allow things to injure himself. Fire cannot burn him who is (so) perfect in virtue, nor water drown him; neither cold nor heat can affect him injuriously; neither bird nor beast can hurt him. This does not mean that he is indifferent to these things; it means that he discriminates between where he may safely rest and where he will be in peril; that he is tranquil equally in calamity and happiness; that he is careful what he avoids and what he approaches;—so that nothing can injure him. Hence it is said, "What is heavenly is internal; what is human is external." The virtue (of man) is in what is Heavenly. If you know the operation of what is Heavenly and what is Human, you will have your root in what is Heavenly and your position in Virtue. You will bend or stretch (only) after the (necessary) hesitation; you will have returned to the essential, and may be pronounced to have reached perfection.'

'What do you mean,' pursued the earl, 'by the Heavenly, and by the Human?' Zo replied, 'Oxen and horses have four feet;—that is what I call their Heavenly (constitution). When horses' heads are haltered, and the noses of oxen are pierced, that is what I call (the doing of) Man. Hence it is said, "Do not by the Human (doing) extinguish the Heavenly (constitution); do not for your (Human) purpose extinguish the appointment (of Heaven); do not bury your (proper) fame in (such) a pursuit of it; carefully guard (the Way) and do not lose it:—this is what I call reverting to your True (Nature)."'

8. The khwei⁹ desires to be like¹⁰ the millipede⁹; the millipede to be like the serpent; the serpent like the wind; the wind to be like the eye; and the eye to be like the mind¹¹.

The khwei said to the millipede, 'With my one leg I hop about, and can hardly manage to go along. Now you have a myriad feet which you can employ; how is it that you are so abundantly furnished?' The millipede said, 'It is not so. Have you not seen one ejecting saliva? The largest portion of it is like a pearl, while the smaller portions fall down like a shower of mist in innumerable drops. Now I put in motion the springs set in me by Heaven, without knowing how I do so.'

The millipede said to the serpent, 'I go along by means of my multitude of feet; and yet how is it that I do not go so fast as you who have no feet at all?' The serpent replied, 'How can the method of moving by the springs set in us by Heaven be changed? How could I make use of feet?'

The serpent said to the wind, 'I get along by moving my backbone and ribs, thus appearing to have some (bodily) means of progression. But now you, Sir, rise with a blustering force in the North Sea, and go on in the same way to the South Sea;—seemingly without any such means. How does it take place?' The wind said, 'Yes. With such a blustering force I rise in the North Sea and go on to the: South Sea. But you can point to me, and therein are superior to me, as you are also in treading on me. Yet notwithstanding, it is only I who can break great trees, and blow down great houses. Therefore he whom all that are small cannot overcome is a great overcomer. But it is only he who is the sagely man¹² that is the Great Conqueror (of all).'

9. When Confucius was travelling in Khwang¹³, some people of Sung (once) surrounded him (with a hostile intention) several ranks deep; but he kept singing to his lute without stopping. Dze-lû came in, and saw him, and said, 'How is it, Master, that you are so pleased?' Confucius said, 'Come here, and I will tell you. I have tried to avoid being reduced to such a strait for a long time; and that I have not escaped shows that it was so appointed for me. I have sought to find a ruler that would employ me for a long time, and that I have not found one, shows the character of the time. Under Yâo and Shun there was no one in the kingdom reduced to straits like mine; and it was not by their sagacity that men succeeded as they did. Under Kieh and Kâu no (good and able man) in the kingdom found his way to employment; and it was not for (want of) sagacity that they failed to do so. It was simply owing to the times and their character.

2. People that do business on the water do not shrink from meeting iguanodons and dragons;—that is the courage of fishermen. Those who do business on land do not shrink from meeting rhinoceroses and tigers;—that is the courage of hunters. When men see the sharp weapons crossed before them, and look on death as going home;—that is the courage of the determined soldier. When he knows that his strait is determined for him, and that the employment of him by a ruler depends on the character of the time, and then meeting with great distress is yet not afraid;-that is the courage of the sagely man. Wait, my good Yû, and you will see what there is determined for me in my lot.' A little afterwards, the leader of the armed men approached and took his leave, saying, 'We thought you were Yang Hû¹⁴, and therefore surrounded you. Now we see our mistake.' (With this) he begged to take his leave, and withdrew.

10. Kung-sun Lung¹⁵ asked Mâu of Wei¹⁶, saying, 'When I was young, I learned the teachings of the former kings; and when I was grown up, I became proficient in the practice of benevolence and righteousness. I brought together the views that agreed and disagreed; I considered the questions about hardness and whiteness¹⁷; I set forth what was to be affirmed and what was not, and what was allowable and what was not; I studied painfully the various schools of thought, and made myself master of the reasonings of all their masters. I thought that I had reached a good understanding of every subject; but now that I have heard the words of Kwang-dze, they throw me into a flutter of surprise. I do not know whether it be that I do not come up to him in the power of discussion, or that my knowledge is not equal to his. But now I do not feel able to open my mouth, and venture to ask you what course I should pursue.' Kung-dze Mâu leant forward on his stool, drew a long breath, looked up to heaven, smiled, and said, 'Have you not heard of the frog of the dilapidated well, and how it said to the turtle of the Eastern Sea, "How I enjoy myself? I leap upon the parapet of this well. I enter, and having by means of the projections formed by the fragments of the broken tiles of the lining proceeded to the water, I draw my legs together, keep my chin up, (and strike out). When I have got to the mud, I dive till my feet are lost in it. Then turning round, I see that of the shrimps, crabs, and tadpoles there is not one that can do like me. Moreover, when one has entire command of all the water in the gully, and hesitates to go forward, it is the greatest pleasure to enjoy one's self here in this dilapidated well¹⁸;—why do not you, Master, often come and enter, and see it for yourself? "The turtle of the Eastern Sea (was then proceeding to go forward), but before he had put in his left foot, he found his right knee caught and held fast. On this he hesitated, drew back, and told (the frog) all about the sea, saying, "A distance of a thousand lî is not sufficient to express its extent, nor would (a line of) eight thousand cubits be equal to sound its depth. In the time of Yü, for nine years out of ten the flooded land (all drained into it), and its water was not sensibly increased; and in the time of Thang for seven years out of eight there was a drought, but the rocks on the shore (saw) no diminution of the water because of it. Thus it is that no change is produced in its waters by any cause operating for a short time or a long, and that they do not advance nor recede for any addition or subtraction, whether great or small; and this is the great pleasure afforded by the Eastern Sea." When the frog of the dilapidated well heard this, he was amazed and terror-struck, and lost himself in surprise.

'And moreover, when you, who have not wisdom enough to know where the discussions about what is right and what is wrong should end, still desire to see through the words of Kwang-dze, that is like employing a mosquito to carry a mountain on its back, or a millipede¹⁹ to gallop as fast as the Ho runs;—tasks to which both the insects are sure to be unequal. Still further, when you, who have not wisdom enough to know the words employed in discussing very mysterious subjects, yet hasten to show your sharpness of speech on any occasion that may occur, is not this being like the frog of the dilapidated well?

'And that (Kwang-dze) now plants his foot on the Yellow Springs (below the earth), and anon rises to the height of the Empyrean. Without any regard to south and north, with freedom he launches out in every direction, and is lost in the unfathomable. Without any regard to east and west, starting from what is abysmally obscure, he comes back to what is grandly intelligible. (All the while), you, Sir, in amazement, search for his views to examine them, and grope among them for matter for discussion;—this is just like peeping at the heavens through a tube, or aiming at the earth with an awl; are not both the implements too small for the purpose? Go your ways, Sir.

'And have you not heard of the young learners of Shâu-ling²⁰, and how they did in Han-tan? Before they had acquired what they might have done in that capital, they had forgotten what they had learned to do in their old city, and were marched back to it on their hands and knees. If now you do not go away, you will forget your old acquirements, and fail in your profession.'

Kung-sun Lung gaped on the speaker, and could not shut his mouth, and his tongue clave to its roof. He slank away and ran off.

11. Kwang-dze was (once) fishing in the river Phû²¹, when the king of Khû²² sent two great officers to him, with the message, 'I wish to trouble you with the charge of all within my territories.' Kwang-dze kept on holding his rod without looking round, and said, 'I have heard that in Khû there is a spirit-like tortoise-shell, the wearer of which died 3000 years ago²³, and which the king keeps, in his ancestral temple, in a hamper covered with a cloth. Was it better for the tortoise to die, and leave its shell to be thus honoured? Or would it have been better for it to live, and keep on dragging its tail through the mud?' The two officers said, 'It would have been better for it to live, and draw its tail after it over the mud²⁴.' 'Go your ways. I will keep on drawing my tail after me through the mud.'

12. Hui-dze being a minister of state in Liang²⁵, Kwang-dze went to see him. Some one had told Hui-dze that Kwang-dze was come with a wish to supersede him in his office, on which he was afraid, and instituted a search for the stranger all over the kingdom for three days and three nights. (After this) Kwang-dze went and saw him, and said, 'There is in the south a bird, called "the Young Phoenix²⁶;"—do you know it? Starting from the South Sea, it flies to the Northern; never resting but on the bignonia²⁷, never eating but the fruit of the melia azederach²⁸, and never drinking but from the purest springs. An owl, which had got a putrid rat, (once), when a phoenix went passing overhead, looked up to it and gave an angry scream. Do you wish now, in your possession of the kingdom of Liang, to frighten me with a similar scream?'

13. Kwang-dze and Hui-dze were walking on the dam over the Hâo²⁹, when the former said, 'These thryssas come out, and play about at their ease;—that is the enjoyment of fishes.' The other said, 'You are not a fish; how do you know what constitutes the enjoyment of fishes³⁰?' Kwang-dze rejoined, 'You are not I. How do you know that I do not know what constitutes the enjoyment of fishes?' Hui-dze said, 'I am not you; and though indeed I do not fully know you, you certainly are not a fish, and (the argument) is complete against your knowing what constitutes the happiness of fishes.' Kwang-dze replied, 'Let us keep to your original question. You said to me, "How do you know what constitutes the enjoyment of fishes?" You knew that I knew it, and yet you put your question to me;—well, I know it (from our enjoying ourselves together) over the Hâo.'

End of Volume 39 of the Sacred Books of the East

庄子·外篇·秋水第十七

秋水时至，百川灌河。泾流之大，两囗（左“氵”右“矣”音ｓｉ
４）渚崖之间，不辩牛马。于是焉河伯欣然自喜，以天下之美为尽在
己。顺流而东行，至于北海，东面而视，不见水端。于是焉河伯始旋
其面目，望洋向若而叹曰：“野语有之曰：‘闻道百，以为莫己若者
。’我之谓也。且夫我尝闻少仲尼之闻而轻伯夷之义者，始吾弗信。
今我睹子之难穷也，吾非至于子之门则殆矣，吾长见笑于大方之家。
”北海若曰：“井蛙不可以语于海者，拘于虚也；夏虫不可以语于冰
者，笃于时也；曲士不可以语于道者，束于教也。今尔出于崖ｓｉ４
，观于大海，乃知尔丑，尔将可与语大理矣。天下之水，莫大于海：
万川归之，不知何时止而不盈；尾闾泄之，不知何时已而不虚；春秋
不变，水旱不知。此其过江河之流，不可为量数。而吾未尝以此自多
者，自以比形于天地，而受气于阴阳，吾在于天地之间，犹小石小木
之在大山也。方存乎见小，又奚以自多！计四海之在天地之间也，不
似囗（上“田”中“田田”下“石”音ｌｅｉ３）空之在大泽乎？计
中国之在海内不似囗（左“禾”右“弟”音ｔｉ２）米之在大仓乎？
号物之数谓之万，人处一焉；人卒九州，谷食之所生，舟车之所通。
此其比万物也，不似豪末之在于马体乎？五帝之所连，三王之所争，
仁人之所忧，任士之所劳，尽此矣！伯夷辞之以为名，仲尼语之以为
博。此其自多也，不似尔向之自多于水乎？”

河伯曰：“然则吾大天地而小豪末，可乎？”北海若曰：“否。夫
物，量无穷，时无止，分无常，终始无故。是故大知观于远近，故小
而不寡，大而不多：知量无穷。证向今故，故遥而不闷，掇而不囗（
左“足”右“支”）：知时无止。察乎盈虚，故得而不喜，失而不忧
：知分之无常也。明乎坦涂，故生而不说，死而不祸：知终始之不可
故也。计人之所知，不若其所不知；其生之时，不若未生之时；以其
至小，求穷其至大之域，是故迷乱而不能自得也。由此观之，又何以
知毫末之足以定至细之倪，又何以知天地之足以穷至大之域！”

河伯曰：“世之议者皆曰：‘至精无形，至大不可围。’是信情乎
？”北海若曰：“夫自细视大者不尽，自大视细者不明。夫精，小之
微也；郛，大之殷也：故异便。此势之有也。夫精粗者，期于有形者
也；无形者，数之所不能分也；不可围者，数之所不能穷也。可以言
论者，物之粗也；可以意致者，物之精也；言之所不能论，意之所不
能察致者，不期精粗焉。是故大人之行：不出乎害人，不多仁恩；动
不为利，不贱门隶；货财之争，不多辞让；事焉不借人，不多食乎力
，不贱贪污；行殊乎俗，不多辟异；为在从众，不贱佞谄；世之爵禄
不足以为劝，戮耻不足以为辱；知是非之不可为分，细大之不可为倪
。闻曰：‘道人不闻，至德不得，大人无己。’约分之至也。”

河伯曰：“若物之外，若物之内，恶至而倪贵贱？恶至而倪小大？
”北海若曰：“以道观之，物无贵贱；以物观之，自贵而相贱；以俗
观之，贵贱不在己。以差观之，因其所大而大之，则万物莫不大；因
其所小而小之，则万物莫不小。知天地之为ｔｉ２米也，知毫末之为
丘山也，则差数睹矣。以功观之，因其所有而有之，则万物莫不有；
因其所无而无之，则万物莫不无。知东西之相反而不可以相无，则功
分定矣。以趣观之，因其所然而然之，则万物莫不然；因其所非而非
之，则万物莫不非。知尧、桀之自然而相非，则趣操睹矣。昔者尧、
舜让而帝，之、哙让而绝；汤、武争而王，白公争而灭。由此观之，
争让之礼，尧、桀之行，贵贱有时，未可以为常也。梁丽可以冲城而
不可以窒穴，言殊器也；骐骥骅骝一日而驰千里，捕鼠不如狸囗（左
“犭”右“生”），言殊技也；鸱鸺夜撮蚤，察毫末，昼出囗（左“
目”右“真”）目而不见丘山，言殊性也。故曰：盖师是而无非，师
治而无乱乎？是未明天地之理，万物之情也。是犹师天而无地，师阴
而无阳，其不可行明矣！然且语而不舍，非愚则诬也！帝王殊禅，三
代殊继。差其时，逆其俗者，谓之篡夫；当其时，顺其俗者，谓之义
之徒。默默乎河伯，女恶知贵贱之门，小大之家！”

河伯曰：“然则我何为乎？何不为乎？吾辞受趣舍，吾终奈何？”
北海若曰：“以道观之，何贵何贱，是谓反衍；无拘而志，与道大蹇
。何少何多，是谓谢施；无一而行，与道参差。严乎若国之有君，其
无私德；繇繇乎若祭之有社，其无私福；泛泛乎其若四方之无穷，其
无所畛域。兼怀万物，其孰承翼？是谓无方。万物一齐，孰短孰长？
道无终始，物有死生，不恃其成。一虚一满，不位乎其形。年不可举
，时不可止。消息盈虚，终则有始。是所以语大义之方，论万物之理
也。物之生也，若骤若驰。无动而不变，无时而不移。何为乎，何不
为乎？夫固将自化。”

河伯曰：“然则何贵于道邪？”北海若曰：“知道者必达于理，达
于理者必明于权，明于权者不以物害己。至德者，火弗能热，水弗能
溺，寒暑弗能害，禽兽弗能贼。非谓其薄之也，言察乎安危，宁于祸
福，谨于去就，莫之能害也。故曰：‘天在内，人在外，德在乎天。
’知天人之行，本乎天，位乎得，踯躅而屈伸，反要而语极。”曰：
“何谓天？何谓人？”北海若曰：“牛马四足，是谓天；落马首，穿
牛鼻，是谓人。故曰：‘无以人灭天，无以故灭命，无以得殉名。谨
守而勿失，是谓反其真。’”

夔怜囗（左“虫”右“玄”音ｘｉａｎ２），ｘｉａｎ２怜蛇，蛇
怜风，风怜目，目怜心。夔谓ｘｉａｎ２曰：“吾以一足囗（左“足
右“今”音ｃｈｅｎ３）踔而不行，予无如矣。今子之使万足，独奈
何？”ｘｉａｎ２曰：“不然。子不见夫唾者乎？喷则大者如珠，小
者如雾，杂而下者不可胜数也。今予动吾天机，而不知其所以然。”
ｘｉａｎ２谓蛇曰：“吾以众足行，而不及子之无足，何也？”蛇曰
：“夫天机之所动，何可易邪？吾安用足哉！”蛇谓风曰：“予动吾
脊胁而行，则有似也。今子蓬蓬然起于北海，蓬蓬然入于南海，而似
无有，何也？”风曰：“然，予蓬蓬然起于北海而入于南海也，然而
指我则胜我，囗（左“鱼”右“酋”音ｑｉｕ１）我亦胜我。虽然，
夫折大木，蜚大屋者，唯我能也。”故以众小不胜为大胜也。为大胜
者，唯圣人能之。

孔子游于匡，宋人围之数匝，而弦歌不辍。子路入见，曰：“何夫
子之娱也？”孔子曰：“来，吾语女。我讳穷久矣，而不免，命也；
求通久矣，而不得，时也。当尧、舜而天下无穷人，非知得也；当桀
、纣而天下无通人，非知失也：时势适然。夫水行不避蛟龙者，渔父
之勇也；陆行不避兕虎者，猎夫之勇也；白刃交于前，视死若生者，
烈士之勇也；知穷之有命，知通之有时，临大难而不惧者，圣人之勇
也。由，处矣！吾命有所制矣！”无几何，将甲者进，辞曰：“以为
阳虎也，故围之；今非也，请辞而退。”

公孙龙问于魏牟曰：“龙少学先王之道，长而明仁义之行；合同异
，离坚白；然不然，可不可；困百家之知，穷众口之辩：吾自以为至
达已。今吾闻庄子之言，茫然异之。不知论之不及与？知之弗若与？
今吾无所开吾喙，敢问其方。”公子牟隐机大息，仰天而笑曰：“子
独不闻夫囗（“陷”字以“土”代“阝”）井之蛙乎？谓东海之鳖曰
：‘吾乐与！出跳梁乎井干之上，入休乎缺囗（“愁”字以“瓦”代
“心”）之崖。赴水则接腋持颐，蹶泥则没足灭跗。还囗（左“虫”
右“干”音ｈａｎ２）蟹与科斗，莫吾能若也。且夫擅一壑之水，而
跨囗（左“足”右“寺”音ｚｈｉ４）囗（“陷”字以“土”代“阝
”）井之乐，此亦至矣。夫子奚不时来入观乎？’东海之鳖左足未入
，而右膝已絷矣。于是逡巡而却，告之海曰：‘夫千里之远，不足以
举其大；千仞之高，不足以极其深。禹之时，十年九潦，而水弗为加
益；汤之时，八年七旱，而崖不为加损。夫不为顷久推移，不以多少
进退者，此亦东海之大乐也。’于是囗（“陷”字以“土”代“阝”
）井之蛙闻之，适适然惊，规规然自失也。且夫知不知是非之竟，而
犹欲观于庄子之言，是犹使蚊负山，商囗（左“虫”右“巨”）驰河
也，必不胜任矣。且夫知不知论极妙之言，而自适一时之利者，是非
囗（“陷”字以“土”代“阝”）井之蛙与？且彼方囗（左“足”右
“此”音ｃｉ３）黄泉而登大皇，无南无北，爽然四解，沦于不测；
无东无西，始于玄冥，反于大通。子乃规规然而求之以察，索之以辩
，是直用管窥天，用锥指地也，不亦小乎？子往矣！且子独不闻夫寿
陵余子之学于邯郸与？未得国能，又失其故行矣，直匍匐而归耳。今
子不去，将忘子之故，失子之业。”公孙龙口囗（左“口”右“去”
）而不合，舌举而不下，乃逸而走。

庄子钓于濮水。楚王使大夫二人往先焉，曰：“愿以境内累矣！”
庄子持竿不顾，曰：“吾闻楚有神龟，死已三千岁矣。王巾笥而藏之
庙堂之上。此龟者，宁其死为留骨而贵乎？宁其生而曳尾于涂中乎？
”二大夫曰：“宁生而曳尾涂中。”庄子曰：“往矣！吾将曳尾于涂
中。”

惠子相梁，庄子往见之。或谓惠子曰：“庄子来，欲代子相。”于
是惠子恐，搜于国中三日三夜。庄子往见之，曰：“南方有鸟，其名
为囗（“剜”字以“鸟”代“刂”音ｙｕａｎ１）囗（左“刍”右“
鸟”音ｃｈｕ２），子知之乎？夫ｙｕａｎ１ｃｈｕ２发于南海而飞
于北海，非梧桐不止，非练实不食，非醴泉不饮。于是鸱得腐鼠，ｙ
ｕａｎ１ｃｈｕ２过之，仰而视之曰：‘吓！’今子欲以子之梁国而
吓我邪？”

庄子与惠子游于濠梁之上。庄子曰：“囗（“修”字以“黑”代“
彡”音ｔｉａｏ２）鱼出游从容，是鱼之乐也。”惠子曰∶“子非鱼
，安知鱼之乐？”庄子曰：“子非我，安知我不知鱼之乐？”惠子曰
“我非子，固不知子矣；子固非鱼也，子之不知鱼之乐，全矣！”庄
子曰：“请循其本。子曰‘汝安知鱼乐’云者，既已知吾知之而问我
。我知之濠上也。”

Footnotes

back ¹ See pp. 148, 149.

back ² ### here perhaps means 'turbid.' It has nothing to do with the river King.

back ³ See Mayers's Manual, p. 54. Our author adopts the common beliefs or superstitions of his time, and after his fashion puts his own reasonings into the mouths of these mythological personages. It is more difficult to collect the legends about Zo of the sea, or of the Northern Sea. See the Khang-hsî Thesaurus under ###.

back ⁴ Thus the Confucian learning and its worthies were to the system of the Tâo only as the waters of the Ho to the great sea.

back ⁵ I have translated here as if the reading were ### which is given by Lin Hsî-kung. The correct reading, however, so far as depends on editions and dictionaries, is ###; which is explained in the Khang-hsî dictionary as 'a great Rock in Fû-sang on the East,' against which the water of the sea collects, and is all evaporated!

back ⁶ See Mencius II, ii, ch. 8, and I, ii, chaps. 10, 11i, with the notes. ### is probably a mistake for ###.

back ⁷ See the last narrative but one in the Zo Khwan, under the sixteenth year of duke Âi of Lû,—the year in which Confucius died. 'The duke of Pâi' was merely the chief of a district of Khû; but rebelling against the Ruler of the State, he was defeated, and strangled himself.

back ⁸ Two of king Mu's team of eight famous steeds.

back ⁹ The khwei is 'a sort of dragon (it may be, a worm) with one foot.' The hsien has many feet; one account calls it 'a centipede.'

back ¹⁰ Such is the meaning of the lin or lien. The best commentators explain it by hsien (###), 'to covet and desire.'

back ¹¹ Compare Book I, par. 3, towards the end.

back ¹² The sagely man is 'the True man,' who embodies the Tâo. The Tâo has given to the khwei, the millipede, the serpent, and it may be said also to the wind, their means of progression and action. Nothing is said of the eye and the mind;—it was not necessary to dwell on the Tâo in them.

back ¹³ See Confucian Analects, IX, v and XI, xxii. Our author's account of this event is his own, constructed by him to convey his own Tâoistic lessons.

back ¹⁴ No doubt the Yang Ho of Analects XVII, i.

back ¹⁵ The grandson (Kung-sun) of one of the rulers of Kâo (one of the three states into which the great state of Zin had been broken up). He has come down to us as a philosophic sophist, whose views it is not easy to define. See Mayers's Manual, p. 288, and Book XXXIII, par. 7.

back ¹⁶ Wei was another of the divisions of Zin, and Mâu was one of the sons of its ruler at this time, a great admirer, evidently, of Kwang-dze, and more than a match for the sophist Lung.

back ¹⁷ Holding, it is supposed, that 'the attributes of material objects, such as hardness and colour, are separate existences:'—so Mayers, after Wylie.

back ¹⁸ A passage difficult to construe.

back ¹⁹ A different character from that for a millipede in the last paragraph;—a Shang Kü, evidently some small insect, but we cannot tell what.

back ²⁰ A city of Kâo, as Han-tan was its capital. Of the incident referred to, I have not been able to learn anything. The 'were marched' gives my idea of what it may have been.

back ²¹ A river, which still gives its name to Phû-kâu, department Khao-kâu, Shan-tung.

back ²² Probably king Wei, B. C. 339-330.

back ²³ A good antiquity for Khû!

back ²⁴ ? A species of Testudo Serpentina, such as is often seen on pieces of Japanese lacquer-ware.

back ²⁵ Another name for Wei, so called from its capital;—in the present department of Khâi-fäng.

back ²⁶ So the critics explain the name. Williams thinks the bird may be 'the argus pheasant,' or 'a variety of the peacock.' But what the bird was does not affect the meaning of our author's reference to it.

back ²⁷ One of the Eleococcae, the Dryandra Cordifolia of Thunberg.

back ²⁸ All the editions I have seen give ### here, which makes no sense. The character should doubtless be ###, with the meaning which I have given; and not 'bamboo,' which is found in the critics. It is also called 'the Pride of India.'

back ²⁹ A river in the department and district of Fung-yang, An-hui.

back ³⁰ Surely a captious question. We infer the feelings of other creatures from their demonstrations.