Constrained in Will

刻意尚行，離世異俗，高論怨誹，為亢而已矣；此山谷之士，非世之人，枯槁赴淵者之所好也。語仁義忠信，恭儉推讓，為修而已矣；此平世之士，教誨之人，遊居學者之所好也。語大功，立大名，禮君臣，正上下，為治而已矣；此朝廷之士，尊主強國之人，致功併兼者之所好也。就藪澤，處閒曠，釣魚閒處，無為而已矣；此江海之士，避世之人，閒暇者之所好也。吹呴呼吸，吐故納新，熊經鳥申，為壽而已矣；此道引之士，養形之人，彭祖壽考者之所好也。

Those who hone their will and prize their conduct, who leave the world and differ from the common run, who speak loftily and complain and criticize, do it only to be lofty; this is what scholars of the valleys, critics of the age, and those with withered bodies who throw themselves into the abyss like. Those who speak of humaneness, righteousness, loyalty and good faith, reverence, frugality, deference and yielding, do it only to cultivate themselves; this is what scholars of peaceful times, teachers, and wandering learners like. Those who speak of great merit, establish great fame, observe ritual between ruler and minister, and correct high and low, do it only for governance; this is what scholars of the court, those who honor rulers and strengthen states, and those who seek merit and annexation like. Those who go near the marshes, dwell in idleness and fish at leisure, do it only for non-action; this is what scholars of the rivers and seas, those who flee the world, and those at leisure like. Those who blow and breathe, expel the old and take in the new, hang like a bear and stretch like a bird, do it only for long life; this is what scholars who practice breathing exercises, those who nourish the body, and those who live as long as Pengzu like.

若夫不刻意而高，無仁義而修，無功名而治，無江海而閒，不道引而壽，無不忘也，無不有也，澹然無極而眾美從之。此天地之道，聖人之德也。

As for one who is lofty without honing his will, cultivated without humaneness and righteousness, well-governed without merit and fame, at leisure without rivers and seas, and long-lived without breathing exercises, who forgets nothing and has everything, serene without end while all fine things follow him, this is the Way of Heaven and Earth and the virtue of the sage.

故曰，夫恬淡寂漠虛無無為，此天地之平而道德之質也。故曰，聖人休休焉則平易矣，平易則恬淡矣。平易恬淡，則憂患不能入，邪氣不能襲，故其德全而神不虧。

Therefore it is said: tranquility, stillness, emptiness and non-action are the level of Heaven and Earth and the substance of the Way and virtue. Therefore it is said: when the sage rests he is at ease, and at ease he is tranquil. At ease and tranquil, worry and trouble cannot enter and evil qi cannot invade, so his virtue is whole and his spirit undiminished.

故曰，聖人之生也天行，其死也物化；靜而與陰同德，動而與陽同波；不為福先，不為禍始；感而後應，迫而後動，不得已而後起。去知與故，循天之理。故無天災，無物累，無人非，無鬼責。其生若浮，其死若休。不思慮，不豫謀。光矣而不耀，信矣而不期。其寢不夢，其覺無憂。其神純粹，其魂不罷。虛無恬惔，乃合天德。

Therefore it is said: the sage lives in the movement of Heaven and dies in the transformation of things; in stillness he shares the virtue of yin, in motion he moves with the waves of yang; he is not the first to make blessings, not the beginning of misfortune; he responds only after being moved, acts only after being pressed, rises only when he cannot do otherwise. He removes cleverness and contrivance, and follows the pattern of Heaven. Therefore he has no heavenly calamity, no burden from things, no criticism from people, no reproach from ghosts. In life he floats, in death he rests. He does not ponder or plan in advance. He shines but does not glitter, is trustworthy but does not make agreements. He does not dream when he sleeps, and has no worries when awake. His spirit is pure, and his soul is not tired. Only emptiness and tranquility accord with the virtue of Heaven.

故曰，悲樂者，德之邪；喜怒者，道之過；好惡者，德之失。故心不憂樂，德之至也；一而不變，靜之至也；無所於忤，虛之至也；不與物交，惔之至也；無所於逆，粹之至也。故曰：形勞而不休則弊，精用而不已則勞，勞則竭。

Therefore it is said: grief and joy are deviations of virtue; delight and anger are errors of the Way; liking and disliking are losses of virtue. So an unworried and unjoyful heart is the utmost of virtue; being single and unchanging is the utmost of stillness; having nothing in conflict is the utmost of emptiness; not mingling with things is the utmost of blandness; having nothing contrary is the utmost of purity. Therefore it is said: if the body toils without rest it wears out, and if the spirit is used without stopping it tires, and what tires is exhausted.

水之性，不雜則清，莫動則平；鬱閉而不流，亦不能清，天德之象也。故曰：純粹而不雜，靜一而不變，惔而無為，動而以天行，此養神之道也。夫有幹越之劍者，柙而藏之，不敢用也，寶之至也，精神四達並流，無所不極，上際於天，下蟠於地，化育萬物，不可為象，其名為同帝。

The nature of water is that if not mixed it is clear, and if not stirred it is level; if it is shut in and does not flow, it cannot be clear either; this is the image of the virtue of Heaven. Therefore it is said: pure and unmixed, still and one and unchanging, bland and non-acting, moving according to Heaven, this is the way to nourish the spirit. One who has a sword of Ganyue (Ganyue is the land of Wu and Yue; here "gan" is a place name, not "to interfere") keeps it boxed up and does not dare use it, treasuring it to the utmost. The spirit reaches and flows in all four directions, with no limit it does not reach, above touching Heaven and below coiled on Earth, transforming and nurturing the ten thousand things, and it cannot be given a form; its name is Same as the Emperor.

純素之道，唯神是守。守而勿失，與神為一；一之精通，合於天倫。野語有之曰：「眾人重利，廉士重名，賢人尚志，聖人貴精。」故素也者，謂其無所與雜也；純也者，謂其不虧其神也。能體純素，謂之真人。

The way of pure simplicity is only to guard the spirit. Guard it without losing it, and one becomes one with the spirit; the refined penetration of the One accords with the order of Heaven. There is a common saying: "The multitude values profit, the honest scholar values reputation, the worthy honors aspiration, and the sage cherishes essence." So "simple" means that nothing is mixed with it; "pure" means that it does not diminish one's spirit. One who can embody pure simplicity is called a true person.

繕性於俗，俗學以求復其初；滑欲於俗，思以求致其明；謂之蔽蒙之民。

One who mends his nature among the customs of the world, seeking to return to the beginning through worldly learning; who stirs up desires among the customs of the world, seeking to reach clarity through deliberation; is called a benighted person.

古之治道者，以恬養知；生而無以知為也，謂之以知養恬。知與恬交相養，而和理出其性。夫德，和也；道，理也。德無不容，仁也；道無不理，義也；義明而物親，忠也；中純實而反乎情，樂也；信行容體而順乎文，禮也。禮樂徧行，則天下亂矣。彼正而蒙己德，德則不冒。冒則物必失其性也。

In ancient times those who practiced the Way used tranquility to nourish knowledge; knowledge was born yet not used to act, which is called using knowledge to nourish tranquility. When knowledge and tranquility nourish each other, harmony and principle come out of the nature. Virtue is harmony; the Way is principle. Virtue that does not fail to embrace is humaneness; the Way that does not fail to have order is righteousness; when righteousness is clear and things draw near, that is loyalty; when the inner is pure and returns to feeling, that is joy; when good faith is carried out in bearing and follows form, that is ritual. If ritual and music are carried out everywhere, the world falls into disorder. If that person himself is upright and conceals his own virtue, his virtue is not overshadowing. If it is overshadowing, things will surely lose their nature.

古之人，在混芒之中，與一世而得澹漠焉。當是時也，陰陽和靜，鬼神不擾，四時得節，萬物不傷，群生不夭，人雖有知，無所用之，此之謂至一。當是時也，莫之為而常自然。

People of ancient times, in the midst of primal obscurity, with the whole age could be serene and quiet. At that time yin and yang were harmonious and still, ghosts and spirits did not disturb, the four seasons kept their measure, the ten thousand things were not harmed, living beings did not die young, and though people had knowledge there was no place to use it; this is called the supreme One. At that time no one acted, and things were always natural.

逮德下衰，及燧人伏羲始為天下，是故順而不一。德又下衰，及神農黃帝始為天下，是故安而不順。德又下衰，及唐虞始為天下，興治化之流，𣻏淳散樸，離道以善，險德以行，然後去性而從於心。心與心識知而不足以定天下，然後附之以文，益之以博。文滅質，博溺心，然後民始惑亂，無以反其性情而復其初。

When virtue declined further, and Suiren and Fuxi began to rule the world, there was compliance but not oneness. When virtue declined further, and Shennong and the Yellow Emperor began to rule the world, there was peace but not compliance. When virtue declined further, and Tang and Yu began to rule the world, they set off the stream of governing transformation, diluted purity and scattered simplicity, left the Way to do good, made virtue precarious in action, and then discarded the nature and followed the heart. Hearts recognized one another but this was not enough to settle the world, and then they added ornament and added breadth. Ornament destroyed substance and breadth drowned the heart, and then the people began to be confused and had no way to return to their natural feelings and recover the beginning.

由是觀之，世喪道矣，道喪世矣，世與道交相喪也，道之人何由興乎世，世亦何由興乎道哉！道無以興乎世，世無以興乎道，雖聖人不在山林之中，其德隱矣。

From this we see that the age lost the Way, the Way lost the age, and the age and the Way lost each other; how could those who have the Way arise in the world, and how could the world cause the Way to arise! If the Way cannot arise in the world and the world cannot make the Way arise, then even if sages are not in the mountains and forests, their virtue is hidden.

隱，故不自隱。古之所謂隱士者，非伏其身而弗見也，非閉其言而不出也，非藏其知而不發也，時命大謬也。當時命而大行乎天下，則反一無跡；不當時命而大窮乎天下，則深根寧極而待；此存身之道也。

Hidden, so it is not that they hide themselves. Those called recluses in ancient times did not lie low so as not to be seen, did not close up their words so they would not come out, did not hide their knowledge so it would not be put forth; it was that the times and fate were greatly at odds. If they met the times and fate and were greatly active in the world, they returned to the One and left no trace; if they did not meet the times and fate and were greatly in difficulty in the world, they deeply hid their roots, rested calmly at their limit and waited; this is the way to preserve oneself.

古之行身者，不以辯飾知，不以知窮天下，不以知窮德，危然處其所而反其性已，又何為哉！道固不小行，德固不小識。小識傷德，小行傷道。故曰，正己而已矣。樂全之謂得志。

People of ancient times who conducted themselves did not use argument to adorn knowledge, did not use knowledge to exhaust the world, did not use knowledge to exhaust virtue, but stayed precariously where they were and returned to their own nature, and that was all; what more could they do! The Way is originally not a small practice, and virtue is originally not small recognition. Small recognition harms virtue, and small practice harms the Way. So it is said: just rectify yourself. Delight in wholeness is called achieving one's aim.

古之所謂得志者，非軒冕之謂也，謂其無以益其樂而已矣。今之所謂得志者，軒冕之謂也。軒冕在身，非性命也，物之儻來，寄者也。寄之，其來不可圉，其去不可止。故不為軒冕肆志，不為窮約趨俗，其樂彼與此同，故無憂而已矣。今寄去則不樂，由(之)[是]觀之，雖樂，未嘗不荒也。故曰，喪己於物，失性於俗者，謂之倒置之民。

What the ancients called achieving one's aim did not mean carriage and cap of rank, but meant that nothing could add to one's joy any more. What is called achieving one's aim today means carriage and cap. Carriage and cap on the body are not one's nature or fate; they are things that happen to come, things entrusted. What is entrusted cannot be stopped when it comes and cannot be held when it goes. So one does not give free rein to one's will for carriage and cap, and does not fall in with the common run for poverty and hardship; the joy there is the same as the joy here, so one is simply without worry. Now when what is entrusted leaves, one is unhappy; from this (the received text has "zhi", emended to "shi"), though one had joy, it was never without dissipation. So it is said: those who lose themselves in things and lose their nature in custom are called upside-down people.

秋水時至，百川灌河，涇流之大，兩涘渚崖之間，不辯牛馬。於是焉河伯欣然自喜，以天下之美為盡在己。順流而東行，至於北海，東面而視，不見水端。於是焉河伯始旋其面目，望洋向若而歎曰：「野語有之曰：『聞道百以為莫己若者』，我之謂也。且夫我嘗聞少仲尼之聞而輕伯夷之義者，始吾弗信；今我睹子之難窮也，吾非至於子之門則殆矣，吾長見笑於大方之家。」

When the autumn floods came in their season, the hundred streams poured into the Yellow River, and the current was so broad that between the two banks and the islets one could not tell oxen from horses. Then the Lord of the River was pleased with himself, thinking that all the beauty of the world was his own. Going downstream east, he came to the Northern Sea, looked east, and could not see the end of the water. Then the Lord of the River turned his face, gazed at the vastness and sighed to Ruo of the Northern Sea: "There is a common saying: 'Having heard a hundred ways, one thinks no one equals oneself,' and it speaks of me. Moreover I once heard of people who belittled the learning of Zhongni and the righteousness of Boyi, and at first I did not believe it; now I see that you are hard to exhaust, and if I had not come to your gate, I would have been in danger, and would have been laughed at forever by those of the great school."

北海若曰：「井蛙不可以語於海者，拘於虛也；夏蟲不可以語於冰者，篤於時也；曲士不可以語於道者，束於教也。今爾出於崖涘，觀於大海，乃知爾醜，爾將可與語大理矣。天下之水，莫大於海，萬川歸之，不知何時止而不盈；尾閭洩之，不知何時已而不虛；春秋不變，水旱不知。此其過江河之流，不可為量數。而吾未嘗以此自多者，自以比形於天地，而受氣於陰陽，吾在[於]天地之間，猶小石小木之在大山也，方存乎見小，又奚以自多！計四海之在天地之間也，不似礨空之在大澤乎？計中國之在海內，不似稊米之在大倉乎？號物之數謂之萬，人處一焉；人卒九州，穀食之所生，舟車之所通，人處一焉；此其比萬物也，不似豪末之在於馬體乎？五帝之所連，三王之所爭，仁人之所憂，任士之所勞，盡此矣。伯夷辭之以為名，仲尼語之以為博，此其自多也，不似爾向之自多於水乎？」

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "One cannot speak of the sea to a frog in a well, because it is confined by its space; one cannot speak of ice to a summer insect, because it is bound by its season; one cannot speak of the Way to a scholar of a corner of the countryside, because he is bound by his teaching. Now you have come out from your banks and seen the great sea, and know your own ugliness, so one can speak to you of great principle. Of all the waters of the world, none is greater than the sea; the ten thousand streams flow toward it, not knowing when they will stop, yet it is not full; the Weilü drains it, not knowing when it will be done, yet it is not empty; it does not change in spring or autumn, and does not notice floods or droughts. This exceeds the flow of the rivers and cannot be measured by number. Yet I have never thought myself abundant for this; I count myself as having placed my form in Heaven and Earth and received qi from yin and yang, and in Heaven and Earth I am like a small stone or small tree on a great mountain, existing only to appear small, so on what basis would I think myself abundant! Reckon the four seas in Heaven and Earth: are they not like an anthill in a great marsh? Reckon the central states within the seas: are they not like a grain of barnyard millet in a great granary? The number of things is called ten thousand, and humans are one of them; people gather in the nine provinces, where grain grows and boats and carts reach, and humans are one among them; compared to the ten thousand things, are they not like the tip of a hair on a horse's body? What the Five Emperors continued, what the Three Kings contended for, what humane men worry over, what dutiful scholars toil at, is all here. Boyi declined it to seek fame, and Zhongni spoke of it to seek breadth; they thought themselves abundant, are they not like you just now thinking yourself abundant over the water?"

河伯曰：「然則吾大天地而小豪末，可乎？」

The Lord of the River said: "Then may I take Heaven and Earth as large and the tip of a hair as small?"

北海若曰：「否。夫物，量無窮，時無止，分無常，終始無故。是故大知觀於遠近，故小而不寡，大而不多：知量無窮。證曏今故，故遙而不悶，掇而不跂，知時無止；察乎盈虛，故得而不喜，失而不憂，知分之無常也；明乎坦塗，故生而不說，死而不禍，知終始之不可故也。計人之所知，不若其所不知；其生之時，不若未生之時；以其至小求窮其至大之域，是故迷亂而不能自得也。由此觀之，又何以知(毫)[豪]末之足以定至細之倪！又何以知天地之足以窮至大之域！」

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "No. Things have no end of measure, time has no stop, shares have no constancy, and end and beginning have no fixed reason. So the greatly wise look at far and near, and so what is small is not thought little and what is great is not thought much: they know measure has no end. They verify and clearly understand present and past, so they are not distressed by what is far and do not stand on tiptoe for what is near: they know time has no stop. They observe fullness and emptiness, so they are not delighted by gain or worried by loss: they know shares have no constancy. They understand the level road, so they are not glad at life and do not regard death as misfortune: they know end and beginning cannot be taken as a fixed reason. Reckon what people know, and it is not as much as what they do not know; the time when he is alive is not as long as the time when he was not alive; using the utterly small to seek to exhaust the realm of the utterly great, so he is confused and cannot find himself. From this we see, on what basis do you know that the tip of a hair (the received text has "hao" of "fine hair", emended to "hao" of "hair tip") is enough to fix the extreme of the finest! On what basis do you know that Heaven and Earth are enough to exhaust the realm of the utterly great!"

河伯曰：「世之議者皆曰：『至精無形，至大不可圍。』是信情乎？」

The Lord of the River said: "Those who discuss in the world all say: 'The utterly fine has no form, the utterly great cannot be encompassed.' Is this true?"

北海若曰：「夫自細視大者不盡，自大視細者不明。夫精，小之微也；垺，大之殷也，故異便。此勢之有也。夫精粗者，期於有形者也；無形者，數之所不能分也；不可圍者，數之所不能窮也。可以言論者，物之粗也；可以意致者，物之精也；言之所不能論，意之所不能察致者，不期精粗焉。

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "Looking at the large from the small one cannot see it all; looking at the small from the large one cannot see it clearly. The fine is the minute within the small; the huge is the vast within the large; so their convenience differs. This is a matter of circumstance. Fine and coarse are limits set on what has form; what has no form cannot be divided by number; what cannot be encompassed cannot be exhausted by number. What can be discussed in words is the coarse of things; what can be reached by the mind is the fine of things; what words cannot discuss and the mind cannot examine is not bounded by fine and coarse.

是故大人之行，不出乎害人，不多仁恩；動不為利，不賤門隸；貨財弗爭，不多辭讓；事焉不借人，不多食乎力，不賤貪汙；行殊乎俗，不多闢異；為在從眾，不賤佞諂；世之爵祿不足以為勸，戮恥不足以為辱；知是非之不可為分，細大之不可為倪。聞曰：『道人不聞，至德不得，大人無己。』約分之至也。」

(Ruo of the Northern Sea continued:) "Therefore the actions of the great man do not come from harming others, nor does he esteem humaneness and kindness; his movements are not for profit, nor does he despise gatekeepers and servants; he does not contend over goods and wealth, nor does he esteem yielding; in his work he does not rely on others, nor does he esteem living by one's own strength, nor despise the greedy; his conduct differs from the common run, but he does not esteem the crooked and strange; his action is to follow the crowd, and he does not despise flatterers; the world's ranks and salaries are not enough to encourage him, and execution and shame are not enough to disgrace him; he knows that right and wrong cannot be taken as boundaries, and that small and large cannot be taken as beginnings. I have heard: 'A man of the Way seeks no renown, a man of supreme virtue seeks no gain, and the great man has no self.' This is the utmost of dividing and binding."

河伯曰：「若物之外，若物之內，惡至而倪貴賤？惡至而倪小大？」

The Lord of the River said: "Whether outside things or within things, from where do we distinguish noble from base? From where do we distinguish small from large?"

北海若曰：「以道觀之，物無貴賤；以物觀之，自貴而相賤；以俗觀之，貴賤不在己。以差觀之，因其所大而大之，則萬物莫不大；因其所小而小之，則萬物莫不小；知天地之為稊米也，知(毫)[豪]末之為丘山也，則差數覩矣。以功觀之，因其所有而有之，則萬物莫不有；因其所無而無之，則萬物莫不無；知東西之相反而不可以相無，則功分定矣。以趣觀之，因其所然而然之，則萬物莫不然；因其所非而非之，則萬物莫不非；知堯、桀之自然而相非，則趣操覩矣。

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "Seen from the Way, things have no noble or base; seen from things, each regards itself as noble and others as base; seen from custom, noble and base do not lie in oneself. Seen from difference, if one follows what is large in a thing and takes it as large, then none of the ten thousand things is not large; if one follows what is small in a thing and takes it as small, none of the ten thousand things is not small; knowing that Heaven and Earth are a grain of millet and that the tip of a hair (the received text has "hao" of "fine hair", emended to "hao" of "hair tip") is a hill and mountain, the numbers of difference are seen. Seen from function, if one follows what a thing has and takes it as having, none of the ten thousand things is without; if one follows what a thing lacks and takes it as lacking, none of the ten thousand things is not without; knowing that east and west are opposite and yet cannot do without each other, the division of function is fixed. Seen from orientation, if one follows what a thing affirms and takes it as right, none of the ten thousand things is not right; if one follows what a thing denies and takes it as wrong, none of the ten thousand things is not wrong; knowing that Yao and Jie each regarded themselves as right and each other as wrong, the orientation and holding to principle is seen.

昔者堯舜讓而帝，之噲讓而絕；湯武爭而王，白公爭而滅。由此觀之，爭讓之禮，堯桀之行，貴賤有時，未可以為常也。梁麗可以沖城，而不可以窒穴，言殊器也；騏驥驊騮，一日而馳千里，捕鼠不如狸狌，言殊技也；鴟鵂夜撮蚤，察毫末，晝出瞋目而不見丘山，言殊性也。故曰，蓋師是而無非，師治而無亂乎？是未明天地之理，萬物之情者也。是猶師天而無地，師陰而無陽，其不可行明矣。然且語而不捨，非愚則誣也。帝王殊禪，三代殊繼。差其時，逆其俗者，謂之篡夫；當其時，順其俗者，謂之義[之]徒。默默乎河伯！女惡知貴賤之門，小大之家！」

(Ruo of the Northern Sea continued:) "In the past Yao and Shun yielded the throne and were called emperors, while King Kuai of Yan yielded and was cut off; Tang and Wu contended and became kings, while the Duke of Bai contended and perished. From this we see that the rites of contending and yielding, and the conduct of Yao and Jie, have their times of being noble or base and cannot be taken as constant. A beam can ram a city wall but cannot plug a hole, which speaks of the difference of tools; fine steeds such as Qiji and Hualiu can gallop a thousand li in a day, but are not as good as a wildcat or weasel at catching rats, which speaks of the difference of skills; the owl catches fleas at night and sees the tip of a hair, but when it comes out by day, with eyes wide open, it cannot see a hill or mountain, which speaks of the difference of nature. So it is said: how can one take only right as a model and not wrong, take only order as a model and not disorder? These are people who have not understood the principle of Heaven and Earth and the feelings of the ten thousand things. This is like taking only Heaven as a model and not Earth, only yin and not yang; that it cannot be done is clear. Yet to keep on talking without giving up is either foolish or deceptive. The yielding of emperors differs, and the successions of the Three Dynasties differ. Those who missed the time and went against custom are called usurpers; those who met their time and followed custom are called men of righteousness (the received text adds a character here). Be silent, Lord of the River! How would you know the gate of noble and base, the house of small and large!"

河伯曰：「然則我何為乎？何不為乎？吾辭受趣舍，吾終奈何？」

The Lord of the River said: "Then what should I do? What should I not do? As for my declining and accepting, going toward and abandoning, in the end what should I do?"

北海若曰：「以道觀之，何貴何賤，是謂反衍；無拘而志，與道大蹇。何少何多，是謂謝施；無一而行，與道參差。嚴乎若國之有君，其無私德；繇繇乎若祭之有社，其無私福；泛泛乎其若四方之無窮，其無所畛域。兼懷萬物，其孰承翼？是謂無方。萬物一齊，孰短孰長？道無終始，物有死生，不恃其成；一虛一滿，不位乎其形。年不可舉，時不可止；消息盈虛，終則有始。是所以語大義之方，論萬物之理也。物之生也，若驟若馳，無動而不變，無時而不移。何為乎，何不為乎？夫固將自化。」

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "Seen from the Way, what is noble and what is base? This is called going back and forth; do not confine your will, which would put you greatly at odds with the Way. What is few and what is many? This is called giving way and spreading; do not hold to one thing and act, which would put you out of step with the Way. Be as solemn as a state with a ruler, with no private virtue; as easy as sacrifice with an altar of the soil, with no private blessing; as broad as the four directions without end, with no boundaries. Embracing all things, who will take them under his wing? This is called having no direction. The ten thousand things are all equal; which is short and which is long? The Way has no end or beginning, but things have death and life; one does not rely on one's own completion; now empty, now full, one does not fix one's position on one's own form. Years cannot be lifted up, and time cannot be stopped; waning and waxing, fullness and emptiness, when one ends there is a beginning. This is how to speak of the principle of great righteousness and discuss the pattern of the ten thousand things. The life of things is like a gallop, like a rush; there is no movement without change, no moment without shifting. What is to be done, and what is not to be done? It was originally going to transform of itself."

河伯曰：「然則何貴於道邪？」

The Lord of the River said: "Then why value the Way?"

北海若曰：「知道者必達於理，達於理者必明於權，明於權者不以物害己。至德者，火弗能熱，水弗能溺，寒暑弗能害，禽獸弗能賊。非謂其薄之也，言察乎安危，寧於禍福，謹於去就，莫之能害也。故曰，天在內，人在外，德在乎天。知天人之行，本乎天，位乎得，蹢䠱而屈伸，反要而語極。」

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "One who knows the Way surely understands principle; one who understands principle surely understands expedience; one who understands expedience does not let things harm him. A man of supreme virtue cannot be burned by fire, drowned by water, harmed by cold or heat, or hurt by birds and beasts. This is not to say that he goes close to them, but that he examines safety and danger, is calm about misfortune and fortune, and is careful in leaving and approaching, so that nothing can harm him. So it is said: Heaven is within, the human is without, and virtue lies in Heaven. Knowing the conduct of Heaven and the human, based in Heaven, placed in attainment, advancing and retreating, bending and stretching, one returns to the pivotal point and speaks to the utmost."

曰：「何謂天？何謂人？」

(The Lord of the River) said: "What is called Heaven, and what is called the human?"

北海若曰：「牛馬四足，是謂天；落馬首，穿牛鼻，是謂人。故曰，無以人滅天，無以故滅命，無以得殉名。謹守而勿失，是謂反其真。」

Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "That oxen and horses have four feet is called Heaven; that a horse's head is haltered and an ox's nose is pierced is called the human. So it is said: do not use the human to destroy Heaven, do not use cleverness to destroy fate, do not sacrifice your life for fame by gain. Guard it carefully and do not lose it, and this is called returning to one's true nature."

夔憐蚿，蚿憐蛇，蛇憐風，風憐目，目憐心。

The Kui pities the Xian, the Xian pities the snake, the snake pities the wind, the wind pities the eye, and the eye pities the mind.

夔謂蚿曰：「吾以一足趻踔而行，予無如矣。今子之使萬足，獨柰何？」

The Kui said to the Xian: "I hop along on one foot, and no one is my match. Now you use ten thousand feet; how do you manage?"

蚿曰：「不然。子不見夫唾者乎？噴則大者如珠，小者如霧，雜而下者不可勝數也。今予動吾天機，而不知其所以然。」

The Xian said: "It is not like that. Have you not seen those who spit? What is sprayed out, the large is like pearls and the small like mist, falling mixed together in numbers beyond counting. Now I move my heavenly mechanism and do not know why it is so."

蚿謂蛇曰：「吾以眾足行，而不及子之無足，何也？」

The Xian said to the snake: "I walk with many feet, yet cannot catch up with you, who have no feet; why?"

蛇曰：「夫天機之所動，何可易邪？吾安用足哉！」

The snake said: "How could what the heavenly mechanism moves be changed? What use do I have for feet!"

蛇謂風曰：「予動吾脊脅而行，則有似也。今子蓬蓬然起於北海，蓬蓬然入於南海，而似無有，何也？」

The snake said to the wind: "I move my spine and ribs to travel, and so I have some resemblance to something. Now you rise whooshing from the Northern Sea and enter whooshing into the Southern Sea, yet seem to be nothing; why?"

風曰：「然，予蓬蓬然起於北海而入於南海也，然而指我則勝我，鰌我亦勝我。雖然，夫折大木，蜚大屋者，唯我能也。故以眾小不勝為大勝也。為大勝者，唯聖人能之。」

The wind said: "So it is: I rise whooshing from the Northern Sea and enter the Southern Sea. Yet one pointing at me with a finger can overcome me, and one kicking me with a foot can also overcome me. Even so, only I can break great trees and blow away great houses. So by not winning many small victories I make a great victory. Only the sage can make a great victory."

孔子遊於匡，宋人圍之數帀，而絃歌不惙。子路入見，曰：「何夫子之娛也？」

Confucius was traveling in Kuang, and the people of Song surrounded him for several rounds, yet he did not stop playing and singing. Zilu went in to see him and said: "Master, why are you so cheerful?"

孔子曰：「來，吾語女。我諱窮久矣，而不免，命也；求通久矣，而不得，時也。當堯舜而天下無窮人，非知得也；當桀紂而天下無通人，非知失也，時勢適然。夫水行不避蛟龍者，漁父之勇也；陸行不避兕虎者，獵夫之勇也；白刃交於前，視死若生者，烈士之勇也；知窮之有命，知通之有時，臨大難而不懼者，聖人之勇也。由處矣！吾命有所制矣。」

Confucius said: "Come, I will tell you. I have avoided hardship for a long time, yet could not escape it; that is fate. I have sought success for a long time, yet could not get it; that is the time. In the time of Yao and Shun the world had no one in hardship, not because of knowledge gained; in the time of Jie and Zhou the world had no one successful, not because of knowledge lost; the times and circumstances happened to be so. One who travels by water and does not avoid dragons has the courage of a fisherman; one who travels by land and does not avoid rhinoceroses and tigers has the courage of a hunter; one who sees death as life when bare blades cross before him has the courage of a martyr; one who knows that hardship has its fate and success has its time, and who does not fear in the face of great difficulty, has the courage of a sage. You, Zilu, rest easy! My fate is determined."

無幾何，將甲者進，辭曰：「以為陽虎也，故圍之。今非也，請辭而退。」

Before long a man in armor came in and apologized, saying: "We took you for Yang Hu, so we surrounded you. Now we see it is not so; we ask to take our leave and withdraw."

公孫龍問於魏牟曰：「龍少學先王之道，長而明仁義之行；合同異，離堅白；然不然，可不可；困百家之知，窮眾口之辯；吾自以為至達已。今吾聞莊子之言，汒焉異之。不知論之不及與，知之弗若與？今吾無所開吾喙，敢問其方。」

Gongsun Long asked Wei Mou: "When I was young I studied the Way of the former kings, and when grown I understood the conduct of humaneness and righteousness; I united sameness and difference, separated hardness and whiteness; made not-so into so, and not-allowable into allowable; I perplexed the knowledge of the hundred schools and exhausted the arguments of all mouths; I thought myself utterly accomplished. Now I have heard the words of Zhuangzi and am bewildered and amazed. I do not know whether my argument is not equal to his, or my knowledge is not equal to his. Now I have no place to open my mouth; may I ask about his method?"

公子牟隱机大息，仰天而笑曰：「子獨不聞夫埳井之鼃乎？謂東海之鱉曰：『吾樂與！出跳梁乎井幹之上，入休乎缺甃之崖；赴水則接腋持頤，蹶泥則沒足滅跗；還虷蟹與科斗，莫吾能若也。且夫擅一壑之水，而跨跱埳井之樂，此亦至矣。夫子奚不時來入觀乎？』東海之鱉左足未入，而右膝已縶矣。於是逡巡而卻，告之海曰：『夫千里之遠，不足以舉其大；千仞之高，不足以極其深。禹之時十年九潦，而水弗為加益；湯之時八年七旱，而崖不為加損。夫不為頃久推移，不以多少進退者，此亦東海之大樂也。』於是埳井之鼃聞之，適適然驚，規規然自失也。

Prince Mou leaned on his armrest, sighed deeply and laughed up at the sky, saying: "Have you not heard of the frog in the collapsed well? It said to the turtle of the Eastern Sea: 'How happy I am! I go out and hop on the well's rail (the well rail, here "gan" is the rail of the well and not "to interfere"), I go in and rest on the edge of a broken brick; jumping into the water I am held up under my armpits and chin, treading in mud it covers my feet and the tops of my feet; looking back at the mosquito larvae, crabs and tadpoles, none can match me. Moreover, to have one gully's water all to myself and to stride over the pleasure of a collapsed well is the utmost. Why do you not come in and look from time to time, sir?' The turtle of the Eastern Sea had not yet put in its left foot when its right knee was already caught. So it hesitated and withdrew, and told it of the sea: 'A thousand li is not enough to describe its size; a thousand ren is not enough to exhaust its depth. In the time of Yu, nine floods in ten years, and the water did not increase for it; in the time of Tang, seven droughts in eight years, and its banks did not recede. Not shifting with the length of time, not advancing or retreating with the amount, this too is the great joy of the Eastern Sea.' Then the frog in the collapsed well, hearing this, was startled and amazed, and lost itself in confusion.

且夫知不知是非之竟，而猶欲觀於莊子之言，是猶使蚊負山，商蚷馳河也，必不勝任矣。且夫知不知論極妙之言，而自適一時之利者，是非埳井之鼃與？且彼方跐黃泉而登大皇，無南無北，奭然四解，淪於不測；無東無西，始於玄冥，反於大通。子乃規規然而求之以察，索之以辯，是直用管闚天，用錐指地也，不亦小乎！子往矣！且子獨不聞夫壽陵餘子之學於邯鄲與？未得國能，又失其故行矣，直匍匐而歸耳。今子不去，將忘子之故，失子之業。」

(Prince Mou continued:) "Moreover, someone who does not know the realm of right and wrong and yet wishes to look at Zhuangzi's words is like making a mosquito carry a mountain or a centipede run across a river; they would certainly not be equal to it. Moreover, someone who does not know how to discuss the most subtle words and merely finds satisfaction in the gain of a moment, is this not the frog in the collapsed well? He treads the Yellow Springs and ascends the Great Heaven, with no south and no north, clearly open on all four sides, sinking into the unfathomable; with no east and no west, beginning in the dark depths and returning to the great thoroughfare. Yet you narrowly seek it with inspection and search for it with argument, which is only peering at the sky through a pipe and pointing at the earth with an awl; is it not small! Go away! And have you not heard of the young man of Shouling who went to Handan to learn to walk (the "young man" here means a youth not yet ranked, not "I")? He did not get the skill of Zhao, and lost his own original gait, and had to crawl home. Now if you do not leave, you will forget what you had and lose your trade."

公孫龍口呿而不合，舌舉而不下，乃逸而走。

Gongsun Long's mouth hung open and could not close, his tongue was raised and could not come down, and so he fled.

莊子釣於濮水，楚王使大夫二人往先焉，曰：「願以境內累矣！」

Zhuangzi was fishing in the Pu River, and the King of Chu sent two grandees to convey his respects first, saying: "We wish to entrust the burden of the state to you!"

莊子持竿不顧，曰：「吾聞楚有神龜，死已三千歲矣，王巾笥而藏之廟堂之上。此龜者，寧其死為留骨而貴乎？寧其生而曳尾於塗中乎？」

Zhuangzi held his rod and did not turn his head, and said: "I have heard that Chu has a sacred tortoise that died three thousand years ago, and the king keeps it wrapped in cloth and in a box in the temple hall. Would this tortoise rather be dead and leave its bones to be honored, or would it rather be alive and dragging its tail in the mud?"

二大夫曰：「寧生而曳尾塗中。」

The two grandees said: "It would rather be alive and dragging its tail in the mud."

莊子曰：「往矣！吾將曳尾於塗中。」

Zhuangzi said: "Go away! I will drag my tail in the mud."

惠子相梁，莊子往見之。或謂惠子曰：「莊子來，欲代子相。」於是惠子恐，搜於國中三日三夜。

Huizi was chancellor of Liang, and Zhuangzi went to see him. Someone said to Huizi: "Zhuangzi is coming, and wants to take your place as chancellor." So Huizi was afraid and searched the state for three days and three nights.

莊子往見之，曰：「南方有鳥，其名為鵷鶵，子知之乎？夫鵷鶵，發於南海而飛於北海，非梧桐不止，非練實不食，非醴泉不飲。於是鴟得腐鼠，鵷鶵過之，仰而視之曰：『嚇！』今子欲以子之梁國而嚇我邪？」

Zhuangzi went to see him and said: "In the south there is a bird whose name is Yuanchu; do you know it? The Yuanchu sets out from the Southern Sea and flies to the Northern Sea, and will not perch on anything but a parasol tree, will not eat anything but bamboo seeds, and will not drink anything but sweet spring water. Then an owl, having got a rotten rat, as the Yuanchu passed by, looked up at it and said: 'Shoo!' Now do you wish to shoo me with your state of Liang?"

莊子與惠子遊於濠梁之上。

Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling on the bridge over the Hao River.

莊子曰：「鯈魚出游從容，是魚之樂也。」

Zhuangzi said: "The minnows come out and swim at ease; this is the happiness of fish."

惠子曰：「子非魚，安知魚之樂？」

Huizi said: "You are not a fish; how do you know the happiness of fish?"

莊子曰：「子非我，安知我不知魚之樂？」

Zhuangzi said: "You are not I; how do you know that I do not know the happiness of fish?"

惠子曰：「我非子，固不知子矣；子固非魚也，子之不知魚之樂，全矣！」

Huizi said: "I am not you, so of course I do not know you; you are certainly not a fish, so you do not know the happiness of fish, and that is complete!"

莊子曰：「請循其本。子曰『汝安知魚樂』云者，既已知吾知之而問我，我知之濠上也。」

Zhuangzi said: "Let us go back to the beginning. When you said 'How do you know the fish are happy,' you already knew that I knew it and were asking me; I knew it above the Hao."