Page numbers refer to the print edition but are hyperlinked to the appropriate location in the e-book.
advice, xvi, 23, 26–28, 28n12, 69, 69n3, 90, 116, 140, 218, 249, 280, 280n4, 284. See also life, prescriptions for
affection: and benevolence, 43, 108–9, 197; and the friendship of a gentleman, 161; and rulers and subjects, 116, 210; true affection, 275–76
Ai Taituo (ugly man), 37–38
animals: attraction to their own kind, 15; death of, 28, 123; escaping danger, 189; and humans in ancient times, 255–56; inauspicious creatures for sacrifice, 32; lack of appreciation for music, 143; nourishment according to their nature, 143, 154–55; reproduction, 118; transformation into one another, 144; and unity, 170. See also sacrifices; ten thousand things, the; specific animals
artisans, 204; Artisan Chui, 71, 153; buckle maker, 185; carpenters, 30–31, 65, 152–53, 152n7, 205–6; crime of, 66; potter, 65; smith, 48–49; wheelwright, 106–7. See also skill
baby: Laozi on, 192–93; leper woman and newborn child, x, 96; and Shun’s rule, 117; value compared to money, 161; weaning, 118, 118n21
beauty, xxii–xxiii, 15, 165, 177, 216; and blindness, 52; and determining worthiness of men, 284; Perfect Beauty, 170; and three kinds of virtue, 254–55; trouble from, 284
benevolence and righteousness, 102, 122; and age of Perfect Virtue, 94; Confucius on, 104; and confusion, 15, 115; dilemmas of, 191; forgetting, 52; and the gentleman, 287; and governance, 201–2; and inborn nature, 61–64; Laozi on, 114, 115; and loss of the Way, 66–67, 77, 177; love and benefit as products of, 210–11; necessity of, 82–83, 82n17; and the old fisherman, 272; and the Perfect Man, 114; reputation and righteous conduct, 259; risking life for, 63; and theft, 70
birds: avoiding danger, 55, 160, 189; food for, 15; inborn nature, 61; Listless, 160; and men’s knowledge, 71; nourishment according to their nature, 143, 154–55; Peng, 1–2; shadows of, 298; and sufficiency, 3; transformations, 144; webbed toes, 60. See also specific birds
blame, 113, 120, 157; blame/credit for things beyond one’s control, 244; and criminals, 198; and influencing difficult students, 24–25, 29; and the Perfect Man/man of Complete Virtue, 92, 160; and personal responsibility, 221; and reproaches using words from antiquity, 24–25
blood, transformation into jade, 227
body: entrusting the world to the man who values his body more than the world, 75–76; five vital organs, 60, 60n2; forgetting, 164–65; as form lent by Heaven and earth, 179; and going along with things, 162; keeping the body whole, 190; and life and death, 9, 168; and man of kingly Virtue, 85; nourishing the body, 145; origins of, 180; seven openings of, 59; six parts of, 35, 35n2; and supreme happiness, 139; True Lord of, 9; tumors and wens, 60, 141n4; and weariness, 121
carriages, 124, 158; falling out of, 146; as gifts, 282, 285; and praying mantis, 29, 90; skill at driving, 153; and Weituo, 151
Chinese history, outline of, xxxiii
clay, inborn nature of, 65
clothing: Confucian clothing, 171; and humans in ancient times, 255; Mohist clothing, 290–91; monkey in, 113
coarseness and fineness, 129, 294
Commander of the Right, 20, 20n5
companion of Heaven, 24, 44, 50
Confucianism, viii, 60–64, 77, 122, 122nn1,2, 204–5, 208, 288, 288n2; clothing, 171; and Daoism, xiv–xvii, xix; five virtues, 60n2; gentleman as Confucian ideal, 287n1; and grave-robbing, 229; and meaning of right and wrong, 10; as official state doctrine, xv; origins of, 117; and “Webbed Toes,” 61n9
Confucius, x, xxviii; and awareness of dreaming and waking, 51; on being whole in power, 39; on benevolence and righteousness, 104; Chang Ji and, 34–35; and Chinese history, xxxiii; and cicada-catching hunchback, 147; on determining worthiness of men, 283–84; difficulties and persecutions during travels, 112, 134–35, 159–61, 163, 247–48, 256, 275; and diving man, 151–52; Duke Ai of Lu and, 37–39; on duty, 27; on fate, 27, 28, 39, 134; and the fisherman, 271–78; and funeral of Master Sanghu, 49–50; and funeral of mother of Mengsun Cai, 51; Grand Historiographers and, 222–23; on handling boats, 147; on the happy medium, 149, 149n3; Jie Yu (madman of Chu) and, 32; Lao Laizi and, 229–30; Laozi (Lao Dan) and, 37n5, 89, 103–4, 113–18, 169–71, 180–82; Liuxia Ji and, 252, 259; Lord of the Yellow River on, 126; love of learning, 272, 272n2; lute-playing, 134, 247; Master Sanghu and, 49–50, 161–62; mother, 261, 262n17; on the Perfect Man, 22; on profit, 28; Ran Qiu and, 185–86; retirement of, 160, 161; and right and wrong, 235; Robber Zhi and, 252–59; Ruo of the North Sea on, 127; on the sage, 15–16, 164; search for the Way, 113–14, 276–78; Shushan No-Toes and, 36–37; on skill, 147; on successful behavior, 27–28, 28n12; at tavern at Ant Knoll, 219–20; and traveling, 111–13, 219–20; on troubled times, 134; on virtue, 22, 39, 254–55; on Wang Tai’s success and virtue, 34–35; on the Way, 50, 104, 208; Wenbo Xuezi and, 167; on wisdom, 231; on worldly affairs, 22–26; Yan He on, 282–83; Yan Hui (Yan Yuan) and, 22–26, 51–53, 111–13, 147, 163, 168–69, 171, 173–74, 186–87, 246, 247–48; and Yan Yuan’s travels to Qi, 142–43; Zigao and, 26; Zigong and, 49–50, 92–93, 142, 247–48, 271–72; Zilu and, 103–4, 134, 219–20, 247–48, 256, 271, 277–78
confusion: and benevolence and righteousness, 15, 115; and music of Heaven, 111; and pursuit of knowledge, 71–73; and right and wrong, 15; and travelers, 95–96; and Yao and Shun, 190
criminals, xxii, 198, 221, 221n17; the five penalties, 101, 101n5; as gatekeepers, 205, 205n10; men with feet cut off, 20, 20n5, 34–36, 101n5, 198. See also punishment
crowd, distinguishing oneself from, 81, 115
death: of animals, 28, 123; avoiding, 160–61; premature death, 117, 123; risking death for the sake of external things, 62–63, 134n15, 139–40, 196, 257, 261; and transformation, 99; and Zhuangzi’s dream of the skull, 142. See also life and death; mourning
debate and argumentation, x–xi; and advice to kings and dukes, 23; being web-toed in, 60–61; debates among philosophers, 205, 205n9; determining the winner of an argument, 17; and “hard” and “white,” 291, 291n5; Huizi and, 298; and large and small, 128; Mohists and, 291; and not talking, not being silent, 226; and realm of formlessness, 181; and violence, 202. See also wrangling
deer, attraction to their own kind, 15
dependence, 18n23; and the body, 162; Liezi and, 3; mutual dependence of things, 10–11, 186, 224; and the sage, 83
“Discoursing on Swords,” 266–70
“Discussion on Making All Things Equal,” 7–18
Do-Nothing-Say-Nothing, 176–78
dreaming: awareness of dreaming and waking, 16–18, 51; butterfly dream, 18; father’s dream of Huan, 280; fisherman dream, falsely reported, 172–73; oak tree dream, 30–31; and straw dogs, 112; Zhuangzi’s dream of the skull, 142
empires and kingdoms: and decline of Virtue, 256–57; “Giving Away a Throne,” 239–51; and itinerant statesmen, 81–82, 81n13; possessors of, 82; reluctant rulers, 241; rise of Zhou dynasty, 250–51; rulers’ desire to cede to others, 3–4, 172–73, 233, 239–40, 248, 249; rules of succession, 131; states stolen/conquered, 68–69, 130n10, 175, 249, 249n14, 257; thrones ceded to others, 116, 130, 130n9; uprisings, 208n17, 256n6. See also governance; rulers
equality, xi, 147, 293; “Discussion on Making All Things Equal,” 7–18; equal value of life and death, xi, xviii, 44–45, 48, 50, 85, 128; Heavenly Equality, 17, 235; Heaven the Equalizer, 11; impartiality, 54, 66, 104, 132, 168, 223, 223n24, 293, 296; and mutual dependence of things, 10–11
eyesight, 66, 71, 213; being web-toed in, 60; blindness, 4, 52, 190, 190n4; and horse-herding boy, 203; looking at oneself, 64; and loss of inborn nature, 96–97
fairness and unfairness, 286
fame, eminence, 25, 59, 109, 139, 194, 232; avoiding, 251; as delusions of the will, 197; and fate, 39; and inborn nature, 60; Laozi on, 114; and Man of the Way, 129; and the Perfect Man, 114; and premiership of Sunshu Ao, 174–75; and recluses, 207, 207n16; risking life for, 62; and ruin, 160; Sole Possessor, 82; and trust, 259; virtue destroyed by, 22; and warfare, 23
family, risking life for, 62
fate, 124–25, 145; Confucius on, 27, 28, 39, 134; and diving man, 152; and origin of the world, 88; possession of, 179; and poverty, 39, 54; and progression of life and death, 141; and punishment, 36; resigning oneself to what cannot be avoided, 28, 36, 44; and troubled times, 134, 162–63. See also life and death
favors, 283; and blame/credit for things beyond one’s control, 244; punishment and favor as “the two handles” of political power, 106; and rulers, 132; the sage and, 40. See also gifts; reward and punishment
fear: brought on by sons, 86; great and little fears, 8; and Liezi and the soup sellers, 279; and music, 111; of shadows and footprints, 275; and worldly affairs, 114, 265
feelings, 120; as entanglements of virtue, 197; and going along with things, 162; and the sage, 40; and the True Man, 43–44; True Master of, 8; and yin and yang, 74; Zhuangzi on the man with no feelings, 40–41
feet: cut off (see criminals); fear of footprints, 275; Kun’s feet cut off by bandits, 209; one-footed men as gatekeepers, 205, 205n10; respectful gazing at, 254, 254n3; stepped on, 196–97; treading a small area of ground, 213
feudal lord, 150n4, 173, 222, 246, 254; coffin of, 290; courts of, 72, 72n12; and itinerant statesmen, 81, 81n13; sword of, 268–69; as thief, 70, 260; worries of, 273
fish, 118; attraction to their own kind, 15; in carriage rut, 228; and dry springs, 44; and enjoyment, 137–38; escaping/avoiding danger, 189; forgetting one another in rivers and lakes, 44, 50, 212n23; Kun, 1–2; likes and dislikes, 143; and men’s knowledge, 71
fisherman, fishing, 5, 12, 30–31, 76, 96n21, 118, 134, 144, 153, 172–73, 219, 227n2; fish trap, 233; “The Old Fisherman,” 271–78; Prince Ren, 228–29; and sickness, 26n9; theft of fishnet, 45; Yu Ju and the turtle, 230–31
“Fit for Emperors and Kings,” 55–59
forgetting: and criminals, 198; fish forgetting one another in rivers and lakes, 44, 50, 212n23; forgetting life, 145; forgetting the self in pursuit of gain, 165; forgetting the self in the Way, 50, 52, 52n22, 89; and what is comfortable, 153; Yan Hui (Yan Yuan) and, 52–53, 169
forms, 146; man’s true form, 258; and origin of the world, 89; size of formless things, 129; and transformation, 181
“Free and Easy Wandering,” 1–6
frog in the caved-in well, 135–36
gamecocks, training of, 151
gentleman: characteristics and actions of, 287, 287n1; and determining worthiness of men, 283–84; dying for reputation, 261; friendship of, 161; as petty man of Heaven, 50; risking life for benevolence and righteousness, 63
“Giving Away a Throne,” 239–51
gods, 45, 132; Jian Wu (god of
Mount Tai), 4, 45, 55, 174–75; river god, 45, 126–33, 126n1; sea god, 126–33; Yuqiang (deity of the far north), 46, 46n12
good fortune, 132, 224; Jie Yu (madman of Chu) on, 32; and Kun, son of Ziqi, 209–10; Laozi on, 170, 193; Liezi and, 3; and the sage, 120; and stillness, 26
governance, 201–2, 287; benefiting the world, 211; care for the lives of subjects over possession of territory, 240, 240n3; Duke Ai of Lu and, 39; entrusting affairs of state to others, 206; entrusting the world to the man who values his body more than the world, 75–76, 239; and favors, 283; “Fit for Emperors and Kings,” 55–59; “Giving Away a Throne,” 239–51; and herding horses, 203; and hypocrisy, 256; and inaction, 75–76, 84, 100, 103; and inborn nature, 74, 90; Laozi (Lao Dan) on, 57; and men of ancient times, 288; Nameless Man on, 56; and necessity of benevolence, righteousness, law, ritual, etc., 82–83, 82n17; and office-holding, 250–51; and old man of Zang, 172–73; opposition to government enterprises, xv, xvn1, 23; and partiality, 223; and the people, 116–17, 201–2; and the Perfect Man, 106; reluctant rulers, 241 (see also empires and kingdoms: rulers’ desire to cede to others); and revenge, 217–18; and rise of Zhou dynasty, 250–51; and the sage, 55, 90, 93; Shennong and, 250; and sufficiency, 3–4; trivia of good governance, 101; and the True Man, 44, 44n6; and warfare, 201–2; “The Way of Heaven,” 98–107, 102n8; and “The World,” 287–89; Xian (shaman) on, 108; Xu Wugui on, 201–2; and Zichan, prime minister of Zheng, 35–36. See also empires and kingdoms; rulers; specific rulers
“The Great and Venerable Teacher,” 42–54
Great Impartial Accord, 223–26
Great Thoroughfare, 53, 136
Han Feizi (Legalist philosopher), xv, xxxiii
happiness, 120; and the dead, 142; as entanglement of virtue, 197; and occupations of men, 203–4; Perfect Happiness, 170; “Supreme Happiness,” 139–44. See also joy
“hard” and “white,” 12, 12n9, 41, 61, 71, 89, 135, 135n16, 291, 291n5
hardship, 87, 125, 134, 163; avoiding disaster, 157–58, 160; being blocked, 248; and happiness of men of strength, 203; and Mohism, 291; responses to, 161; troubled times, xvi–xvii, 134, 162–63, 224, 248–50. See also Confucius: difficulties and persecutions during travels; disorder; misfortune; suffering
hearing, 71, 213; being overnice in, 60; deafness, 4, 190, 190n4; listening with the mind, 25; listening to oneself, 63; and loss of inborn nature, 96–97
Heaven: companion of Heaven, 24, 44, 50; crime of hiding from Heaven, 21, 281; and earth (see Heaven and earth); and governance, 83; the Heavenly and the human, 132–33, 163, 164; Heavenly Equality, 17, 235; Heavenly Gate, 195; Heavenly Gruel, 40; Heavenly joy, 99–100; Heavenly Man, 287; Heavenly Virtue, 84; Heaven the Equalizer, 11; Helper of Heaven, 146; music of Heaven, 111; and one-footed men, 20; One-with-Heaven, 121; Reservoir of Heaven, 14; and responses to hardship, 161; and the sage, 10; Tian translated as, xxviii, 10n6, 44n7; and the True Man, 42; “The Turning of Heaven,” 108–18; unity of Heaven and man, 163, 164; “The Way of Heaven,” 98–107
Heaven and earth, 8n2; and attributes, 10; body lent by, 179; as father and mother of the ten thousand things, 145; “Heaven and Earth,” 84–97; Heaven as honorable, earth lowly, 101; Huizi on, 297; inaction of, 140; level of, 120; mirror of, 98; origin of, 45, 186; piping of, 7–8; time before, 185–86; and unspoken truths, 178; Virtue of, 99
honor, 3n6, 75, 85, 94, 99, 101–2, 109, 260, 262, 278, 293
horses, 298; and attributes, 10, 10n7; broken down, 153; herding, 202–3; and the human, 133; inborn nature of, 65–67; judging, 199–200; and labeling, 223; Qiji and Hualiu (thoroughbreds), 131; transformations, 144
Hu [Sudden], emperor of the North Sea, 59
Huan (Confucian scholar from Zheng), 280–82
Huan Dou (banished man), 76
Huizi (Hui Shi; logician philosopher), xv, xxviii, 5n10, 218–19; and Chinese history, xxxiii; death of, 205–6; paradoxes of, 9n4, 297–99; and warfare, 218; Zhuangzi and, 5–6, 137–38, 140–41, 204–6, 231, 235–36
human relations: and communication, 27; ethical ties between people, 260–61; men’s affinity for those like themselves/disdain for those different from themselves, 81; and people in exile, 200; and responses to hardship, 161; and the sage, 181, 216; and trust, 27; and the Truth, 276; types of connections, 161. See also rulers; sons and parents; teachers and disciples/students
humor, Zhuangzi’s use of, xi, xxi
Hundun [Chaos], emperor of the central region, 59, 92
Illumination of Vastness, 94
impartiality, 54, 66, 104, 132, 168, 223, 223n24, 293, 296; Great Impartial Accord, 223–26
impersonator of the dead, 4, 188
inaction, xi, 85, 98–99, 109, 120, 187, 197, 198; and Confucianism, xv; and funeral of Master Sanghu, 50; and governance, 75–76, 84, 100, 103; and happiness, 140; and Laozi, 295; and the Perfect Man, 114; and true man of the Way, 93; wuwei translated as, xi, xxix. See also wandering
inborn nature, 118, 125, 164, 197; conditions for losing, 96–97, 199, 261; and governance, 74, 90; “Horses’ Hoofs,” 65–67; joy upon return to, 217n5; and loss of the Way, 66–67, 123, 125, 282; “Mending the Inborn Nature,” 122–25; and origin of the world, 89; possession of, 179; and the sage, 216; and slipshod actions, 220; and true man of the Way, 93; “Webbed Toes,” 60–64; and worldly affairs, 65–66, 74–75
insects, 118, 144, 197. See also specific insects
“In the World of Men,” 22–33
Invocator of the Ancestors, 149–50
Jie Yu (madman of Chu), 32, 55
Jingshi region of Song, 31–32
joy, 125, 187; and being whole in power, 39; and damage to yang element, 74; as entanglement of virtue, 197; failure to find, 64; finding joy in what brings joy to others, not self, 43; and harmonizing with men and Heaven, 99–100. See also happiness
Kanpi (god of Kunlun Mountains), 45
knowledge, 14–15, 26; confusion arising from pursuit of, 71–73; and loss of the Way, 67, 123; and lost Dark Pearl, 86; and men as travelers, 187; and men of ancient times, 122–24; pursuit of, 19, 71–73; recognizing what is “enough,” xvi; as roadblock of the Way, 197; the sage and, 40, 180; Shen Dao on, 293; trouble from, 285; the True Man and, 42. See also learning; scholars
“Knowledge Wandered North,” 175–87
Kuang (music master), 12, 60, 71
Lame-Hunchback-No-Lips, Mr., 40
Laozi (Lao Dan), ix, xvn1; Barrier Keeper Yin and, 294–95, 294n18; Bo Ju and, 220–21; and Chinese history, xxxiii; Confucius and, 37n5, 89, 103–4, 113–18, 169–71, 180–82; Cui Zhu and, 76; and Daoism, xiii–xiv; frugality of, 105, 105n13; on governance, 57; little sister, 105, 105n13; on meddling with men’s minds, 76; Nanrong Zhu and, 190–93; on preserving life, 192–93; Qin Qhi mourning the death of, 20–21; sayings, 295; Shi Chengqi and, 105; Shushan No-Toes and, 37; Yang Ziju and, 237–38; Zigong and, 116
leper, 11; leper woman and newborn child, x, 96
“Let It Be, Let It Alone,” 74–83
life, 134; brevity of, 181; dangers from loss of inborn nature, 96; and death (see life and death); “Mastering Life,” 145–55; nourishing, 149; prescriptions for (see life, prescriptions for); preserving, 192–93, 240–43; and pursuit of knowledge, 19; shames brought on by long life, 86
life, prescriptions for, xi–xii; and carving oxen, 19–20; and eight delights, 75; and the eight faults and four evils, 274; and following inclinations, 247; and gaining possession of the Way, 179–80; and “Gengsang Chu,” 190–98; and going along with things, 162; Guang Cheng on, 78–79; and “Heaven and Earth,” 84–85; Laozi on, 192–93; life in the time of Perfect Virtue, 66; and looking out for oneself, 242–43; and the man with no feelings, 40–41; and office-holding, 250–51; old fisherman on, 276; and poverty, 245–46; and “Robber Zhi,” 261–65; “The Secret of Caring for Life,” 19–21; Shen Dao on, 293–94; Shun on, 162; warnings and bad examples, 8, 23, 43, 75, 114–15, 245–46, 261–62, 274, 276; and “The Way of Heaven,” 98–100; and worldly affairs, 22–33, 43, 59, 75, 114–15; Yan Hui (Yan Yuan) on, 246. See also inaction; sage
life and death: appropriateness of one or the other, 212, 212n24; and the body, 9, 168; equal value of, xi, xviii, 44–45, 48, 50, 85, 128; and fate, 39, 44, 141; loving life and hating death, 16, 43; and men of ancient times, 195; mutual dependence of, 10, 177, 186, 196; no singing in life, no mourning in death, 289–90; and prime mover, 225–26; risking death for the sake of external things, 62–63, 134, 134n15, 139–40, 196, 240–43; transcending categories of, 46, 46n15; and transformation, 47–49, 132, 169, 181, 235; and the True Man, 43; waiting for, 168; Yan Cheng Ziyou on, 236–37
likes and dislikes, 12, 12n8, 130; and animals, 143; desire and hatred, 197, 224; and loss of inborn nature, 96–97, 199; and the man with no feelings, 41
limited and limitless, the, 19, 183, 214
Li Zhu (Li Lou; man of keen eyesight), 60, 60n3, 63, 71
love, 109; and benevolence and righteousness, 210; and injury to the Way, 12, 12n8; snares of the heart, 197; and the Truth, 276. See also affection
Lu (state), 112, 247; and Confucian clothing, 171; and development of Confucianism, viii, 288; persecution of Confucius in, 247, 256, 275; wine of, 69, 69n4
Lu Buwei (prime minister of Qin), xxxiii
men: bent-with-burdens men, 211–12; companion of, 24, 44; faults and evils of, 274, 284; food for, 15; foolish men, 95, 158, 255, 286 (see also stupidity); ideal man (see Complete Man; Great Clod; Great Man; Holy Man; Man of Great Completion; Man of the Way; Perfect Man; sage; Supreme Swindle; True Man); man of ardor, 134, 139; smug-and-satisfied men, 211; swords of different classes, 268–70; types of, 211–12; worries of different classes, 273. See also feudal lord; gentleman; human relations; people, the; petty men; rulers; spirits of men; specific occupations
“Mending the Inborn Nature,” 122–25
men of ancient times, 102–3, 122–23, 232n12; and “art of the Way,” 289, 291, 293, 296; chaff and dregs of, 107, 118; and governance, 288; and hardship (being blocked), 248; and imputed words, 234; and knowledge, 122–24; and loss of the Way, 122–25; and office-holding, 250–51; and personal responsibility, 221; and transformation, 186; understanding of, 11–12, 195. See also Perfect Man; True Man
metal, transformation of, 48–49
mind: death of, 168; emptiness as fasting of the mind, 25; and Heavenly wanderings, 232; ideal state of, 120–21; listening with, 25; and loss of the Way, 123; of the man of kingly Virtue, 85–86; meddling with, 76–77; mind-nourishment, 81n12; as mirror, 59; racing mind, 26, 26n6; as teacher, 9, 25; and the True Man, 43; and using skills, 153; Yao and, 103; and yin and yang, 195. See also feelings; knowledge; learning; Spirit Tower; understanding
ministers, 94–95, 100, 101, 163, 172–73, 257–58; executions of, 227, 227n1, 258 (see also executions); Shun as minister under Yao, 99, 99n2; worries of, 273
misfortune, 80, 132, 213, 223, 224, 264; brought on by loyalty, trustworthiness, etc., 261–62; Jie Yu (madman of Chu) on, 32; and lacking benevolence, 278; Laozi on, 170, 193; and the sage, 120; and tenuous connections of those joined by profit, 161. See also Confucius: difficulties and persecutions during travels; hardship
Mohism, ix, xv, xix, xvn1, 10, 77, 117, 122n1, 208, 280, 290–91, 291nn5,6
monkeys, 56, 113, 162; arrogance of, 207; attraction to their own kind, 15; and “three in the morning,” 11
Mountain of Emptiness and
Mulberry Grove dance, 19, 19n3
music, 63, 66, 101n7, 106, 122, 155; Confucius and, 134, 247; great music wasted on villagers, 96; Jingshou music, 19; lute-playing, 12, 12n8, 53, 134, 204–5, 247; Mozi’s “Against Music,” 289; Music, 117, 288; music of antiquity, 289; Nine Shao music, 143, 154; not appreciated by animals, 143, 155; perfect music, 111, 111n11; singing, 49–50, 53–54, 163, 289; trivia of, 101; Xianchi music, 109–10, 143, 289; Yellow Emperor and, 109–11, 289
Not-Even-Anything Village, 6
Not Yet Emerged from My Source, 58
nourishment, 245–46; of birds vs. humans, 143, 154–55; and caring for the lives of subjects over possession of territory, 240; and length of journey, 2; mind-nourishment, 81, 81n12; nourishing life, 149; nourishing the body, 145, 246; nourishing what is within, 28; and the ten thousand things, 100; and those that thrive in the Way, 50
Palace of Not-Even-Anything, 182
pearls: and Black Dragon, 285; and grave-robbing, 229; lost Dark Pearl, 86; pearl of the marquis of Sui, 242–43
people, the (subjects of a ruler), 82–83; and age of Perfect Virtue, 94, 255–56; care for, 23, 78; care for the lives of subjects over possession of territory, 240, 240n3; gaining the affection of, 210; governance of, 116–17, 201–2 (see also governance); sword of the commoner, 269–70; worries of the common man, 273
perch, in carriage rut, 228
perfection, 85; age of Perfect Virtue, 66, 71, 94, 255–56; Perfect Beauty, 170; Perfect Happiness, 170; Perfect Unity, 123; Perfect Way, 78–79
Perfect Man: Bian Qingzi on, 154–55; Bohun Wuren on, 174; characteristics and actions of, 3, 114, 160, 178, 186n17, 193, 231–32, 282, 287; Confucius as, 39; Confucius on, 22; fisherman as, 278; Gengsang Chu on, 188; and governance, 106; Laozi on, 170; Liezi on, 146; magical powers of, 15, 146; and profit and loss, 15. See also Complete Man; Great Clod; Great Man; Holy Man; Man of Great Completion; Man of the Way; sage; Supreme Swindle; True Man
petty men: and external punishments, 283; friendship of, 161; petty man of Heaven as gentleman among men, 50; and risking death for the sake of profit, 62–63, 261; understanding of, 281–82
Pitcher-Sized-Wen, Mr., 40
poverty, xi, 125, 139, 201; and fate, 39, 54, 162; Liezi and, 241; and the sage, 215; Yuan Xian and, 245, 245n6; Zeng Shen and, 245–46
preceder and follower, 101
profit, gain, 15, 85; Confucius on, 28; and corrupt government, 250; as delusion of the will, 197; and fate, 39; and forgetting the self, 164–65; happiness of greedy man, 204; and hypocrisy, 257, 261; ill effects of pursuit, 190; Laozi on, 170; and loss of the Way, 67; and responses to hardship, 161; risking life for, 62, 63, 240–43, 261; and “Robber Zhi,” 262–65; and the sage, 92; and warfare, 23; Zhanzi on, 247
punishment, 75, 77; external and internal, 283; feet cut off, 20, 20n5, 34–36, 101n5, 198; nose cut off, 52; punishment and favor as “the two handles” of political power, 106, 106n15; Shentu Jia on, 36; tattooing, 52; Yao and, 52. See also reward and punishment
Qi, Tang’s questions to, 2, 2n5
Queen Mother of the West, 46, 46n12
reputation, 109, 139; dying for, 63, 257, 261; and hypocrisy, 261; and inborn nature, 60; Never-Enough and Sense-of-Harmony on, 262, 265; and righteous conduct, 259
responsibility, personal, 221
reward and punishment, 74–75, 101–3; and blame/credit for things beyond one’s control, 244; Bocheng Zigao on, 86; and the Creator, 281; and Kun, son of Ziqi, 209; and rulers, 115, 115n17, 243–45. See also punishment
right and wrong, 102, 130, 131, 196; and confusion, 15; and the Great Man, 129; and imputed words, 234; and injury to the Way, 12; mutual dependence of, 10; and Peng Meng, Tian Pian, and Shen Dao, 294; places switched, 222, 235; and the sage, 40; and words, 9–10; and Zhuangzi, 296
rites, rituals, 49–50, 75, 82n17, 83, 101, 103, 106, 122, 177, 197, 276, 289
rulers: and action/inaction, 100; care for the lives of subjects over possession of territory, 240, 240n3; comforting rulers, 201; and duty, 27, 84; entrusting affairs of state to others, 206; “Giving Away a Throne,” 239–51; “Lonely One” term, 254, 254n4; premiership of Sunshu Ao, 174–75; and reward and punishment, 115, 115n17, 243–45 (see also executions); rulers exiled, 243–44; rules of succession, 131; and three kinds of virtue, 254–55; thrones ceded to others, 116, 130, 130n9; and the Truth, 276; worries of, 273. See also empires and kingdoms; governance; people, the; Son of Heaven; specific rulers
Ruo of the North Sea (sea god), 126–33
sacrifices, 132, 149–50, 196, 250, 250n16; inappropriate for birds, 154; and inauspicious creatures, 32; of oxen, 32, 285–86; straw dogs, 112, 112n13
sage: and books, 107; and border guard of Hua, 86–87; characteristics and actions of, 3, 15, 40, 43, 45, 92, 98, 120, 178, 180, 181, 188n1, 198, 208, 215–17, 287, 287n1; Confucius on, 15–16, 164; courage of, 134; and danger to the world, 70, 70n7; and discrimination, 13–14; fault of, 66–67; and governance, 55, 90, 93; and human relations, 181, 216; impervious to harm, 146, 187; inborn nature, 216; magical powers of, xii–xiii; prayers for, 86; risking life for the world, 62; skill of, 197; stillness of, 98; and thieves, 69–70; and “this” and “that,” right and wrong, 10; and the Truth, 276; Virtue of, 120; Wang Tai as, 34–35; Way and talent of, 46. See also Complete Man; Great Clod; Great Man; Holy Man; Man of Great Completion; Man of the Way; Perfect Man; Supreme Swindle; True Man
“The Secret of Caring for Life,” 19–21
sexual intercourse, 108n1
shepherd boy and girl, 63
shoes, distinct from path, 118
Shu [Brief], emperor of the
Shun (sage king), xxxiii, 55n2, 62n13, 172; banishment of subordinate men, 76, 76n4; and benevolence and righteousness, 62; as a bent-with-burdens man, 211–12; Confucius on, 35; death of, 162; and decline of Virtue, 123, 256–57; desire to cede empire to others, 239, 240, 248; exile of nephew, 257n7, 260; and filial piety, 172n11; Gengsang Chu on, 189–90; on going along with things, 162; governance, 76, 116–17; heirs’ loss of land, 255; as minister, 99, 99n2; music of, 289; palace of, 187; throne ceded to Yu, 116; Yao and, 14, 99n2, 103, 130
sickness, 149; and the Creator, 47–49; as excuse for refusing a throne, 239; gifts for doctors, 282; of Guan Zhong, 206; and licentiousness, 201; and moderation, 264; and yin and yang, 26, 26n9
“The Sign of Virtue Complete,” 34–41
skill, xi–xii, 84; and Artisan Chui, 153; and buckle maker, 185; butchering dragons, 281; games of, 27–28; Laozi on, 295; and the sage, 40, 92, 197; and Woodworker Qing, 152–53; worry interfering with, 147, 174
smith, and transformation of metal, 48–49
smug-and-satisfied men, 211
Song, man of: Confucius mistaken for enemy by men of Song, 134, 134n14; envoy to Qin, 282; hat seller, 5; as stock figure, viii
sons and parents, 27, 95, 101, 109; destiny of the sons of Ziqi, 209–10; fears brought on by sons, 86; and imputed words, 234; possession of sons and grandsons, 179; and prayers for the sage, 86; and the Truth, 276. See also filial piety
speech, 13; children learning to speak, 231; and inaction, 85; perfect speech, 187; speech that is not spoken, 208, 208n17; unspoken truths, 178. See also words
spirits of men: and advice-giving, 23; caring for/guarding, 121; and emptiness as the fasting of the mind, 25; man of spirit, 94; origins of, 180; and sleep and waking, 8; and transformation, 181; and weariness, 121
Stone Door, farmer of, 240
strength, trouble from, 284
stupidity, 16, 45, 77, 102, 111, 139, 157, 167, 179, 196, 276. See also foolish men
Tang (founder of Shang dynasty), xxxiii, 130, 130n10, 255; Bian Sui and, 249; and decline of Virtue, 256–57; end of dynasty, 255; hall of, 187; music of, 289; overthrow of Xia dynasty, 249, 249n14, 257, 261; questions to Qi, 2; tutor of, 217; Wu Guang and, 233, 249; Yi Yin caged by, 198, 198n25
teachers and disciples/students, 86, 99, 119, 154, 183; Deng Heng, 217; Ju Boyu’s advice to Yan He, tutor to Kuaikui, 28–29; Master Shun from east of the Wall, 166; mind as teacher, 9, 25; Wang Tai, 34–35. See also Confucius; Laozi; Zhuangzi; and specific disciples
ten thousand things, the, 85, 178–79; and attributes, 10; defined, 127; and discrimination, 130, 132; and equality, 293; and kings in ancient times, 100; and life in a time of Perfect Virtue, 66; and music, 110; and mutual dependence of things, 224; and transformation, 100, 101, 132, 180, 235; and unity, 170, 177; and unspoken truths, 178–79; and waiting for life and death, 168
theft, thieves, 164; feudal lords as thieves, 70, 260; and hypocrisy, 260; “Rifling Trunks,” 68–73; “Robber Zhi,” 252–65; theft of boat and fish net, 45; and Yu’s rule, 117. See also Robber Zhi
“three in the morning,” 11
Tian Mou, marquis of Qi, 217
transformation, 118, 178; of animals, 144; and cycle of life and death, 48–49, 132, 169, 181, 235; and men of ancient times, 186; and the ten thousand things, 100, 101, 132, 180, 235; Transformation of Things, 18
traveling, 109, 158; Confucius’s difficulties during, 112, 134–35, 159–60, 161, 163; and confusion, 95–96; and danger to the world, 149; humans as travelers, 187; returning home, 216–17
trees: chopped down on Confucius in Song, 112, 247, 275; growth of, 232–33; and inborn nature, 96; of Jinghshi region of Song, 31–32; lifespans, 30–32, 156; suicide by clinging to tree, 257; and usefulness/uselessness, 6, 30–32, 156, 160
True Man, xxix, 42–44, 121, 166; characteristics and actions of, 42–44, 212; Laozi and Barrier Keeper Yin as, 295; magical powers of, 42; and punishment, 283; Sunshu Ao as, 175. See also Complete Man; Great Clod; Great Man; Holy Man; Man of Great Completion; Man of the Way; Perfect Man; sage; Supreme Swindle; True Man
True Master, True Lord, 8, 9
Truth, old fisherman on, 275–76
“The Turning of Heaven,” 108–18
turtle, 298; caught by Yu Ju, 230–31; and divination, 230, 230n10; great turtle of the Eastern Sea, 135–36; sacred tortoise in Chu, 137
understanding, 187, 193–94, 194n9, 197, 222, 232; blindness and deafness of, 4; and discrimination, 14, 194n9; great and little understanding, 8; harmonizing with and understanding others, 29–30; Liezi and, 59, 59n14; of the little man, 281–82; and loss of the Way, 123; men of ancient times and, 11–12, 195; and transmission of the Way to others, 114; trick for, 184; understanding men and ghosts, 194; of the Way, 114, 184, 213–14; and what is comfortable, 153
unity, xi, 11; Great Unity, 81, 82, 213, 281, 295; Perfect Unity, 123; and the ten thousand things, 170, 177; unity of Heaven and man, 163, 164; and words, 234
usefulness and uselessness, 130, 156–57, 196; and gourds, 5–6; Jie Yu (madman of Chu) on, 33; and salve given to soldiers, 5–6; and trees, 6, 30–32, 156, 160; and water wells, 160; Zhuangzi on, 156, 231
Village-of-Not-Anything-at-All, 282
violence, 201–2; and decline of
Virtue, 14, 14n20, 58, 74, 84, 132, 193, 281; age of Perfect Virtue, 66, 71, 94, 255–56; Confucius on, 22, 39, 254–55; dangerous virtues, 284; Dark Virtue, 89; decline of, 122–25; destroyed by fame, 22; de translated as, xxix, 13n14; Eight Virtues, 13; and expertness, 63; and feelings, 197; and governance, 83; and Holy Man, 4; and inability to be harmed, 26 (see also harm, imperviousness to); and inborn nature, 61–62; Jie Yu (madman of Chu) on, 32; man of, 85–86, 92, 93, 132, 154–55; and origin of the world, 88–89; and the Perfect Man, 170, 193; Robber Zhi and, 254–55; and the sage, 120; “The Sign of Virtue Complete,” 34–41; three kinds of, 254–55; Virtue of Heaven and earth, 99; as vital force, 58n10, 60n1; and “The Way of Heaven,” 99–102; Workings of Virtue Closed Off, 58n10; Zhuangzi on, 109, 156–57; Zigong on, 92
wandering, xii, 50, 52, 80, 99, 154, 156, 159; “Free and Easy Wandering,” 1–6; and the Perfect Man, 114; and the sage, 40; you translated as, xii, xxix; Zhuangzi on, 231–32
warfare, 5, 23, 101, 147, 201–2, 212, 217–19; and decline of Virtue, 256–57; and happiness of men of arms, 203; King Danfu and the tribes of Di, 240; and states of Han and Wei, 241–42; Tang’s overthrow of Xia dynasty, 249, 249n14, 257, 261
water, 1, 213; clarity of, 121; fish thriving in, 50; levelness of, 39, 121; natural talent of, 170; still water as mirror, 35, 98; watering machine, 91; wells, 112–13, 160
Way,” 287, 289, 291, 293, 294, 296; and boundaries, 13; Confucius on, 50, 104, 208; Confucius’s search for, 113–14, 276–78; consequences of embodying, 183; Dao translated as, xxviii; defined/described, xi, xxii–xxiii, 45, 105–6, 120, 178–84, 195; and discrimination, 129–31, 223; embodiment of (see Complete Man; Great Clod; Holy Man; Man of Great Completion; Man of the Way; Perfect Man; sage; Supreme Swindle; True Man); and emptiness, 25; and feelings, 120; forgetting the self in, 52, 52n22; and governance, 83, 84, 250 (see also governance); hinge of the Way, 10; and hypocrisy, 258; and impartiality, 223; indescribable nature of, xii, 14, 176–78, 184–85, 224, 224n29, 226; injury to, 12, 12n8; Jie Yu (madman of Chu) on, 32; Laozi on, 114, 170; location of, xxii–xxiii, 182; and nourishment, 50; obstacles to, 197; and origin of Heaven and earth, 45; and Peng Meng, Tian Pian, and Shen Dao, 293–94; prescriptions for finding, 179–80, 192–93 (see also life, prescriptions for); sequence of the Great Way, 102; straying from/losing, 66–67, 76–77, 86–87, 122–25, 177, 197, 227, 289 (see also life, prescriptions for: warnings and bad examples); and thieves, 69; transmission to others, 114, 114n16; understanding, 114, 184, 213–14; and unity, 11 (see also unity); and unspoken truths, 178–79; value of, 132; Woman Crookback on, 46–47; and words, 9–11; Yellow Emperor on, 111, 176–77; Zhuangzi on, 156–57, 232, 281; Zigong on, 92
wealth, xi, 85, 139; avoiding, 251; as delusion of the will, 197; and moderation, 264; and the Perfect Man, 114; and prayers for the sage, 86; and “Robber Zhi,” 263–65; and the sage, 215; and shamelessness, 259; troubles brought on by, 86, 265
weapons, 5n11, 117, 121, 201–2, 250, 281; “Discoursing on Swords,” 266–70; Moye (sword), 48, 48n17, 194
Wenhui, Lord (King Hui of
wisdom, 59, 196; Confucius on, 231; happiness of wise man, 203; and hardship, 134, 164; and large and small, 128; and loss of the Way, 77; the sage and, 180; and sage-kings, 117; and showing off, 154, 160; of the swallow, 164; and thieves, 68, 69; and three kinds of virtue, 254; trouble from, 285; and wrangling, 22
wives, 38, 59, 101, 117, 165, 232; wife of Duke Huan of Qi, 260; wife of Duke Ling, 222; wife of Zhuangzi, 140–41; wife of Ziyang, 243; and worries of the common man, 273
wood, inborn nature of, 65
words: books as chaff and dregs of men of old, 106–7; community words, 223–24, 223n23; and discrimination, 13–14; great and little words, 8; imputed words, 234, 296; “Imputed Words,” 234–38; labeling, x, 11, 216, 223; like wind and waves, 28; lofty words wasted on the mob, 96; and meaning, 9–10, 233; repeated words, goblet words, 24–25, 234–35, 234n1, 296; semantics, 224. See also speech
Workings of the Balanced Breaths, 58
Workings of the Good One, 58
Workings of Virtue Closed Off, 58, 58n10
world, affairs of, 114–15; abandoning, 145; and Holy Man, 4; “In the World of Men,” 22–33; and inborn nature, 65–66, 74–75; men’s entanglement with, 8; and necessity of benevolence, righteousness, law, ritual, etc., 82–83, 82n17; the old fisherman on worries and faults of different classes of men, 273–74; and pitfalls of knowledge, 71–73; and the sage, 92; and True Man, 43. See also fame, eminence; governance; life, prescriptions for; profit, gain; wealth
worries, 98, 120, 139; brought on by prayers for the sage, 86; of different classes of people, 273; interfering with skill, 147, 174; and machines, 91; and wealth, 265
Wu, king of the Zhou, 94n16, 116, 130, 130n10, 251n18, 255; and decline of Virtue, 256–57; end of dynasty, 255; hall of, 187; music of, 289; sovereign Zhou killed by, 256, 257, 261
Wuzhuang (beautiful woman), 52, 52n22
Xioaji (filial son of King Wuding), 227, 227n3
Xishi (beautiful woman), 11, 113
Xi Wei (historiographer), 222–23
Xu You (recluse), 52, 52n20, 86, 99n3, 233, 233n16, 239, 248; Yao and, 3–4, 210–11, 233
Yan Hui (Yan Yuan), 22n1, 24n3, 111n12; Confucius and, 22–26, 51–53, 111–13, 147, 163, 168–69, 171, 173–74, 186–87, 246, 247–48; and forgetting, 52–53; travels to Qi, 142–43
Yao (sage king), xxxiii, 5, 130; attacks on other states, 14, 23; banishment of subordinate men, 76, 76n4; Bocheng Zigao and, 86; and border guard of Hua, 86–87; conditions under rule of, 74; Confucius on, 35; and decline of Virtue, 123, 256–57; desire to cede empire to others, 3–4, 239; Gengsang Chu on, 189–90; governance, 76, 211; heirs’ loss of land, 255; Jie and, 130; music of, 289; and possession of/by men, 158; and punishment, 52; Shun and, 14, 99n2, 103, 116, 130; son murdered by, 257n7, 260; teacher of, 86; throne ceded to Shun, 116, 130; Xu You and, 3–4, 210–11, 233; Yi Erzi and, 52
Yellow Emperor, xxxiii, 45, 46n12, 141, 141n3, 157; Cheng of North Gate and, 109–11; and decline of Virtue, 123, 256; garden of, 187; governance, 78, 116; Guang Cheng and, 77–78; Knowledge and, 176–78; and lost Dark Pearl, 86; and music, 109–11; and the Perfect Way, 78; as prime meddler, 76, 76n3; travels to visit Great Clod, 202–3; on the Way, 176–77; wisdom forgotten, 52
yin and yang, 99; damage from joy and anger, 74; as enemies, 194–95; gone awry, 227; and life and death, 48; and music, 110; mutual dependence of, 224; Perfect Yin and Yang, 169, 169n8; and possession, 180; Powerful Yang, 180, 237, 237n9; and the sage, 120; and the seasons, 204n8; and sickness, 26, 26n9, 283; “using the yang to attract the yang” etc., 204, 204n8, 205n9
Youyu (clansman), 55, 55n2. See also Shun (sage king)
Yu (sage king), xxxiii; attacks on other states, 23; Bocheng Zigao and, 86; governance, 117; music of, 289; paralysis of, 257, 257n7
Yue, arriving at before leaving, 9
Yuqiang (deity of the far north), 46, 46n12
Zao Fu (famous carriage driver), 153n9
Zeng Shen (paragon of benevolence), 60, 61n5, 63, 71, 74, 77, 96, 227, 227–28n3, 236, 245–46
Zhaoxi, marquis of Han, 241–42
Zhuang Xu (legendary ruler), 46
Zhuangzi : authorship of, xxi; central theme of, ix; dating of chapters, xix–xx; language and style of, xxi–xxiv; modern translations, xxix–xxxi; origins of, xiii–xiv; present version of, xviii; structure of, xviii–xxi; translation and interpretation issues, xxii–xxix
Zhuangzi (Zhuang Zhou): and “art of the Way,” 296; audience, x; background of, vii–viii; on benevolence, 108–9; butterfly dream, 18; and Chinese history, xxxiii; conversation with skull, 141–42; creatures observed while wandering at Diaoling, 164–65; death of, 286; death of wife, 140–41; Duke Ai of Lu and, 171; and fish in the carriage rut, 227–28; funeral of, xx; and gifts, 282, 285–86; and grieving, 140–41; and Heavenly joy, 99; Huizi and, xxviii, 5–6, 40–41, 137–38, 140–41, 204–5, 231, 235–36; and Huizi’s death, 205–6; king of Wei and, 162–63; and King Wen of Zhao and the swords, 266–70; on location of the Way, 182; Master Dongguo and, 182–83; overview of philosophy, vii–xiii; and sacred tortoise in Chu, 137; on slipshod actions, 220; Tang and, 108–9; and troubled times, 162–63, 163n9; and usefulness of things, 5–6, 231; use of language and rhetoric, x–xi, xxii–xxiv, 296; use of metaphor and analogy, xi–xiii; on wandering, 231–32; and what fish enjoy, 138; on worth and worthlessness, 156–57
Zichan (prime minister of
Ziyang (prime minister of Zheng), 243