The Story of Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi and Huizi were playing on the bridge in Haoliang.

Zhuangzi and Huizi were playing on the bridge of Haoshui River. Zhuangzi said: "The white fish swim so leisurely and contentedly in the river. This is the happiness of fish." Hui Shi said: "You are not a fish, how do you know the happiness of fish?" Zhuangzi said: "You are not me, how do you know me? "You don't know the happiness of fish?" Hui Shi said, "I am not you, so of course I don't know you. You are not a fish, so you don't know the happiness of fish." Zhuangzi said, "Please start from our original point." The topic comes up. If you say "How do you know that fish are happy?" it means that you already know that fish are happy and you are asking me. "

Original text: Zhuangzi. Traveling with Huizi in Haoliang

Zhuangzi and Huizi traveled in Haoliang. Zhuangzi said: "The minnows swim leisurely, which is the happiness of fish." Huizi said: "You are not a fish, how can you know the happiness of fish?" Zhuangzi said: "You are not me, how can you know that I don't know the happiness of fish?" Huizi said Zhuangzi said: "I am not a son, so I don't know how to be a son; I am not a fish, so I don't know the joy of fish!" Zhuangzi said: "Please follow the origin. Confucius said, 'You know the joy of fish.' Ask me if you know what I know, and I know what I know."

This story is unique in the book "Zhuangzi". Although it consists of a debate between Zhuangzi and Huizi, it is relaxed and leisurely. Feel the poetry in daily life and be deeply affected by it.

In the debate between Zhuangzi and Huizi, who is the winner? There has always been endless debate on this point. To sum up, there are mainly the following opinions:

(1) Judging from the story itself, Zhuangzi has the upper hand. At the end, after Huizi cleverly quoted Zhuangzi's rebuttal to establish a logical reasoning, Zhuangzi seemed to be speechless and gave up. However, he returned to the starting point of the argument, evading Huizi's argument by secretly changing concepts. The problem was resolved. The so-called stolen concept means that he interpreted Huizi's "knowledge" as "where to know" or "how to know", while Huizi's original meaning was "how (can) know".

(2) From a logical point of view, Keiko is the winner. As mentioned before, Zhuangzi was able to maintain his original judgment in the argument by deliberately misinterpreting Huizi's meaning. This approach obviously violated the rules of logical judgment, so Huizi was the winner.

(3) From a logical point of view, Zhuangzi should not have lost, but he did not find the right direction, which left an opportunity for Huizi. Huizi's initial question was this: "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?" There is an implicit judgment here: Huizi can know that Zhuangzi is "not a fish". Therefore, Zhuangzi can respond to Huizi this way: Since you can know that I am not a fish, of course I can also know that fish are happy.

The above is an analysis of the debate between the two from a logical perspective. In fact, as far as this witty description is concerned, we don’t have to worry about logic, but we can analyze it from the two people’s thoughts, personalities, and temperaments. Look at this conversation differently. Huizi was a famous scholar, good at arguing, and had a more inquisitive cognitive attitude toward things. He lacked appreciation and care in the aesthetic sense. Naturally, he lacked understanding and recognition of Zhuangzi, who sincerely felt pleasure in a free and lively life. .

In addition, some of Zhuangzi's thoughts are also inspiring for us to understand what he called "the joy of fish". Zhuangzi pursues "the heaven and the earth coexist with me, and all things are one with me" ("Zhuangzi: Equality of Things"). He lives with all things equal and is in harmony with the outside world. He thinks that the fish is "happy", which actually means that he is happy. Projection and externalization of state of mind. Zhuangzi also admired "nature" and opposed "man-made". Fish can swim freely in the water, which is in line with Zhuangzi's ideal. From this, he concluded that fish "happy" is a matter of course.

Zhuang Zhou dreamed of butterflies

"In the past, Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly, and it was a lifelike butterfly. He said that he was suitable for his ambition! He didn't know the Zhou Dynasty. Suddenly he realized that he was like a Zhou Dynasty. He didn't know that Zhou Zhou's dream was like a butterfly. Hu Die Yu? Hu Die's dream is Zhou Yu? Zhou Yu and Hu Die must be different." ("Zhuangzi? On the Equality of Things")

In the end, it was Zhuangzi who became the dreamer. Did he become a butterfly, or did the butterfly become Zhuangzi in a dream? Or do you forget both things and me, calling it "equalizing things"? Zhuang Zhou dreamed of butterflies, such a strange and strange dream in Zhuang Zi's "ridiculous sayings, absurd words, and unreasonable remarks".

Later generations often use "Zhuang Zhou's Dream of Butterflies" to describe the dream-like suddenness and unconsciousness of life. Such a mysterious fable of Zhuangzi is passed down as an illusion that is neither human nor material, like a dream but not awake, or a dream constructed artificially by people. It is also difficult to imagine whether Zhuangzi really woke up from a dream thousands of years ago and suddenly wondered whether he had turned into a butterfly in his dream; or whether the butterfly turned into himself in his dream. It is also difficult for us to carefully figure out behind such a strange metaphor. Is Zhuangzi just expressing a state of "materialization" or is it just a feeling of "self-explanation to suit one's ambitions"?

After reading Zhuangzi's "Xiaoyaoyou", you will be inspired and moved by the magnificent imagination and gorgeous and complex images. Zhuangzi's mind transcends the world and is not stagnant in things, spilling out between the lines. The so-called "perfect man has no self, gods and men have no merit, and saints have no name." What a summary of experience and wisdom of life's great enlightenment.

However, Zhuang Zhou's Dream of Butterflies, a dream that seems to be simpler and narrower than Xiaoyaoyou, is intended to express a philosophy of life that echoes the former, such as "there is no one who has no self"? Or, it can be said superficially that Zhuangzi's dream of butterflies was just Zhuangzi's dream-like object that he suddenly didn't recognize when he woke up? "I am not a fish, how can I know the joy of fish?" But today, I can only sigh, I am not Zhuangzi, how can I know the deep understanding of his dreams?

Zhuang Zhou’s dream of butterflies was also used as a beautiful idea in later literary and philosophical works. "Zhuang Sheng's dawn dream is obsessed with butterflies, and the emperor's spring heart is entrusted with cuckoos." - Li Shangyin's "Jin Se" can be said to be colorful and charming, and has been widely sung. The last sentence, "This feeling can be remembered later, but it was already lost at that time" unites the hazy and trance-like artistic conception in front of it. It is euphemistically lowered and has endless meaning. There are also allusions in "Haoliang" by Huang Jingren of the Qing Dynasty, "I have long forgotten that I am a butterfly, and the clear water recognizes that I am not a fish." Zhuang Zhou dreaming of butterflies, or Zhuang Zhou dreaming of butterflies, has become a dream full of speculation and imagination in later generations, sneaking into our hearts on certain nights.

Butterflies are also beautiful things. As he dances, he flies into the lyrics and music among flowers, into the lingering legends of Liang Zhu, and into Zhuang Zhou’s dreams. And it has been stretching through the gap of time for thousands of years, flying into our dreams.

Dream? Really? Butterfly? Me?