The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin)

by Chuang Tzu

  Confucius said to Liu Hsia Chi, ‘Those who are fathers should be able to set out the law for their sons, and those who are elder brothers should be able to instruct their younger brothers. If a father is unable to set out the law for his son, and an elder brother is not able to instruct his younger brother, then the filial relationship between father and son and between elder and younger brother is pointless. Now, Sir, you are one of the best scholars of this generation, and your younger brother is Robber Chih, who threatens the whole world, yet you have not instructed him well. I am ashamed of you. I suggest I go on your behalf, Sir, to try and advise him better.’

  Liu Hsia Chi said, ‘Sir, you have said that a father should set out the law for his son and that elder brothers should instruct their younger brothers. However, if the son will not listen to the father, or if the younger brother pays no attention to his elder brother, then even if someone comes with skill such as yours, what can he do? Furthermore, Chih is a man whose heart is like a gushing fountain, and whose will is like a hurricane, strong enough to see off any enemy and clever enough to gloss over his evil. If you agree with him, he is pleased, but if you disagree with him, he becomes angry and he will curse you with the most foul language. Do not go and see him, Sir.’

  Confucius did not listen. Accompanied by Yen Hui as his driver, and with Tzu Kung by his side, he went off to see Robber Chih. Robber Chih was camped with his followers on the sunlit side of Mount Tai, savouring a meal of human livers. Confucius stepped down from the carriage and went to see the officer in charge of visitors.

  ‘I am Confucius of Lu,’ he said, ‘and I have heard that your commander is a man of lofty righteousness.’ And he bowed twice to the officer.

  The officer went in and passed on the message. On hearing this, Robber Chih flew into a great rage. His eyes blazed like bright stars and his hair stood on end under his hat.

  ‘This must be that crafty one from Lu kingdom, the man Confucius, is it not? Tell him this from me: “You talk away, inventing phrases and eulogizing the kings Wen and Wu. Your hat is so decorated it is like the boughs of a tree and your belt is skin from the ribs of a cow. The more you say, the more ridiculous it is. You eat yet you do not plough, dress without ever weaving. You wag your lips and use your tongue like a drumstick. You just decide what you think is right and wrong and lead the rulers astray, preventing scholars from studying the roots of the whole world. You establish notions of filial piety and fraternal duty just as you fancy, yet you also want to wriggle your way into favour with the princes, the wealthy and the nobility. Your wickedness is vast and your sins weighty. Get off home now, for if you don’t then I will take your liver and add it to this meal.” ’

  Confucius sent another message in: ‘I have the friendship of your brother Chi and so I hope for the favour of being able to view your feet from below the tent.’

  When the officer passed this on, Robber Chih said, ‘Tell him to come here!’

  Confucius hurried forward, and declining the mat offered, he stepped back and then bowed twice to Robber Chih. Robber Chih was still in a terrible temper. He stretched out his legs, placed his hand upon his sword and glared with his eyes, speaking with a roar like a tigress defending her young: ‘Confucius, come here! If what you say pleases me, you will live. If it angers me, you will die.’

  Confucius said, ‘I have heard that there are three kinds of Virtue in this world. The highest Virtue is to grow tall and strong with wonderful looks so that all, young and old, noble and commoner, are delighted to see you. The middle Virtue is to understand Heaven and Earth and to be able converse eloquently on all subjects. The lowest Virtue is to be brave and fearless, resolute and dashing, gathering all to oneself and leading them.

  ‘Anyone who has just one of these Virtues is suitable to stand facing south and be called the Lone One, the Ruler. Now, here you are with all three. You soar up to eight feet two inches; light pours forth from your face and eyes; your lips look as though coloured with vermilion; your teeth are like rows of precious shells; your voice is in tune with the musical notes, yet you are simply called Robber Chih. Surely this is something to be ashamed of, and I disapprove of you.

  ‘However, should you so wish, you could listen to my ideas and send me as your ambassador to Wu and Yueh in the south, to Chi and Lu in the north, east to Sung and Wei and west to Chin and Chu, arguing with them that they should form a great walled city several hundred li wide. From there they could rule over towns containing several hundred inhabitants, and I would argue that you should be established there as lord. Then you could begin your career again with this city. You can stop fighting, send your followers home, bring your family together there and offer sacrifices to your ancestors. This is what a sage would do, or a true scholar, and it is what the whole world desires.’

  Robber Chih was in a towering rage. ‘Confucius, come here!’ he roared. ‘The sort of person who can be won over by promises of profit or reformed through speeches are simply fools, idiots and the most common sort. That I am tall and strong, and so handsome that everyone delights to see me, is a virtue descended from my parents. Even if you hadn’t told me, don’t you think I’d know this?

  ‘What’s more, I have heard that those who praise people to their face will also speak against them behind their backs. Now, Confucius, you tell me about a great walled city filled with people, and you hope to make me change by such promises of profit, attempting to make me follow your words like some common person. But how long would such a place survive? There is no walled city as big as the whole world which was ruled by Yao and Shun, yet their descendants own so little land that they can hardly stick the point of an awl into it! Tang and Wu announced themselves as Sons of Heaven, but within a few generations their dynasties were dead and gone. Surely this was because what they had was considered such a valuable prize?

  ‘What is more, I have heard that in the past113 the birds and animals were many and the people few. As a result, the people lived in nests to escape the animals. During daylight they gathered acorns and chestnuts and during darkness they hid in their tree nests. This is why they were known as the Nest-Building People. In the ancient past the people didn’t know how to make clothes. During the summer they gathered firewood and in the winter they kept warm by burning it. This is why they were called the People who Know how to Keep Alive. In the time of Shen Nung the people lay down in peace and contentment and rose in serene security. The people knew their mothers but not their fathers, and they lived side by side with the elks and deer. They ploughed and ate, they wove and made clothes, never dreaming of harming others, for this was the era of the perfect Virtue.

  ‘However, the Yellow Emperor was unable to sustain this era of Virtue. He battled with Chih Yu in the area of Cho Lu until the blood flowed over a hundred miles. Yao and Shun ascended the throne, establishing hordes of ministers. Tang exiled his ruler Chieh and King Wu murdered his ruler Chou, and from then on the strong oppressed the weak and the many abused the few. From Tang and Wu until now they have all been instruments of disorder and confusion. Now, Sir, you come here promoting the ways of Kings Wen and Wu, using your skills in debate to teach them to the whole world and to all generations. Dressed in your distinctive garb and wearing a narrow belt, armed with false speeches and hypocritical behaviour, you fool the many lords and princes of diverse countries and prowl around looking for riches and fame. There is no greater robber than you, Sir. Why doesn’t the whole world, which calls me Robber Chih, call you Robber Confucius?

  ‘Using your sweet words, you persuaded Tzu Lu114 to follow you. You caused him to put aside his high cap, to lay down his long sword and attend to your teachings, with the result that the whole world says, “Confucius is able to suppress violence and stop evil.” But in the end Tzu Lu attempted to murder the ruler of Wei, messed that up and his body was pickled and hung over the east gate of the city, so, yes, Sir, your teachings were no good to him.

  ‘Do you call yourself a scholar, of some skill, a sage? You h
ave been driven out of Lu twice, fled from Wei, got into trouble in Chi and been besieged in Chen and Tsai. There is nowhere in the world that will have you. You advised Tzu Lu and this resulted in his being pickled. On one hand you can’t care for yourself, and on the other, you can’t help others. Is this Tao of yours worth anything?

  ‘There is no one thought more of by all generations than the Yellow Emperor, yet the Yellow Emperor could not maintain the harmony of Virtue, for he fought on the battlefield of Cho Lu and the blood flowed for a hundred miles. Yao was not compassionate, Shun was not filial, Yu was paralysed down one side,115 Tang exiled his ruler, King Wu attacked Chou and King Wen was imprisoned at Yu Li. These seven men are thought of as lofty by the whole world. However, if we study them carefully, we can see that the pursuit of profit made them all act against what was true and violate their innate selves. Their actions cause deep embarrassment.

  ‘When the world discusses worthy scholars, Po Yi and Shu Chi are mentioned. However Po Yi and Shu Chi both refused the role of ruler for the state of Ku Chu and preferred to go and die of starvation in the mountains of Shou Yang, where no one buried them. Pao Chiao showed off and condemned the world. He embraced a tree and stayed there till he died. Shen Tu Ti spoke out in protest but was ignored, so he fastened a stone to his back and drowned himself in the river, where the fish and turtles ate him. Chieh Tzu Tui was a perfect follower, and cut out a piece of his own flesh for his lord, Duke Wen, to eat. However, later on the Duke ignored him and Chieh Tzu Tui was angry and stormed off into the woods where he burnt himself to death hugging a tree. Wei Sheng had an assignation with a young woman under a bridge, but the woman did not turn up. The water began to rise, but rather than leave, he wrapped his arms around the pillar of the bridge and died. These six men are hardly to be distinguished from a dog torn to shreds, a pig that is drowned or a beggar with his begging bowl in hand. They all succumbed to their desire for fame and honour and so they despised death. They did not nourish the roots of their life nor live out the time allocated by destiny.

  ‘The world discusses loyal ministers and says that none were better than Prince Pi Kan and Wu Tzu Hsu. However, Wu Tzu Hsu’s body sank in the river and Pi Kan’s heart was cut out. These two are called models of loyal ministers by the whole world, but they both ended up being laughed at by everyone. Taking the cases above down to Wu Tzu Hsu and Pi Kan, none of them deserves respect.

  ‘Regarding the speech you have given me, Confucius, were you to tell me about ghosts, then there would be no way I could tell whether you are right or not. However, if you talk to me about this world and its affairs, which is all you have dwelt upon so far, then I have heard it all before!

  ‘Now I will tell you about the innate nature of things. Eyes wish to look upon beauty, ears to hear music, the mouth to taste flavours, the breath of life to persist. A man of considerable age will live to be a hundred, one of middle age will be about eighty and one of lesser years will be sixty. If you remove the time lost on recovering from illness, mourning the dead, worrying and being anxious, then this leaves you with only four or five days in every month when you can open your mouth and laugh. Heaven and Earth are without end, but humans die when their time is up. Take the longest period of possible finite time and compare it with what is without limit: it is gone as swiftly as when a horse dashes past a crack in a wall. Anyone incapable of fulfilling their will and innate nature and achieving their full years cannot be described as having gained the Tao. I reject everything you have said, Confucius. Get a move on and go. I don’t want to hear anything more from you. Your Tao is foolish, deceitful, artful, vain and hypocritical, incapable of sustaining the inner harmony of truth and so it’s not worth talking about!’

  Confucius bowed twice and hurried off. Leaving by the gate, he mounted his carriage, dropping his reins three times. His eyes were glazed and he could not see; his face was the colour of dead ashes. Supporting himself on the crossbar of his carriage, his head hung down, he seemed to be losing his life’s breath. He journeyed back to Lu and when he arrived at the eastern gate, he chanced upon Liu Hsia Chi.

  ‘So here you are at the city gate,’ said Liu Hsia Chi. ‘I haven’t seen you for days. Your carriage and horses have got dusty. Have you been by any chance to see Chih?’

  Confucius looked to Heaven and groaned. ‘I most certainly did,’ he said.

  ‘Chih was infuriated by what you said, I suspect?’

  ‘He certainly was,’ said Confucius. ‘I am rather like someone who has given himself moxibustion treatment, even though he was not ill. I dashed off and stroked the tiger’s head and played with his whiskers and I only just escaped from his mouth!’

  Tzu Chang asked Man Kou Te, ‘Why do you not try and do better? If you don’t, your words will not be believed. If your words are not believed, you will not be employed. No proper employment means no gain. So whether you view this from the perspective of fame, or consider it in terms of profit, then righteousness is the true thing to do. If you can cast aside fame and fortune, and revert to the true calling of your heart, then you can see that a real scholar should not let a single day go by without pursuing a true course!’

  ‘The one without shame grows rich,’ said Man Kou Te, ‘and the one in whom many place their trust becomes famous. So it would appear that the grandest reputations and profit come to those who are both trusted and without shame. So if you’re concerned with reputation or gain, then trust is crucial. If, however, you cast aside thought of fame and fortune, and revert to the true calling of your heart, then you will see that the scholar follows the path of his Heavenly nature!’

  ‘In the past,’ said Tzu Chang, ‘Chieh and Chou both enjoyed the honour of being the Sons of Heaven; all the wealth of the world was theirs. Now if you say to a mere sweeper, “Your behaviour is like Chieh or Chou,” he will look embarrassed and his heart will be disturbed by such words, for even the lowliest person despises them. Confucius and Mo Ti, however, were poor and common people. Now, however, if you say to a prime minister that his conduct is like that of Confucius and Mo Ti, he will be abashed and look disconcerted and proclaim that he is not worthy, for these two are revered by all scholars. So, to be as powerful as the Son of Heaven does not mean you are respected. And to be poor and common does not mean you will automatically be despised. The difference between being honoured and despised is to be found in the worth or worthlessness of your behaviour.’

  Man Kou Te said, ‘Minor criminals are locked up while great criminals are made into lords and rulers. Yet in the gates of such lords, righteous scholars are to be found. In the past, Hsiao Po, Duke Huan murdered his elder brother and made his sister-in-law his wife. However, Kuan Chung still became his minister. Chang Tien Cheng murdered his ruler and usurped his country, but Confucius still accepted gifts from him. In their debates they condemn such people, but in their actions they acquiesce before them. Surely their words and their deeds must have been in conflict with each other in their breasts! This is why the Book says, “What is evil and what is beautiful? The successful is considered the head and the unsuccessful is the tail.” ’

  ‘Sir,’ said Tzu Chang, ‘if you don’t pay attention to the normal ways of behaviour, and make no distinction between near and distant family, between noble and commoner, between elder and younger, how can you maintain the order of the five arrangements and the six kinships?’

  Man Kou Te replied, ‘Yao killed his eldest son and Shun exiled his uncle. Do either of these have proper regard for the rules about near and distant kinship? Tang exiled his ruler Chieh and King Wu overthrew his lord Chou. Do either of these have proper regard for the distinctions between noble and commoner? King Chi usurped his brother and the Duke of Chou killed his elder brother. Do either of these have proper regard for the distinction between elder and younger? The Literati speak hypocritically and the Mohists say everyone should be loved equally. Do either of these have proper regard for the distinction between the five arrangements and the six kinships?

/>   ‘Add to this that you, Sir, are concerned with reputation, while I care about profit. In reality neither fame nor fortune are in accord with principle and they cannot stand examination in the light of the Tao. The other day we referred this to the one who is unbound by opinion. He said,

  ‘ “The mean person desires wealth,

  The nobleman desires fame.

  In the ways in which they affect their true form,

  and change their innate natures,

  they are different.

  But as they both cast aside what they have

  in pursuit of something they don’t have,

  they are identical.”

  So it is said,

  Do not be a mean person,

  Turn again and desire the heavenly within.

  Do not be a nobleman,

  Pursue the path of Heaven within.

  Whether bent or true,

  See all in the light of Heaven.

  Learn to face all four directions,

  and flow with the tides of the seasons.

  Whether right or wrong,

  Hold firm to that centring point within.

  Alone fulfil your will.

  Travel only in the company of the Tao.

  Do not stray from your path,

  Do not try to be perfect in righteousness,

  For then you will fail at what you do.

  Make no haste to become wealthy,

  Take no risks for fame,

  Or you will lose the Heavenly within.

  ‘Pi Kan’s heart was cut out, Tzu Hsu’s eyes were put out: this is what faithfulness gave them. Kung the True spoke against his father,116 Wei Sheng died by drowning, so misfortune was the result of their loyalty. Pao Chiao stood till he dried out and Shen Tzu would not defend himself,117 so harm was the result of their integrity. Confucius never saw his mother and Kuang Tzu never saw his father: these are the mistakes of the righteous. These are the models passed down from generation to generation. They clearly indicate that the scholar who is determined to be faithful in his words and firm in his actions pays the price and brings upon himself such disasters.’