The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin)

by Chuang Tzu

  100. A ‘Taoist’ teacher – not Lao Tzu.

  101. Heat was applied to the holes and the resulting cracks were read as prototype characters which furnished an answer to questions asked of the gods or ancestors.

  102. All the preceding instances of virtuous rulers wishing to abdicate in favour of sages, wise advisers or ministers, are drawn from history or mythology, and many have been explained more fully earlier.

  103. Founder of the Chou state. He is mentioned in the Book of Songs in similar terms as a model of wise kingship.

  104. The Sacred Mountain of Chou, site of the original oracles which form the I Ching.

  105. The country was invaded by Wu, but he regained his kingdom within a year, in 506 BC.

  106. One of Confucius’ followers, famous for not being bothered by his poverty.

  107. One of Confucius’ followers, renowned for his wealth.

  108. Ancient ritual hymns.

  109. Kung Po ruled for fourteen years, then in 828 BC retired to Kung Hill as a hermit.

  110. He overthrew the tyrant ruler Chieh, last king of the Hsia Dynasty, and founded the Shang Dynasty.

  111. c. eleventh century BC.

  112. This describes traditional ways of concluding a contract by smearing it, and the parties to it, with blood from a sacrifice.

  113. The following paragraphs describe traditional myths of the founding of civilization by, amongst others, the Three August Ones.

  114. A follower of Confucius, previously renowned for his fighting abilities.

  115. Yao murdered his son; Shun exiled his mother’s youngest brother; Yu worked without ceasing for twelve years to harness the floods of the Yellow River and damaged his health as a result.

  116. Because his father stole a sheep.

  117. Because to do so he would have had to indict his father.

  118. Sun, moon and stars.

  119. The full name of Lieh Tzu – see p. xiv.

  120. Study the Tao.

  121. An ancestor of Confucius, eighth century BC.

  122. Home states of Mencius and Confucius.

  123. Shen Tao is known as an originator of certain Legalist concepts.

  124. The traditional name of the Gatekeeper to the West, who asked Lao Tzu to write the Tao Te Ching before he left China for good.

  125. Extreme north and extreme south.

  Index

  Actionless action; true Tao not to be talked about, xiii, xxi

  Actionless action (Wu Wei), 80, 83–4, 92–3, 103, 107, 150, 187–9, 195, 208

  ‘Against Music’ (Mo Tzu), 298

  Ah Ho Kan, 194

  Ai (border warden), 19

  Ai (Duke of Lu), 41–3, 181, 291

  Ai Tai To, 41–2

  ambition, 200, 283, 293

  anger, 10, 31, 169–170, 208

  animals; cats, 6; deer, 17; leopards, 154, 168; monkeys, 13–14, 17, 122, 172, 216–17; oxen, xv, 23, 293–4; pigs 160, 193; rabbits, 242; sacred tortoise, 146–7; tigers, 32–3; weasels, 6. See also dogs; horses

  Ant Hill, 228

  Apricot Tree Altar, 280

  archery, 183–4, 214

  argument, 19–20, 26–7, 67, 97–8, 150, 214–15, 218, 221

  August Rulers (Three August Ones), 117, 121–2 and n., 124–6, 152 and n., 264 n.

  babies, xxvii–xxviii, 200–203

  beauty, 122, 175, 226, 268, 293

  beginning of the beginning, 15, 179

  benevolence, 16, 57, 60, 67–70, 79, 83, 90, 112, 118, 123–4, 144, 202, 220, 257, 281, 293

  bigotry, 283

  birds; bird of ease and emptiness, 61; chickens, 233; crane, 1, 67; dove, 2; Dried Old Bones, 154; ducks, 67; feeding, 153, 164; game, 161; goose that cackles, 167; jackdaws, 174; marsh pheasants, 23–4; owl, 222; pelicans, 240; quail, 3; raven, 126; Roc, 1, 2–3; sparrow, 208; swallow, 173–4; tailor bird, 4; Young Phoenix, 147

  birth, 49, 52, 88, 142, 156

  Black Curtain Forest, 280

  Black Dragon, 293

  bodily parts, 10, 35, 53, 64, 66, 164; control of body, 190–91; five vital organs, 66 and n.,83, 84; unity of, 201

  Book of Chuang Tzu, xiv–xxx

  Book of History, 211, 297

  Book of Poetry, 211, 297

  Book of Wonders, 1

  books; archive of Confucius, 112; Classics, 112 and n., 126; value of Tao in, 114–15

  bravery, 39, 149, 293

  bureaucracy; minor officials, 68; top officials, 39–40. See also government

  butchering skills, 22–3

  butterflies, 20, 154

  Chai (state), 43

  Chan Tzu, 255–6

  Chang Chi, 38–9

  Chang Hung, 77 and n.

  Chang Jo, 212

  Chang Tien Cheng, 268

  Chang Wu, 229

  Chang Wu Tzu, 18

  Chang Yi, 159

  Chang Yu, 212

  change, 56–8, 151, 174, 180, 197, 201, 214, 226, 230

  Change (Emperor of the South Sea), 64

  Chao, King of Chou, 253–4

  Chao family, 205–6

  Chao Hsi, Marquis of Han, 251

  Chao Wen (lute player), 14

  Chao (state), 77 n.

  Chaos (Emperor of the Centre), 64

  chapped-hand cream, 5–6

  Chen (state), 62

  Cheng Kao Fu, 292 and n.

  Cheng of the North Gate, 118–19

  Cheng, 190–1

  Cheng (state), 289

  Cheng Tzu Chan, 39–40 and n.

  Cheng Tzu Yu, 246

  Chi, 2

  Chi, Master, 8–9

  Chi, Prince, 236 and n.

  Chi (state), 30, 33, 76–7, 152, 160, 215, 217, 220; attack on, 227–8

  chi (breath of Heaven), 87

  Chi Che, 98

  Chi Chen, 233

  Chi Chih, 299

  Chi Chu, 27

  Chi Hsien (shaman of spirits), 62–3

  Chi Hsing Tzu, 161

  Chi Kung, 177

  Chi Mountain, 250, 258

  Chi To, 242

  Chi Tzu, 227

  Chiang Lu Mien, 98

  Chieh (evil ruler), 27 and n., 50, 82, 84–5, 144, 236, 268–9

  Chieh (state), 258

  Chieh Tzu Tui, 266

  Chieh Yu, 4 and n., 60–61

  Chieh Yu (madman of Chu), 35

  Chien Ho, Marquis of, 237

  Chien Wu, 4, 51, 60–61, 184

  Chih, Robber, xxii, 69–70, 77, 78, 82, 84–5, 104, 261–77

  Chih, ruler, 141

  Chih Chang Man Chi, 102–4

  Chih Chi, 141

  Chih Ho, 238

  Chih Yu, 264

  Chin (musician), 120

  Chin (state), 19, 99, 291

  Chin Chang (master), 54

  Chin Hua Li, 298

  Chin Ku Li, 300

  Chin Shih, 24

  Ching (woodcarver), 162–3

  Ching family, 205–6

  Ching Ling, 257

  Ching-shou (form of music), 22

  Ching Tzu, 164

  Chiu Fang Yin, 219

  Chiu Shih, 289

  Chiu Yu insects, 154

  Cho Lu (battlefield), 265

  Chou, Duke of, 122

  Chou Dynasty, 67 and n., 258–9

  Chou (Shang Emperor), 27 and n., 144, 236, 268–9

  Chu, King of, 146, 185, 217, 225

  Chu family, 206

  Chu (state), 2, 35, 38, 42, 77 and n., 99, 112, 141 n., 151, 158, 215, 217, 253; King of, 225; travelling to, 225–34

  Chu Chiao, 18

  Chu Hsien, 159

  Chu Jung, 79 and n.

  Chu Liang, 57

  Chu Ping Man, 290

  Chu Po Yu, 32, 230

  Chu To, 154

  Chu Tzu Mountain, 212–13

  Chu Yuan, 33

  Chuan Hsu, 51

  Chuang, Duke, 163

  Chuang Tzu; on benevolence, 118; on carelessness, 229; and Confucius, xx–xxi, xxviii; on desiccated skull, 151�
��2; on excess of wealth, 237; existence in dreams, 20; on forgetting one’s self, 174–5; founder teacher, xiii; funeral, 294; historical details, xiii–xiv; on limited nature of things, 194; on location of Tao, 193; on man without emotion, 44; on Master Teacher, 107; mourning wife’s death, xvii, 150–51; on perfect man, 240–41; place in Taoist thought, xxvi–xxx; on poverty, 172–3; refusal of status and power, xv, xxii, xxviii, 146–7; religious background, xxviii–xxix; rivalry with Hui Tzu, xvi; scholars’ employment, 267–8; and Tao, 290; teaching method, 304; understanding teaching of, 145–6; on use of big things, 5–6; and use of swords, 275–8; on uselessness, 6, 240; on wealth, 293; writings (Chuang Tzu), xiv–xxvii

  Chui (craftsman), 79, 163

  Chun (ancient tree), 2

  Chun Mang, 101–2

  Chung, Minister, 222

  Chung, Mount, 84

  Chung Shan, 255

  Chung Yang, 79 and n.

  civilization, xxiii–xxv, 72–4, 264–6 and n.

  Classics; Six, 126; Twelve, 112 and n.

  Commander of the Right, 23–4

  completeness, 14–15

  Confucianism; arguments of, 215; words used in, 12

  Confucius (Kung Fu Tzu); appearance, 238; archives of, 112; on benevolence and righteousness, 112; on change, 174, 197; changing views, 245; and Chuang Tzu, xx–xxi; on contentment, 255; criticized for being miserable, 239; on death, 170–71, 179; on destiny, 30, 152; on disfigurement, 42; on duty, 30; exiled, 171–2, 256, 283; on farmer of Primal Chaos, 100; fasting, 28–9, 170–71, 173, 256; on fate, 144; first hearing of Tao, 122–7; on flowing with the Tao, 256–7; followers, 178–9; and four evils, 283; on government, 183, 184–5; on grasping Tao through argument, 97–8; on Great Way, 26, 29; on human heart, 292; and hunchback, 158; on innate nature of things, 266–7; on judging men by their demeanour, 28; on keeping the law, 261–2; and Lao Tzu, 124–7; on learning, 41; on limits of wisdom, 240; on middle way, 31–2; as minister of government, 291; on mourning, 55–6; on mystery of life, 29; and old fisherman, 280–86; on the past, 196–7; on perfect man, 42–3; preaching, 112; reputation of, 268; on responding to decrees of Heaven, 173; and Robber Chih, 261–7; role and influence of, 280–84; scholarship of, 137, 138; singing and lute-playing, 144, 257, 280; on speech without words, 217–18; on swimming, 158–9, 162; on Tao, 55–6, 181, 191, 257; on time-servers, 229; travelling methods, 120–21; understanding, 18, 29; on Wang Tai, 38; on words and their meaning, 31; on work, 227; on worrying, 159–60

  Country of Great Silence, 169

  courage, 16, 144, 293

  craftsmanship, 72, 78, 182

  Cripple Yi, 290

  Crooked Man with No Lips, 43

  Crows Feet, 153–4

  Dark City, 84

  Dark Palace, 51

  death, 24, 47–8, 49, 52, 53–4, 55, 142, 149, 156, 160, 170–71, 179, 194, 238 and n. See also mourning; reincarnation

  deformities, see disfigured men

  desiccated skull, 151–2

  destiny, 30, 40, 293

  difference, 12–14, 15–16, 38–9, 52, 139–44, 153–4 and n., 231, 233, 268, 290, 303. See also right and wrong; yang; yin

  disfigured men, 35, 39–42; acceptance of deformity, 53; Crooked Man with No Lips, 43; gatekeepers, 215 and n., 220 and n.; hunchback, 158; Man with a Jug-sized Goitre, 43; Uncles Legless and Cripple, 151; webbed toes, 66–8

  divination, 83, 240 and n.

  dogs; barking, 233; judging, 210–11, 218; straw, 120–21 and n.

  Doubt Curtailed, 187

  dragon powers, 84

  Dramatic (Emperor of the North Sea), 64

  dreams; living in, 19; and transformation of things, 20

  Dried Old Bones, 154

  drunkenness, 19, 31, 157

  E Lai, 236 and n.

  Earth, 13, 15, 89–90, 92–104, 113, 117, 150, 156

  Eastern Heights, 69

  Eastern Ocean, 145

  eight defects, 282

  eight limiting conditions, 293

  eight treasures, 83

  elements, 66, 73, 117 and n.

  Emperor of the South Sea, 64

  emperors, 60–4, 96, 98, 107–9; August Rulers, 117, 264n.; Five Emperors, 121 and n., 124–7, 138. See also government; kings

  Endless, 195

  existence, 12–14, 15, 19, 20, 22–4, 68, 196, 205–6, 233–4, 303. See also life

  Fa Yen (book of rules and proverbs), 31

  fame, 4, 26–7, 64, 68–9, 111, 123, 129, 138, 149, 182, 225, 241, 269–70

  Fan, Lord of, 185

  Fang Ming, 212

  farmer; of Primal Chaos, 99–100; of Shih Hu, 250

  fate, 58, 144

  Fen, river, 5

  Feng Yi, 51

  fish and fishing, xvi, 1, 2–3, 50, 55, 147, 153, 182, 237–8, 239–40, 280–6

  five colours, 69, 73, 78, 104

  five flavours, 69, 104

  Five Lords, 51

  five notes, 66, 73, 104

  five smells, 104

  five types of sentence, 109 and n.

  five types of weapons, 109 and n.

  five unimportant aspects, 109

  five vital organs, 66 and n.., 83, 84

  forces on living things, 8–9

  forecasting, 62–4

  forgetting, 57–8

  four evils, 282–3

  friendship, 54–5

  frogs, 137

  Frog’s Robe, 153

  Fu Hsi, 29, 51, 79 and n.., 134

  Fu Yueh, 51

  gate of Deepest Mystery, 86

  gatekeepers, 215 and n.., 220 and n.., 303

  ghosts, 160–61

  going with the flow, 172, 256–7

  Golden Tablets, 211

  gourds, 5–6

  government, 3–4, 27, 60–61, 72–3, 76–80, 82–5, 89, 92, 96–7, 102, 103, 109, 111, 117, 129, 142, 182–5, 212, 213, 216, 219, 230, 236, 242, 249–59 and n.., 251, 258, 266, 268–70, 272, 291, 292, 296–307

  Grand Marshal, 196

  grave robbers, 238

  Great Dipper, 51

  Great Gorge, 101

  Great Official Accord, 231–4

  Great Origin, 245

  Great Purity, 195

  Great Temple, 294

  Great Wall, 277

  Great Way, 26, 29, 58

  greatness, 218–19, 222–3, 231–2

  greed, 272, 283

  Green Peace plants, 154

  Han, river, 99

  Han (state), 251

  Han Tan (capital of Chao), 77, 146

  Hao, river, 147

  happiness; 35, 88, 107–8, 131, 145, 149–54, 180, 272

  Harmonizer of Destinies, 152

  harmony, 79, 117, 127

  hats; ceremonial, 5

  hearing, 70, 78–9, 83, 84, 104, 201, 221; hearts; of the people, 84–5; purpose of, 300

  Heaven; birth of, 15; blueness of, 1; boundaries, 113; breath of, 87; children of, 28; companion of, 89–90; decrees of, 173; disruption of ways of, 88; does it move?, 117–27; and Earth, 92–104; Equality of, 20; equals of, 95; establishing death and birth, 49; in everything, 223; examining through a narrow tube, 146; father and mother of all life, 156; government of everything below, 51, 213; guidance from, 28; as guide to sages, 226; happiness of, 107–8; harmony of, 190; Heaven’s Pool, 2; Heaven’s Tao, 106–15; and humanity, 174; internal, 143; mean-minded man of, 56; as one with Earth, 13; as Primal source, 296; produces nothing, 108; providing shape, 44–5; purity of, 150; sages nourished by, 44; Sons of (Emperors), 42; as teacher, 226–7; Treasury of, 16; troubled by benevolence and righteousness, 68; understanding ways of, 47; united in, 157–8; violation of principles of, 24; Virtue of, 112, 131

  Heavenly Gate, 205

  Hill of the Dark Prince, 151

  Hill Slippers, 153

  Histories, 126, 297

  Ho, River, 4, 35

  Ho Hsu (mythological ruler), 74 and n., 79 and n.

  honour, 3, 173, 200, 252

  horses, xxiii, 33, 72–4, 141, 154
, 163, 210–11, 213

  Hsi Peng, 212, 216

  Hsi-shih (famous beauty), 13, 122

  Hsia (Dynasty), 67 and n.

  Hsiang Cheng (wild region), 213

  Hsiang Li Chin, 299–300

  Hsiao Chi, 236 and n.

  Hsiao Po, Duke Huan, 268

  Hsien, Shaman, 117

  Hsien Chih music, 118–20

  Hsien Yuan, 79 and n.

  Hsu Ao (ruler), 17

  Hsu Ao (state), 27

  Hsu Wu Kuei, 210–23

  Hsu Yu (hermit), 3–4 and n., 6, 56–7, 95, 220, 242, 249, 257

  Hsuan, Prince of Chi, xiv

  Hsun Tzu (philosopher), xxviii

  Hu Tzu, 62–3

  Hua, 95

  Hua Liu, 141

  Hua Mountain, 300

  Hua Tzu, Master, 251

  Huan, Duke of Chai, 43, 115, 160–61, 216

  Huan (man of Cheng), 289–90

  Huan Tou, 84

  Huan Tuan, 306

  huang chung, 66

  Huang Liao, 306–7

  Huang Shuang insects, 154

  Huang Tzu Kao Ao, 160

  Hui, Prince of Liang, xiv

  Hui Shih (Tzu) (philosopher and friend of Chuang Tzu), xvi, 5, 6, 14, 44, 147, 215, 228, 240, 304, 305–7

  humanity, 112, 143, 168, 174, 231

  humility, 39–40

  hunchback, 158

  Hundred Schools of Philosophy, 143 and n.

  Hung Mung, 87–8

  Huo, Inspector, 193

  hurting others, 27

  I Ching, 126, 182n.

  I Liao (Master of the Southern Market), 168–9 and n., 217–18, 229

  ignorance; deceived and ignorant ones, 133–5; true, 44

  insects; ants, 221; bugs, 154; Chiu Yu, 154; cicada, 2; Huang Shuang, 154; lice, 220–21; millipedes, 143; praying mantis, 32, 98; in reincarnation, 154; rotting maggots, 154

  jade, 73, 78, 171 and n.

  Jan Chiu, 196–7

  Jen, Prince, 237–8

  Jin Hsiang, Lord, 226

  Jo (god of the North Ocean), xxi, 137, 139, 142

  Kan Pi, 51

  Keng Sang Chu, 199–208

  Ki Kuai, King of Yen, 141 andn.

  King Chin Chi, 170