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Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Inner Chapters -> The Great and Most Honoured Master -> 6

子桑戶、孟子反、子琴張三人相與友，Zi-sang Hu, Meng Zi-fan, and Zi-qin Zhang, these three men, were friends together.
曰： (One of them said),
「孰能相與於無相與， 'Who can associate together without any (thought of) such association,
相為於無相為？ or act together without any (evidence of) such co-operation?
孰能登天遊霧， Who can mount up into the sky and enjoy himself amidst the mists,
撓挑無極， disporting beyond the utmost limits (of things),
相忘以生， and forgetting all others as if this were living,
無所終窮？」 and would have no end?'
三人相視而笑， The three men looked at one another and laughed,
莫逆於心， not perceiving the drift of the questions;
遂相與友。 and they continued to associate together as friends.
莫然有閒，Suddenly, after a time,
而子桑戶死， Zi-sang Hu died.
未葬。 Before he was buried,
孔子聞之， Confucius heard of the event,
使子貢往侍事焉。 and sent Zi-gong to go and see if he could render any assistance.
或編曲， One of the survivors had composed a ditty,
或鼓琴， and the other was playing on his lute.
相和而歌曰： Then they sang together in unison,
「嗟來桑戶乎！'Ah! come, Sang Hu!
嗟來桑戶乎！ah! come, Sang Hu!
而已反其真，Your being true you've got again,
而我猶為人猗！」While we, as men, still here remain Ohone!'
子貢趨而進曰：Zi-gong hastened forward to them, and said,
「敢問臨尸而歌，禮乎？」 'I venture to ask whether it be according to the rules to be singing thus in the presence of the corpse?'
二人相視而笑，The two men looked at each other, and laughed,
曰： saying,
「是惡知禮意！」 'What does this man know about the idea that underlies (our) rules?'
子貢反，以告孔子曰：Zi-gong returned to Confucius, and reported to him, saying,
「彼何人者邪？ 'What sort of men are those?
修行無有， They had made none of the usual preparations,
而外其形骸， and treated the body as a thing foreign to them.
臨尸而歌， They were singing in the presence of the corpse,
顏色不變， and there was no change in their countenances.
無以命之。 I cannot describe them;
彼何人者邪？」 what sort of men are they?'
孔子曰： Confucius replied,
「彼遊方之外者也， 'Those men occupy and enjoy themselves in what is outside the (common) ways (of the world),
而丘游方之內者也。 while I occupy and enjoy myself in what lies within those ways.
外內不相及， There is no common ground for those of such different ways;
而丘使女往弔之， and when I sent you to condole with those men,
丘則陋矣。 I was acting stupidly.
彼方且與造物者為人，They, moreover, make man to be the fellow of the Creator,
而遊乎天地之一氣。 and seek their enjoyment in the formless condition of heaven and earth.
彼以生為附贅縣疣，They consider life to be an appendage attached, an excrescence annexed to them,
以死為決𤴯潰癰。 and death to be a separation of the appendage and a dispersion of the contents of the excrescence.
夫若然者，又惡知死生先後之所在！With these views, how should they know wherein death and life are to be found, or what is first and what is last?
假於異物， They borrow different substances,
託於同體， and pretend that the common form of the body is composed of them.
忘其肝膽，遺其耳目，They dismiss the thought of (its inward constituents like) the liver and gall, and (its outward constituents), the ears and eyes.
反覆終始， Again and again they end and they begin,
不知端倪， having no knowledge of first principles.
芒然彷徨乎塵垢之外， They occupy themselves ignorantly and vaguely with what (they say) lies outside the dust and dirt (of the world),
逍遙乎無為之業。 and seek their enjoyment in the business of doing nothing.
彼又惡能憒憒然為世俗之禮， How should they confusedly address themselves to the ceremonies practised by the common people,
以觀眾人之耳目哉！」 and exhibit themselves as doing so to the ears and eyes of the multitude?'
子貢曰：Zi-gong said,
「然則夫子何方之依？」'Yes, but why do you, Master, act according to the (common) ways (of the world)?'
孔子曰： The reply was,
「丘，天之戮民也。 'I am in this under the condemning sentence of Heaven.
雖然，吾與汝共之。Nevertheless, I will share with you (what I have attained to).
子貢曰：Zi-gong rejoined,
「敢問其方。」 'I venture to ask the method which you pursue;'
孔子曰： and Confucius said,
「魚相造乎水， 'Fishes breed and grow in the water;
人相造乎道。 man developes in the Dao.
相造乎水者， Growing in the water,
穿池而養給；the fishes cleave the pools, and their nourishment is supplied to them.
相造乎道者， Developing in the Dao,
無事而生定。men do nothing, and the enjoyment of their life is secured.
故曰： Hence it is said,
魚相忘乎江湖， "Fishes forget one another in the rivers and lakes;
人相忘乎道術。」 men forget one another in the arts of the Dao."
子貢曰：Zi-gong said,
「敢問畸人。」 'I venture to ask about the man who stands aloof from others.'
曰： The reply was,
「畸人者，畸於人而侔於天。'He stands aloof from other men, but he is in accord with Heaven!
故曰： Hence it is said,
天之小人，"The small man of Heaven
人之君子； is the superior man among men;
人之君子，the superior man among men
天之小人也。」 is the small man of Heaven!"'

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