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Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Outer Chapters -> The Floods of Autumn -> 4

The earl of the He said,
'The disputers of the world all say,
"That which is most minute has no bodily form;
。』and that which is most great cannot be encompassed"
?」- is this really the truth?'
北海若Ruo of the Northern Sea replied,
'When from the standpoint of what is small we look at what is great, we do not take it all in;
when from the standpoint of what is great we look at what is small, we do not see it clearly.
Now the subtile essence
is smallness in its extreme degree;
and the vast mass
is greatness in its largest form.
便Different as they are, each has its suitability
- according to their several conditions.
But the subtile and the gross
both presuppose that they have a bodily form.
Where there is no bodily form,
there is no longer a possibility of numerical division;
where it is not possible to encompass a mass,
there is no longer a possibility of numerical estimate.
What can be discoursed about in words
is the grossness of things;
what can be reached in idea
is the subtilty of things.
What cannot be discoursed about in words,
and what cannot be reached by nice discrimination of thought,
has nothing to do either with subtilty or grossness.
Therefore while the actions of the Great Man
are not directed to injure men,
he does not plume himself on his benevolence and kindness;
while his movements are not made with a view to gain,
he does not consider the menials of a family as mean;
while he does not strive after property and wealth,
he does not plume himself on declining them;
while he does not borrow the help of others to accomplish his affairs,
he does not plume himself on supporting himself by his own strength,
nor does he despise those who in their greed do what is mean;
while he differs in his conduct from the vulgar,
he does not plume himself on being so different from them;
while it is his desire to follow the multitude,
he does not despise the glib-tongued flatterers.
祿The rank and emoluments of the world furnish no stimulus to him,
nor does he reckon its punishments and shame to be a disgrace.
He knows that the right and the wrong can (often) not be distinguished,
and that what is small and what is great can (often) not be defined.
:『I have heard it said, "The Man of Dao does not become distinguished; the greatest virtue is unsuccessful; the Great Man has no thought of self" - to so great a degree may the lot be restricted.


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