Follow us on Facebook to receive important updates Follow us on Twitter to receive important updates Follow us on sina.com's microblogging site to receive important updates Follow us on Douban to receive important updates
Chinese Text Project
Back Forward
Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Outer Chapters -> The Floods of Autumn -> 7

The earl of the He said,
?」 'What then is there so valuable in the Dao?'
北海若 Ruo of the Northern Sea replied,
'He who knows the Dao is sure to be well acquainted with the principles (that appear in the procedures of things).
Acquainted with (those) principles, he is sure to understand how to regulate his conduct in all varying circumstances.
Having that understanding, he will not allow things to injure himself.
Fire cannot burn him who is (so) perfect in virtue,
nor water drown him;
neither cold nor heat can affect him injuriously;
neither bird nor beast can hurt him.
This does not mean that he is indifferent to these things;
it means that he discriminates between where he may safely rest and where he will be in peril;
that he is tranquil equally in calamity and happiness;
that he is careful what he avoids and what he approaches
- so that nothing can injure him.
Hence it is said,
"What is heavenly is internal;
what is human is external."
The virtue (of man) is in what is Heavenly.
If you know the operation of what is Heavenly and what is Human,
you will have your root in what is Heavenly
and your position in Virtue.
You will bend or stretch (only) after the (necessary) hesitation;
。」you will have returned to the essential, and may be pronounced to have reached perfection.'
:「?」'What do you mean,' pursued the earl, 'by the Heavenly, and by the Human?'
北海若 Ruo replied,
'Oxen and horses have four feet
- that is what I call their Heavenly (constitution).
When horses' heads are haltered,
穿 and the noses of oxen are pierced,
that is what I call (the doing of) Man.
Hence it is said,
"Do not by the Human (doing) extinguish the Heavenly (constitution);
do not for your (Human) purpose extinguish the appointment (of Heaven);
do not bury your (proper) fame in (such) a pursuit of it;
carefully guard (the Way) and do not lose it:
。」 this is what I call reverting to your True (Nature)."'


Enjoy this site? Please help.Site design and content copyright 2006-2024. When quoting or citing information from this site, please link to the corresponding page or to https://ctext.org. Please note that the use of automatic download software on this site is strictly prohibited, and that users of such software are automatically banned without warning to save bandwidth. 沪ICP备09015720号-3Comments? Suggestions? Please raise them here.