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Chinese Text Project
Simplified Chinese version
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Scope: Request type: Paragraph
Condition 1: References "枝于手者,树无用之指也" Matched:2.
Total 2 paragraphs. Page 1 of 1.

先秦两汉 - Pre-Qin and Han

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道家 - Daoism

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庄子 - Zhuangzi

[Warring States] 350 BC-250 BC
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[Also known as: 《南华真经》]

外篇 - Outer Chapters

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骈拇 - Webbed Toes

English translation: James Legge [?]
Books referencing 《骈拇》 Library Resources
1 骈拇:
骈拇枝指,出乎性哉!而侈于德。附赘县疣,出乎形哉!而侈于性。多方乎仁义而用之者,列于五藏哉!而非道德之正也。是故骈于足者,连无用之肉也;枝于手者,树无用之指也;多方骈枝于五藏之情者,淫僻于仁义之行,而多方于聪明之用也。是故骈于明者,乱五色,淫文章,青黄黼黻之煌煌非乎?而离朱是已。多于聪者,乱五声,淫六律,金石、丝竹,黄钟、大吕之声非乎?而师旷是已。枝于仁者,擢德塞性以收名声,使天下簧鼓以奉不及之法非乎?而曾、史是已。骈于辩者,累瓦结绳窜句,游心于坚白同异之间,而敝跬誉无用之言非乎?而杨、墨是已。故此皆多骈旁枝之道,非天下之至正也。彼正正者,不失其性命之情。故合者不为骈,而枝者不为跂;长者不为有馀,短者不为不足。是故凫胫虽短,续之则忧;鹤胫虽长,断之则悲。故性长非所断,性短非所续,无所去忧也。意仁义其非人情乎!彼仁人何其多忧也?且夫骈于拇者,决之则泣;枝于手者,齕之则啼。二者或有馀于数,或不足于数,其于忧一也。今世之仁人,蒿目而忧世之患;不仁之人,决性命之情而饕富贵。故意仁义其非人情乎!自三代以下者,天下何其嚣嚣也?
Webbed Toes:
A ligament uniting the big toe with the other toes and an extra finger may be natural growths, but they are more than is good for use. Excrescences on the person and hanging tumours are growths from the body, but they are unnatural additions to it. There are many arts of benevolence and righteousness, and the exercise of them is distributed among the five viscera; but this is not the correct method according to the characteristics of the Dao. Thus it is that the addition to the foot is but the attachment to it of so much useless flesh, and the addition to the hand is but the planting on it of a useless finger. (So it is that) the connecting (the virtues) with the five viscera renders, by excess or restraint, the action of benevolence and righteousness bad, and leads to many arts as in the employment of (great) powers of hearing or of vision. Therefore an extraordinary power of vision leads to the confusion of the five colours and an excessive use of ornament. (Its possessor), in the resplendence of his green and yellow, white and black, black and green, will not stop till he has become a Li Zhu. An extraordinary power of hearing leads to a confusion of the five notes, and an excessive use of the six musical accords. (Its possessor), in bringing out the tones from the instruments of metal, stone, silk, and bamboo, aided by the Huang-zhong and Da-lu (tubes), will not stop till he has become a Shi Kuang. (So), excessive benevolence eagerly brings out virtues and restrains its (proper) nature, that (its possessor) may acquire a famous reputation, and cause all the organs and drums in the world to celebrate an unattainable condition; and he will not stop till he has become a Zeng (Shen) or a Shi (Qiu). An extraordinary faculty in debating leads to the piling up of arguments like a builder with his bricks, or a netmaker with his string. (Its possessor) cunningly contrives his sentences and enjoys himself in discussing what hardness is and what whiteness is, where views agree and where they differ, and pressing on, though weary, with short steps, with (a multitude of) useless words to make good his opinion; nor will he stop till he has become a Yang (Zhu) or Mo (Di). But in all these cases the parties, with their redundant and divergent methods, do not proceed by that which is the correct path for all under the sky. That which is the perfectly correct path is not to lose the real character of the nature with which we are endowed. Hence the union (of parts) should not be considered redundance, nor their divergence superfluity; what is long should not be considered too long, nor what is short too short. A duck's legs, for instance, are short, but if we try to lengthen them, it occasions pain; and a crane's legs are long, but if we try to cut off a portion of them, it produces grief. Where a part is by nature long, we are not to amputate, or where it is by nature short, we are not to lengthen it. There is no occasion to try to remove any trouble that it may cause. The presumption is that benevolence and righteousness are not constituents of humanity; for to how much anxiety does the exercise of them give rise! Moreover when another toe is united to the great toe, to divide the membrane makes you weep; and when there is an extra finger, to gnaw it off makes you cry out. In the one case there is a member too many, and in the other a member too few; but the anxiety and pain which they cause is the same. The benevolent men of the present age look at the evils of the world, as with eyes full of dust, and are filled with sorrow by them, while those who are not benevolent, having violently altered the character of their proper nature, greedily pursue after riches and honours. The presumption therefore is that benevolence and righteousness are contrary to the nature of man - how full of trouble and contention has the world been ever since the three dynasties began!

汉代之后 - Post-Han

宋明 - Song-Ming

太平御览

[Northern Song] 977-984 Library Resources

人事部十一

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9 指:
《庄子》曰:骈拇枝指出乎性哉?而侈于德。枝于手者,树无用之指也。
又曰:以指喻指之非指,不若以非指喻指之非指也。
又曰:指穷为薪而火傅也。穷尽以为薪,犹前薪以指,指尽前薪之理,故火傅而不灭。

Total 2 paragraphs. Page 1 of 1.