Chapter 1
Zhuang Zhou: Defying Official Ranks
莊周（公元前369-286年），字子休，戰國時代宋國蒙（河南省商丘東北)人，著名思想家、哲學家、文學家，是道家學派的代表人物。老子哲學思想的繼承者和發展者，先秦莊子學派的創始人。他的學說涵蓋當時社會生活的方方麵麵，但根本精神還是歸依於老子的哲學。後世將他與老子並稱為“老莊”，他們的哲學為“老莊哲學”。莊子對後世的影響，不僅表現在他獨特的哲學思想上，而且表現在文學上。他的政治主張、哲學思想不是幹巴巴的說教，相反，都是通過一個個生動形象、幽默機智的寓言故事，通過汪洋恣肆、儀態萬方的語言文字，巧妙活潑、引人入勝地表達出來。他的著作《莊子》一書仿佛是一部寓言故事集，這些寓言表現出超常的想像力，構成了奇特的形象，具有石破天驚、振聾發聵的藝術感染力。
Born in Meng (northwest of present Shangqiu city in He’nan province) of the state of Song during the Warring States era, Zhuang Zhou, 368-286BC, also known as Zi Xiu or Zhuangzi, was a great thinker, philosopher, litterateur, and representative of Taoism. He inherited the philosophy of Laozi and further developed Zhuangzi School of the pre-Qin period. Though covering all facets of social life, his doctrine was essentially born out of Laozi, hence “Lao Zhuang” for the two put together by later times. Their doctrines were known as Lao Zhuang Philosophy. Zhuangzi contributed not only to his unique philosophy but also literature. Rather than dry lectures, his political and philosophical doctrines were rendered through rich and colorful language in his witty fables. His main works Zhuangzi reads like a collection of fables that display unique imagination and strong artistic appeal.
《史記》用寥寥幾行字介紹了莊子，說他著書十餘萬言，大抵都是寓言，如其中的《漁父》、《盜蹠》、《胠篋》等篇，都包含著深邃的哲學思想和人生道理。莊子文學意象的雄渾飛越，想象的奇特豐富，情致的滋潤曠達，給人以超凡脫俗與崇高美妙的感受，在中國的文學史上獨樹一幟。他的文章體製已脫離語錄體形式，標誌著先秦散文已經發展到成熟的階段。可以說，《莊子》代表了先秦散文的最高成就。後世文學家，在思想、文學風格、文章體製、寫作技巧上受《莊子》影響的，大有人在，即以第一流作家而論，就有阮籍、陶淵明、李白、蘇軾、辛棄疾和曹雪芹等。
The Annals of History carried a brief profile for Zhuangzi outlining his writings as some 100,000 words, mostly fables that contained profound philosophy and truth of life like The Old Fisherman, The Bandit Zhi, and To Open the Trunk. His works featured forceful literary image, unique imagination, and rich liveliness, and brought its readers to a state of sublime detachment. Unique in Chinese literary history, his writing broke away from the literary form of dialogues and marked the maturity of pre-Qin prose writing. It is generally agreed that Zhuangzi represented the zenith of pre-Qin literature, and cast lasting influence through the history in its idea, style, structure, and technique on numerous men of letters, such as Yuan Ji, Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Su Shi, Xin Qiji, Cao Xueqin, to name a few of the leading ones.
莊子看起來是一個憤世嫉俗的人。他生活在戰國時期，與梁惠王、齊宣王同時，比孟軻的年齡略小，曾做過漆園小吏，生活很窮困，卻不接受楚威王的重金聘請，在道德上其實是一位非常廉潔、質直，有相當棱角和鋒芒的人。有一次，家裏沒有糧食了，他就去找監河的官去借糧。監河官說：“好，我的封地要收租了，那時我借糧給你，可以嗎？”莊周氣得臉都變了顏色，說道：“我昨天來的時候，聽到有人在道路中間呼喚。我到處看，發現車輪印裏有條鯽魚在那兒。我問它：‘喂，鯽魚！你是在做什麼呀？’鯽魚回答說：‘我是東海裏的小人物，您有一點水來救活我嗎？’我說：‘好，我將往南去拜訪吳越的君主，引西江的水來迎接你，怎麼樣？’鯽魚生氣極了，說：‘我失去了我常呆著的水，沒有地方安身，我隻要一點水就能活了，你竟然這樣說，幹脆不如早點到賣幹魚的店裏去找我吧。！’”
Zhuangzi sounded cynical. In the Warring States period, he lived in the years of King Hui of State Liang and King Xuan of State Qi, and was slightly younger than Mencius. He once served as the Lacquer Lord. Impoverished as he was, Zhuangzi kept his moral integrity, bluntness, and edges. There was a time his family ran out of supply, and he went to borrow corn from the River Lord. “Yes,” said the Lord, “I’m just about collecting the revenue of my fief, and will then lend you the corn. Will that do?” At this Zhuangzi flushed with anger, “Yesterday, as I was coming along, I heard a voice calling. I looked round, and in the cart-rut I saw a crucian. I said, ‘What do you want, crucian?’ ‘I am a denizen of the East Sea,’ replied the fish. ‘Pray, Sir, a pint of water to save me.’ “‘Yes,’ said I. ‘I’m just going south to visit the prince of Wu and Yue. I will bring you some from the West River. Will that do?’ At this, the crucian flushed with anger, ‘I am out of my element. I have nowhere to go. A pint of water would save me. But to talk to me like this, you might as well put me in a dried-fish shop at once.’”