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Zhuang Zhou [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Zhuang Zhou, a core Daoist thinker, rejects lavish official offers twice. Using tortoise and sacrificial ox metaphors, he chooses humble, free rural life over dangerous noble power, maintaining lifelong seclusion to preserve his spiritual autonomy.
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Lie Yukou [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Daoist sage Lie Yukou declined grain from minister Ziyang, foreseeing peril from political favor gained via others’ words. Later Ziyang was killed in a revolt, leaving Liezi unharmed. He lived in seclusion and authored the classic Daoist work Liezi.
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The Master of the Old Merchant [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Liezi’s master, the Old Merchant, taught him to transcend right-wrong and profit-loss over seven years. Impatient student Yin Sheng left resentful after getting no lessons. Liezi chides him that profound Daoist attainment demands long inner purification, not instant mastery.
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Huqiu Zilin [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Daoist master Huqiu Zilin teaches Liezi that true travel lies in inner reflection instead of chasing outer scenery. Enlightened, Liezi abandons wandering and lives in quiet seclusion for forty years to seek inner self-sufficiency.
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Yuan Xian (Zisi) [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Yuan Xian, Confucius’ disciple, lives in a shabby cottage yet plays zither calmly. He tells wealthy Zigong poverty differs from moral failure, condemning hypocritical scholars chasing fame. Embarrassed, Zigong feels ashamed for his snide remark ever after.