The Shadow Replies to the Body
To preserve this life forever is impossible;
To nurture the body is a clumsy, futile endeavor.
I truly wished to roam the peaks of Kunlun and Mount Hua,
But that path is distant and entirely cut off.
Since you and I first met,
We have never differed in sorrow or joy.
When you rest in the shade, we seem briefly parted,
But when you stand in the sun, we are never apart.
Yet this union cannot last forever;
In the end, we shall both fade into darkness and perish.
When the body dies, the name perishes with it;
The thought of this makes my heart burn with anguish.
By doing good deeds, one leaves behind a legacy of love;
Why then do you not exhaust yourself in such pursuits?
You say wine can drive away sorrow,
But compared to leaving a noble name, is it not vastly inferior?
Note
The Shadow’s Identity and Social Anxiety
In this philosophical dialogue, the Shadow represents the social self, the ego, and the desire for reputation. While the Body fears physical annihilation, the Shadow fears social oblivion. It is deeply anxious that when the physical body dies, its memory and legacy will vanish with it. This reflects the ancient Chinese anxiety about being forgotten after death.
The Futility of Seeking Immortality
Kunlun and Mount Hua were legendary mountains in Chinese mythology, believed to be the dwelling places of immortals. For instance, in Chapter 65 of Journey to the West, China’s famous fantasy novel, Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong refer to Kunlun Mountain as a “Heaven‑Pillar”. Located in the northwest Qian trigram position, it is meant to prop up the sky and fill the firmament. Besides, Chapter 35 mentions that Lord Lao Zi’s Purple‑Gold Red Gourd grew from an immortal vine at the foot of Kunlun Mountain. Thus, Kunlun Mountain functions as a sacred mountain within the novel’s mythological setting.
During the Wei-Jin period, many nobles and scholars obsessed over finding these mythical realms or taking alchemical elixirs to achieve eternal life. The Shadow acknowledges that this path is “cut off,” firmly rejecting the superstitious pursuit of physical immortality, aligning with Tao’s rational worldview.
The Concept of Leaving a Legacy
To avoid the terror of fading into nothingness, the Shadow proposes a solution rooted in traditional Confucian values: achieving immortality through moral deeds and reputation. The phrase “leaving behind a legacy of love” refers to the Confucian ideal of the “Three Immortalities” (三不朽): establishing virtue, establishing merit, and establishing words. The Shadow believes that doing good and leaving a noble name is a far superior way to cheat death than drinking wine.
The “Three Immortalities” (or “Three Immortal Achievements”) is a concept put forward by Shusun Bao, a senior official of the State of Lu during China’s Spring‑and‑Autumn period. In that turbulent era, few figures won Confucius‘ praise and became spiritual icons for later generations, and Shusun Bao was one of them. Proposed over two thousand years ago, his idea of the “Three Immortal Achievements” still shapes Chinese people’s pursuit of values today.
Yet this man, who had profound insight into the spiritual world, ended in utter ruin in his old age. Han Feizi recorded Sunshu Bao’s miserable final fate.
The Critique of Hedonism
The Shadow directly criticizes the Body’s coping mechanism. It argues that while wine might offer temporary oblivion from the fear of death, it is a base and inferior solution compared to the noble pursuit of moral excellence. This sets up the central philosophical conflict of the series: the clash between earthly hedonism (the Body) and social ambition (the Shadow).
影答形
存生不可言，卫生每苦拙。
诚愿游昆华，邈然兹道绝。
与子相遇来，未尝异悲悦。
憩荫若暂乖，止日终不别。
此同既难常，黯尔俱时灭。
身没名亦尽，念之五情热。
立善有遗爱，胡为不自竭？
酒云能消忧，方此讵不劣！
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