To know what Heaven does and to know what man does – this is the utmost. To know what Heaven does is to live by Heaven. To know what man does is to use what one’s knowledge knows to nourish what one’s knowledge does not know, so that one may complete one’s heavenly years and not die midway. This is the fullness of knowledge. Nevertheless, there is a defect: knowledge must await something before it can be correct, and what it awaits is never fixed. How do I know that what I call Heaven is not man? That what I call man is not Heaven? Moreover, only after there is a True Man is there true knowledge.
What is a True Man? The True Men of old did not resist the few, did not take pride in success, did not scheme for office. Thus, when they erred they did not regret; when they hit the mark they did not feel self-satisfied. Thus they climbed high without fear, entered water without getting wet, entered fire without feeling heat – such was the knowledge that could ascend to the Way.
The True Men of old slept without dreams and woke without worry. They ate without seeking sweetness; their breathing was deep. The True Man breathes from the heels; ordinary men breathe from the throat. Those who are subdued – their words catch in the throat like vomit. Those whose desires are deep have shallow heavenly mechanism.
The True Men of old did not know delight in life or hatred of death. They did not rejoice at coming forth, did not resist entering. They went freely and came freely. They did not forget where they began, did not seek where they would end. They received and were glad; they forgot and returned. This is called not using the mind to reject the Way, not using man to help Heaven. This is called the True Man. Such a one: his mind is firm, his countenance still, his forehead broad. Austere as autumn, warm as spring; joy and anger communicate with the four seasons, and with things he is fitting, yet no one knows his limit. Therefore when the sage uses arms, he may destroy a state but not lose men’s hearts. Benefits flow to ten thousand generations, yet not because he loves men. Thus delighting in communicating with things is not sageliness; having partiality is not benevolence; timing with Heaven is not worthiness; failing to connect benefit and harm is not the gentleman; acting for fame and losing oneself is not the scholar; losing one’s body and not being true is not one who serves others. Figures like Hu Bu Xie, Wu Guang, Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Jizi Xu Yu, Ji Tuo, and Shen Tu Di – these were servants of others’ service, satisfied with others’ satisfaction, and did not satisfy their own satisfaction.
The True Men of old: their appearance was upright but not partisan; they seemed insufficient yet did not receive. They were aloof but not rigid; expansive but empty and not ornate. Mildly they seemed glad; reluctantly they seemed compelled; accumulated, they presented a face; yielding, they stopped in virtue; broad, they seemed like the world; lofty, they could not be controlled; connected, they seemed to love closure; forgetful, they forgot their words. They took punishment as the body, ritual as wings, knowledge as timeliness, virtue as the path. Taking punishment as the body: they were generous in killing. Taking ritual as wings: thereby they walked in the world. Taking knowledge as timeliness: because of what could not be helped in affairs. Taking virtue as the path: it means that with those who have feet they reach the hill, yet people truly think they are diligent walkers. Therefore what they liked was one; what they did not like was one. Their one was one; their not-one was one. Their one was to be companion of Heaven; their not-one was to be companion of man. Heaven and man do not overcome each other – this is called the True Man.
Life and death are fate; their constant alternation like night and day is Heaven. There are things man cannot participate in; this is the nature of things. They take Heaven as father and still love themselves; how much more what is loftier! Men take having a ruler as better than themselves and still die for him; how much more the True!
When springs dry up, fish are left together on land, moistening each other with breath, wetting each other with foam. Better to forget each other in rivers and lakes. Rather than praise Yao and condemn Jie, better to forget both and transform in the Way.
The Great Clod carries me with a form, labors me with life, eases me with old age, rests me with death. Therefore what makes my life good is what makes my death good. Hide a boat in a ravine, hide a mountain in a marsh – called secure. Yet at midnight a strong man carries them off, and the dull do not know. Hiding small and large has its appropriateness, yet still there is escape. If you hide the world in the world, there is no escape. This is the great nature of constant things. People are delighted merely to have human form. If human form undergoes ten thousand transformations without ever reaching an end, how can its joy be calculated? Therefore the sage will wander where things cannot escape and all are preserved. Being good at youth and old age, good at beginning and end, people still imitate; how much more that on which all things depend and in which all transformations wait!
The Way has reality and trust, non-action and no form. It can be transmitted but not given; it can be attained but not seen. It is its own root and source; before heaven and earth existed, from ancient times it has stood. It makes spirits and ghosts divine, makes Heaven and Earth: before the Great Ultimate it is not high; below the six extremes it is not deep; it was born before heaven and earth yet is not old; it is older than antiquity yet is not aged. Xi Wei Shi got it and used it to lift heaven and earth. Fu Xi got it and used it to enter the mother of breath. The North Star got it and never errs. Sun and Moon got it and never rest. Kan Pi got it and entered Mount Kunlun. Feng Yi got it and wandered the great rivers. Jian Wu got it and dwelt on Mount Tai. The Yellow Emperor got it and ascended the clouds and sky. Zhuan Xu got it and dwelt in the Dark Palace. Yu Qiang got it and stood at the North Pole. Xi Wang Mu got it and sat at Shao Guang; no one knows her beginning, no one knows her end. Peng Zu got it: above he reached Yu, below he reached the Five Hegemons. Fu Yue got it and became minister to Wu Ding, covering all under Heaven, riding the Eastern Cord, mounting Ji and Wei, and taking his place among the stars.
Nanbo Zi Kui asked Nü Yu: “You are old, yet your complexion is like a child’s. Why?” She said: “I have heard the Way.” Nanbo Zi Kui said: “Can the Way be learned?” “No! How can it? You are not the person. Bu Liang Yi has the talent of a sage but not the Way of a sage; I have the Way of a sage but not the talent of a sage. I wanted to teach him, perhaps he might truly become a sage. Otherwise, to tell the Way of a sage to one with the talent of a sage is also easy. I kept guard and told him: after three days he could put the world outside; after putting the world outside, I kept guard again: after seven days he could put things outside; after putting things outside, I kept guard again: after nine days he could put life outside; after putting life outside, he could dawn-clear; after dawn-clear he could see the One; after seeing the One he could be without past and present; without past and present he could enter not-dying-not-living. The killer of life does not die; the giver of life does not live. As for things, there is none it does not escort, none it does not welcome, none it does not destroy, none it does not complete. Its name is Ying Ning – ‘interference that brings peace.’ Ying Ning means: after interference it is completed.”
Nanbo Zi Kui said: “Where did you alone hear it?” She said: “I heard it from the son of Fu Mo; the son of Fu Mo heard it from the grandson of Luo Song; the grandson of Luo Song heard it from Zhan Ming; Zhan Ming heard it from Nie Xu; Nie Xu heard it from Xu Yi; Xu Yi heard it from Yu Ou; Yu Ou heard it from Xuan Ming; Xuan Ming heard it from Can Liao; Can Liao heard it from Yi Shi.”
Zi Si, Zi Yu, Zi Li, and Zi Lai said to one another: “Who can take nothing as head, life as spine, death as buttocks? Who knows that death, life, survival, and loss are one body? I will be friends with him.” The four looked at each other and smiled; there was no opposition in their hearts, so they became friends. Soon Zi Yu fell ill. Zi Si went to ask after him. Zi Yu said: “Great is the Creator! He will make me thus crooked.” His back was hunched, his five tubes were upward, his chin was hidden in his navel, his shoulders rose above his head, his neck bone pointed to heaven. The yin and yang qi were disordered, yet his mind was at ease and without concern. He shuffled to a well and looked in, saying: “Alas! The Creator will again make me thus crooked.”
Zi Si said: “Do you hate it?” “No, why should I hate it? If gradually he transforms my left arm into a rooster, I will use it to crow the night watches. If gradually he transforms my right arm into a sling, I will use it to shoot a roasted owl. If gradually he transforms my buttocks into a wheel and my spirit into a horse, I will ride them – would I need another carriage? Moreover, gaining is timing; losing is following. To be at peace with time and dwell in following – sorrow and joy cannot enter. This is what the ancients called the hanging release. Those who cannot release themselves are bound by things. Moreover, things cannot overcome Heaven – long has this been so. Why should I hate it?”
Soon Zi Lai fell ill, gasping and about to die. His wife and children surrounded him and wept. Zi Li went to ask after him and said: “Shh! Go away! Do not disturb transformation!” He leaned on the door and spoke with him: “Great is the Creator! What will he make of you? Where will he send you? Will he make you a rat’s liver? Will he make you a bug’s arm?” Zi Lai said: “For parents, a child goes east, west, south, north – only command is followed. Yin and yang are to man more than parents. If they bring me near death and I do not obey, I am stubborn; what fault have they? The Great Clod carries me with form, labors me with life, eases me with old age, rests me with death. Therefore what makes my life good is what makes my death good. Now if a great smith casts metal and the metal leaps up saying, ‘I must be Mo Ye!’ the great smith would surely think it an inauspicious metal. Now having once taken human form, one says, ‘A man! A man!’ The Creator would surely think it an inauspicious man. Now if one takes heaven and earth as the great furnace and transformation as the great smith, where can one go that is not right?” Then he fell asleep peacefully and woke suddenly.
Zi Sang Hu, Meng Zi Fan, and Zi Qin Zhang became friends and said: “Who can join in non-joining, act in non-acting? Who can climb heaven, wander in mist, twist and leap in the infinite, forget life, and have no end?” The three looked at each other and smiled; there was no opposition in their hearts, so they became friends.
Before long, Zi Sang Hu died, and he was not yet buried. Confucius heard of it and sent Zi Gong to assist with the affairs. Some were arranging the music, some playing the zither, and they sang in harmony: “Alas, Sang Hu! Alas, Sang Hu! You have returned to your true state, while we are still men!” Zi Gong hurried forward and said: “May I ask: singing before a corpse – is this ritual?” The two looked at each other and smiled: “How would he know the meaning of ritual?” Zi Gong returned and told Confucius: “What sort of men are they? They cultivate nothing and put their bodily forms outside; they sing before a corpse with unchanged countenance. There is no way to name them. What sort of men are they?” Confucius said: “They are those who wander outside the square; I am one who wanders within the square. Outside and inside do not reach each other, yet I sent you to offer condolences – I am shallow. They are now companions of the Creator and wander in the single qi of heaven and earth. They take life as a hanging wart, death as the bursting of a boil. If so, how would they know where death and life, before and after, are? They borrow from different things, lodge in the same body; forget liver and gall, discard ears and eyes; reverse and repeat beginning and end, not knowing their tips; vaguely they wander beyond the dust and grime, free and easy in the work of non-action. How could they be confusedly performing worldly rituals for the eyes and ears of the crowd?”
Zi Gong said: “Then what do you rely on, Master?” Confucius said: “I am one whom Heaven has punished. Nevertheless, I will share it with you.” Zi Gong said: “May I ask the method?” Confucius said: “Fish seek water; men seek the Way. Those who seek water dig a pond and are nourished; those who seek the Way do nothing and life is settled. Therefore it is said: fish forget each other in rivers and lakes; men forget each other in the Way and its arts.” Zi Gong said: “May I ask about the exceptional man?” Confucius said: “The exceptional man is exceptional among men but equal to Heaven. Therefore: Heaven’s petty man is man’s gentleman; man’s gentleman is Heaven’s petty man.”
Yan Hui asked Zhongni: “When Meng Sun Cai’s mother died, he wept but shed no tears, his heart was not grieved, and in mourning he was not sorrowful. Lacking these three, he is famous throughout Lu for handling mourning well. Is there really one who gains a name without the reality? I find it strange.” Zhongni said: “Meng Sun has done all that is needed; he has advanced in knowledge. He could not be simpler, yet he has simplified. Meng Sun does not know why he lives, does not know why he dies. He does not know where to go first, where to go after. If he is transformed into a thing, he awaits the transformation he does not know. Moreover, when one is about to transform, how does he know he will not transform? When one is about to not transform, how does he know he has already transformed? I and you – perhaps we are dreamers who have not yet awakened. Moreover, he has a startling form but no injury to his mind; he has a morning lodging but no emotional death. Meng Sun alone is awake; others weep and he also weeps – this is why he is as he is. Moreover, we mutually say ‘I’ – how do I know what I call ‘I’? You dream you are a bird and rise into heaven; you dream you are a fish and sink into the deep. I do not know whether the one speaking now is awake or dreaming. A created fit does not reach laughter; an offered laugh does not reach arrangement. Arrange and go along with transformation, and you enter the empty unity of Heaven.”
Yi Er Zi saw Xu You. Xu You said: “What did Yao give you?” Yi Er Zi said: “Yao told me: You must personally practice benevolence and righteousness and clearly speak right and wrong.” Xu You said: “Then why have you come here? Yao has already branded you with benevolence and righteousness and cut off your nose with right and wrong. How will you wander on the road of distant wandering, unrestrained, turning and shifting?” Yi Er Zi said: “Nevertheless, I wish to wander on its border.” Xu You said: “Not so. A blind man cannot share in the beauty of eyebrows, eyes, and complexion; a sightless man cannot share in the spectacle of blue and yellow, embroidered patterns.” Yi Er Zi said: “When Wu Zhuang lost her beauty, Ju Liang lost his strength, and the Yellow Emperor lost his knowledge, all were in the forge and hammer. How do I know the Creator will not stop my branding and patch my cut nose, so that I may ride completion and follow you, Master?” Xu You said: “Ah! Not knowable. I will tell you the general outline: My teacher! My teacher! He gives to all things but is not righteous; his bounty reaches ten thousand generations but he is not benevolent; he is older than antiquity but not old; he covers and bears heaven and earth, carves and shapes all forms, yet is not skillful. This is where I wander.”
Yan Hui said: “I have improved.” Zhongni said: “What do you mean?” “I have forgotten benevolence and righteousness.” “Fine, but not yet.” Another day he saw him again and said: “I have improved.” “What do you mean?” “I have forgotten rituals and music.” “Fine, but not yet.” Another day he saw him again and said: “I have improved.” “What do you mean?” “I have sat and forgotten.” Zhongni looked startled and said: “What is sitting and forgetting?” Yan Hui said: “I let fall my limbs, dismiss my hearing and sight, leave form and cast out knowledge, and become one with the Great Penetration. This is called sitting and forgetting.” Zhongni said: “If you are one, there is no liking; if you transform, there is no constancy. You are truly worthy! I beg to follow after you.”
Zi Yu and Zi Sang were friends. It rained for ten days. Zi Yu said: “Zi Sang is probably ill.” He wrapped rice and went to feed him. When he reached Zi Sang’s gate, he heard something like singing and like weeping, playing the zither: “Father? Mother? Heaven? Man?” His voice could not sustain it, and he hurriedly recited the poem. Zi Yu entered and said: “Why do you sing your poem like this?” Zi Sang said: “I am thinking of what has brought me to this extreme and cannot find it. Would my parents have wished me poor? Heaven covers all without partiality; earth bears all without partiality. Would heaven and earth make me poor in particular? I seek the one who did it and cannot find it. Yet what has brought me to this extreme – it is fate!”
Note
This Zhuangzi ‑ Dazongshi excerpt portrays the ideal True Man. Through fables and dialogues, it expounds unity with the Dao, accepting life‑death transformation, and the core spiritual practice “sitting and forgetting”.
Zhuangzi (庄子):
A foundational Daoist philosopher of the Warring States period. The book Zhuangzi uses stories, paradoxes, and imaginary dialogues to criticize rigid social values and to praise life in accord with the Dao.
Confucius / Zhongni (孔子 / 仲尼):
Founder of Confucianism. In the Zhuangzi, he often appears as a character who learns from Daoist wisdom rather than as the final authority.
Yan Hui (颜回):
A favorite disciple of Confucius, known in Confucian tradition for virtue and humility. Here he becomes the model of “sitting and forgetting.”
Zi Gong (子贡):
A disciple of Confucius, known for eloquence and practical ability. He is shocked by the Daoist friends who sing before a corpse.
Zi Si, Zi Yu, Zi Li, Zi Lai (子祀、子舆、子犁、子来):
Likely fictional friends used by Zhuangzi to dramatize acceptance of illness, deformity, and death as part of transformation.
Zi Sang Hu, Meng Zi Fan, Zi Qin Zhang (子桑户、孟子反、子琴张):
Fictional friends who represent “wandering outside the square,” beyond conventional ritual.
Meng Sun Cai (孟孙才):
A man of Lu, probably historical or semi-historical, praised for mourning without outward grief because he understands transformation.
Xu You (许由):
Xu You, a legendary hermit who refused to accept the throne from Yao. He represents radical withdrawal from political and moral conventions.
Yao (尧) and Jie (桀):
Yao is a legendary sage ruler; Jie is a legendary tyrant. Zhuangzi says it is better to forget praise of Yao and blame of Jie.
Yellow Emperor (黄帝):
Zhuan Xu (颛顼), Yu Qiang (禺强), Xi Wang Mu (西王母), Peng Zu (彭祖), Fu Yue (傅说), Wu Ding (武丁):
Mythological, legendary, or historical figures. Xi Wang Mu is the Queen Mother of the West; Peng Zu is a legendary long-lived figure; Fu Yue was a minister to King Wu Ding of Shang.
Xi Wei Shi (豨韦氏), Fu Xi (伏羲氏), Kan Pi (堪坏), Feng Yi (冯夷), Jian Wu (肩吾):
Mythical or legendary figures connected with cosmic order, rivers, mountains, and ancient sovereignty.
Hu Bu Xie, Wu Guang, Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Jizi Xu Yu, Ji Tuo, Shen Tu Di (狐不偕、务光、伯夷、叔齐、箕子胥馀、纪他、申徒狄):
Virtuous or loyal figures from antiquity who withdrew from office, sacrificed themselves, or refused to serve corrupt rulers. Zhuangzi criticizes them for serving others’ ideals rather than their own true nature.
The True Man (真人, zhenren):
A Daoist ideal: one who has realized unity with the Dao, is free from fear of death, and acts without contrivance.
The Great Clod (大块):
A Daoist image for Nature or the cosmic process that gives us form, life, old age, and death.
The Way (道, Dao):
The ineffable source and pattern of all things. It is beyond form, yet present in all transformation.
Ying Ning (撄宁):
“Interference that brings peace” or “tranquility in the midst of disturbance.” It means remaining complete even while being disturbed by transformation.
Sitting and Forgetting (坐忘, zuowang):
A key Daoist meditation ideal. One drops bodily awareness, senses, and learned knowledge to become one with the Great Penetration.
Hanging Release (县解, xianjie):
Liberation from the bonds of life and death, sorrow and joy, by accepting time and following transformation.
Outside the Square / Inside the Square (游方之外 / 游方之内):
“Outside the square” means beyond conventional social and ritual boundaries; “inside the square” means within ordinary society and its rules.
The Exceptional Man (畸人):
One who is odd or contrary among men but equal to Heaven.
Heaven’s Punished Man (天之戮民):
Confucius calls himself one punished by Heaven – bound within the social world and unable to escape it fully.
Branding and Cutting Off the Nose (黥, 劓):
Ancient punishments. Xu You uses them metaphorically: Yao has branded Yi Er Zi with benevolence and righteousness and cut off his nose with right and wrong.
Fish Moistening Each Other / Forgetting Each Other in Rivers and Lakes (相濡以沫 / 相忘于江湖):
A famous image. It is better to forget each other in the greater freedom of the Dao than to cling together in desperate mutual aid.
Hiding the World in the World (藏天下于天下):
If you hide the world within the world, nothing can be lost. This means accepting all things as part of the same whole.
The Great Smith / Great Furnace (大冶, 大炉):
Images of transformation. Heaven and earth are the furnace; transformation is the smith. One should not resist whatever form comes next.
Dawn-Clear, Seeing the One, No Past or Present (朝彻, 见独, 无古今):
Stages of Daoist enlightenment described by Nü Yu.
The Transmission Chain (副墨之子, 洛诵之孙, 瞻明, 聂许, 需役, 于讴, 玄冥, 参寥, 疑始):
Allegorical names personifying stages in the transmission of the Way, not literal historical people.
大宗师第六
知天之所为，知人之所为者，至矣！知天之所为者，天而生也；知人之所为者，以其知之所知以养其知之所不知，终其天年而不中道夭者，是知之盛也。虽然，有患：夫知有所待而后当，其所待者特未定也。庸讵知吾所谓天之非人乎？所谓人之非天乎？且有真人而后有真知。
何谓真人？古之真人，不逆寡，不雄成，不谟士。若然者，过而弗悔，当而不自得也。若然者，登高不栗，入水不濡，入火不热，是知之能登假于道者也若此。
古之真人，其寝不梦，其觉无忧，其食不甘，其息深深。真人之息以踵，众人之息以喉。屈服者，其嗌言若哇。其耆欲深者，其天机浅。
古之真人，不知说生，不知恶死。其出不訢，其入不距。翛然而往，翛然而来而已矣。不忘其所始，不求其所终。受而喜之，忘而复之。是之谓不以心捐道，不以人助天，是之谓真人。若然者，其心志，其容寂，其颡頯。凄然似秋，暖然似春，喜怒通四时，与物有宜而莫知其极。故圣人之用兵也，亡国而不失人心。利泽施乎万世，不为爱人。故乐通物，非圣人也；有亲，非仁也；天时，非贤也；利害不通，非君子也；行名失己，非士也；亡身不真，非役人也。若狐不偕、务光、伯夷、叔齐、箕子胥馀、纪他、申徒狄，是役人之役，适人之适，而不自适其适者也。
古之真人，其状义而不朋，若不足而不承；与乎其觚而不坚也，张乎其虚而不华也；邴邴乎其似喜也，崔崔乎其不得已也，滀乎进我色也，与乎止我德也，广乎其似世也，謷乎其未可制也，连乎其似好闭也，悗乎忘其言也。以刑为体，以礼为翼，以知为时，以德为循。以刑为体者，绰乎其杀也；以礼为翼者，所以行于世也；以知为时者，不得已于事也；以德为循者，言其与有足者至于丘也，而人真以为勤行者也。故其好之也一，其弗好之也一。其一也一，其不一也一。其一与天为徒，其不一与人为徒，天与人不相胜也，是之谓真人。
死生，命也；其有夜旦之常，天也。人之有所不得与，皆物之情也。彼特以天为父，而身犹爱之，而况其卓乎！人特以有君为愈乎己，而身犹死之，而况其真乎！
泉涸，鱼相与处于陆，相呴以湿，相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖。与其誉尧而非桀也，不如两忘而化其道。
夫大块载我以形，劳我以生，佚我以老，息我以死。故善吾生者，乃所以善吾死也。夫藏舟于壑，藏山于泽，谓之固矣！然而夜半有力者负之而走，昧者不知也。藏小大有宜，犹有所循。若夫藏天下于天下而不得所循，是恒物之大情也。特犯人之形而犹喜之。若人之形者，万化而未始有极也，其为乐可胜计邪？故圣人将游于物之所不得循而皆存。善妖善老，善始善终，人犹效之，而况万物之所系而一化之所待乎！
夫道有情有信，无为无形；可传而不可授，可得而不可见；自本自根，未有天地，自古以固存；神鬼神帝，生天生地；在太极之先而不为高，在六极之下而不为深，先天地生而不为久，长于上古而不为老。豨韦氏得之，以挈天地；伏羲氏得之，以袭气母；维斗得之，终古不忒；日月得之，终古不息；堪坏得之，以袭昆仑；冯夷得之，以游大川；肩吾得之，以处大山；黄帝得之，以登云天；颛顼得之，以处玄宫；禺强得之，立乎北极；西王母得之，坐乎少广，莫知其始，莫知其终；彭祖得之，上及有虞，下及五伯；傅说得之，以相武丁，奄有天下，乘东维、骑箕尾而比于列星。
南伯子葵问乎女偊曰：“子之年长矣，而色若孺子，何也？”曰：“吾闻道矣。”南伯子葵曰：“道可得学邪？”曰：“恶！恶可！子非其人也。夫卜梁倚有圣人之才而无圣人之道，我有圣人之道而无圣人之才。吾欲以教之，庶几其果为圣人乎？不然，以圣人之道告圣人之才，亦易矣。吾犹守而告之，叁日而后能外天下；已外天下矣，吾又守之，七日而后能外物；已外物矣，吾又守之，九日而后能外生；已外生矣，而后能朝彻；朝彻而后能见独；见独而后能无古今；无古今而后能入于不死不生。杀生者不死，生生者不生。其为物无不将也，无不迎也，无不毁也，无不成也。其名为撄宁。撄宁也者，撄而后成者也。”
南伯子葵曰：“子独恶乎闻之？”曰：“闻诸副墨之子，副墨之子闻诸洛诵之孙，洛诵之孙闻之瞻明，瞻明闻之聂许，聂许闻之需役，需役闻之于讴，于讴闻之玄冥，玄冥闻之参寥，参寥闻之疑始。”
子祀、子舆、子犁、子来四人相与语曰：“孰能以无为首，以生为脊，以死为尻；孰知死生存亡之一体者，吾与之友矣！”四人相视而笑，莫逆于心，遂相与为友。俄而子舆有病，子祀往问之。曰：“伟哉，夫造物者将以予为此拘拘也。”曲偻发背，上有五管，颐隐于齐，肩高于顶，句赘指天，阴阳之气有沴，其心闲而无事，胼𨇤而鉴于井，曰：“嗟乎！夫造物者又将以予为此拘拘也。”
子祀曰：“女恶之乎？”曰：“亡，予何恶！浸假而化予之左臂以为鸡，予因以求时夜；浸假而化予之右臂以为弹，予因以求鸮炙；浸假而化予之尻以为轮，以神为马，予因以乘之，岂更驾哉！且夫得者，时也；失者，顺也。安时而处顺，哀乐不能入也，此古之所谓县解也，而不能自解者，物有结之。且夫物不胜天久矣，吾又何恶焉！”
俄而子来有病，喘喘然将死。其妻子环而泣之。子犁往问之，曰：“叱！避！无怛化！”倚其户与之语曰：“伟哉造化！又将奚以汝为？将奚以汝适？以汝为鼠肝乎？以汝为虫臂乎？”子来曰：“父母于子，东西南北，唯命之从。阴阳于人，不翅于父母。彼近吾死而我不听，我则悍矣，彼何罪焉？夫大块载我以形，劳我以生，佚我以老，息我以死。故善吾生者，乃所以善吾死也。今大冶铸金，金踊跃曰：‘我且必为镆铘！’大冶必以为不祥之金。今一犯人之形而曰：‘人耳！人耳！’夫造化者必以为不祥之人。今一以天地为大炉，以造化为大冶，恶乎往而不可哉！”成然寐，蘧然觉。
子桑户、孟子反、子琴张三人相与友曰：“孰能相与于无相与，相为于无相为；孰能登天游雾，挠挑无极，相忘以生，无所穷终！”三人相视而笑，莫逆于心，遂相与友。
莫然有间，而子桑户死，未葬。孔子闻之，使子贡往侍事焉。或编曲，或鼓琴，相和而歌曰：“嗟来桑户乎！嗟来桑户乎！而已反其真，而我犹为人猗！”子贡趋而进曰：“敢问临尸而歌，礼乎？”二人相视而笑曰：“是恶知礼意！”子贡反，以告孔子曰：“彼何人者邪？修行无有而外其形骸，临尸而歌，颜色不变，无以命之。彼何人者邪？”孔子曰：“彼游方之外者也，而丘游方之内者也。外内不相及，而丘使女往吊之，丘则陋矣！彼方且与造物者为人，而游乎天地之一气。彼以生为附赘县疣，以死为决（疒丸）溃痈。夫若然者，又恶知死生先后之所在！假于异物，托于同体；忘其肝胆，遗其耳目；反复终始，不知端倪；芒然彷徨乎尘垢之外，逍遥乎无为之业。彼又恶能愦愦然为世俗之礼，以观众人之耳目哉！”
子贡曰：“然则夫子何方之依？”孔子曰：“丘，天之戮民也。虽然，吾与汝共之。”子贡曰：“敢问其方？”孔子曰：“鱼相造乎水，人相造乎道。相造乎水者，穿池而养给；相造乎道者，无事而生定。故曰：鱼相忘乎江湖，人相忘乎道术。”子贡曰：“敢问畸人？”曰：“畸人者，畸于人而侔于天。故曰：天之小人，人之君子；人之君子，天之小人也。”
颜回问仲尼曰：“孟孙才，其母死，哭泣无涕，中心不戚，居丧不哀。无是三者，以善处丧盖鲁国，固有无其实而得其名者乎？回壹怪之。”仲尼曰：“夫孟孙氏尽之矣，进于知矣，唯简之而不得，夫已有所简矣。孟孙氏不知所以生，不知所以死。不知就先，不知就后。若化为物，以待其所不知之化已乎。且方将化，恶知不化哉？方将不化，恶知已化哉？吾特与汝，其梦未始觉者邪！且彼有骇形而无损心，有旦宅而无情死。孟孙氏特觉，人哭亦哭，是自其所以乃。且也相与‘吾之’耳矣，庸讵知吾所谓‘吾之’乎？且汝梦为鸟而厉乎天，梦为鱼而没于渊。不识今之言者，其觉者乎？其梦者乎？造适不及笑，献笑不及排，安排而去化，乃入于寥天一。”
意而子见许由，许由曰：“尧何以资汝？”意而子曰：“尧谓我：汝必躬服仁义而明言是非。”许由曰：“而奚来为轵？夫尧既已黥汝以仁义，而劓汝以是非矣。汝将何以游夫遥荡恣睢转徙之涂乎？”
意而子曰：“虽然，吾愿游于其藩。”许由曰：“不然。夫盲者无以与乎眉目颜色之好，瞽者无以与乎青黄黼黻之观。”意而子曰：“夫无庄之失其美，据梁之失其力，黄帝之亡其知，皆在炉捶之间耳。庸讵知夫造物者之不息我黥而补我劓，使我乘成以随先生邪？”许由曰：“噫！未可知也。我为汝言其大略：吾师乎！吾师乎！赍万物而不为义，泽及万世而不为仁，长于上古而不为老，覆载天地、刻雕众形而不为巧。此所游已！
颜回曰：“回益矣。”仲尼曰：“何谓也？”曰：“回忘仁义矣。”曰：“可矣，犹未也。”他日，复见，曰：“回益矣。”曰：“何谓也？”曰：“回忘礼乐矣。”曰：“可矣，犹未也。”他日，复见，曰：“回益矣。”曰：“何谓也？”曰：“回坐忘矣。”仲尼蹙然曰：“何谓坐忘？”颜回曰：“堕肢体，黜聪明，离形去智，同于大通，此谓坐忘。”仲尼曰：“同则无好也，化则无常也。而果其贤乎！丘也请从而后也。”
子舆与子桑友。而霖雨十日，子舆曰：“子桑殆病矣！”裹饭而往食之。至子桑之门，则若歌若哭，鼓琴曰：“父邪！母邪！天乎！人乎！”有不任其声而趋举其诗焉。子舆入，曰：“子之歌诗，何故若是？”曰：“吾思夫使我至此极者而弗得也。父母岂欲吾贫哉？天无私覆，地无私载，天地岂私贫我哉？求其为之者而不得也！然而至此极者，命也夫！”
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