Scholarly note: Most modern‑day scholars believe Robber Zhi was written by later followers of Zhuangzi. It belongs to the Miscellaneous Chapters. The text consists of three fictional dialogues: Confucius visits Robber Zhi; Zi Zhang debates Man Gou De; Wu Zu debates Zhi He. Through the voice of Robber Zhi, the text fiercely questions Confucian ritual and morality ethics, and re‑examines common world ideas about right and wrong, fortune and misfortune, and life and death.
Part 1: Confucius visits Robber Zhi
Confucius was friends with Liuxia Ji. Liuxia Ji had a younger brother known as Robber Zhi. Robber Zhi commanded nine thousand followers. He roamed across the realm, harassing feudal lords. His men broke into houses, stole cattle and horses, and abducted women. Greedy for gain, he cast aside family bonds; he paid no respect to parents and brothers, and offered no ancestral sacrifices. Wherever his army passed, large states manned their city defences, and small states retreated behind fortifications. Ordinary people suffered greatly.
Confucius said to Liuxia Ji: ”A father ought to discipline his son; an elder brother ought to teach his younger brother. If a father cannot discipline his son, or an elder brother cannot teach his younger brother, then the bond between family kin loses its value. Sir, you are a respected scholar of this age, yet your younger brother Robber Zhi brings ruin to the whole world, and you cannot reform him. I secretly feel ashamed for you. Let me go and reason with him on your behalf.”
Liuxia Ji replied: ”You speak of fathers disciplining sons and elder‑brothers teaching younger‑brothers. If the son refuses to listen to discipline, and the younger brother rejects his elder’s guidance – what can even your fine rhetoric accomplish! Moreover, this is Robber Zhi’s nature: his heart surges like a gushing spring; his will drifts like a gust of wind. His courage is enough to repel enemies; his eloquence is enough to gloss over his wrong‑doings. Agree with him and he rejoices; oppose him and he flies into rage, freely insulting others with sharp words. Sir, you must not go.”
Confucius would not listen. Yan Hui drove the carriage, and Zi Gong rode as his body guard on the right. They travelled to meet Robber Zhi.
At that moment Robber Zhi was resting his troops on the southern slope of a great mountain, cutting human livers to eat. Confucius stepped forward and said to the usher: ”I am Kong Qiu of Lu. I have heard of the General’s lofty sense of righteousness and respectfully request an audience.” The usher went inside to report.
When Robber Zhi heard this he flew into a terrible fury. His eyes blazed like bright stars; his hair stood on end and pushed his cap upward. ”Is this the crafty, hypocritical Kong Qiu from Lu! Go tell him: You weave doctrines, falsely invoking King Wen and King Wu. You wear an ornate official cap and a thick ox‑hide belt. You pour out piles of empty arguments. You eat food without ploughing; you wear clothes without weaving. You wag your lips and stir your tongue, inventing arbitrary right and wrong to mislead feudal lords. You make scholars abandon their true inner nature. You falsely promote filial‑piety and fraternal duty, hoping to win marquis‑rank and wealth. Your crimes are immense. Get out of here at once! Otherwise I will add your liver to my mid‑day meal!”
Confucius asked the usher to deliver his message once more: ”I am fortunate to be a friend of Liuxia Ji. I beg to be received beneath his tent.”
Robber Zhi said: ”Let him come forward!”
Confucius hurried forward, stepped back from the mat, and bowed twice. Robber Zhi was enraged. He spread his legs wide, hand resting on his sword, eyes burning. His roar sounded like an angry nursing tigress: ”Kong Qiu, step forward! Speak words that please me and you live; speak words that offend me and you die!”
Confucius said: ”I have heard there are three kinds of virtue in this world. First: to be born tall and strikingly handsome, so that young and old, noble and humble all delight in seeing you – this is the highest virtue. Second: to possess wisdom that embraces heaven and earth and can analyse all things – this is middle‑rank virtue. Third: to be brave and resolute, able to gather and lead armies – this is lower‑rank virtue. Any person with even one of these three is fit to rule facing south as a lord. Now General, you possess all three. You stand eight feet two inches tall. Your face glows with radiance. Your lips are bright as cinnabar. Your teeth are neat like orderly shells. Your voice matches the ancient Huang‑zhong and Da‑lü pitch‑standards. Yet people call you Robber Zhi. I secretly feel shame for you and reject this name. General, if you will take my advice, I will travel south to Wu and Yue, north to Qi and Lu, east to Song and Wei, west to Jin and Chu. I will persuade the feudal lords to build you a huge walled city hundreds of li wide, grant you a fief of hundreds of thousands of households, and honour you as a feudal lord. We will make a fresh start for the world, disband armies, care for your brothers, and jointly offer sacrifices to your ancestors. This is what wise talented men do, and what all under heaven desires.”
Robber Zhi burst into greater anger: ”Kong Qiu, come forward! Only shallow ordinary people can be persuaded by profit or talked around by rhetoric. I am tall and handsome; everyone delights in seeing me. This is the gift my parents gave me. Even if you did not praise me, would I not know it myself! Besides, I have heard: People who love praising you to your face also love slandering you behind your back. Now you tempt me with great cities and huge populations. You try to buy me off, to keep me like an ordinary subject. How could such a life last! No city is greater than the whole world. Yao and Shun owned the world, yet their descendants did not even own a tiny plot of land. King Tang and King Wu became Sons of Heaven, yet their royal lines died out. Is this not exactly what happens when one gains excessive power and profit!
Moreover I have heard of ancient times: there were many beasts and few humans. People built nests in trees to escape wild animals. By day they gathered acorns and chestnuts; by night they slept in tree‑nests. They are known as the people of Chao‑the‑Nest‑Builder. In very ancient times people did not know how to make clothing. In summer they piled firewood; in winter they burned it for warmth. They are called the people who knew how to survive. Under Shen Nong, people slept peacefully and rose free‑hearted. People knew their mothers, but not their fathers. They lived alongside deer and elk. They ploughed for food, wove for clothing. No one harmed one another. This was the peak of inner virtue.
Yet Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor) could not attain that perfect virtue. He fought Chi You on the wilderness of Zhuo Lu; blood flowed for a hundred li. Yao and Shun arose and set up official ministers. King Tang banished his old ruler; King Wu killed King Zhou. From that time onward, the strong oppressed the weak, and the many abused the few. Since the days of Tang and Wu, all rulers have been men who stirred‑up chaos.
Now you study the Dao of King Wen and King Wu, wield rhetorical arguments to teach later generations. You wear loose Confucian robes and speak artificial, hypocritical words. You mislead feudal lords and chase wealth and rank. No greater robber exists than you, Kong Qiu. Why does the world call me Robber Zhi, instead of calling you Robber Kong Qiu! You used sweet sounding speeches to win over Zi Lu and make him follow you. You made him take off his warrior’s tall cap, lay down his sword, and accept your teaching. The whole world said: ’Kong Qiu can stop violence and wickedness.’ In the end Zi‑Lu tried to assassinate the lord of Wei and failed. He was chopped to pieces above the eastern gate of Wei. This proves your teaching does not work.
You call yourself a sage scholar, yet you were driven out of Lu multiple times, forced to flee Wei, suffered hardship in Qi, and were trapped between Chen and Cai. No place under heaven would receive you. Your teaching brought Zi Lu to disaster. Above, you could not preserve your own life; below, you could not help other people. What is so worthy of honour in your Dao!
Huang Di is the most celebrated figure of the world. Yet even he failed to keep perfect virtue; he fought at Zhuo Lu and blood flowed for one hundred li. Yao lacked compassion; Shun was un‑filial; Yu was half‑paralysed; Tang banished his lord; King Wu attacked Zhou; King Wen was imprisoned at You Li. These six men are all praised by the world. Examine them closely: all were deluded by gain, forced to twist their innate nature. Their conduct was deeply shameful.
Now take the so‑called worthy men of old: Bo Yi and Shu Qi. They rejected the throne of Gu Zhu and starved to death on Mount Shouyang, their bones left unburied. Bao Jiao performed strict moral acts to condemn the world and died clinging to a tree. Shen Tu Di’s remonstrations went unheard; he tied stones to himself and jumped into a river, eaten by fish and turtles. Jie Zitui (Jie Zi Tui) was fiercely loyal; he cut flesh from his own thigh to feed Duke Wen. Later the Duke betrayed him; Jie Zitui left in anger and burned to death clinging to a tree. Wei Sheng kept a tryst under a bridge; the girl never came, flood‑waters rose, yet he refused to leave and died clutching the bridge‑pillar. These six men are no better than butchered dogs, floating dead swine, or beggars holding gourds. All valued fame above their own lives and refused to preserve their natural life‑span.
Among the so‑called loyal ministers: none exceed Prince Bi Gan and Wu Zixu. Wu Zixu’s body was thrown into the river; Bi Gan’s heart was cut open. These two are called loyal ministers by the world, yet in the end they were mocked by everyone. Judging from this, even Wu Zixu and Bi Gan deserve no great honour.
Kong Qiu, as for what you try to persuade me with: I cannot speak of ghostly‑spiritual matters. But about human worldly affairs – these are all stories I know perfectly well already.
Now I will tell you the true reality of human beings. Eyes long for colours; ears long for music; mouths long for fine flavours; the heart desires full satisfaction. Human life‑spans: a hundred years at best, eighty for the middle rank, sixty for the lower rank. If you subtract sickness, death and sorrow, within one month there are hardly four or five days left for joyful laughter. Heaven and Earth are endless, yet human death is fixed and certain. To carry this finite body dwelling within endless space is like a fine steed flashing past a crack in a wall. Whoever cannot give free rein to their own will and nurture their life‑span does not understand the Dao.
Everything you teach, Kong Qiu, is something I cast aside. Go away at once and speak no more. Your doctrines are restless, scheming, hypocritical fraud. They cannot preserve one’s true nature. What is there worth discussing!”
Confucius bowed twice and hurried away. He stepped outside and climbed into his carriage. The reins slipped out of his hands three times. His eyes were dazed and could not see clearly. His face was ash‑grey. He leaned on the front carriage‑bar, hung his head, and could barely draw breath.
When he returned to the eastern gate of Lu, he happened to meet Liuxia Ji. Liuxia Ji said: ”I have not seen you for several days. Your carriage looks as though you have travelled far. Could it be you went to visit Robber Zhi?”
Confucius sighed toward heaven: ”It is true.”
Liuxia Ji: ”Did Robber Zhi contradict your hopes, exactly as I warned you he would?”
Confucius answered: ”Yes. I am like a man who applies moxa cautery to himself when he is not even sick. I rushed forward to stroke a tiger’s head and tease its whiskers, and barely escaped being swallowed by the tiger.”
Commentary: This is a fictional parable of Confucius attempting moral persuasion. From the standpoint of innate human nature, Robber Zhi fiercely criticises the revered sage‑kings, worthies and loyal ministers of conventional tradition. He argues that benevolence and ritual morality often becomes a tool for chasing fame and wealth. Human beings ought to follow their inborn disposition, cherish their short life, and seek fulfilment of their own will – rather than dying for the sake of social honour. Confucius’ complete failure illustrates that conventional moral rhetoric can hardly move someone who holds fast to their authentic inner nature.
Part 2: Zi Zhang debates Man Gou De
Zi Zhang asked Man Gou De: ”Why do you not cultivate virtue? Without virtue you will win no trust. Without trust you will receive no official appointment. Without appointment you gain no profit. Therefore whether you judge by reputation or by material gain, moral right action is essential. If you set aside fame and profit and turn inward to examine your heart, even for one single day a scholar cannot afford to neglect cultivating virtue!”
Man Gou De replied: ”People without shame can grow rich; people who win great trust can rise to high rank. Great fame and profit mostly spring from shamelessness and gaining others’ trust. Therefore judged by reputation or by gain, winning trust is what counts. If you set aside fame and profit and turn inward, a scholar only needs to hold fast to his original inborn nature!”
Zi Zhang said: ”In ancient times, Jie and Zhou possessed the whole world as emperors. If nowadays you say to a low‑rank servant ‘your conduct is like Jie and Zhou’, he will flush with shame and inwardly reject the comparison – even common folk despised Jie and Zhou. Zhong Ni (Confucius) and Mo Di lived in poverty as commoners. If you say to a prime minister ‘your conduct is like Zhong Ni or Mo Di’, the minister will change his expression and admit he cannot match them. True scholars hold Zhong Ni and Mo Di in high regard. Therefore holding imperial power does not guarantee true nobility; living in poverty does not guarantee lowliness. Nobility and lowliness are decided by the quality of one’s conduct.”
Man Gou De answered: ”Small thieves get arrested; great thieves become feudal lords. And in the retinue of a feudal lord you will find men deemed righteous gentlemen. In old times Duke Huan of Qi killed his elder brother and took his brother’s wife as his own, yet Guan Zhong served as his minister. Tian Cheng Zi murdered his lord and seized the state of Qi, yet Confucius accepted gifts from him. Verbally they condemn such men, yet in action they submit to them. Words and inner thoughts contradict each other – what great confusion! Hence the Book of Documents says: ’Who is good and who is bad? Those who succeed take first place; those who fail take second place.’”
Zi Zhang said: ”If you do not cultivate virtue, there will be no proper order for kin‑and‑stranger, no moral standard for noble‑and‑humble, no ranking for senior‑and‑junior. How shall we distinguish the five‑mark‑relationships and six‑social‑positions?”
Man Gou De replied: ”Yao killed his eldest son; Shun exiled his half‑brother. Where is proper order for kin and stranger? King Tang banished Jie; King Wu executed Zhou. Where is moral standard for noble and humble? Wang Ji was named heir instead of his elder brother; Duke of Zhou killed his own elder brother. Where is ranking for senior and junior? The empty rhetoric of Confucians, the universal love teaching of Mohists – how can these sort out the five mark relationships and six social positions! Moreover you chase after reputation; I chase after profit. Reputation and profit in their real essence go against reason and cannot be illuminated by the Dao. Day after day I argue with you from the perspective of non‑agreement: ’Small‑men sacrifice themselves for wealth; gentlemen sacrifice themselves for reputation. Their motives for twisting and disturbing their inborn nature differ, yet they equally abandon what truly belongs to them, and sacrifice themselves for things they ought not pursue.’
Therefore I say: Do not become a small‑man; instead guard your inborn nature. Do not become a so‑called gentleman; follow the principles of nature. Whether bent or straight, follow natural standards. Observe all directions, rise and fall along with the times. Whether it counts as right or wrong, grasp the central pivot of the ring. Fulfill your own heart alone, and wander side‑by‑side with the Dao. Do not be swept‑away by your deeds; do not be trapped by moral achievements, or you will lose your true nature. Do not rush after wealth and rank; do not sacrifice yourself for accomplishment, or you will throw away your inborn nature.
Bi Gan’s heart was cut open; Wu Zixu’s eyes were gouged‑out: these are disasters brought by loyalty. Zhi Gong testified against his own father for theft; Wei Sheng drowned: these are disasters brought by keeping promises. Bao Jiao died clinging to a tree; Shen Tu Di made no defence before death: these are harms brought by strict integrity. Confucius parted from his mother; Kuang Zi cut off contact with his father: these are faults brought by moral duty. These are stories passed down from antiquity and talked about by later ages. Scholars insist on putting such words into practice and acting them out, and so they meet misfortune and calamity.”
Commentary: Man Gou De lays bare the hypocrisy of conventional morality. Common world standards of right and wrong are often rewritten by power and success. Small‑men ruin themselves for money; gentlemen ruin themselves for reputation. In damaging one’s inborn nature the two groups are alike. Do not be imprisoned by reputation or moral dogma; guard your original innate nature.
Part 3: Wu Zu debates Zhi He
Wu Zu (Mr. Dissatisfied) asked Zhi He (Mr. Know‑the‑Mean): ”Virtually all human beings chase fame and pursue profit. Once a man grows rich, others gather around him. Those who gather around him will stand beneath him in status. To be served and honoured by others is the path to long life, bodily comfort, and inner joy. Only you feel no longing for this. Is your wisdom insufficient? Or do you understand it, yet lack the power to reach it, and therefore hide behind the teachings of the Dao and refuse to pursue it?”
Zhi He answered: ”Some people judge outstanding men merely by whether they share their hometown‑origin. Without a stable inner anchor, they use such standards to judge past‑and‑present and distinguish right‑from‑wrong. They conform to the age, abandon their most precious inborn nature, cast aside the supreme Dao, and chase after what they desire. To talk of long‑life, comfort and joy using such standards is far‑removed from reality! Grief‑sickness and easy pleasure are not judged by the body itself. Fear and delight are not judged by the inner mind itself. People act, yet do not know why they act. Thus even if you are emperor and own all under heaven, you cannot escape calamity.”
Wu Zu said: ”Wealth benefits human beings in every way. You can enjoy every worldly luxury and wield all power; even the Perfected‑One and the wise cannot achieve this. You can borrow other men’s courage to build your own might, borrow other men’s wisdom to build your own insight, borrow other men’s virtue to build your own worth. Without owning territory you can command respect like a monarch. Besides, beautiful sights, music, rich flavours and power: human hearts love these without needing to learn; human bodies grow accustomed to them without needing training. Desire, dislike, attraction and avoidance are in‑born human instincts. Even if the whole world disapproves, who can escape these impulses!”
Zhi He replied: ”The wise man acts according to human natural measure and never over‑steps proper bounds. When inwardly he feels sufficient, he does not compete. Acting in non‑action, he takes nothing for himself. When you inwardly lack sufficiency you reach outward to seize things, compete for them, yet do not regard yourself as greedy. When you inwardly have surplus you decline things; you could give‑away the whole world and yet not regard yourself as pure‑minded. True greed and true purity do not come from outside pressure; they are judged from your inner sense of measure. Even holding imperial power, you do not use your rank to look‑down‑on others. Even owning the whole world, you do not mock others with your wealth. You weigh up disasters and reflect repeatedly; you see these things harm your inborn nature, so you decline them – not for the sake of winning reputation. Yao and Shun ruled as emperors with calm ease. They did not practise benevolence toward the world on purpose; they simply refused to let glorious achievements harm their life‑nature. Shan Juan and Xu You refused the imperial throne, not out of fake modesty; they refused to let worldly affairs damage themselves. All these men followed what benefited them and avoided what harmed them. The world calls them wise; the label of ‘wise’ falls upon them, yet their original motive was not to chase praise.”
Wu Zu said: ”If you must cling to reputation, wear out your body, cut off fine flavours, and live in frugality to preserve your life – you are merely enduring hardship and staying alive for a long time, nothing more.”
Zhi He said: ”Inner peace brings blessing; excess brings harm. This holds true for all things, and especially for wealth.
Now consider rich men. Their ears crave the sound of bells and wind‑instruments; their mouths drown themselves in meat and wine. They stir their own intentions and forget their true calling: this is confusion. Their vital energy becomes congested, as though they are climbing a mountain under heavy burdens: this is toil. They find comfort in chasing wealth, exhaust their spirit chasing power. At leisure they sink into desires; their bodies swell with full vital energy: this is sickness. They chase profit until their wealth piles up like a high wall and they refuse to draw back; their energy overflows yet they will not let go: this is shame. They hoard unused possessions, their minds full of worry, endlessly seeking more gain: this is anxiety. At home they fear robbers; abroad they fear bandits. They lock their houses in layers and dare not travel alone: this is fear.
These six are the greatest calamities under heaven. People overlook them completely. When disaster finally arrives, even if you wanted to spend all your wealth to buy back one single day of peace, you cannot. Thus chasing reputation brings you no real reputation; chasing profit brings you no real profit. Tangling your will and injuring your body to pursue such things – is this not delusion!”
Commentary: Wu Zu voices the common world belief: wealth and power bring long‑life and comfort. Zhi He counters: desires are part of human nature, yet excessive pursuit of wealth and power invites six great calamities: confusion, toil, sickness, shame, anxiety and fear. True wisdom lies in keeping inner measure and contentment, not chasing praise for virtue, and not letting outer things wound your inborn nature.
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