Knowledge traveled north to the banks of the Yuan River and ascended the Hill of Hidden Fen. There, he happened to meet Inaction-Wordless. Knowledge said to him, “I wish to ask you: What thinking, what contemplation leads to knowing the Dao? Where to dwell, what to wear leads to resting in the Dao? From where to start, which path to follow leads to attaining the Dao?”
He asked three times, but Inaction-Wordless did not answer. It was not that he refused to answer; he simply did not know how to answer.
Unable to get an answer, Knowledge returned to the south of the White Water and ascended the Fox Watchtower, where he saw Mad Bent. Knowledge asked Mad Bent these same questions. Mad Bent said, “Ah! I know it, and I am about to tell you. But just as I was about to speak, I forgot what I intended to say.”
Unable to get an answer, Knowledge returned to the Imperial Palace and asked the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor said, “To have no thoughts and no contemplation is the beginning of knowing the Dao. To have no fixed dwelling and no fixed attire is the beginning of resting in the Dao. To have no starting point and no path is the beginning of attaining the Dao.”
Knowledge asked the Yellow Emperor, “You and I know this, but they two do not know. Which of us is right?”
The Yellow Emperor said, “Inaction-Wordless is truly right because he does not know. Mad Bent is close because he forgot. You and I are ultimately far from it because we know. As it is said: ‘Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.’ Therefore, the sage practices the teaching that uses no words. The Dao cannot be summoned; Virtue cannot be forced. Benevolence can be practiced; Righteousness can be damaged; Ritual is but mutual pretense. Thus it is said: ‘When the Dao is lost, then Virtue appears; when Virtue is lost, then Benevolence appears; when Benevolence is lost, then Righteousness appears; when Righteousness is lost, then Ritual appears.’ Ritual is but the superficial flower of the Dao and the beginning of chaos. Therefore it is said: ‘He who practices the Dao diminishes day by day. He diminishes and diminishes again until he reaches Non-Action. By doing nothing, nothing is left undone.’ Now that we have already become things, to wish to return to the Root – is this not difficult? Only the Great Man finds it easy!
Life is the follower of death; death is the beginning of life. Who knows their cycle? Human life is the gathering of Qi (vital energy). When it gathers, there is life; when it scatters, there is death. If life and death are followers of one another, what worry do I have? Therefore, all things are One. What men call ‘magical’ is what they deem beautiful; what they call ‘rotten’ is what they detest. But the rotten transforms back into the magical, and the magical transforms back into the rotten. Thus it is said: ‘The whole world is but One Qi.’ Therefore, the sage values this Oneness.”
Knowledge said to the Yellow Emperor, “I asked Inaction-Wordless, and he did not answer me – not because he refused, but because he did not know how to answer. I asked Mad Bent, and he intended to tell me but did not – not because he refused, but because he forgot in the middle. Now I ask you, and you know it. Why do you say you are far from it?”
The Yellow Emperor replied, “He is truly right because he does not know. This one is close because he forgot. You and I are ultimately not close because we know.” Mad Bent heard this and regarded the Yellow Emperor as one who spoke wisely.
Heaven and Earth possess great beauty yet speak not; the Four Seasons possess clear laws yet discuss not; the Ten Thousand Things possess established principles yet say not. The sage traces the beauty of Heaven and Earth and penetrates the principles of the Ten Thousand Things. Therefore, the Perfect Man practices Non-Action, and the Great Sage does not act; this is called observing Heaven and Earth.
Now, their spirit is most refined, blending with the hundred transformations. Things die and live, become square and round, yet no one knows their root. Vastly, the Ten Thousand Things have existed since ancient times. The Universe is huge, yet nothing lies outside it; an autumn hair is tiny, yet it depends on it to take form. Nothing in the world does not float and sink, changing throughout its life. Yin and Yang and the Four Seasons revolve, each keeping its order. Dim and obscure, as if gone yet existing; flowing and formless, yet spiritual. The Ten Thousand Things are nourished by it yet do not know it. This is called the Root and Source. One who understands this can observe Heaven!
Nie Que asked Bei Yi about the Dao. Bei Yi said, “Straighten your form, focus your vision, and Heavenly Harmony will arrive. Restrain your intellect, unify your measures, and Spirit will come to dwell with you. Virtue will be your beauty, and the Dao will be your home. You will be like a newborn calf, seeking not the cause of things.”
Before he finished speaking, Nie Que fell asleep. Bei Yi was greatly pleased and walked away singing, “His form is like a withered skeleton, his mind like dead ashes. He possesses true knowledge, holding not to the old. Dim and obscure, without mind, one cannot scheme with him. What kind of man is this!”
Shun asked Cheng, “Can one possess the Dao?”
Cheng replied, “Your own body is not your possession; how could you possess the Dao?”
Shun asked, “If my body is not my possession, who possesses it?”
Cheng said, “It is the entrusted form of Heaven and Earth. Life is not your possession; it is the entrusted harmony of Heaven and Earth. Your nature and destiny are not your possession; they are the entrusted flow of Heaven and Earth. Your children and grandchildren are not your possession; they are the entrusted molting of Heaven and Earth. Thus, one walks not knowing where one goes, dwells not knowing what one holds, eats not knowing the taste. It is but the strong Yang Qi of Heaven and Earth – how could one possess it?”
Confucius asked Lao Dan, “Today I am at leisure; may I ask about the Perfect Dao?”
Lao Dan said, “You must fast and purify your mind. Cleanse your spirit and sweep away your knowledge. The Dao is deep and hard to speak of! I will tell you its outline:
The bright is born from the dark; the formed is born from the formless. Spirit is born from the Dao; form is born from essence. And the Ten Thousand Things reproduce through form. Thus, nine-orificed creatures are born from the womb; eight-orificed creatures are born from eggs.
Its coming leaves no trace; its going has no boundary. No door, no room, yet it opens to all four directions, vast and grand. He who encounters it has strong limbs, clear and penetrating thoughts, and sharp ears and eyes. His mind is not weary; his response to things is limitless. Heaven cannot but be high; Earth cannot but be broad; the sun and moon cannot but move; the Ten Thousand Things cannot but flourish. Is this not the Dao?
Furthermore, broad learning does not necessarily mean knowledge; eloquent debate does not necessarily mean wisdom. The sage has cut these off! That which adding to does not increase, and subtracting from does not decrease – this is what the sage preserves. Deep like the ocean, towering like a mountain that ends only to begin again. It circulates and measures the Ten Thousand Things without exhaustion. As for the way of the gentleman, is that not external? The Ten Thousand Things all go to it for supply and are never exhausted. Is this not the Dao?
There are men in the Central States who are neither Yin nor Yang. They dwell between Heaven and Earth. For a time, they are merely human, but they will return to their Ancestor. Viewed from the root, life is but a gathering of breath. Though some live long and some die young, what is the difference? It is but a moment’s talk. Why is it enough to determine the rights and wrongs of Yao and Jie?
Melons and fruits have their patterns; human relations, though difficult, have their order. The sage encounters them without violating them, passes them without clinging to them. To harmonize and respond is Virtue; to coincide and respond is the Dao. This is what Emperors rose by, and what Kings started with.
Human life between Heaven and Earth is like a white horse flashing past a crevice – sudden, and that is all. Surging and bursting, nothing fails to come out; flowing and receding, nothing fails to enter in. Transformed, it lives; transformed again, it dies. Living creatures mourn it; humans grieve it. Untie the Heavenly Bow; release the Heavenly Sheath. Wandering and winding, the soul and spirit depart, and the body follows. This is the Great Return!
From formless to formed; from formed to formless – this is what all men know. It is not what those who are arriving strive for; it is what the multitude discusses. Those who arrive do not discuss; those who discuss do not arrive. Clear seeing meets nothing; debating is not as good as silence. The Dao cannot be heard; hearing is not as good as blocking the ears. This is called the Great Attainment.”
Dongguo Zi asked Zhuangzi, “This thing called the Dao – where is it?”
Zhuangzi said, “There is nowhere it is not.”
Dongguo Zi said, “Point out a specific place, and then it will be acceptable.”
Zhuangzi said, “It is in the ants.”
Dongguo Zi said, “Why so low?”
Zhuangzi said, “It is in the panic grass and weeds.”
Dongguo Zi said, “Why even lower?”
Zhuangzi said, “It is in the tiles and bricks.”
Dongguo Zi said, “Why even more so?”
Zhuangzi said, “It is in the excrement and urine.”
Dongguo Zi did not reply.
Zhuangzi said, “Sir, your question certainly did not reach the substance. It is like the inspector of the market asking the slave about testing the fatness of a pig by stepping on its legs: ‘The lower you go, the clearer it becomes.’ You must not limit it, for there is no thing from which the Dao escapes. The Perfect Dao is like this; Great Words are like this. ‘All-pervading,’ ‘Universal,’ and ‘Complete’ are different names for the same reality; their meaning is One.
Let us wander together in the Palace of Nowhere. Let us merge and discuss without end! Let us practice Non-Action together! Calm and quiet! Indifferent and pure! Harmonious and leisurely! My will is vast and empty. I go without knowing where I arrive; I leave and come without knowing where I stop. I wander without knowing where I end. Roaming in the great void, Great Knowledge enters it without knowing its limit.
The Creator of things has no boundary with things, yet things have boundaries. These are what are called the boundaries of things. The boundaryless within the bounded; the bounded within the boundaryless. Speaking of fullness and emptiness, decline and destruction: He who creates fullness and emptiness is not himself full or empty; he who creates decline and destruction is not himself declining or destroyed; he who creates beginning and end is not himself beginning or ending; he who creates accumulation and scattering is not himself accumulating or scattering.”
E He Gan and Shen Nong studied together under Lao Long Ji. Shen Nong was leaning on his armrest, the door closed, napping during the day. E He Gan opened the door at noon and entered, saying, “Lao Long is dead!”
Shen Nong leaned on his armrest, grabbed his staff, and stood up. He dropped his staff with a thud and laughed, saying, “Heaven knew I was perverse, shallow, and arrogant, so he abandoned me and died. Alas! My Master has died without uttering his wild words to enlighten me!”
Yan Gang Diao heard of this and said, “He who embodies the Dao is what the gentlemen of the world rely on. Now, regarding the Dao, he had not even attained one ten-thousandth of the tip of an autumn hair, yet he still knew to hide his wild words and die. How much more so for one who truly embodies the Dao! Looked at, it has no form; listened to, it has no sound. In men’s discussions, it is called the Dark and Obscure. To discuss the Dao is not the Dao itself.”
At this time, Tai Qing asked Wu Qiong, “Do you know the Dao?”
Wu Qiong said, “I do not know.”
Tai Qing then asked Wu Wei, “Do you know the Dao?”
Wu Wei said, “I know the Dao.”
Tai Qing asked, “Does your knowing the Dao have a method?”
Wu Wei said, “It does.”
Tai Qing asked, “What is its method?”
Wu Wei said, “I know that the Dao can be noble, can be base; can be concentrated, can be scattered. This is how I know the method of the Dao.”
Tai Qing took these words and asked Wu Shi, “If this is so, between Wu Qiong’s not knowing and Wu Wei’s knowing, which is right and which is wrong?”
Wu Shi said, “Not knowing is profound; knowing is shallow. Not knowing is internal; knowing is external.”
Tai Qing looked up and sighed, “Is not knowing then knowing? Is knowing then not knowing? Who knows the knowledge of not knowing?”
Wu Shi said, “The Dao cannot be heard; if it is heard, it is not the Dao. The Dao cannot be seen; if it is seen, it is not the Dao. The Dao cannot be spoken; if it is spoken, it is not the Dao. Do you know that which gives form to forms is itself formless? The Dao should not be named.
Wu Shi continued: “He who is asked about the Dao and answers does not know the Dao. Even he who asks has not heard the Dao. The Dao has no questions; questions have no answers. To ask what cannot be asked is to ask in vain. To answer what cannot be answered is to be empty within. To wait for questions in vain with an empty interior – one who does this does not observe the Universe outside, nor does he know the Great Beginning inside. Thus, he does not cross the Kunlun Mountains, nor does he wander in the Great Void.”
Guang Yao asked Wu You, “Sir, do you exist? Or do you not exist?”
Guang Yao could not get an answer and looked closely at his appearance: deep and empty. He looked all day but could not see him; he listened but could not hear him; he grasped but could not catch him.
Guang Yao said, “Perfection! Who can reach this? I can attain ‘Non-Being,’ but I cannot attain ‘Non-Non-Being.’ Now that he has reached ‘Non-Non-Being,’ how could I ever reach this!”
The buckle-maker of the Great Sima, though eighty years old, did not miss the width of a hair. The Great Sima said, “You are skillful! Do you have the Dao?”
The man said, “I have something I hold to. When I was twenty, I loved making buckles. I looked at nothing else; I observed nothing but buckles.”
Thus, he who uses borrows from him who does not use. By this, he preserves his usefulness for a long time. How much more so for him who has no use for anything! What thing does not rely on him!
Ran Qiu asked Confucius, “Can we know what existed before Heaven and Earth?”
Confucius said, “We can. The ancient is like the present.”
Ran Qiu, having lost his question, withdrew. The next day he saw Confucius again and said, “Yesterday I asked, ‘Can we know what existed before Heaven and Earth?’ You said, ‘We can. The ancient is like the present.’ Yesterday I was clear; today I am confused. May I ask what this means?”
Confucius said, “Yesterday you were clear because your spirit received it first. Today you are confused because you are seeking it with your non-spirit. There is no ancient, no present; no beginning, no end. Can you have grandchildren before you have children?”
Ran Qiu did not answer.
Confucius said, “Enough! Do not answer! Life does not cause death; death does not cause life. Do life and death depend on each other? They are both of one body. Is there a thing that was born before Heaven and Earth? That which makes things a thing is not itself a thing. A thing cannot precede things, for there are always things. And there are things without end! The sage’s love for men is also endless, taking its model from this.”
Yan Yuan asked Confucius, “I have heard you say, ‘Have no sending off, have no welcoming.’ May I ask how to wander in this?”
Confucius said, “The men of old changed outwardly but did not change inwardly. The men of today change inwardly but do not change outwardly. He who changes with things is the One who does not change. How to change? How not to change? How to interact with them? One must not exceed limits.
The garden of Xi Wei, the park of the Yellow Emperor, the palace of the Youyu clan, the room of Tang and Wu – these were their domains. Gentlemen, like the masters of Confucianism and Mohism, still burden each other with ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ how much more so the men of today!
The sage dwells among things but does not harm them. He who does not harm things cannot be harmed by them. Only he who harms nothing can truly send men off and welcome them.
The mountains and forests, the marshes and fields, make me joyful and happy! But before the joy is finished, sorrow follows. When sorrow and joy come, I cannot resist them; when they go, I cannot stop them. How sad! Men of the world are merely inns for things!
They know what they meet but know not what they do not meet; they can do what they can do but cannot do what they cannot do. Ignorance and inability are indeed unavoidable for men. To strive to avoid what is unavoidable – is this not sad indeed?
Perfect words discard words; perfect action discards action. To equalize knowledge is to make knowledge shallow!”
Note
The Author – Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, c. 369–286 BCE) was a prominent philosopher during the Warring States period and a foundational figure of Daoism (Taoism). Often mentioned alongside Laozi (Lao Tzu), their combined philosophy is known as “Lao-Zhuang.” Unlike Confucianism, which focuses on social order and moral duties, Zhuangzi’s philosophy emphasizes spiritual freedom, living in harmony with nature, and transcending conventional distinctions like life/death or right/wrong.
The Book of Zhuangzi:
This text is famous for its use of fables, parables, and humor to convey profound philosophical ideas. It is divided into Inner Chapters, Outer Chapters, and Miscellaneous Chapters. “Knowledge Wanders North” is the final chapter of the Outer Chapters.
Knowledge (Zhi):
The protagonist of the opening fable. His name literally means “Knowledge” or “Intellect.” He represents the human tendency to seek truth through logic, questions, and rational thinking. His failure to grasp the Dao illustrates the Daoist belief that ultimate truth cannot be captured by intellect alone.
A legendary sovereign and cultural hero of ancient China, often regarded as the ancestor of the Han Chinese people. In this text, he represents a high level of wisdom but is still considered inferior to those who are completely silent or forgetful, highlighting that even the greatest human knowledge is limited compared to the Dao.
Confucius (Kongzi) and Lao Dan (Laozi):
- Confucius (551–479 BCE): The founder of Confucianism, representing social ethics, rituals, and structured learning.
- Lao Dan (Laozi): The reputed author of theTao Te Ching and founder of Daoism.
Note: In Zhuangzi, it is a common literary device to have Confucius appear as a student asking Laozi for advice. This is not necessarily historical fact but a rhetorical strategy used by Zhuangzi to show the superiority of Daoist naturalism over Confucian moralism.
Shun:
Shun is a legendary sage-king in ancient Chinese history, known for his filial piety and virtuous rule. He appears here to discuss the idea that even one’s own body is not truly “owned” by the self.
The favorite disciple of Confucius, revered for his virtue and humility. He asks Confucius about how to navigate the world without being harmed by it.
The Dao (The Way):
The central concept of Daoism. It is the formless, nameless, and eternal source of all things. It is not a god, but a natural force or principle that governs the universe. The text emphasizes that the Dao cannot be spoken or defined.
Qi (Vital Energy):
The text states, “The whole world is but One Qi.” In Chinese philosophy, Qi is the vital life force or energy that makes up all matter. Life is the gathering of Qi, and death is its scattering. This concept dissolves the fear of death, viewing it as a natural transformation.
Wu Wei (Non-Action):
A core Daoist principle meaning “effortless action” or “acting in accordance with nature.” It does not mean doing nothing, but rather avoiding forced, artificial, or unnatural actions. The text argues that the sage practices “the teaching that uses no words” and achieves everything by doing nothing forced.
Confucian Values (Ritual, Benevolence, Righteousness):
The text critiques the Confucian hierarchy of values. It argues that when the natural Dao is lost, people resort to Virtue; when Virtue is lost, they resort to Benevolence, then Righteousness, and finally Ritual. Zhuangzi views Ritual as merely the “superficial flower of the Dao and the beginning of chaos,” suggesting that strict social rules are a sign that humanity has lost its natural connection to the universe.
“Dao is in the excrement and urine” (Dao in the lowest places):
Context: When asked where the Dao is, Zhuangzi says it is everywhere – even in ants, weeds, tiles, and eventually, excrement and urine.
Meaning: This shocking statement is meant to break the reader’s attachment to hierarchy and purity. It illustrates that the Dao is omnipresent and does not discriminate between the “high/noble” and the “low/base.”
“The lower you go, the clearer it becomes” (Mei Xia Yu Kuang):
Context: Zhuangzi compares understanding the Dao to a market inspector judging the fatness of a pig by stepping on its lower legs.
Meaning: Originally, this meant that to understand the essence of something, you must look at its most basic, fundamental aspects.
Note: In modern Chinese, this idiom has evolved into”Mei Kuang Yu Xia,” meaning “things are going from bad to worse,” which is the opposite of the original meaning.
“A white horse flashing past a crevice” (Bai Ju Guo Xi):
Context: Confucius describes human life to Laozi using this metaphor.
Meaning: This is a classic Chinese idiom describing the brevity of life. It compares life to a white horse glimpsed through a crack in a wall – here and gone in a split second.
“Turning the rotten into the magical” (Hua Xiu Fu Wei Shen Qi):
Context: The text explains that life and death are cyclical, like the changing seasons. What we consider “rotten” (death/decay) transforms back into the “magical” (life), and vice versa.
Meaning: This idiom is now commonly used to describe a miraculous turnaround or transforming something bad into something wonderful.
“External transformation, internal stillness” (Wai Hua Er Nei Bu Hua):
Context: Confucius advises Yan Hui on how to live.
Meaning: This describes the ideal Daoist attitude: adapt to external changes and social circumstances (external transformation) while maintaining inner peace and holding fast to one’s true nature (internal stillness).
外篇·知北游第二十二
知北游于元水之上，登隐弅之丘，而适遭无为谓焉。知谓无为谓曰：“予欲有问乎若：何思何虑则知道？何处何服则安道？何从何道则得道？”三问而无为谓不答也。非不答，不知答也。知不得问，反于白水之南，登狐阕之上，而睹狂屈焉。知以之言也问乎狂屈。狂屈曰：“唉！予知之，将语若，中欲言而忘其所欲言。”知不得问，反于帝宫，见黄帝而问焉。黄帝曰：“无思无虑始知道，无处无服始安道，无从无道始得道。”知问黄帝曰：“我与若知之，彼与彼不知也，其孰是邪？”黄帝曰：“彼无为谓真是也，狂屈似之，我与汝终不近也。夫知者不言，言者不知，故圣人行不言之教。道不可致，德不可至。仁可为也，义可亏也，礼相伪也。故曰：‘失道而后德，失德而后仁，失仁而后义，失义而后礼。’礼者，道之华而乱之首也。故曰：‘为道者日损，损之又损之，以至于无为。无为而无不为也。’今已为物也，欲复归根，不亦难乎！其易也其唯大人乎！生也死之徒，死也生之始，孰知其纪！人之生，气之聚也。聚则为生，散则为死。若死生为徒，吾又何患！故万物一也。是其所美者为神奇，其所恶者为臭腐。臭腐复化为神奇，神奇复化为臭腐。故曰：‘通天下一气耳。’圣人故贵一。”知谓黄帝曰：“吾问无为谓，无为谓不应我，非不我应，不知应我也；吾问狂屈，狂屈中欲告我而不我告，非不我告，中欲告而忘之也；今予问乎若，若知之，奚故不近？”黄帝曰：“彼其真是也，以其不知也；此其似之也，以其忘之也；予与若终不近也，以其知之也。”狂屈闻之，以黄帝为知言。
天地有大美而不言，四时有明法而不议，万物有成理而不说。圣人者，原天地之美而达万物之理。是故至人无为，大圣不作，观于天地之谓也。今彼神明至精，与彼百化。物已死生方圆，莫知其根也。扁然而万物，自古以固存。六合为巨，未离其内；秋毫为小，待之成体；天下莫不沉浮，终身不故；阴阳四时运行，各得其序；惛然若亡而存；油然不形而神；万物畜而不知：此之谓本根，可以观于天矣！
啮缺问道乎被衣，被衣曰：“若正汝形，一汝视，天和将至；摄汝知，一汝度，神将来舍。德将为汝美，道将为汝居。汝瞳焉如新生之犊而无求其故。”言未卒，啮缺睡寐。被衣大说，行歌而去之，曰：“形若槁骸，心若死灰，真其实知，不以故自持。媒媒晦晦，无心而不可与谋。彼何人哉！”
舜问乎丞：“道可得而有乎？”曰：“汝身非汝有也，汝何得有夫道！”舜曰：“吾身非吾有也，孰有之哉？”曰：“是天地之委形也；生非汝有，是天地之委和也；性命非汝有，是天地之委顺也；子孙非汝有，是天地之委蜕也。故行不知所往，处不知所持，食不知所味。天地之强阳气也，又胡可得而有邪！”
孔子问于老聃曰：“今日晏间，敢问至道。”老聃曰：“汝齐戒，疏瀹而心，澡雪而精神，掊击而知。夫道，窅然难言哉！将为汝言其崖略：夫昭昭生于冥冥，有伦生于无形，精神生于道，形本生于精，而万物以形相生。故九窍者胎生，八窍者卵生。其来无迹，其往无崖，无门无房，四达之皇皇也。邀于此者，四肢强，思虑恂达，耳目聪明。其用心不劳，其应物无方，天不得不高，地不得不广，日月不得不行，万物不得不昌，此其道与！且夫博之不必知，辩之不必慧，圣人以断之矣！若夫益之而不加益，损之而不加损者，圣人之所保也。渊渊乎其若海，巍巍乎其终则复始也。运量万物而不匮。则君子之道，彼其外与！万物皆往资焉而不匮。此其道与！中国有人焉，非阴非阳，处于天地之间，直且为人，将反于宗。自本观之，生者，喑醷物也。虽有寿夭，相去几何？须臾之说也，奚足以为尧、桀之是非！果蓏有理，人伦虽难，所以相齿。圣人遭之而不违，过之而不守。调而应之，德也；偶而应之，道也。帝之所兴，王之所起也。人生天地之间，若白驹之过隙，忽然而已。注然勃然，莫不出焉；油然漻然，莫不入焉。已化而生，又化而死。生物哀之，人类悲之。解其天弢，堕其天帙。纷乎宛乎，魂魄将往，乃身从之。乃大归乎！不形之形，形之不形，是人之所同知也，非将至之所务也，此众人之所同论也。彼至则不论，论则不至；明见无值，辩不若默；道不可闻，闻不若塞：此之谓大得。”
东郭子问于庄子曰：“所谓道，恶乎在？”庄子曰：“无所不在。”东郭子曰：“期而后可。”庄子曰：“在蝼蚁。”曰：“何其下邪？”曰：“在稊稗。”曰：“何其愈下邪？”曰：“在瓦甓。”曰：“何其愈甚邪？”曰：“在屎溺。”东郭子不应。庄子曰：“夫子之问也，固不及质。正获之问于监市履狶也，‘每下愈况’。汝唯莫必，无乎逃物。至道若是，大言亦然。周遍咸三者，异名同实，其指一也。尝相与游乎无何有之宫，同合而论，无所终穷乎！尝相与无为乎！澹澹而静乎！漠而清乎！调而闲乎！寥已吾志，无往焉而不知其所至，去而来不知其所止。吾往来焉而不知其所终，彷徨乎冯闳，大知入焉而不知其所穷。物物者与物无际，而物有际者，所谓物际者也。不际之际，际之不际者也。谓盈虚衰杀，彼为盈虚非盈虚，彼为衰杀非衰杀，彼为本末非本末，彼为积散非积散也。”
妸荷甘与神农同学于老龙吉。神农隐几，阖户昼瞑。妸荷甘日中奓户而入，曰：“老龙死矣！”神农隐几拥杖而起，嚗然放杖而笑，曰：“天知予僻陋慢訑，故弃予而死。已矣，夫子无所发予之狂言而死矣夫！”弇堈吊闻之，曰：“夫体道者，天下之君子所系焉。今于道，秋豪之端万分未得处一焉，而犹知藏其狂言而死，又况夫体道者乎！视之无形，听之无声，于人之论者，谓之冥冥，所以论道而非道也。”
于是泰清问乎无穷，曰：“子知道乎？”无穷曰：“吾不知。”又问乎无为，无为曰：“吾知道。”曰：“子之知道，亦有数乎？”曰：“有。”曰：“其数若何？”无为曰：“吾知道之可以贵、可以贱、可以约、可以散，此吾所以知道之数也。”泰清以之言也问乎无始，曰：“若是，则无穷之弗知与无为之知，孰是而孰非乎？”无始曰：“不知深矣，知之浅矣；弗知内矣，知之外矣。”于是泰清仰而叹曰：“弗知乃知乎，知乃不知乎！孰知不知之知？”无始曰：“道不可闻，闻而非也；道不可见，见而非也；道不可言，言而非也！知形形之不形乎！道不当名。”无始曰：“有问道而应之者，不知道也；虽问道者，亦未闻道。道无问，问无应。无问问之，是问穷也；无应应之，是无内也。以无内待问穷，若是者，外不观乎宇宙，内不知乎大初。是以不过乎昆仑，不游乎太虚。”
光曜问乎无有曰：“夫子有乎？其无有乎？”光曜不得问而孰视其状貌：窅然空然。终日视之而不见，听之而不闻，搏之而不得也。光曜曰：“至矣，其孰能至此乎！予能有无矣，而未能无无也。及为无有矣，何从至此哉！”
大马之捶钩者，年八十矣，而不失豪芒。大马曰：“子巧与！有道与？”曰：“臣有守也。臣之年二十而好捶钩，于物无视也，非钩无察也。”是用之者假不用者也，以长得其用，而况乎无不用者乎！物孰不资焉！
冉求问于仲尼曰：“未有天地可知邪？”仲尼曰：“可。古犹今也。”冉求失问而退。明日复见，曰：“昔者吾问‘未有天地可知乎？’夫子曰：‘可。古犹今也。’昔日吾昭然，今日吾昧然。敢问何谓也？”仲尼曰：“昔之昭然也，神者先受之；今之昧然也，且又为不神者求邪！无古无今，无始无终。未有子孙而有孙子可乎？”冉求未对。仲尼曰：“已矣，未应矣！不以生生死，不以死死生。死生有待邪？皆有所一体。有先天地生者物邪？物物者非物，物出不得先物也，犹其有物也。犹其有物也无已！圣人之爱人也终无已者，亦乃取于是者也。”
颜渊问乎仲尼曰：“回尝闻诸夫子曰：‘无有所将，无有所迎。’回敢问其游。”仲尼曰：“古之人外化而内不化，今之人内化而外不化。与物化者，一不化者也。安化安不化？安与之相靡？必与之莫多。狶韦氏之囿，黄帝之圃，有虞氏之宫，汤武之室。君子之人，若儒墨者师，故以是非相赍也，而况今之人乎！圣人处物不伤物。不伤物者，物亦不能伤也。唯无所伤者，为能与人相将迎。山林与，皋壤与，使我欣欣然而乐与！乐未毕也，哀又继之。哀乐之来，吾不能御，其去弗能止。悲夫，世人直为物逆旅耳！夫知遇而不知所不遇，知能能而不能所不能。无知无能者，固人之所不免也。夫务免乎人之所不免者，岂不亦悲哉！至言去言，至为去为。齐知之，所知则浅矣！”
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