A sea-gull alighted in a suburb of the capital of Lu. The Marquis of Lu welcomed it and feasted it in the temple hall, ordering the royal music and grandest sacrifices for it.
But the bird remained in a daze, looking quite wretched, not daring to swallow a morsel of meat or a single cup of wine. And after three days it died.
Allegorical Meaning
The parable exposes the tragic consequences of imposing human values on nature.
Violation of Ziran (Spontaneity)
- The seagull’s nature: Wild, ocean-dwelling, fish-eating
- Marquis’ intervention: Confinement, royal music, sacrificial meats, wine
Forcing artificial order (human rituals) onto natural essence, as a result, bird dies of terror/starvation in 3 days.
Anthropocentric Arrogance
The Marquis commits three fatal errors:
- Projection (“I love grandeur → bird must too”)
- Assimilation (“My rituals will honor it”)
- Possession (Caging wildness as “nurture”)
Zhuangzi critiques using human ways to nourish birds is delusion.
Critique of Ritualism
- Imperial music symbolizing cultural refinement
- Highest sacrificial rite representing ritual orthodoxy
What humans deem “supreme honor” becomes lethal to nature; Civilization’s “gifts” often violate cosmic harmony.
Wu-wei as Antidote
Proper care would require:
- Non-intervention: Allowing flight/fishing
- Humility: Accepting the bird’s otherness
Observing without imposing values.
Political Allegory
- Marquis = Rulers forcing “benevolent” policies onto people
- Seagull = Subjects crushed by well-intentioned tyranny
- Warning: Governing against human nature brings societal collapse
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