Huizi was serving as prime minister of Liang. Zhuangzi went to visit him. Someone said to Huizi, “Zhuangzi is coming because he wants to replace you as prime minister.” Huizi was afraid, and searched the state for three days and three nights.
Zhuangzi went to see him and said, “In the south there is a bird called the yuanchu. Do you know it? The yuanchu sets out from the South Sea and flies to the North Sea. It rests only on the wutong tree, eats only the fruit of the bamboo, and drinks only from the sweet spring. Then an owl got a rotten rat. As the yuanchu passed by, the owl looked up at it and screeched, ‘Xia!’ Now do you want to use your state of Liang to screech at me?”
Interpretation
This famous story comes from the Zhuangzi, Chapter 17, Autumn Floods (Qiushui). It is a parable about fear, attachment, and the small mind that measures the great.
Huizi is a clever man and a high official. But when he hears that Zhuangzi may be coming to take his place, he panics. He searches the state for three days and three nights. His fear reveals what he really treasures: office, power, and status. He is like the owl clutching a rotten rat, afraid that someone will take it away.
Zhuangzi does not argue with him. He tells a story. The yuanchu is a mythical bird like a phoenix. It flies from the South Sea to the North Sea. It will not rest except on the wutong tree, will not eat except bamboo fruit, will not drink except from a sweet spring. Its purity is absolute. The owl’s rotten rat means nothing to it. Yet the owl, in its fear and possessiveness, looks up and screeches “Xia!” – as if the phoenix wanted its garbage.
Zhuangzi’s point is simple: You are afraid I want your office. But your office is a rotten rat to me.
Laozi says in the Daodejing:
Favor and disgrace both cause alarm;
great misfortune is feared as much as one’s own body.What does it mean to be alarmed by favor and disgrace?
Favor is a lowly thing:
to gain it startles you, and to lose it startles you –
this is what is meant by being alarmed by favor and disgrace.
Huizi is prime minister of Liang. This is favor – high office, power, status. But when he hears Zhuangzi might come to replace him, he panics. He searches the state for three days and three nights.
Huizi got the favor of office, and even the thought of losing it throws him into alarm. His fear is not caused by Zhuangzi. It is caused by his attachment to what he has. The owl clutches the rotten rat and screeches – not because the phoenix wants it, but because the owl cannot imagine not wanting it.
Laozi also says in the Daodejing:
“Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced; know when to stop, and you will not be in danger.”
（知足不辱，知止不殆。）
Huizi does not know contentment. He clings to his position, so he lives in fear. Zhuangzi, by contrast, is like water: he benefits all things without contending. He does not need the “rotten rat.”
Confucius says in the Analects:
“The gentleman understands righteousness; the petty man understands profit.”
（君子喻于义，小人喻于利。）
Huizi’s fear is about profit and position. Zhuangzi’s concern is the Way. This is the difference between the gentleman and the petty man – not in social rank, but in what the heart values.
The Core Lesson
The story is not just about Huizi. It is about anyone who clutches a “rotten rat” and fears that others will take it. The small mind measures the great mind by its own fears. The petty man assumes the gentleman wants what he wants. This is the meaning of the Chinese idiom:
“The owl screeches at the phoenix over a rotten rat.”
（鸱吓鹓鶵。）
It means: to measure a noble heart by a petty mind.
Note
Warring States Period
A time of political fragmentation and intense competition. Rulers hired traveling scholars as advisers and ministers. The competition for office was fierce. Huizi’s fear is understandable in this context. But Zhuangzi’s freedom is a rejection of the whole game.
Friendship of Zhuangzi and Huizi
They were friends as well as rivals. When Huizi died, Zhuangzi mourned him and said he had no one left to talk with. This story shows their relationship: Huizi is clever but anxious; Zhuangzi is free but playful. The debate is sharp, but it is also a dance between two friends.
Huizi / Hui Shi
A real historical figure of the Warring States period (c. 370–310 BCE). He was a leading philosopher of the School of Names, also called the Logicians. He served as prime minister of Wei, also known as Liang after the capital moved to Daliang. He was a friend and intellectual rival of Zhuangzi. The Zhuangzi contains many dialogues between them.
A foundational Daoist philosopher (c. 369–286 BCE). He lived in poverty, refused high office, and taught freedom from social ambition. In this story, he is the yuanchu – the pure bird who will not touch a rotten rat.
Liang (梁) and Wei (魏)
Liang is another name for the state of Wei after King Hui of Wei moved the capital to Daliang (present-day Kaifeng). So “Huizi was prime minister of Liang” means he was prime minister of Wei. The story reflects the political world of the Warring States, when talented men traveled from court to court seeking office.
The Yuanchu
A mythical bird similar to the phoenix. It is a symbol of purity and noble aspiration. It flies from the South Sea to the North Sea. It rests only on the wutong tree, eats only bamboo fruit, and drinks only from a sweet spring. These three things – wutong, bamboo fruit, and sweet spring – are symbols of the highest purity. The yuanchu would never touch a rotten rat.
The Owl
In ancient Chinese culture, the owl was often seen as an inauspicious, greedy bird. Here it represents the petty man who clings to power and profit. It has a rotten rat and is afraid someone will take it. When the yuanchu passes, the owl looks up and screeches “Xia!” – a rude, defensive sound.
The Rotten Rat
A symbol of corrupt office, wealth, and profit. To the owl, it is treasure. To the yuanchu, it is garbage. Huizi’s prime ministership is a rotten rat to Zhuangzi.
The Wutong Tree (梧桐)
The Chinese parasol tree. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix perches only on the wutong. It is a symbol of purity, nobility, and high aspiration.
Bamboo Fruit
The fruit or seeds of the bamboo. The yuanchu eats only this. It symbolizes pure and simple nourishment.
Sweet Spring
A spring of sweet, pure water. The yuanchu drinks only from this. It symbolizes pure and clean living.
The Idiom: “The Owl Screeches at the Phoenix” (鸱吓鹓鶵)
From this story. It means to measure a noble person’s heart by one’s own petty fears. It is also used to describe a petty man who clings to office and fears a worthy person will replace him. Related idioms include “a rotten rat” as a symbol of contemptible office or profit.
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