This Zhuangzi ‑ Wai Wu chapter features classic parables: the minnow in dry ruts, Ren‑Gongzi’s giant‑fish catch and “useless‑as‑use”. It argues external outcomes are uncertain and advocates “forgetting‑words” for true insight.
Zhuang Zhou, a core Daoist thinker, rejects lavish official offers twice. Using tortoise and sacrificial ox metaphors, he chooses humble, free rural life over dangerous noble power, maintaining lifelong seclusion to preserve his spiritual autonomy.
Zhuangzi (c. 369–286 BCE) was a major philosopher of the Warring States period. His given name was Zhou, and he was a native of Meng in the state of Song—traditionally identified either as northeast of modern Shangqiu, Henan, or near Dingyuan, Anhui.
This article explores the Daoist philosophy of Zhuangzi through two legendary stories of death: the passing of his wife and his own demise. It recounts the famous idiom “Drumming on a Basin”, where Zhuangzi rejected mourning rituals to celebrate his wife’s return to the natural cycle of transformation. Furthermore, it details his refusal of…
This article recounts the famous parable of “The Turtle in the Mud” involving the Daoist sage Zhuangzi and King Wei of Chu. When the King offered Zhuangzi the high position of Chancellor, the philosopher famously refused, preferring to “drag his tail in the mud” rather than accept the gilded cage of court life. The…
When Zhuang Zi had no money, he went to the Lord Keeper of the River to borrow some grain.