Lie Yukou was a representative figure of Daoism in the early Warring States period. He is also known as Yu Kou, Yu Kou, or Liezi. Traditionally believed to be from the state of Zheng (in present-day Zhengzhou, Henan) during the Warring States era, he advocated the principles of emptiness, stillness, and non-action (wu wei),…
Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang, who said, “Venerable sir, you have traveled a thousand miles to see me – surely you must have some way to benefit my state?”
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 Yuanchu (Noble Phoenix) told by Zhuangzi to his friend Hui Zi, the Chancellor of Wei. When Hui Zi, fearing a rival, launched a manhunt to find Zhuangzi, the philosopher arrived calmly and delivered a stinging rebuke. He compared himself to the sacred Yuanchu, which only feeds…
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…
Two shepherd boys, Gu and Zang, went out together with their flocks and both of them lost their sheep.
When Zhuang Zi had no money, he went to the Lord Keeper of the River to borrow some grain.
A frog inhabiting a crumbling well boasted to an ocean turtle: “Behold my paradise! I leap upon mossy ledges, bathe in sun-warmed waters, rest in crevices — no creature rivals my joy! Would you not enter my domain?”