| Journey of Utmost Freedom | 逍遙游 |
| By: Zhuang Zi | 莊子 |
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| In the North Sea, there is a fish named Kun. | 北冥有魚 其名為鯤 |
| The Kun's body was massive; who knows how many thousands of miles its length is? | 鯤之大 不知其幾千里也 |
| It can transform into a great bird, which is named Peng. | 化而為鳥 其名為鵬 |
| The Peng's back was expansive; who knows how many thousands of miles its width is? | 鵬之背 不知其幾千里也 |
| When it flew to the heavens, its wings were as great as the clouds hanging in the sky. | 怒而飛 其翼若垂天之雲 |
| That bird we spoke of will be able to migrate to the South Sea when the seas begin to rouse. | 是鳥也 海運則將徙於南冥 |
| Where is the South Sea? It is the Heavenly Lake. | 南冥者 天池也 |
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| There is a book named Qi Xie, which recorded all the fantastical things in the world. | 齊諧者 志怪者也 |
| Xie has such a passage: "The Peng migrated to the South Sea, its wings stroke waves three thousand miles wide. | 諧之言曰 鵬之徙於南冥也 水擊三千里 |
| With those wings it rose to ninety thousand miles high, riding the great Breath of June. | 摶扶搖而上者九萬里 去以六月息者也 |
| Whether the most formless of wind or the dust carried by it, everything was supported by that same Breath. | 野馬也 塵埃也 生物之以息相吹也 |
| The sky was a light shade of blue, was that its true color? | 天之蒼蒼 其正色邪 |
| Was there no end to the sky's expanse? | 其遠而無所至極邪 |
| The great Peng looked down, and all it could see is thus. | 其視下也 亦若是則已矣 |
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| If the water was not deep enough, it would not have enough force to lift a great ship. | 且夫水之積也不厚 則其負大舟也無力 |
| If you poured a puddle of water in front of your room, you could perhaps use a stalk of grass for a ship over it; | 覆杯水於坳堂之上 則芥為之舟 |
| But if you put a cup on the puddle it would surely sink and stick to the bottom, because the water would be too shallow for such a great ship. | 置杯焉則膠 水淺而舟大也 |
| If the wind did not condense enough, it would not be able to lift great wings. | 風之積也不厚 則其負大翼也無力 |
| Thus, only at ninety thousand miles high would the wind be strong enough to lift the great Peng. | 故九萬里 則風斯在下矣 |
| And then it would be able to ride the currents of the wind, and reach for the South Sea with the sky on its back." | 而後乃今培風 背負青天而莫之夭閼者 而後乃今將圖南 |
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| The Cicada and the tiny Cuckoo laughed at the great Peng, and said thus: | 蜩與學鳩笑之曰 |
| "We tried our hardest to fly, but we could only reach the branches of an elm tree. Sometimes we couldn't make it and would drop to the ground. | 我決起而飛 搶榆枋而止 時則不至而控於地而已矣 |
| What would be the point of you rising ninety thousand miles to fly to the South Sea?" | 奚以之九萬里而南為 |
| In a trip to the suburbs, you could prepare three meals and still return within the day with your stomach full. | 適莽蒼者 三餐而反 腹猶果然 |
| In a trip to a hundred miles away, you must prepare enough food for a day. | 適百里者 宿舂糧 |
| In a trip to a thousand miles away, you must prepare enough food for three months. | 適千里者 三月聚糧 |
| How would these tiny critters know these things? | 之二虫又何知 |
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| Small wit could not compare to larger intelligence, those who were short-lived cannot compare to those who lived long. | 小知不及大知 小年不及大年 奚以知其然也 |
| For those worms that would die the day they were born, they would never know how long a month is. | 朝菌不知晦朔 |
| For those frost cicadas that never lived for longer than a season, they would never know how long a year is. | 蟪蛄不知春秋 |
| This was, however, only a "small year." | 此小年也 |
| There was a great turtle to the south of Chu, whose spring lasts five hundred years, and its autumn another five hundred years. | 楚之南有冥靈者 以五百歲為春 五百歲為秋 |
| In the ancient times, there was a great Elm tree, whose spring lasts a full eight millennia, and its autumn another eight millennia. | 上古有大椿者 以八千歲為春 八千歲為秋 |
| Even today, Peng Zu, famous for his eight hundred years of longevity, got everyone wishing to live as long as he does, isn't the short-sightedness sad? | 而彭祖乃今以久特聞 眾人匹之 不亦悲乎 |
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| Shang Tang asked Ji thus: "Are there an end to any direction of the world?" | 湯之問棘也是已 湯之問棘曰 上下四方有極乎 |
| Ji answered, "No, no matter how far you travel outwards, there will be a place farther still. Further north from our northern frontier, there is a great sea, called the Heavenly Lake. | 棘曰 無極之外 復無極也 窮髮之北有冥海者 天池也 |
| There as a fish there that is thousands of mile wide, but nobody knows how long it was, it was named Kun. | 有魚焉 其廣數千里 未有知其修者 其名為鯤 |
| There was a bird, named Peng, whose back was as great as Mt. Tai itself, and its wings were like the clouds that hung from heavens. | 有鳥焉 其名為鵬 背若太山 翼若垂天之雲 |
| It rode the whirlwind to rise ninety thousand miles high, far above the clouds and even air, and flew south with the sky on its back towards the South Sea. | 摶扶搖羊角而上者九萬里 絕雲氣 負青天 然后圖南 且適南冥也 |
| The small sparrows in the swamp laugh at it, | 斥鴳笑之曰 |
| 'Where will it go? I can rise up for a few meters and then drop to the ground. | 彼且奚適也 我騰躍而上 不過數仞而下 |
| I can weave between the reeds as well, is that not all there is to flying?' | 翱翔蓬蒿之間 此亦飛之至也 而彼且奚適也 |
| That, my lord, is the difference between large and small." | 此小大之辯也 |
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| Some men had enough talent to perform well in a position. | 故夫知效一官 |
| Some men could easily blend into the traditions of a village. | 行比一鄉 |
| Some men had conduct that could match a ruler's heart and gain the country's trust. | 德合一君而徵一國者 |
| They're proud of this the same way the sparrow is proud of its flight. | 其自視也亦若此矣 |
| Song Rongzi couldn't help but laugh at them. | 而宋榮子猶然笑之 |
| Song Rongzi did not feel excited even if the entire world praised him. | 且舉世而譽之而不加勸 |
| Song Rongzi did not feel dejected even if the whole world despised him. | 舉世而非之而不加沮 |
| He could identify the gap between the inner self and the outer world, and differentiate between honor and humility. | 定乎內外之分 辯乎榮辱之境 |
| However, that is still having a "self". | 斯已矣 |
| He didn't seek after anything, but he nevertheless had something to establish. | 彼其於世 未數數然也 雖然 猶有未樹也 |
| Liezi traveled by riding the wind, and it was light and convenient. He came back after fifteen days | 夫列子御風而行 泠然善也 旬有五日而後反 |
| He did not seek to be perfect at things, and thus although he can avoid walking, he still would need to rely on things. | 彼於致福者 未數數然也 此雖免乎行 猶有所待者也 |
| If one could go with the rhythm of nature and understand the Six Airs' changes to explore endless possibilities, then what would he need to rely on? | 若夫乘天地之正 而御六氣之辯 以游無窮者彼且惡乎待哉 |
| Thus, we would say, "The Utmost had no concept of self" "The Divine had no concept of accomplishments," and "The Sages had no concept of fame." | 故曰 至人無己 神人無功 聖人無名 |
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| Emperor Yao wanted to relinquish his throne to Xu You. He said, | 堯讓天下於許由 曰 |
| "The sun and moon may came out, but the candlelight won't be extinguished. | 日月出矣 而爝火不息 |
| Wouldn't it be difficult to match the light of the sun and moon? | 其於光也 不亦難乎 |
| After the rain had already fallen, some still tried to water the plants. | 時雨降矣 而猶浸灌 |
| For irrigation, wouldn't this be fruitless? | 其於澤也 不亦勞乎 |
| If you would become Emperor, then the entire land would become peaceful. | 夫子立而天下治 |
| Therefore, I am ashamed that I still occupied this throne. | 而我猶尸之 吾自視缺然 |
| Allow me to cede it to you." | 請致天下 |
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| Xu You replied | 許由曰 |
| "Your Majesty had already brought peace to the land. What would letting me replace you yield, fame? | 子治天下 天下既已治也 而我猶代子 吾將為名乎 |
| Fame would be only secondary to accomplishments; I am not interested in just the secondary. | 名者實之賓也 吾將為賓乎 |
| A bird making a nest in the forest only needed one branch. A mole drinking from a river only needed to fill one stomach. | 鷦鷯巢於深林 不過一枝 偃鼠飲河 不過滿腹 |
| Please return. What would I need the throne for? | 歸休乎君 予無所用天下為 |
| Even if the cook refused to cook, the Master of Ceremonies should not go beyond his position to cook in his stead." | 庖人雖不治庖 尸祝不越樽俎而代之矣 |
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| Jian Wu tells Lian Shu, | 肩吾問於連叔曰 |
| "When I heard Jie Yu talk, he spoke of great things without limits, and could never stop once he starts. | 吾聞言於接輿 大而無當 往而不返 |
| I was surprised by his talks; it was endless like the universe. | 吾驚怖其言猶河漢而無極也 |
| It was too different from common knowledge, and was irreconcilable with normal experience." | 大有徑庭 不近人情焉 |
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| Lian Shu replies, "What did he say?" | 連叔曰 其言謂何哉 |
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| "He said, 'In the distant Mount Gushe, there lived a divine being. | 曰 藐姑射之山 有神人居焉 |
| His skin was as pale as ice and snow, and he was more beautiful than any maiden. | 肌膚若冰雪 綽約若處子 |
| He did not eat grain, but instead dined on wind and dew. | 不食五穀 吸風飲露 |
| He rode the clouds and directed a flying dragon to travel beyond the world's limits. | 乘雲氣 御飛龍 而游乎四海之外 |
| His power was so great that he could divert calamities and bring great harvests.' | 其神凝 使物不疵癘而年穀熟 |
| I think it was not real, so I didn't believe him." | 吾以是狂而不 信也 |
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| Lian Shu says, "Of course. | 連叔曰 然 |
| One could not share the beauty of paintings with the blind. | 瞽者無以與乎文章之觀 |
| One could not share the beauty of music with the deaf. | 聾者無以與乎鐘鼓之聲 |
| It was not just the body than could be blind and deaf, one's heart could also be so.' | 豈唯形骸有聾盲哉 夫知亦有之 |
| This quote referred specifically to you. | 是其言也 猶時女也 |
| That divine being's accomplishments had already made him one with the universe. | 之人也 之德也 將旁礡萬物以為一 |
| The trivial things of humanity were not something he would bother with. | 世蘄乎亂 孰弊弊焉以天下為事 |
| These kinds of people could not be hurt by external means. | 之人也 物莫之傷 |
| Even if a deluge rose to the heavens, he wouldn't drown. | 大浸稽天而不溺 |
| Even if a drought melted metal and rocks and scalded the earth and mountains, he would not feel warm. | 大旱金石流 土山焦而不熱 |
| His dust could even do great things on par with the works with Emperors Yao and Shun. | 是其塵垢秕糠 將猶陶鑄堯舜者也 |
| Why should he bother with trivial things such as what humans were concerned with? | 孰肯分分然以物為事 |
| A man from Song tried to sell hats in Yue. | 宋人資章甫而適越 |
| But the people of Yue traditionally shaved their heads and painted patterns onto their body, and had no use for hats. | 越人斷髮文身 無所用之 |
| Yao might have had the wisdom to rule the people and pacify the problems. | 堯治天下之民 平海內之政 |
| But when he left for Mount Gushe to meet four transcendants, | 往見四子藐姑射之山 |
| His subjects, living north of the Fen River, all lost their way." | 汾水之陽窅然喪其天焉 |
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| Hui Shi told Zhuang Zi, | 惠子謂莊子曰 |
| "The King of Wei gave me a seed for a large gourd, and it yielded a fruit weighing five Dan. | 魏王貽我大瓠之種 我樹之成而實五石 |
| If I used it to hold water, it was too brittle to stand its own weight. | 以盛水漿 其堅不能自舉也 |
| If I split it to use as a spoon, there was nothing suitable for it to hold. | 剖之以為瓢 則瓠落無所容 |
| It wasn't that it was not big enough, but rather because I thought it has no use whatsoever, and therefore I destroyed it." | 非不呺然大也 吾為其無用而掊之 |
| Zhuang Zi replied, "You are poor at using large things. | 莊子曰 夫子固拙於用大矣 |
| A man from Song was adept at creating a salve that would prevent your skin from chapping. | 宋人有善為不龜手之藥者 |
| His family for generations had been laundrymen, and he used it for that purpose. | 世世以洴澼絖為事 |
| A guest heard of this product, and offered a hundred taels of gold to buy the formula. | 客聞之 請買其方百金 |
| The man gathered his family and said, | 聚族而謀之曰 |
| 'We did laundry for generations, and could only get a little money for it. | 我世世為洴澼絖 不過數金 |
| If just selling this formula would gain us a hundred taels of gold, let us sell it.' | 今一朝而鬻技百金 請與之 |
| The guest obtained the formula, and went to meet the King of Wu. | 客得之 以說吳王 |
| At this time, Yue invaded, so the King of Wu made him a general. | 越有難 吳王使之將 |
| During the winter, he led the Wu navy to fight the Yue navy, and defeated them because the salve eased the pain of the soldiers exposed to water in a prolonged manner. | 冬 與越人水戰 大敗越人 |
| He was then given a fief and made into a marquess. | 裂地而封之 |
| For the same formula, some only used it to do laundry, and some used it to get ennobled. | 能不龜手一也 或以封 或不免於洴澼絖 |
| This was the difference in application. | 則所用之異 |
| Now you had a gourd that can hold five Dan, why didn't you use it as a floating device to explore the rivers, and instead worried that it couldn't be used? | 也今幾有五石之瓠 何不慮以為大樽而浮乎江湖 而憂其瓠落無所容 |
| It was clear you are still limited in imagination." | 則夫子猶有蓬之心也夫 |
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| Hui Shi told Zhuang Zi, | 惠子謂莊子曰 |
| "I own a great tree, and people called it 'Chu' | 吾有大樹 人謂之樗 |
| Its trunk grew weird patterns so you couldn't write on it, and its branches were irregular so you couldn't use it for wood. | 其大本臃腫而不中繩墨 其小枝卷曲而不中規矩 |
| It grew on the side of the road, and no woodworker even looked at it. | 立之涂 匠者不顧 |
| Your teachings, although grand, were useless, and people of course would discard it." | 今子之言 大而無用 眾所同去也 |
| Zhuang Zi replied, | 莊子曰 |
| "Have you ever seen cats and weasels? They crouched their small bodies to wait for little animals. | 子獨不見狸牲乎 卑身而伏 以候敖者 |
| They jumped left and right to pillage, and did not care where it went. | 東西跳梁 不辟高下 |
| Many times it would step on a trap and would die in it. | 中於機辟 死於罔罟 |
| Have you seen the great Yak? Its body was as great as the clouds in the sky. | 今夫斄牛 其大若垂天之雲 |
| Even if it possessed such grandness, it still couldn't be tasked to catch mice. | 此能為大矣 而不能執鼠 |
| Now you own such a tree, but you worried that it had no uses. | 今子有大樹 患其無用 |
| Why didn't you plant it in that barren homeland, where there were endless plains? | 何不樹之於無何有之鄉 廣莫之野 |
| Thus the wanderers near it would, in utmost freedom, lie under its shade. | 彷徨乎無為其側 逍遙乎寢臥其下 |
| It would never be cut down, and nothing would ever harm it. | 不夭斤斧 物無害者 |
| Thus removed from the trappings of needing a purpose, there would be no need for worry." | 無所可用 安所困苦哉 |
