The Warring States Period was a period when various thoughts and schools were blooming and a hundred schools of thought contended.
was almost the same time as Meng Ke, and another thinker Zhuang Zhou appeared in Song Dynasty. Meng Ke's "kingdom" was opposed and mocked by Zhuang Zhou. Zhuang Zhou was born in Mengdi (now northeast of Shangqiu, Henan) in the Song Dynasty. He grew up in poverty. Once, his mother was sick and the family couldn't open the pot. As a last resort, the young Zhuang Zhou went to borrow grain from Hehou, a local government official. Jian Hehou deceived his young age and tricked him and said, "I don't have any food now. You can borrow it again after the autumn harvest."
clever Zhuang Zhou told him, let me tell you a story: "Yes I was walking on the road and saw a crucian carp struggling in a dry puddle on the side of the road. The crucian carp said to someone:'I'm going to die to death, please give me a scoop of water and save me.' The man said "Okay. Wait for me to bring the water from the North Sea to fill this puddle to save you." The crucian carp said: "Thank you. When you bring in the water from the North Sea, go to the stall selling dried fish to find me." Right.'"
has tasted poverty since he was a child, and he has seen enough of the disasters caused by the princes fighting and fighting for power and profit. Therefore, he is unwilling to go out to be an official, cooperate with the ruler, and help them oppress and exploit the people. .
He believes that officials and those with power steal everything and "stole" the country and even the laws into their own hands, so they can be grandmasters and rule the people with authority; Ordinary people, if he stole a little thing, he would be regarded as a thief and would go to jail and behead his head. This is extremely unfair. Therefore, all "overbearing", "kingdom", "Confucianism" and "Mohism" are hypocritical and deceptive. So he looks down on those who lobby everywhere, pursuing fame and wealth and high-ranking officials.
Once, he went to Wei. His old friend Hui Shi was the minister of Wei, and he wanted to stop by to see him.
Unexpectedly, Hui Shi saw Zhuang Zhoulai, fearing that he would take his aspect, and was very nervous.
Knowing about it, Zhuang Zhou told Hui Shi a fable: "There is a bird called the young bird in the south, (yuān chú), which flies from the South China Sea to the North Sea. Along the way, it is not a sycamore tree, it never stops, not a bamboo. In fact, it does not eat, not sweet springs, it does not drink. At this time, an owl is eating a rotting mouse, and when it sees the grenade chicks, it makes a weird cry to warn against the dead mouse that robs it.
Phoenix, will it like a dead mouse?!" After hearing the story told by Zhuang Zhou, Hui Shi blushed to the base of his neck. After
, Zhuang Zhou took his wife to Chu State to give lectures. King Chu Wei knew, and prepared a very generous gift to invite Zhuang Zhou to be the minister of Chu. Zhuang Zhou politely declined the invitation of King Chu Wei and returned all the gifts. He would rather live a very miserable life with his wife-his wife weaves straw shoes and sells them every day, and while teaching and writing to his disciples, he also goes fishing by the stream to improve his life.
King Chu Wei was an aspiring monarch. In order to invite Zhuang Zhou to be an official, he personally rushed to the stream to hire Zhuang Zhou.
Zhuang Zhou didn't even look at King Chu Wei, just fishing by the river. After a while, he turned his head and said to King Chu Wei: "I heard that there is a god tortoise in Chu country, and its skeleton specimen has been enshrined in the temple. I would like to ask the king, for that turtle, it is willing to be made. The specimen is enshrined in the temple, or is it willing to swim in the water alive?" The king of Chu Wei did not react for a while, and said: "It stands to reason that it should be willing to swim freely in the water alive. Right!"
Zhuang Zhou said: "That's right, I am willing to swim freely in the water too! Lord, please go back."
Zhuang Zhou just lobbied around and promoted him freely. None" view.
He believes that there is no difference between high and low, official and people, big and small, right and wrong, and even life and death.
He cited a famous example: once fell asleep and had a dream, dreaming that he had become a floating butterfly. After waking up, he was a clear Zhuang Zhou. I really don’t know if the butterfly dreamed of becoming Zhuang Zhou, or Zhuang Zhou’s dream of becoming a butterfly?
Zhuang Zhou feels that life is harmoniousDeath is as natural as the change of day and night, and it is not worthy of joy or sorrow. Therefore, when the wife who lived with him hard and depended on each other died, he did not cry like ordinary people, but sang a song praising his wife's life with a crock pot.
Zhuangzi feels that many things are beyond the reach of manpower, and everything should go with the flow of nature. This nature is the law of development of the world and the world itself. This law is also called "Tao".
Therefore, later generations collectively referred to the theories of Laozi and Zhuang Zhou as "Taoism." Zhuang Zhou wrote his views into a book, this is "Zhuangzi".
