There was a great talent in the Qing Dynasty called Jin Shengtan. He was very knowledgeable, had a special personality, and was very arrogant. He took the imperial examinations like a play. He could get the first place in any test, but he refused to go to the court. Be an official. It is this Jin Shengtan that most people don't pay attention to, but he singles out six books in the world, called "Books of Talents", and wishes to comment on them one by one. Although I was framed and killed by corrupt officials because of the Cry Temple case, I only commented on the sixth talented book "The West Chamber" and the fifth gifted book "Water Margin", but this is enough to shock and surprise the world's scholars. Can you imagine how great the first gifted book will be that day?
And this first talented book is "Zhuangzi" (the other three talented books are "Li Sao", "Historical Records" and "Du Shi"). What kind of book is "Zhuangzi" that can be recommended by the arrogant Jin Shengtan as the world's "first book for talented scholars"? The author of "Zhuangzi" is Zhuangzi, whose surname is Zhuang and his name is Zhou. He inherited and developed the thoughts of Laozi during the Spring and Autumn Period, advocating inaction, nature, and freedom, and became a representative of Taoist thought. Zhuangzi refused to be an official all his life, and only managed the sumac tree garden for the government for a few days, and then quit. When the king of Chu sent someone to invite him to be an official, he told people a story, saying, did he see the tortoise? Live well in the mud pool, but if the king takes it away, he will have to open his stomach, leaving only a turtle shell on the temple. Do you say I am willing to be killed for confession, or am I willing to live in a mud puddle? When someone listens, they no longer force it.
Zhuangzi lives in poverty, but his thoughts are extremely colorful. Every day he thinks about some philosophies about life in the universe. He saw the little birds and thought of the legendary Dapeng bird, and thought that although they fly in different postures and heights, they all rely on air. Without air, no one can fly. If anyone can give up everything and rely on nothing, then he can gain true freedom and get the freedom that transcends everything. However, Zhuangzi doesn't care about everything. As a well-known intellectual elite, from time to time, some politicians and officials ask him for advice on how to govern the country, and he always gives him advice. And what he said most is to let the monarch not "toss" and to "rule by doing nothing", don't always think about your own territory, power, wealth, etc., and don't interfere too much in the production and life of the people, just let If the people reproduce peacefully by themselves, the country will definitely become better and better.
In dealing with life, he also advocates letting it go. Just like Pao Ding's solution to the ox, following the laws of nature, everything will be solved. If it is static, then it is static, if it is appropriate to move, it will move, and life will be long. Furthermore, birth, old age, sickness and death also have their own natural laws, so there is no need to grieve for life and death. Therefore, when his wife died, although he was a little sad at the beginning, but when he thinks about life, there is death. Life comes from nothingness, returns to nothingness, and returns to its original state of nature. It's something to celebrate, but what's so sad about it? Thinking of this, he sat on the ground and sang loudly on the basin at home.
Zhuangzi also taught many students. After his death, the students edited and sorted out his articles, which became the book "Zhuangzi". Zhuangzi's essays are full of wisdom, good literary talent, wide and horizontal, and the artistic conception depicted is also true and illusion, which is fascinating. For example, he wrote that he had a dream one day, in which he became a butterfly and danced among the flowers. After waking up, he found that he was still alone. He thought: Zhuang Zhou became Butterfly, will Butterfly become Zhuang Zhou in his dream? Butterfly and Zhuang Zhou, which one is the real me? Which one is the real me? Maybe Jin Shengtan asked the same.
