1. Don’t use things to frustrate your aspirations. "Zhuangzi·Heaven and Earth"

Translation: If foreign objects disturb one's mind and will, then one's virtue will be gone. Playthings are boring.

2. Everyone knows the useful uses, but no one knows the useless ones. "Human World"

Translation: People all know the use of usefulness, but they do not understand the greater use of uselessness.

3. The shape is like a haggard corpse, the heart is like ashes, the truth is true, and it is not self-sustaining.

Translation: The body is like withered bones, the mind is like dead ashes, true and pure knowledge does not adhere to old views.

4. If you beat a foot, you will get half of it in a day, and it will last forever. "Zhuangzi·The World"

Translation: If you cut off half of a foot-long whip every day, you will never be able to finish it. Matter is infinitely divisible.

5. My life has a limit, but my knowledge has no limit. "Zhuangzi·Health Preserver"

Translation: Human life is limited, but knowledge is infinite. Use your limited life to devote your limited life to unlimited learning.

6. The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water, while the friendship between villains is as sweet as wine. "Zhuangzi Mountain Trees"

Translation: The friendship between gentlemen is as thin as water, but the friendship between villains seems as sweet as wine. A true friend never talks about benefits.

7. There is no greater sorrow than the death of a husband, and the death of a human being is also the second most. "Zhuangzi·Tian Zifang"

Translation: The greatest sorrow is that the heart is ashes and the spirit is destroyed, while the death of the human body is secondary. People need to have some spirit.

8. Therefore, it is said that a man is tranquil, lonely, and inactive. This is the peace of heaven and earth, and the quality of morality. "Deliberately"

Translation: Therefore, tranquility, loneliness, emptiness, and inaction are the origin of heaven and earth and the highest state of moral cultivation.

9. Those who are sad and happy are the faults of virtue; those who are happy and angry are the faults of the Tao; those who like and dislike are the faults of the heart. "Deliberately"

Translation: Sorrow and joy will lead to deviant morality; if one does not forget joy and anger, one will regard the Tao as a fault; if one falls into likes and dislikes, one will lose his morality. )

10. Those who are famous are the means of conflict; those who know them are the tools of competition. The murder weapons of the two are not so effective. "Human World"

Translation: Name is the cause of mutual strife; wisdom is the means of mutual struggle. The two are deadly weapons and cannot be used in full force.

11. Now that the great cold has arrived, and the frost and snow have fallen, I know how luxuriant the pines and cypresses are. "Zhuangzi·Rang Wang"

Translation: The cold season has arrived, and the frost and snow have fallen. At this time, the lushness of pine and cypress trees can be seen even more. "The luxuriance of pines and cypresses" means that a gentleman has high moral character.

12. Yangzi said: "My disciples remember that if you practice virtuousness and abandon the practice of virtuousness, you will live without loving it!" "Shanmu"

Translation: Yangzhu said : "Disciples, remember, if you are virtuous and can get rid of the idea of ??being virtuous, how can you not be loved!")

13. Reciprocity is in the absence of phase and reciprocity, mutuality is in the absence of mutuality. . "Zhuangzi." "Grand Master"

Translation: Friendship with each other is in non-friendship, mutual action is in inaction. To make friends, friendship should be achieved without intention, and mutual help should be achieved through inaction. This is the "irreconcilable friendship".

14. A bird becomes white without being bathed in the sun, and a bird becomes black without being exposed to the sun. "Zhuangzi Tianyun"

Translation: The swan does not bathe every day, but its feathers are white; the crow does not bathe in the sun every day, but its feathers are black. All things come from nature and cannot be changed by force.

15. Huangdi said: "... Dao cannot be achieved, and virtue cannot be achieved. Benevolence can be done, righteousness can be compromised, and etiquette can be faked." "Zhibeiyou"

Translation: Tao cannot be obtained, virtue cannot be achieved. Benevolence can be done, righteousness can be spurned, and etiquette can deceive each other.

16. If there is a gap between heaven and earth in life, it will happen suddenly. "Zhuangzi Knows His Journey to the North"

Translation: Life between heaven and earth is like seeing a white horse galloping through a gap, but it only lasts a moment. The idiom "A white horse passes through the gap" comes from this. Life is short, don't waste it.

17. Everyone values ??profit, honest people value reputation, wise people value ambition, and saints value essence. "Deliberately"

Translation: Most people value profit, honest people value reputation, wise men value ambition, and saints value spirit.

18. If a scholar is morally incompetent, he is exhausted; if his clothes and shoes are not worn properly, he is poor, but it is not exhaustion. This is not the time of suffering.

"Mountain Wood"

Translation: A person with lofty ideals who has moral principles but cannot practice them is tired; his clothes are tattered and his shoes are worn out, which is poverty, not fatigue. This is what is called not experiencing a good world.

19. I am confused about the easy prescription, but I am confused about the easy nature. "Zhuangzi · Parallel Thumb"

Translation: A small confusion can make people go astray, and a big confusion can make people lose their nature. It shows that pure human nature is the natural nature of human beings, while benevolence and righteousness are not only inconsistent with human nature, but also harmful to the world.

20. Bianzi said: "...Now you are decorating your knowledge to scare the fool, and cultivating yourself to expose the dirty, so as to reveal the sun and the moon and walk among the people..." "Dasheng"

Translation: Now you modify your own wisdom to awaken ignorance, cultivate yourself to show the despicability of others, and your bright and dazzling appearance is like walking while holding the sun and moon.

21. If you do nothing, you will have more than enough for the world; if you do something, you will have enough for the world. "Zhuangzi·The Way of Heaven"

Translation: If you do nothing, you will be able to take advantage of the world, and you will feel that you have more leisure; if you do something, you will be used by the world, and you will feel that you are urgent and insufficient. Use nothingness, nature, and inaction to explain the rule of inaction.

22. It means that you are short of money, and the fire is spreading, and you don’t know how to use it up. "Zhuangzi·The Master of Health Preservation"

Translation: The fat is burned out, but the fire is passed on endlessly. This sentence uses fuel as a metaphor for form and fire as a metaphor for spirit. The passing of fire upon death means that although the body dies, the spirit remains forever. Later, it was used as a metaphor for the passing of knowledge from master to disciple.

23. Use fire to fight fire and water to fight water. This is called more benefit. "Zhuangzi: Human World"

Translation: Use fire to put out fire and water to put out water. Not only will this not correct the situation, but it will increase Wei Jun's faults. Let’s use the words Confucius taught Yan Hui to illustrate a way of life. This is where the idioms "fighting fire with fire" and "fighting water with water" come from.

24. If the water accumulation is not thick, it will not be able to carry a large boat. "Zhuangzi·Xiaoyaoyou"

Translation: If the water is neither deep nor thick, then it will not have the strength to carry a large ship. From the relationship between the boat and water, we can at least get this inspiration: To pursue great studies and do great things, we must lay a solid and profound foundation.

25. A filial son does not flatter his relatives, and a loyal minister does not flatter his king. This is the prosperity of ministers and sons. "Zhuangzi·Heaven and Earth"

Translation: A filial son does not flatter his parents, and a virtuous and loyal minister does not flatter his monarch. This is the highest state of being a virtuous minister and a filial son. We lament that worldly flattery has become a common practice, lament that the world is so confused and hopeless, and call for true filial sons and wise ministers.

26. The perfect person has no self, the god has no merit, and the saint has no name. "Xiaoyaoyou"

Translation: The perfect man has eliminated the opposition and distinction between things and me, and there is no more "I". Gods and men obey nature, completely abandoning the concept of "merit"; the sage understands the principles of things. , completely abandoning the shackles of "fame". Great people are not burdened by ego, achievements, or fame.

27. The beauty of heaven and earth is not mentioned, the laws of the four seasons are clear but not discussed, and the rationality of all things is not explained. A saint understands the beauty of heaven and earth and realizes the principles of all things.

Translation: The greatest virtues of heaven and earth are not expressed in words, the four seasons have clear laws but are not discussed, and the principles of creation of all things are not explained. The sage studies the virtues of heaven and earth and understands the principles of the creation of all things.

28. Small knowledge is not as good as big knowledge, and small years are not as good as big ones. "Xiaoyaoyou"

Translation: Those with little knowledge do not understand those with much knowledge, those with short lives do not understand those with long lives. "The morning fungi don't know the new moon, and the crickets don't know the spring and autumn." Fungi that are born in the morning and die in the evening, and insects that are born in the summer and die in the autumn are difficult to experience and know more things because of their short life span.

29. Those who are satisfied will not burden themselves with benefits; those who judge their own gains will not be afraid of losing them; those who practice inner cultivation will have no position and will not be embarrassed. "Zhuangzi·Rang Wang"

Translation: A contented person does not work hard for profit; a person who understands how to enjoy himself will not feel worried about losses; a person who pays attention to inner moral cultivation has no I don't feel ashamed of my official position. Only when you are contented and contented and do not seek fame and position can you be detached.

30. The Skull said: "After death, there will be no king above and no ministers below; there will be no events in the four seasons, so the heaven and earth will be regarded as the spring and autumn. Even if the king is enjoying the south, he will not be able to pass by." "Bliss"

Translation: The skeleton said: "A dead person has no king above, no ministers below, and no worries all year round. He can indulge freely and be with the heaven and earth, even if the south is the king. The fun cannot be exceeded.

”

31. I wonder if Zhou’s dream is a butterfly and a butterfly’s dream is Zhou’s? "Zhuangzi·Equality of Things"

Translation: I wonder if it is Zhuang Zhou who turned into a butterfly in his dream? , or did the butterfly turn into Zhuang Zhou in the dream? Zhuangzi came out and said that there is no difference between dreams and awakening. All things are blended into one.

32. Confucius said: "...In the time of Yao and Shun, there were countless people in the world, and it was not a matter of knowing what to gain; in the time of Jie and Zhou, there were no people in the world, and it was not a matter of knowing what to lose; the situation was appropriate. . ""Autumn Waters"

Translation: In the era of Yao and Shun, there were no poor people in the world, not because they were wise; in the era of Jie and Zhou, there were no wise people in the world, not because they were not wise, everything was wrong. It's caused by luck.

33. Great knowledge is leisurely, small knowledge is timeless; great words are arrogant, but small words are Zhanzhan.

Translation: Most. Wise people will always show an open-minded attitude; people with a little talent will always care about trivial rights and wrongs. Speeches that are in line with the truth are as powerful as a prairie fire, both beautiful and grand, making people listen. I am sincerely convinced. Those clever remarks are trivial and nonsense.

34. Although the chef does not manage the restaurant, he will not go over the bottle and take his place. - "Zhuangzi·Xiaoyaoyou". p>

Translation: Although the chef does not make the sacrifices, the master of ceremonies who presides over the sacrifices will not go beyond the arrangement of the sacrifices and do it on the chef's behalf. This means that even if the chef does not perform his duties, he does not have to go beyond himself to offer sacrifices to the gods. Acting on his behalf within the scope of his authority reflects Zhuangzi's idea of ??governing by doing nothing, from which the idiom "Yue Zu Dai Pao" comes from.

35. The beauty of heaven and earth cannot be expressed, and the laws of the four seasons cannot be discussed. , "Zhuangzi·Zhibeiyou"

Translation: The heaven and earth have great creation and merit without talking about them; the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter have clear laws without talking about them; all things have their own laws. The principles are naturally formed and should not be explained. Everything must be done according to the laws of development.

36. If there is no need to be generous, there will be room for ease. "Master"

Translation: There is room for nothing, so there is room for operation. It means that things must be done "according to the laws of heaven" and "There is room for nothing". This is Zhuangzi's health preservation. The core of the theory. It also illustrates the need to understand the laws of nature and act according to them. The two idioms "nothing is complete" and "you are able to do things with ease"

37. Fu Fu Hua. It is a magical thing, and the magical thing turns into stinky rot. Therefore, it is said: "The whole world is filled with energy." ""Zhuangzi·Zhibeiyou"

Translation: People regard the things they like as magic and the things they hate as stinky rot; however, stinky rot can change into magic, and magic can also change. Because it is rotten, it is said: "The whole world is just a kind of qi." "Opposite things can transform into each other. The idiom "turn decay into magic" comes from this.

38. Although the shank of a bird is short, it will be sad if it is continued; although the shank of a crane is long, it will be sad if it is cut off. " "Zhuangzi's Parallel Thumb"

Translation: Although the wild duck's legs are short, if a section is added to it, it will suffer; although the crane's legs are long, if a section is amputated, it will be sad. Doing it forcefully will inevitably lead to misfortune and pain. The idioms "The crane is long and the duck is short" and "The crane is broken but the duck is still there" come from here.

39. Don't you know that your husband's arms are like ruts? I don’t know that it’s because of the beauty of its talent. "Zhuangzi: Human World" Translation: Don’t you know that mantis dances its two sword-like arms in an attempt to block the rolling advance? It does not understand that its own strength is incompetent, but it thinks that its abilities are very powerful. This is the allusion of the idiom "the mantis's arm is like a cart", which is a metaphor for overestimating one's own capabilities.

40. Don’t you know? People call me stupid. If you are unkind, you will hurt others. If you are unkind, you will hurt others. If you are unrighteous, you will hurt yourself. Sang Chu"

Translation: Don't you know? People say I am stupid. Do you know that it harms my body? If I don't practice kindness, I will hurt myself. If I don't practice justice, I will hurt myself. Others; doing righteousness will endanger oneself.

41. The reason why Tsuen is in the fish, he will forget the Tsuen when he gets the fish; the reason why the hoof is in the rabbit, and he will forget the hoof when he gets the rabbit; Word.

How can I talk to someone who has forgotten my words? "Foreign Objects"

Translation: Bamboo cages are used for fishing, and the bamboo cages are forgotten when the fish are caught; rabbit nets are used for catching rabbits, and the rabbit nets are forgotten when the rabbits are caught; language It is used to express ideology. Once you master the ideology, you forget the language. Where can I find someone whose language has been forgotten so that I can talk to him! )

42. What is Tao? There is the way of heaven and there is the way of humanity. Those who are respected by doing nothing are the way of heaven; those who are tired by doing something are the way of humanity. The master is the way of heaven; the minister is the way of humanity. The way of heaven and the way of human beings are far apart, so we must observe them. "In You"

Translation: What is Tao? There is the way of heaven and there is the way of humanity. What is noble by doing nothing is the way of heaven; what is tired by doing is the way of humanity. What is in the dominant position is the way of heaven; what is in the subordinate position is the way of humanity. There is a huge gap between the way of heaven and the way of humanity, which cannot be ignored.

43. When the spring dries up, the fish will stay on the land. It is better to forget each other and forget about the rivers and lakes. "Zhuangzi·The Great Master"

Translation: There has been a long drought without rain, and the river has dried up. Many fish were trapped on the beach in the river. They relied on each other closely, opening and closing their mouths and spitting to moisten their bodies and delay their lives. They waited for the heavy rain to come. It was better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes. It is a metaphor here that people should forget about life and death and wander in the land of great roads. The idiom "to moisten each other with foam", also known as "to moisten each other with foam", comes from this.

44. If there is a machine, there must be an idea, and if there is an idea, there must be an intention. If the mind is in the chest, it will be pure and unprepared; if pure and unprepared, the spirit will be uncertain; if the spirit is uncertain, the Tao will not contain it. "Zhuangzi Heaven and Earth"

Translation: With machinery, ingenuity will arise; with ingenuity, ingenuity will arise; if ingenuity is placed in the heart, pure whiteness will be destroyed quality. Those who do not have the quality of pure whiteness will be unsettled, and those who are unsettled will be abandoned by the Tao. Utilitarianism and cleverness are indeed bad things that harm people.

45. Although the heaven and the earth are big, they are uniform; although all things are many, they are governed by one; although there are many people, they are the master. The king originates from virtue and emerges from heaven. Therefore, it is said that the king of the ancient times did not do anything in the world. He only had virtue from heaven. "Heaven and Earth"

Translation: Although the heaven and the earth are vast, their movements and changes according to their own nature are the same; although all things are numerous, their self-sufficiency is the same; although the people are numerous, their ruler is only the monarch. The monarch is based on virtue and succeeds by following the way of nature and doing nothing. Therefore, it is said that the ancient kings governed the world by doing nothing, and they just followed the natural way of heaven.

46. The problem is getting worse every time you go to the market. "Zhuangzi Knows His Journey to the North"

Translation: A famous city official asked a butcher about the method of checking the fatness of a big pig. The butcher said that the more you step down, the more you will understand. The Tao is everywhere, and the more you look at it from humble places, the more you can see the true situation of the Tao. "Every time the situation gets worse", some people mistakenly meant "every time it gets worse" since the Song Dynasty. Zhang Shizhao also used the wrong word in his "Gu Tong Miscellaneous Notes" published in the "Jiayin" weekly, and was ridiculed by Lu Xun. Nowadays, the word "getting worse" is often used, which means that the situation is getting worse and worse.

47. Sniper Gongfu said: "Three times in the morning and four in the evening." All the snipers were angry. He said: "But it will be four in the morning and three in the evening." All the snipers were happy. "Zhuangzi." Translation: There was an old man who raised monkeys. He gave acorns to the monkeys and said to them: "I will give you three liters in the morning and four liters in the evening, okay?" The monkeys listened. They were all angry. The old man added: "Then four liters in the morning and three liters in the evening!" The monkeys were all happy. Zhuangzi used the principle of "the name and reality are not lost" to describe the fact that those who have not yet attained the Tao cannot forget right and wrong. The idiom "three in the morning and four in the evening" comes from this, which is a metaphor for capriciousness.

48. Mountain trees are invaded by enemies, and burned by fire. Gui is edible, so cut it down; lacquer can be used, so cut it. Everyone knows the uses of useful things, but no one knows the uses of useless things. "Zhuangzi: Human World"

Translation: The trees growing on the mountains were cut down because of natural needs; the ointment was burned because it could provide lighting; the osmanthus tree was cut down because it was edible; lacquer could be used , thus being skinned. Everyone knows the uses of useful things but not the uses of useless things. Being useful and doing something will be harmful, but being useless and doing nothing is a blessing. It elucidates the "use of futility" that is often overlooked and contains simple dialectics.

49. The reason why Tsuen is in the fish, he gets the fish and forgets the Tsuen; the reason why the hoof is in the rabbit, he gets the rabbit and forgets the hoof; the speaker is so concerned about it, but he is so proud that he forgets to speak.

"Zhuangzi · Foreign Objects"

Translation: Bamboo cages are used for fishing, but some people catch fish but forget about the bamboo cage; rabbit nets are used for catching rabbits, but some people catch rabbits but forget about them. Tuwang; Language is used to express thoughts. Some people understand the thoughts but forget the language. Fish and rabbits are used as metaphors, and crabs and hooves are used as metaphors for speech. Emphasizing that catching fish and catching rabbits is the goal, and traps and hooves are just means to achieve the goal, it vividly illustrates the rationality of "being so proud that you forget your words". This is where the idiom "getting the fish forgets the trap" comes from.

50. Nothing is other than what it is; nothing is other than what it is; if you know yourself, you will not see it; if you know yourself, you will know it. Therefore, it is said: He comes from this, and this is also caused by him. "Zhuangzi·Equality of Things"

Translation: Everything in the world has an opposite side, and everything has an opposite side. What is not clear from the other side can be seen more clearly from this side. Therefore, the other comes from this, and this cannot be separated from the other. That is to say, there are two opposite sides of things, and no one can live without the other. It reveals the law of the unity of opposites in the development of things and denies metaphysics and absolute theory. It was 2,400 years earlier than the German physicist Einstein created the theory of relativity.