Taking "Xiaoyaoyou" as an example, let's talk about the romanticism of "Zhuangzi"

The aesthetic quality of Zhuangzi's "Xiaoyaoyou"

Recently when I was reading a book comparing Chinese and Western philosophy, I saw that Nietzsche and Zhuangzi in the West have many similarities, so I read it Some of Zhuangzi's books are like Zhuangzi's otherworldly state of mind.

"Xiaoyaoyou" is the highest state of Zhuangzi's thought and the highest ideal of Zhuangzi's theory. Regarding the issue of philosophy of life, Zhuangzi advocated adopting a carefree and natural attitude towards life, advocating "mind fasting" and "sitting and forgetting", emphasizing the concept of "spirit", and put forward the view that "Li and Xi Shi are one and the same." These profound philosophical propositions are also aesthetic propositions. Wen Yiduo said that Zhuangzi is "the most authentic poet" and "his thought itself is a wonderful poem." ① "Xiaoyaoyou", as the general outline of "Zhuangzi", naturally shows its profound connotation more prominently. The aesthetic view shows extremely rich aesthetic qualities.

1. Aesthetic Mind - "Xin Zhai", "Zi Wang"

Zhuangzi regarded "Tao" as the highest form of human existence in nature and praised it. He believed that " The contemplation of "Tao" is the greatest happiness in life. "Tian Zifang" clarifies this truth in the form of a dialogue between Confucius and Laozi, proposing that as long as we can realize the contemplation of "Tao", we can achieve a state of "perfect beauty and happiness". And this state can only be experienced by those "perfect men", "gods" and "sages" who have abandoned life and death, fame, gains and losses, wealth and poverty, and reputation, because "the perfect man has no self, the gods have no merit, and the saint has no name." . The three levels of mental states of no self, no merit, and no name are the prerequisites for reaching "the ultimate happiness and beauty", and then there is the state of "losing limbs and losing intelligence". From the elimination of the material world to the elimination and negation of ideology, Zhuangzi calls this highest level "xinzhai", also known as "sitting and forgetting".

In "Xiaoyaoyou", from Kunpeng to Yanque, from the great virtue to the small virtue, they are all "waiting for something". That is to say, the subject cannot cancel its dependence on objective things, and it cannot enter the spiritual realm of "free travel" with absolute freedom. Only those "perfect men", "gods" and "sages" who can completely eliminate the concept of interests and gains from the depths of their hearts, free themselves from all kinds of calculations and considerations of right and wrong, and enter the spiritual level of "three noes" can enter. The realm of "free travel". The "sage" Xu You in "Xiaoyaoyou", the "godman" on the mountain of Miaogushe, the "perfect man" in the chapter "Dasheng", and the "real person" in the chapter "Tian Zifang" are all " "Nothing to wait for" character. In order to achieve "nothing to wait for", they must first enter the realm of "three nothings", or as the "Great Master" said, "external world", "external things", "exogenous", that is, personal Favor, disgrace, gains and losses, worldly affairs, and even life and death are all excluded from the mind, creating an empty state of mind. Only with this empty state of mind can we realize the contemplation of "Tao". Of course, it is incomplete just to exclude the connection between human beings and the material world and even human life and death. Zhuangzi also excludes and denies human ideology, that is, "the limbs are eliminated, the intelligence is eliminated, and the knowledge is separated from the form, and it is the same as the Great Tong". "The shape is like a dead tree, and the heart is like ashes." This is what the "Human World" chapter calls "empty and waiting for things" "Xin Zhai" and the "Grand Master" chapter calls "sitting and forgetting". People should be freed from various physical and psychological desires, freed from worries about interests and fame, and freed from confusion about death and life. When Zhuangzi moved his understanding of death and life from the human body to another higher and more universal existence beyond the individual, the boundaries between death and life disappeared; when Zhuangzi negated the human spiritual world, "the heart The "virtual" state of being as gray as death is reached. The so-called "waiting for things" is actually "not waiting for things". This kind of spiritual state is closer to the state of "Tao". Zhuangzi gave a profound explanation of this attitude towards life through "Xiaoyaoyou".

From this interpretation, we can see that the realm of "Xiaoyaoyou" takes "mind fasting" and "sitting and forgetfulness" as the ideal natural state, which can realize the contemplation of "Tao" and thus truly Enter a state of "touring". "Wandering" is not only a state of spiritual existence, but also a spiritual realm and aesthetic realm. Regarding the aesthetic characteristics of "touring", the following article will provide a special analysis.

Zhuangzi's formation of a "nothing to wait" state of "mind fasting" and "sitting and forgetting" is inseparable from the social, humanistic and political environment in which he lived. He wants to enter the pure spiritual world to escape from the material world of the strong and the strong, as well as fame and wealth. This negative concept of escaping from the world will inevitably lead to the loss of people's subjective initiative.

However, as an aesthetic proposition, this realm marks the real discovery of the theory of aesthetic mind in the history of Chinese classical aesthetics. Mr. Ye Lang pointed out that "the spiritual realm of 'mind fasting' and 'sitting and forgetting' proposed by Zhuangzi, as a requirement for the aesthetic subject, has its rationality. ... Zhuangzi's talk about 'heart fasting' ', 'Sitting and Forgetting', which highlights that the subject of aesthetic observation and creation must transcend the concept of interests, which can be regarded as the real discovery of aesthetic mind (and in a certain sense can also be regarded as the discovery of the aesthetic subject) " ②

First of all, the mental state of "nothing to wait for" is the primary requirement for aesthetic subjects. As an aesthetic subject, when he enters the state of creating or appreciating beauty, he must abandon any practical considerations of gain and loss, abandon the constraints of existing social concepts and humanistic concepts, and devote himself wholeheartedly to the carving and appreciation of aesthetic objects. go. Only in this way can we fully mobilize our aesthetic feelings, emotions, imagination, ideals and other abilities, forget both things and myself, and gain aesthetic pleasure. If the aesthetic subject cannot insist on "doing nothing" and is still burdened by the objective, it will not be able to enter the natural, natural, and transcendent realm, and both spirit and creativity will be restricted, thus affecting the creation and appreciation of aesthetic objects. , it will not be able to release the most perfect aesthetic pleasure in the end. Whether in "Xiaoyaoyou" or in other articles, Zhuangzi emphasized the proposition of "waiting for nothing" and "waiting for things in vain", which actually entered into what Schopenhauer called "aesthetic contemplation". The state of "happy wandering" is an aesthetic way to obtain temporary relief from the shackles of will and desire. This way inevitably requires the subject to give up habitual views, break the boundaries between nature and human beings, and maximize the integration of human beings into the world. Naturally, abandon your own material desires and desires. Many fables in "Zhuangzi" also support this theory more profoundly. Zi Qing in the "Da Sheng" chapter whittled wood into pieces, which is extremely exquisite. He emphasized that the state of creation should be "fast and meditative", "dare not think about celebration and rewards", "dare not think about praise for skill and clumsiness", and "often forget that I have limbs and body". This is exactly the state of "no merit", "nameless" and "selfless", which is an aesthetic mind.

Secondly, Zhuangzi's aesthetic mind of "mind fasting" and "sitting and forgetting" has a more prominent significance in aesthetic creation activities. It became the origin of the "Xu Jing Theory" in ancient Chinese art creation theory. "Void tranquility" is also called quiet contemplation, emptiness, clearing the mind, concentrating the mind, etc. It refers to a mental state in which the subject eliminates the interference of all subjective and objective factors and concentrates on artistic conception and creation. This state is also the state of "nothing to wait" and the state of "swimming". Zhuangzi praised Zi Qing's superb skills, but he admired his mental state even more, which is the expression of "emptiness and tranquility". The thought of emptiness and tranquility can be regarded as the necessary psychological state for the subject to engage in aesthetic or artistic creation activities, but fundamentally speaking, it requires the subject to detach from the world, forget what is behind, and have a clear and empty mind, so as to obtain spiritual liberation and spiritual freedom. It is similar to "Xinzhai" and "Ziowang". Zhuangzi's thoughts of emptiness and tranquility had a profound influence on the art of later generations. The painter Zong Bing during the Wei and Jin Dynasties asked "the sage to clarify his taste and images" in "Preface to Painting Landscapes", and "Song Book? Hermitage Biography" records that he still lamented himself in his later years. With old age and illness, it may be difficult to see all the famous mountains, but we should observe the Tao with a clear mind and lie down to swim around it. "Chenghuai" means to cleanse the mind and clear the heart. It is the practice of Zhuangzi's "heart fasting" thought. Su Shi described the creative scene when the painter Wen Ke painted ink bamboo in his poem "Book Chao Bu Zhi Zhi Ji Ke Painting Bamboo": "When I painted bamboo with Ke Ke, I saw the bamboo but not the people. How could I not see the people alone and leave my body behind?" . Its body and bamboo are endlessly refreshing. Who knows that this concentration is the basic premise of artistic conception and creation? From Laozi to Zhuangzi, the theory of aesthetic mind has experienced a process from its inception to its actual discovery and promotion, and then influenced China's artistic creation for thousands of years. From Li Bai to Zhang Xu, from Zong Bing to Guo Xi, this quiet aesthetic mind has always influenced scholars and Chinese art. The inner core of this art is the "selfless", "useless" and "nameless" mind in "Xiaoyaoyou", as well as the state of mind of "emptying oneself and treating others".

2. Zhuangzi’s aesthetic realm - "You"

When we look at the realm of "You" in "Xiaoyaoyou", it is first of all an aesthetic realm, which is "the ultimate happiness" "Beauty" realm. In the chapter "Tian Zifang", Zhuangzi used Laozi's words to say, "My mind wanders to the beginning of things", "If you find this, it is the most beautiful and happy. When you get the most beautiful and wander to the most happy, you are called the perfect person." Here, "wandering one's mind at the beginning of things" means wandering one's mind on the Tao, that is, "wandering freely".

"You" is a basic concept in "Xiaoyaoyou". It shows the freedom and boundlessness of this aesthetic realm and a free and comfortable realm of life. With this state, "people" can transcend the state of existence of "objects" and "roles" and soar between the heaven, earth and universe.

Zhuangzi uses the word "游" to determine this state of "perfect happiness and beauty", such as "to travel to infinity", "to travel beyond the four seas", "to travel to a land where there is nothing", " "Wandering the mind is indifferent" and so on. From today's aesthetic perspective, these all accurately grasp the characteristics of aesthetic activities and are beyond ordinary aesthetic activities. Because Zhuangzi's "you" is a kind of "mind fasting" and "sitting and forgetfulness", it not only transcends utilitarianism, but also transcends the self, and transcends the physical and psychological characteristics of the self, so it has a more ethereal and magical aesthetic quality. In fact, the original meaning of "you" is game. Mr. Ye Lang pointed out that games have no utilitarian purpose. ③Utilitarianism is a threat to the natural state of "you" and is a noise that destroys the sound of the natural flute. The realm of pure "wandering" is beyond material desires and utilitarianism. It will not be stagnant in things, burdened by things, burdened by the world, or burdened by fame. Therefore, in our modern eyes, this is a pure form of wandering. Aesthetic realm. Similarly, from our aesthetic perspective today, what supports Zhuangzi is a spirit of play, a spirit of detachment, and a spirit of aesthetics. Of course, Zhuangzi himself would not be aware of the existence of this spirit. Moreover, he denied the spiritual world and at the same time assimilated beauty and ugliness. Aesthetics had no meaning to him. These meanings will only have an impact on future generations and us today. We say that Zhuangzi's "game" is an artistic and aesthetic game. It is a game that "takes advantage of the righteousness of heaven and earth, and controls the debate of the six qi to swim infinitely." It is a spiritual game with rich aesthetic charm. In Zhuangzi's works, we can clearly feel this grand atmosphere of "wandering". The essence of this kind of breath, from an aesthetic point of view, is aesthetic pleasure at the level of spiritual personality. The cook Ding in "The Master of Health" "cuts the cow with ease" and "the blade is as new as a sword after nineteen years", reaching the state of roaming at will. This is the same as the aforementioned Zi Qing who whittled wood into jade. of. Although Cook Ding's behavior is not purely artistic creation, the so-called "The sound of the stone is loud, the sound of the sword is loud, and all the sounds are in the middle. It is in harmony with the dance in the mulberry forest, which is the meeting of the first of the Chinese classics." This means that Cook Ding's explanation of the cow is consistent with music and dance The rhythm has reached the realm of aesthetics. Moreover, while Cook Ding brings others into the aesthetic realm and makes them amazed, he also gets pleasure himself. This kind of pleasure comes from gaining the freedom to create, which is a kind of spiritual enjoyment that comes from entering the aesthetic realm, that is, aesthetic pleasure. At this time, Cook Ding "stands with the knife in hand, looking around and feeling full of ambition". This kind of happiness is obviously super utilitarian, and Cook Ding's creative state is exactly the state of "emptiness and tranquility". As Marx said: People "intuit themselves in the world they create", "reproduce themselves" and "affirm themselves". When people find their own state of freedom, they come into contact with the essence of beauty and beauty. From our "human" perspective, the "you" in "Xiaoyaoyou" symbolizes "life" and is a state of life. "You" represents this part of life, a carefree life, and "You" also means freedom and happiness. Although the state of freedom is fascinating, you cannot obtain the qualification to "travel" out of thin air. If you want to travel to your heart's content, you must strengthen your own cultivation and sublimation. "Xiaoyaoyou" introduces the four levels of life. In fact, human sublimation is endless. This is what Zhuangzi believes in "infinity". Only in infinity can one achieve true ease and ease.

The realm of "you" was even described by Zhuangzi in a magical way in "Xiaoyaoyou": "On the mountain of Miaogushe, there are gods and men living there, their skin is like ice and snow, and their bodies are like virgins." He does not eat grains, but breathes wind and drinks dew. He rides on the clouds, rides on flying dragons, and travels across the four seas." Here Zhuangzi breaks the restriction of individuals from external objects and wanders between heaven and earth. Although it is not purely "idle", this description of the supernatural has already reflected the observation of "Tao". This is an indulgent and unhindered spiritual journey, and it is also the subject's journey beyond time and space. Zhuangzi requires "taking advantage of the righteousness of heaven and earth and guarding against the debate of the six qi", achieving the unity of subjective spirit and "Tao" in "you", and entering into the "heaven and earth and I coexist, and all things are one with me". "The state of being alone in spiritual communication with heaven and earth" ("Qiwu Lun"). This idea laid the foundation for the image thinking theory of "the wandering of gods and objects" and "harmony between thought and environment" in Chinese classical aesthetics. Entering today's aesthetic level, Zhuangzi's "wandering" process is a process of closely combining imagination and images. At the same time, image thinking also contains strong emotional activities of the theme.

Zhuangzi not only brings us vivid objects and rich emotions, but also brings many soaring imaginations. This is Zhuangzi's breakthrough and transcendence of concrete external objects. This style that does not stick to formality is a manifestation of "xinzhai" and "sitting and forgetting". It is in this sense that Zhuangzi's free realm that transcends time and space laid the foundation for image thinking in artistic creation, and especially had a profound influence on Chinese poetry creation.

3. The aesthetics of "Xiaoyaoyou"

The "you" in "Xiaoyaoyou" refers to the spiritual realm of wandering in the "Tao", which is the origin of Zhuangzi's philosophical thought. The core is "Tao". In "Xiaoyaoyou", in order to demonstrate the highest realm of "Tao", he "used the word 'big' as a clue throughout the text" and used "the distinction between small and big" as the keynote throughout the text. In "Xiaoyaoyou", the natural creatures are as big as giant rocs, as small as learning doves and scolding eagles; their lifespans are as long as ghosts and big chuns, and as short as morning mushrooms and crickets; in social life, great virtues such as Rongzi of Song Dynasty and Lie Yukou, There is no difference in essence between small virtues and those who seek fame and fortune, with small knowledge and great knowledge, small years and great years, and small virtues and great virtues. Not only is there no difference in size, but there is also no difference in beauty or ugliness, nobility, right or wrong, life or death, just like "the difference between small and big". In "The Theory of Equality of Things", he proposed: "Therefore, Ju and Ying, Li and Xi Shi, Wei and Wei, Tao are connected into one." That is to say, small grass stalks and big wood, the ugliest person and the most beautiful person There is no difference between people, as well as all strange and weird things. If we use the ontology of "Tao" to understand them, they are all the same.

From the perspective of today's people, Zhuangzi's philosophy completely ignores the deterministic nature of things, and regards "big and small", "beauty and ugliness", "good and evil", etc. as purely subjective things. . In this way, he went from aesthetic relativism to aesthetic subjectivism, and undoubtedly fell into the misunderstanding of the relativistic epistemology of subjective idealism. In fact, starting from Zhuangzi's thoughts, Zhuangzi not only denied the determinism of things, but even the things themselves. His view of "equalizing things" actually destroyed relativism. There was no aesthetics in Zhuangzi's era, so we The generalizations of later generations were meaningless to Zhuangzi's time. However, as an aesthetic proposition, we can explore an aesthetic view from Zhuangzi's thoughts, and this aesthetic view has a significance that cannot be ignored in the history of ancient Chinese aesthetics.

First of all, in Zhuangzi's philosophical system, the concepts of big and small, beauty and ugliness are not only relative and identical, but also nihilistic. Only "Tao" as the ontology of the universe is the highest and absolute. of. That is, "Heaven and earth have great beauty without saying anything." This is a beauty that is full of vitality and natural force in the universe. This had a vital impact on the logical system of Chinese classical aesthetics. In Chinese classical aesthetics, the beauty and ugliness of phenomena only belong to a lower-level aesthetic category. Mr. Ye Lang pointed out that "as long as a natural object or a work of art has business, as long as it fully expresses the vitality of the universe, then ugly things can also be appreciated and loved by people, and ugliness can also become beautiful, and even become more beautiful." Ugly is more beautiful. " ④ This highest category of "vivid charm" has become one of the distinctive aesthetic features of Chinese classical aesthetics.

From the perspective of aesthetic creation, we see that the aesthetics in Zhuangzi’s thought is not focused on realistically reproducing specific objects, but on the entire nature; it is not limited to expressing a single object, but It strives to express the sense of life, history, and universe contained in the object, and to express the vitality of the universe's vitality. Even a plant, a tree, a hill or a stone must embody its aura, vitality and strength. This is what Liu Xie said in "Wen Xin Diao Long", "writing Qi pictures and appearances", and Wang Wei's "Xu Hua" said "using a brush to imitate the body of Taixu". Of course, it’s not just about aesthetic creation. In terms of aesthetic appreciation, Zhuangzi seems not to pay attention to the perceptual external form of aesthetic objects. He pays more attention to observing the spirit and charm hidden in the external form. In "Xiaoyaoyou" and other articles, Zhuangzi created a large number of ugly images of outcasts, outcasts, and big galls. From today's aesthetic point of view, his creation shows the following aesthetics: Appearance The body is not important, what is important is the inner spirit and strength. Beauty and ugliness are most perfectly transformed here, and the ultimate beauty is also sublimated. This ultimate beauty obviously originated from Zhuangzi's "discrimination between small and large" and "the Tao is unified into one".

Secondly, "Xiaoyaoyou" shows us Zhuangzi's proposition of "the difference between small and big", and also marks out to us an aesthetic ideal of "natural beauty", which has established an important position in the history of Chinese classical aesthetics. A kind of beauty or ideal of beauty that is opposite to "wrongly excavated gold" and "full of carved gold".

In "Xiaoyaoyou", the unrestrained state of "walking with the wind" is actually the state of nature. When people are in nature, nature is beautiful. The beauty of nature contains inner life and lively vitality. It nurtures all things, thrives, and expresses infinite business. No wonder Zhuangzi praised in "Zhibeiyou": "The heaven and the earth are of great beauty, the four seasons have clear laws without discussion, and everything has its own reason without explanation." The proposition "Tao follows nature" conveys the concept of Taoist aesthetics. One of the most basic ideas is the unified view of truth and beauty. From the Taoist point of view, the most beautiful is the most natural, and the highest aesthetic standards and realm are in line with nature, embodying simplicity, nature, and indifference. All man-made things that go against nature destroy the "beauty of heaven and earth", that is, the "beauty of nature". From this, Zhuangzi believes that, as far as nature is concerned, the giant roc in "Xiaoyaoyou" is waiting for the wind; the horse in "Horse Hoof" is restrained and has lost its natural beauty. As far as social life is concerned, the snobs in "Xiaoyaoyou" are swayed by fame; the great virtues, such as the imperial bandits, are "still waiting for something" and have lost their natural beauty. As far as art is concerned, "literary talent" is bad for "five colors", "six laws" is bad for "five tones", "xizun" is bad for "simple", and "guizhang" is bad for "white jade" ("Horseshoe"). Everything man-made destroys the beauty of nature. Only the "natural release" of animals in nature without restraint, and the "natural sounds" and "natural happiness" in artistic creation without human intervention, are the beauty that is in line with the nature of nature. Even in "Xiaoyaoyou", the place where the giant peng is suitable is "the one in Nanming, Tianchi." "Tianchi", Cheng Xuanying notes: "The sea and the floods are created by the original husband and not made by humans, so it is called Tianchi." "This shows that whether it is "Xiaoyaoyou" or other articles of Zhuangzi, the aesthetic ideal of "naturalism" runs through them.

Of course, Zhuangzi’s proposition denies all art on the surface, because the birth of works of art is bound to be restricted and affected by various objective factors. Purely natural artistic creation and aesthetic state are not Existence, unreality, Zhuangzi's thoughts have no practical operability. Despite this, his view of "natural beauty" as an aesthetic pursuit still had a profound impact on Chinese classical aesthetics. Liu Xie's "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons" emphasizes the beauty of nature everywhere. When it comes to poetry creation, it is "feeling things and reciting aspirations, it is not natural"; when it comes to the writer's personality and style, it is "the constant appearance of nature"; when it comes to essay style, it is "the nature of nature". interest". Zhong Rong's "Shi Pin" also puts forward the aesthetic proposition of "natural British purpose". Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty clearly advocated the aesthetic ideal of "hibiscus comes out of clear water, and the natural decoration is removed". In this way, in the history of Chinese classical aesthetics, an aesthetic ideal was formed that was opposite to the aesthetic feeling or ideal of beauty of "wrongly engraved gold" and "eyes full of carvings". To quote Mr. Zong Baihua, this kind of natural beauty shows a new ideal of beauty. It is a higher realm of beauty and a great liberation in the history of aesthetic thought. ⑤ Zhuangzi is the forerunner of this kind of liberation.

Above, through "Xiaoyaoyou", we tried to get a glimpse of the aesthetic mind, aesthetic realm and aesthetic concept contained in Zhuangzi's thoughts. "Xiaoyaoyou" brings a new spiritual form to Chinese classical aesthetics - a philosophy about people's aesthetic concerns, potential abilities and free creation. "Xiaoyaoyou" inspired the artistic spirit of the ancients and has influenced today, and has very rich aesthetic connotations. Wen Yiduo said: "Chinese culture will always have the imprint of Zhuangzi." ⑥ Guo Moruo once commented on Zhuangzi: "Almost most of the history of literature since the Qin and Han Dynasties developed under his (Zhuangzi's) influence", ⑦ This is exactly the aesthetic quality of "Happy Journey".

Appreciation of "Xiaoyaoyou"

"Xiaoyaoyou" is the first chapter of "Zhuangzi·Neipian". It is Zhuangzi's masterpiece, and it more concentratedly expresses Zhuangzi's pursuit of absolute freedom in life. View. The full text of "Xiaoyaoyou" is divided into two parts. The first part is the general introduction, which demonstrates that everything in the world is "waiting for something" but not free, and what I pursue is the highest state of "waiting for nothing". The second part uses a series of fables to demonstrate the realm of "no self", "gods and men have no merit" and "sage has no name" proposed in the first part, as well as the proposition that this realm can be achieved through "inaction". The whole article focuses on an important aspect of Zhuangzi's philosophical thought, namely nihilism and absolute freedom. The text is selected from the first part and the third paragraph.

Paragraph 1 explains that all things in the world, as big as a bird or as small as dust, all have their activities "to be determined" and are not free. This section can be divided into three levels.

The first level describes the image of Kunpeng. Kunpeng's body is huge, its changes are miraculous and unpredictable, and it is magnificent when flying.

On the second level, it is written that there is something waiting for the bird flying south, and it is compared with "wild horse" and "dust" to show that everything is waiting. The Peng bird will hit the water for three thousand miles during the sea voyage, soar up to ninety thousand miles, and then fly south by the June gale. The Peng bird will wait for the June gale during the sea voyage. The steaming mist in the mountains and the dust in the air are waiting to be "blown with breath". In order to emphasize that the Peng bird is "waiting for something", the author uses two metaphors: a big boat floating in deep water and a mustard cup of water to carry it. It shows that the Peng bird must rely on strong winds and a vast sky to fly 90,000 miles high. Planning to go south.

The third level, refutation of Xiaoxu and Xuejiu, shows that these two animals also have something to look forward to. The xiao and the dove cannot fly high or travel far, but they think they are free and happy, so they laugh at the bird's feat of flying high and traveling far. The author counters this with the metaphor of preparing food for a journey. "Those who are suitable for the vast wilderness", "those who are suitable for a hundred miles" and "those who are suitable for a thousand miles" have different food preparations because the distance of the journey is different. The peng bird has a broad back and big wings, so it can ride on the strong winds to travel thousands of miles; the xue dove has a light body and small wings, and is content with its spear and elm. Although the treatments are different, they are all treated according to their own characteristics. Xuexuejiu and Xuejiu did not realize the difference between themselves and Pengniao. Instead, they laughed at Pengniao's needless flight to the south.

The second paragraph summarizes, supplements, and confirms the above, explaining that within the scope of "to be" of all things, there is a "little or big debate". This section can be divided into two levels.

The first level is to summarize the above and clarify the principle of "small knowledge is not as good as big knowledge, small years are not as good as big years". "Less than" contains two meanings: unattainable and incomprehensible. The author cites the following examples: "Chao bacteria don't know Hui Shuo, and worms don't know Spring and Autumn"; Ming Ling "takes five hundred years as spring, and five hundred years as autumn"; Dachun "takes eight thousand years as spring, and eight thousand years as autumn"; Peng Zu Taking the world-famous longevity as an example, it shows that small knowledge cannot understand great knowledge, and those with short lifespan cannot understand those with long lifespan. The difference between "little knowledge" and "big knowledge", and "big year" and "small year" actually emphasizes the difference in people's understanding. In Zhuangzi's view, it is very sad that all things have their own needs, but they must also be artificially transformed from small to large.

On the second level, a passage from "Tang Zhi Asks the Thorns" is quoted to supplement the previous article and point out the "little and big debate". The paragraph "Tang Zhi Wen Ji" seems to overlap with the content of the first paragraph "There are fishes in the North Ming Dynasty", but this is not the case. Liu Wu, a modern scholar, has a good explanation of these two passages in his "Supplementary Notes to the Internal Chapters of Zhuangzi's Collection": "The preceding words are almost strange, and they come from "Qi Xie", so I am afraid that people may suspect that they are not canonical, so I quote Tang Ji's question and answer to prove it. The details of the front and back are different enough to make it clear. Foreword, the pendant is thousands of miles away, which means it is built. This is the shape of Mount Tai. I don’t know its shape. The shape of this is the shape of a wild horse. In fact, this is explained by the word "cloud energy". It means leaping up to show the momentum of the gun. If it is not like this, the previous words are not stated, and the previous meaning is not stated, and it is not sufficient. Therefore, it is repeated but not repeated.” It can be seen that this paragraph is not a repetition of paragraph 1. In terms of argumentation, it corresponds to the content at the beginning of the chapter, and summarizes the various phenomena mentioned above, calling it the "little and big debate".

The third paragraph moves from a general discussion of all things to a specific discussion of people in society, clarifying the realm of Xiaoyaoyou, which is the highest realm of cultivation in Zhuangzi's ideal, and highlighting the theme of the full text.

The four types of people who can "effect", "compare", "combine" and "conquer", although they have certain talents and cultivation, are all bound by fame and fortune, and are burdened by the worldly "one" corner. , cannot get rid of the limitations of subjectivity and objectivity, and is as short-sighted as scolds and doves, far from reaching the realm of free travel. Song Rongzi was able to ignore the world's praises and slanders, and was able to recognize the distinction between the inner self and external things, and the boundaries between honor and disgrace. However, his cultivation was "still not yet established" and he could not yet reach the state of free travel. Liezi walked on the wind, and it was light and graceful. The external world seemed to have few restrictions on him, and there were no constraints on his body and mind. Is it considered a free journey? The answer is no: "Although this is exempt from walking, there is still something to look forward to." "Because Liezi still needs the strength of the wind. Although Liezi and Song Rongzi were much higher than the previous four kinds of people, just like the Peng bird was much higher than the dove and the scoundrel, the most common point between them was that they had something to wait for, so they were not free. tour. So, what counts as a free and easy journey? Zhuangzi put forward his own idea head-on, which is: "Those who take advantage of the righteousness of heaven and earth, and control the debate of the six qi, and want to travel infinitely, will be treated badly?" Conform to the nature of all things. Only when things and I are integrated can we have nothing to wait for, and we can travel freely. To reach this state, one must be "selfless", "useless" and "nameless". Only "perfect men", "gods" and "sages" can achieve these. At this point, the theme of the article suddenly becomes clear.

Key points of appreciation

1. Use fables to reason. Lu Xun's "Outline of the History of Chinese Literature" commented on the characteristics of Zhuangzi's prose: "He wrote more than 100,000 words, mostly fables, characters and places, all empty of facts, but his writings are vast and open, with all kinds of manners. The works of various scholars in the late Zhou Dynasty, "Nothing can be done first." "Xiaoyaoyou" uses a large number of fables to entrust the idea of ??"nothing to wait" in vivid images. For example, some of the characters Kun, Peng, Xiao, Xuejiu and Kui in this article are based on myths and stories, and some are fabricated, but they are all incorporated into his fables, entrusting his thoughts and making people unknowingly enter the artistic conception created by him. , accept infection.

2. Rich imagination and broad artistic conception. For example, at the beginning of the article, Kun's magical transformation and Peng's flight into space are very strange and imaginative. When writing about Peng's southward migration, there are one "blow", one "thrust", "three thousand miles", "ninety thousand miles", and "swinging" straight up. What a magnificent artistic conception. The rich imagination makes the article unrestrained and full of romanticism. It seems absurd, but it is an expression of the author's true feelings.

3. Use various rhetorical techniques such as metaphor, exaggeration, and personification. For example, in the first paragraph, it is an exaggeration to write that the water is carrying the boat to carry it, and the water is compared to the wind, and the big boat is to be compared to the roc; to write that the roc flies southward "the water hits three thousand miles, and it soars up ninety thousand miles"; to describe the learning dove , endows people with emotions and is personification. These all enhance the expressive effect of the article.

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