莊子·秋水（節選） Zhuangzi: Autumn Floods (excerpt) Zhuangzi and his school 莊子 (4th–3rd century BCE) Pre-Qin · c. 3rd century BCE Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-002004 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/002004 Rights: Classical Chinese text of the Warring States period; public domain everywhere. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice. Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/莊子/秋水 (retrieved 2026-10-11) English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0 Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/zhuangzi-autumn-floods ---- 秋水時至，百川灌河，涇流之大，兩涘渚涯之間，不辯牛馬，於是焉，河伯欣然自喜，以爲天下之美，爲盡在己。順流而東行，至於北海，東面而視，不見水端，於是焉，河伯始旋其面目，望洋向若而歎，曰：「野語有之，曰『聞道百，以爲莫己若』者，我之謂也。且夫我嘗聞少仲尼之聞而輕伯夷之義者，始吾弗信，今我睹子之難窮也，吾非至於子之門，則殆矣！吾長見笑於大方之家！」北海若曰：「井蛙不可以語於海者，拘於墟也。夏蟲不可以語於冰者，篤於時也。曲士不可以語於道者，束於教也。今爾出於涯涘，觀於大海，乃知爾醜，爾將可與語大理矣。天下之水，莫大於海，萬川歸之，不知何時止，而不盈，尾閭泄之，不知何時已，而不虛，春秋不變，水旱不知。此其過江、河之流，不可爲量數，而吾未嘗以此自多者，自以比形於天地，而受氣於陰陽，吾在於天地之間，猶小石小木之在大山也，方存乎見少，又奚以自多？計四海之在天地之間也，不似礨空之在大澤乎？計中國之在海內，不似稊米之在大倉乎？號物之數爲之萬，人處一焉；人卒九州，穀食之所生，舟車之所通，人處一焉。此其比萬物也，不似豪末之在於馬體乎？五帝之所連，三王之所爭，仁人之所憂，任士之所勞，盡此矣。伯夷辭之以爲名，仲尼語之以爲博，此其自多也，不似爾向之自多於水乎？」 莊子釣於濮水。楚王使大夫二人往先焉，曰：「願以境內累矣！」莊子持竿不顧，曰：「吾聞楚有神龜，死已三千歲矣，王巾笥而藏之廟堂之上。此龜者，寧其死爲留骨而貴乎？寧其生而曳尾於塗中乎？」二大夫曰：「寧生而曳尾塗中。」莊子曰：「往矣！吾將曳尾於塗中。」 惠子相梁，莊子往見之。或謂惠子曰：「莊子來，欲代子相。」於是惠子恐，廋於國中，三日三夜。莊子往見之，曰：「南方有鳥，其名鵷鶵，子知之乎？夫鵷鶵，發於南海，而飛於北海，非梧桐不止，非練實不食，非醴泉不飲。於是鴟得腐鼠，鵷鶵過之，仰而視之，曰：『嚇！』今子欲以子之梁國而嚇我邪？」 莊子與惠子遊於濠梁之上。莊子曰：「鯈魚出游從容，是魚樂也。」惠子曰：「子非魚，安知魚之樂？」莊子曰：「子非我，安知我不知魚之樂？」惠子曰：「我非子，固不知子矣。子固非魚也，子之不知魚之樂，全矣！」莊子曰：「請循其本。子曰『汝安知魚樂』云者，旣已知吾知之，而問我。我知之濠上也。」 ---- 秋水时至，百川灌河，泾流之大，两涘渚涯之间，不辩牛马，于是焉，河伯欣然自喜，以为天下之美，为尽在己。顺流而东行，至于北海，东面而视，不见水端，于是焉，河伯始旋其面目，望洋向若而叹，曰：「野语有之，曰『闻道百，以为莫己若』者，我之谓也。且夫我尝闻少仲尼之闻而轻伯夷之义者，始吾弗信，今我睹子之难穷也，吾非至于子之门，则殆矣！吾长见笑于大方之家！」北海若曰：「井蛙不可以语于海者，拘于墟也。夏虫不可以语于冰者，笃于时也。曲士不可以语于道者，束于教也。今尔出于涯涘，观于大海，乃知尔丑，尔将可与语大理矣。天下之水，莫大于海，万川归之，不知何时止，而不盈，尾闾泄之，不知何时已，而不虚，春秋不变，水旱不知。此其过江、河之流，不可为量数，而吾未尝以此自多者，自以比形于天地，而受气于阴阳，吾在于天地之间，犹小石小木之在大山也，方存乎见少，又奚以自多？计四海之在天地之间也，不似礨空之在大泽乎？计中国之在海内，不似稊米之在大仓乎？号物之数为之万，人处一焉；人卒九州，谷食之所生，舟车之所通，人处一焉。此其比万物也，不似豪末之在于马体乎？五帝之所连，三王之所争，仁人之所忧，任士之所劳，尽此矣。伯夷辞之以为名，仲尼语之以为博，此其自多也，不似尔向之自多于水乎？」 庄子钓于濮水。楚王使大夫二人往先焉，曰：「愿以境内累矣！」庄子持竿不顾，曰：「吾闻楚有神龟，死已三千岁矣，王巾笥而藏之庙堂之上。此龟者，宁其死为留骨而贵乎？宁其生而曳尾于涂中乎？」二大夫曰：「宁生而曳尾涂中。」庄子曰：「往矣！吾将曳尾于涂中。」 惠子相梁，庄子往见之。或谓惠子曰：「庄子来，欲代子相。」于是惠子恐，廋于国中，三日三夜。庄子往见之，曰：「南方有鸟，其名鹓鶵，子知之乎？夫鹓鶵，发于南海，而飞于北海，非梧桐不止，非练实不食，非醴泉不饮。于是鸱得腐鼠，鹓鶵过之，仰而视之，曰：『吓！』今子欲以子之梁国而吓我邪？」 庄子与惠子游于濠梁之上。庄子曰：「鯈鱼出游从容，是鱼乐也。」惠子曰：「子非鱼，安知鱼之乐？」庄子曰：「子非我，安知我不知鱼之乐？」惠子曰：「我非子，固不知子矣。子固非鱼也，子之不知鱼之乐，全矣！」庄子曰：「请循其本。子曰『汝安知鱼乐』云者，既已知吾知之，而问我。我知之濠上也。」 ---- English translation by Claude (an AI) The autumn floods came in their season, and a hundred streams poured into the Yellow River. Its current swelled so wide that, looking across from bank to island, you could not tell an ox from a horse. At this the Lord of the River was delighted and pleased with himself, thinking that all the beauty in the world was his alone. He followed the current east until he reached the Northern Sea. There he looked east and could see no end to the water. Then the Lord of the River turned his face, gazed out at the vastness towards Ruo, the god of the sea, and sighed: "The country saying goes, 'He has heard of the Way a hundred times and thinks no one is his equal.' That describes me. I once heard people belittle the learning of Confucius and make light of the integrity of Boyi, and at first I did not believe them. Now I have seen how inexhaustible you are. If I had not come to your gate, I would have been in danger, and forever laughed at by those who know the great method." Ruo of the Northern Sea said: "You cannot talk about the sea to a frog in a well: it is confined to its hole. You cannot talk about ice to an insect of summer: it is bound to its season. You cannot talk about the Way to a narrow scholar: he is tied by his teaching. Now you have come out from your banks and seen the great sea, and you know your own smallness. Now it is possible to speak with you of the great principle. Of all the waters in the world, none is greater than the sea. Ten thousand rivers flow into it, no one knows when they will stop, and still it is never full. At the Weilü it drains away, no one knows when it will cease, and still it is never empty. Spring and autumn do not change it; flood and drought it does not notice. How far it exceeds the flow of the Yangzi and the Yellow River cannot be measured or counted. Yet I have never made much of myself for this. I compare my form with heaven and earth, and I receive my breath from yin and yang. Between heaven and earth I am like a small stone or a small tree on a great mountain. Since I see how little I am, how could I make much of myself? Reckon the four seas within heaven and earth: are they not like a little hollow in a great marsh? Reckon the Middle Kingdom within the four seas: is it not like a grain of rice in a great granary? We number the kinds of things at ten thousand, and man is one of them. Of all the people of the nine provinces, wherever grain grows and boats and carts can go, any one person is just one of them. Compared with the ten thousand things, is he not like the tip of a hair on a horse's body? What the Five Emperors handed down, what the Three Kings fought for, what the benevolent worry about and the capable labour over, comes to no more than this. Boyi won fame by declining it, Confucius was thought learned for talking about it. In making much of themselves, were they not like you a moment ago, making much of yourself because of your water?" Zhuangzi was fishing in the river Pu when the king of Chu sent two high officials to go ahead and see him, saying: "I would like to trouble you with the affairs of my realm." Zhuangzi held on to his fishing rod and did not look round. He said: "I have heard that in Chu there is a sacred tortoise that has been dead for three thousand years. The king keeps it wrapped in cloth and boxed, high in the ancestral temple. Would this tortoise rather be dead, and have its bones left behind and honoured? Or would it rather be alive, dragging its tail in the mud?" The two officials said: "It would rather be alive, dragging its tail in the mud." Zhuangzi said: "Go back. I will drag my tail in the mud." When Huizi was chief minister of Liang, Zhuangzi went to see him. Someone said to Huizi: "Zhuangzi is coming, and he wants to replace you as minister." At this Huizi was afraid, and searched throughout the state for three days and three nights. Zhuangzi went to see him and said: "In the south there is a bird called the yuanchu. Have you heard of it? The yuanchu sets out from the Southern Sea and flies to the Northern Sea. It will not rest anywhere but on a wutong tree, will not eat anything but the fruit of the bamboo, will not drink anything but the sweetest spring water. Now an owl had found a rotten rat, and as the yuanchu passed overhead, the owl looked up at it and said: 'Shoo.' Now do you want to shoo me away with your state of Liang?" Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling on the bridge over the river Hao. Zhuangzi said: "The minnows come out and swim about at their ease. This is the happiness of fish." Huizi said: "You are not a fish. How do you know the happiness of fish?" Zhuangzi said: "You are not me. How do you know I do not know the happiness of fish?" Huizi said: "I am not you, so certainly I do not know you. And you are certainly not a fish, so the case is complete: you do not know the happiness of fish." Zhuangzi said: "Let us go back to where we began. When you said, 'How do you know the happiness of fish?', you already knew that I knew it, and that is why you asked me. I know it from here, above the river Hao."