莊子·養生主
Zhuangzi: The Secret of Caring for Life
Zhuangzi (Zhuang Zhou) 莊子 (c. 369–c. 286 BCE)
Pre-Qin · c. 4th century BCE

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-002003 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/002003
Rights: Classical Chinese text of the Warring States period; the author died about 286 BCE. 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/養生主 (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-the-secret-of-caring-for-life

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吾生也有涯，而知也无涯。以有涯隨无涯，殆已。已而爲知者，殆而已矣。爲善无近名，爲惡无近刑，緣督以爲經，可以保身，可以全生，可以養親，可以盡年。

庖丁爲文惠君解牛，手之所觸，肩之所倚，足之所履，膝之所踦，砉然嚮然，奏刀騞然，莫不中音，合於桑林之舞，乃中經首之會。文惠君曰：「譆！善哉！技蓋至此乎！」庖丁釋刀，對曰：「臣之所好者，道也，進乎技矣。始臣之解牛之時，所見无非牛者。三年之後，未嘗見全牛也。方今之時，臣以神遇而不以目視，官知止而神欲行，依乎天理，批大郤，導大窾，因其固然，技經肯綮之未嘗，而況大軱乎？良庖歲更刀，割也。族庖月更刀，折也。今臣之刀，十九年矣，所解數千牛矣，而刀刃若新發於硎。彼節者有間，而刀刃者无厚，以无厚入有間，恢恢乎其於遊刃必有餘地矣，是以十九年而刀刃若新發於硎。雖然，每至於族，吾見其難爲，怵然爲戒，視爲止，行爲遟，動刀甚微，謋然已解，如土委地，提刀而立，爲之四顧，爲之躊躇滿志，善刀而藏之。」文惠君曰：「善哉！吾聞庖丁之言，得養生焉。」

公文軒見右師而驚，曰：「是何人也？惡乎介也？天與？其人與？」曰：「天也，非人也。天之生是使獨也，人之貌有與也，以是知其天也，非人也。」澤雉十步一啄，百步一飲，不蘄畜乎樊中，神雖王，不善也。

老聃死，秦失弔之，三號而出。弟子曰：「非夫子之友邪？」曰：「然。」「然則弔焉若此，可乎？」曰：「然。始也，吾以爲其人也，而今，非也。向吾入而弔焉，有老者哭之，如哭其子，少者哭之，如哭其母。彼其所以會之，必有不蘄言而言，不蘄哭而哭者，是遁天倍情，忘其所受，古者謂之遁天之刑。適來，夫子時也；適去，夫子順也；安時而處順，哀樂不能入也，古者謂是帝之縣解。」指窮於爲薪，火傳也，不知其盡也。

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吾生也有涯，而知也无涯。以有涯随无涯，殆已。已而为知者，殆而已矣。为善无近名，为恶无近刑，缘督以为经，可以保身，可以全生，可以养亲，可以尽年。

庖丁为文惠君解牛，手之所触，肩之所倚，足之所履，膝之所踦，砉然向然，奏刀𬴃然，莫不中音，合于桑林之舞，乃中经首之会。文惠君曰：「嘻！善哉！技盖至此乎！」庖丁释刀，对曰：「臣之所好者，道也，进乎技矣。始臣之解牛之时，所见无非牛者。三年之后，未尝见全牛也。方今之时，臣以神遇而不以目视，官知止而神欲行，依乎天理，批大郤，导大窾，因其固然，技经肯綮之未尝，而况大軱乎？良庖岁更刀，割也。族庖月更刀，折也。今臣之刀，十九年矣，所解数千牛矣，而刀刃若新发于硎。彼节者有间，而刀刃者无厚，以无厚入有间，恢恢乎其于游刃必有余地矣，是以十九年而刀刃若新发于硎。虽然，每至于族，吾见其难为，怵然为戒，视为止，行为迟，动刀甚微，謋然已解，如土委地，提刀而立，为之四顾，为之踌躇满志，善刀而藏之。」文惠君曰：「善哉！吾闻庖丁之言，得养生焉。」

公文轩见右师而惊，曰：「是何人也？恶乎介也？天与？其人与？」曰：「天也，非人也。天之生是使独也，人之貌有与也，以是知其天也，非人也。」泽雉十步一啄，百步一饮，不蕲畜乎樊中，神虽王，不善也。

老聃死，秦失吊之，三号而出。弟子曰：「非夫子之友邪？」曰：「然。」「然则吊焉若此，可乎？」曰：「然。始也，吾以为其人也，而今，非也。向吾入而吊焉，有老者哭之，如哭其子，少者哭之，如哭其母。彼其所以会之，必有不蕲言而言，不蕲哭而哭者，是遁天倍情，忘其所受，古者谓之遁天之刑。适来，夫子时也；适去，夫子顺也；安时而处顺，哀乐不能入也，古者谓是帝之县解。」指穷于为薪，火传也，不知其尽也。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

My life has a limit, but knowing has no limit. To use what has a limit to chase what has none is dangerous. To go on pursuing knowledge after seeing this is more dangerous still. If you do good, stay clear of fame; if you do wrong, stay clear of punishment. Follow the middle course as your constant guide, and you can keep your body whole, keep your life intact, care for your parents, and live out your years.

Cook Ding was carving an ox for Lord Wenhui. Wherever his hand touched, wherever his shoulder leaned, wherever his foot stepped, wherever his knee pressed, there was a whisper, a rush, and the blade sang as it went in, never out of tune: in step with the dance of the Mulberry Grove, in time with the music of the Jingshou. Lord Wenhui said: "Ah, wonderful. Can skill really reach such heights?" Cook Ding laid down his knife and answered: "What your servant cares about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began carving oxen, all I could see was the ox. After three years, I no longer saw the whole ox. Now I meet it with my spirit and do not look with my eyes. The senses know when to stop, and the spirit moves where it will. I follow the natural grain, strike into the great hollows, guide the blade through the large openings, and go by what is already there. I never touch a ligament or tendon, let alone the big bones. A good cook changes his knife once a year, because he cuts. An ordinary cook changes his knife once a month, because he hacks. My knife has been in use for nineteen years and has carved several thousand oxen, yet its edge is as fresh as if it had just come from the whetstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the edge of the blade has no thickness. When what has no thickness enters where there is space, there is plenty of room, more than enough for the blade to play in. That is why after nineteen years my knife is as fresh as if it had just come from the whetstone. Even so, whenever I come to a knotted place and see that it will be difficult, I take care and go warily. My gaze settles, my movements slow, I move the blade very gently, and with a soft sound it comes apart, like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand with the knife in my hand and look all around, and linger, content; then I wipe the knife and put it away." Lord Wenhui said: "Wonderful. I have listened to the words of Cook Ding and learned how to nourish life."

When Gongwen Xuan saw the Commander of the Right, he was startled and said: "What sort of man is this? Why does he have only one foot? Was it heaven, or was it man?" He said: "It was heaven, not man. When heaven gave this man life, it made him one-footed. A man's form is something given. By this I know it was heaven and not man." The pheasant of the marshes takes ten steps for one peck and a hundred steps for one drink, but it does not long to be kept in a cage. There its spirit might be in fine condition, but it would not be happy.

When Lao Dan died, Qin Shi went to mourn him, gave three cries, and left. A disciple said: "Were you not the master's friend?" "I was." "Then is it right to mourn him like this?" "It is. At first I took him for a true man, but now I see he was not. When I went in to mourn just now, there were old people weeping for him as if for a son, and young people weeping for him as if for a mother. For them to have gathered like that, there must have been some who spoke without wanting to speak and wept without wanting to weep. That is to flee from heaven and turn against the truth of things, forgetting what we have received. The ancients called it the punishment for fleeing heaven. The master came because it was his time; the master went because it was his turn. Be at peace with the time and settle into the turn, and neither grief nor joy can get in. The ancients called this being set free by the Lord of Heaven." What feeds the flame is spent as fuel, but the fire passes on, and no one knows where it ends.