Chapter 7 應帝王第七

Nie Que asked four questions of Wang Ni, and four times got no answer. Nie Que leaped up for joy and went to tell Pu Yi Zi. Pu Yi Zi said: "Have you only now learned it?" Nie Que asked Wang Ni four questions, and four times Wang Ni said, "I do not know." Then Nie Que leaped for joy. How so? The Teacher had told him: "He who knows to say he does not know is deeper than he who knows to say he knows."

Jie Yu, the madman of Chu, passed by the gate of Confucius singing: "O phoenix, O phoenix, how is your virtue faded! The future cannot be waited for; the past cannot be chased. The world has peace: the born go on living. The world has no way: there is no luck in being a ruler. When the earth has its grain, men have their food. When men have their food, they are content. And I: I am content; I am content; and yet my virtue is not gone. The coming danger cannot be cut; the going blessing cannot be kept. The world is darker than a hole; the world is deeper than a well. The world is colder than ice; the world is warmer than fire. Happily I know the way; the wind does not carry me; I go with it, and am not hurt. The false does not know the true; the true does not know the false."

The Heavenly Root wandered by the sunlit side of Mount Yin. It came to the land of Liao, and met the Nameless Man, and said: "I wish to ask about governing the world." The Nameless Man did not answer. The Heavenly Root asked again. The Nameless Man said: "Go away, you dull thing! Why ask me such disagreeable questions? I was going to ride the lightness of the bird that rides the emptiness, out past the six limits of the world, into the land of nothing at all, to the village of the unbounded. What have you to do with me, bringing your talk of kindness and right, this sack of nothingness, to disturb me?" The Heavenly Root asked again, and the Nameless Man said: "Let your wandering mind be one; let your breath be quiet; let Heaven be your guide; and things will order themselves, and the ten thousand things will be melted into dust."

The man of Yang Zi Ju saw Lao Dan, and said: "Here is a man quick as the echo, strong as the surest, clearsighted and discerning, learning the Way and never resting. Can he stand beside the true king?" Lao Dan said: "Next to the true king, such a man is a clumsy servant, tied and bound. He wears out his own nature. A true king is not so: he goes out of himself and forgets; his benefits cover ten thousand generations, and he does not think of them as his. He does not lift himself above things; he does not make a name in the world; he rides the truth and wanders in the formless; his teaching comes from what has no name."

Zheng had a spirit-shaman, Ji Xian, who could tell men their deaths and their lives, their survival and their ruin, their misfortune and their blessing, their long life and their early end — to the very year, month, week, and day, like the spirits themselves. The people of Zheng fled when they saw him. Lie Zi went out to see him, and came back drunk with admiration. He told Hu Zi: "I thought your teaching was the deepest; now I have found something deeper still." Hu Zi said: "I have shown you the outside of it, not the inside — and you have found the Way? All hens and no cock: how can there be eggs? Take the crowd and show him me." Next day Lie Zi brought the shaman to see Hu Zi. The shaman went out and said to Lie Zi: "Alas! Your master is dying! Not long for this world! I saw something strange: wet ashes!" Lie Zi went in, weeping, and told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said: "Show him me again: I was showing him the earth's stillness. Neither sprouting nor stirring, the stillness of the deep mountain: he saw me in my stillness. Try again." Another day the shaman came, and went out and said: "Wonderful! Your master is whole again! There is a sign of life in him! I saw the moving of his good state!" Lie Zi went in and told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said: "I was showing him Heaven's ground: neither name nor substance, but the breath of the true spring. He saw me in my good state. Try again." Another day the shaman came, and went out and said: "Your master is not whole. I cannot read him. Let him settle, and then I will come again." Lie Zi went in and told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said: "I was showing him the great abyss where the deep is deep: the whale that swallows. He saw me in my depth. Try again." Another day the shaman came, and before he had settled he turned and ran. Hu Zi said: "Chase him!" Lie Zi ran, but could not catch him; and came back and said: "He is gone; I could not hold him." Hu Zi said: "I showed him nothing that comes from anywhere. I showed him the face I had before I came out of my mother; the face of the thing that is not a thing; the face of the beginning of things, before there was anything; the face that is one with everything, and has no beginning of anything. He ran."

The ruler of the South Sea was Shu; the ruler of the North Sea was Hu; the ruler of the Middle was Hundun. Shu and Hu met at times in the land of Hundun, and Hundun treated them well. Shu and Hu wished to repay his kindness. "All men have seven openings, to see, hear, eat, and breathe," they said; "this one alone has none. Let us bore him some." Each day they bored one opening; and on the seventh day Hundun died.

Nie Que asked Wang Ni four questions, and got no answer four times. Nie Que leaped up with joy and ran to tell Pu Yi Zi. Pu Yi Zi said: "So you finally understand?" He had asked and gotten "I don't know" — and leaped for joy. Why? Because the one who knows he doesn't know is deeper than the one who knows.

Jie Yu, the madman of Chu, passed Confucius's gate singing: "Phoenix, oh phoenix, how your virtue has faded! You can't wait for the future; you can't chase the past. When the world has peace, the born just live. When the world loses the Way, rulers are just bad luck. Earth provides grain; people have food. Enough! Enough! My virtue isn't gone. The coming danger can't be cut off; the going blessing can't be kept. The world is darker than a hole; deeper than a well. Colder than ice; hotter than fire. Luckily I know the way out: the wind doesn't carry me; I go with it and am not hurt."

The Heavenly Root was wandering by the sunny side of Mount Yin, and came to the land of Liao, where he met the Nameless Man. He asked: "I want to know about governing the world." The Nameless Man didn't answer. He asked again. The Nameless Man said: "Get lost, you bore! Why ask me such dreary questions? I was about to ride the lightness of the empty sky, past the six limits of the world, into the land of Nothing At All, the village of the unbounded. What do I care about your kindness and right, this bag of troubles? Get away!"

Yang Zi Ju saw Lao Dan and said: "Here's a man quick as an echo, strong as the surest, sharp-eyed and clear, studying the Way without resting. Can he stand next to a true king?" Lao Dan said: "Next to a true king, he's a clumsy servant. He wears out his own nature. A true king isn't like that: he forgets himself; his benefit reaches ten thousand generations, and he doesn't claim it. He doesn't raise himself above things; he doesn't make a name. He rides the truth and wanders the formless; his teaching has no name."

Zheng had a spirit-shaman, Ji Xian, who could predict death, life, luck, ruin, blessings, misfortune, long life, early death — down to the exact year, month, week, and day. People fled when they saw him coming. Lie Zi went to see him and came back dazzled. He told his teacher Hu Zi: "I thought your teaching was the deepest — now I've found something deeper!" Hu Zi said: "I showed you the outside, not the inside — and you think you've found the Way? All hens, no rooster: how do you get eggs? Bring the crowd and show him me."

The next day, Lie Zi brought the shaman. The shaman came out and said: "Your master is dying! Any day now! I saw something strange — wet ashes!" Lie Zi ran in weeping. Hu Zi said: "I was showing him the stillness of earth. Neither sprouting nor moving: the deep mountain's stillness. He saw my stillness. Bring him again."

Another day, the shaman came and left saying: "Lucky man! Your master is recovering! I saw signs of life!" Lie Zi told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said: "I was showing him heaven's ground: no name, no substance, but the true spring breathing. He saw my good state. Bring him again."

Another day: "Your master is inconsistent. I can't read him. Let him settle, and I'll come back." Hu Zi said: "I showed him the great abyss, the deep where the deep is deep. He saw my depth. Bring him again."

Another day, the shaman came, and before he'd even settled in place, he turned and ran. Hu Zi said: "Chase him!" Lie Zi ran but couldn't catch him, and came back: "He's gone." Hu Zi said: "I showed him nothing that comes from anywhere. I showed him the face I had before my mother bore me; the face of the thing that isn't a thing; the beginning before anything began; the face that is one with everything and starts from nothing. He ran."

The ruler of the South Sea was Shu; the ruler of the North Sea was Hu; the ruler of the Center was Hundun (Chaos). Shu and Hu often met in Hundun's land, and Hundun always treated them wonderfully. Shu and Hu wanted to repay him. "All people have seven holes — eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth — to see, hear, eat, and breathe. He alone has none. Let's bore him some." Each day they bored one hole. On the seventh day, Hundun died.