In this section, Zhuangzi states that the reason why people argue unnecessarily about right and wrong, true and false, is because they follow the minds given them, or their established closed minds. The best way to overcome the problem, Zhuangzi proposes, is to use clarity, that is, to understand the Way or Dao.
The following is the text of Chapter 2 Section 4 from the book "Zhuangzi, Basic Writings" translated by Burton Watson (1925-2017), with some minor changes.
Chapter 2, Section 4
If a man follows the mind given him and makes it his teacher, then who can be without a teacher? Why must you comprehend the process of change and form your mind on that basis before you can have a teacher (note 1)? Even an idiot has his teacher.
But to fail to abide by this mind (note 2) and still insist upon your rights and wrongs - this is like saying that you set off for Yue today and got there yesterday (note 3). This is to claim that what doesn't exist exists (note 4), then even the holy sage Yu couldn't understand you, much less a person like me!
Words are not just wind. Words have something to say (note 5). But if what they have to say is not fixed (note 6), then do they really say something? Or do they say nothing? People suppose that words are different from peeps of baby birds, but is there any difference, or isn't there?
What does the Way rely upon, that we have true and false? What do words rely upon, that we have right and wrong? (note 7) How can the Way go away and not exist? (note 8) How can words exist and not be acceptable?
When the Way relies on little accomplishments and words rely on vain show, then we have the rights and wrongs of the Confucians and the Mohists (note 9). What one calls right the other calls wrong; what one calls wrong the other call right. But if we want to right their wrongs and wrong their rights, then the best thing to use is clarity (note 10).
Notes:
- Base on knowledge and feelings.
- The mind given or the established mind.
- According to the last chapter of Zhuangzi (Tian Xia 天下) , this was one of the paradoxes of the logician Huizi. Yue (古越国）was a country in the eastern coastal region of China at that time.
- To claim that this paradoxical event, which does not exist, exists.
- Words (the piping of humans) are not just wind (the piping of earth).
- Some people say things that are mere gossip, or wild speculations etc.
- Another interpretation of this sentence (道惡乎隱而有真偽？) is "What is the Way hidden by so that humans cannot understand the Way and argue unnecessarily about true and false?" This interpretation is to consider the situation from the viewpoint of humans. In Watson's book, following the interpretation of Zhang Binglin, Watson interprets this sentence to say "What does the Way rely upon," etc. Watson's interpretation is to consider the situation from the viewpoint of Dao where everything, including any human behaviour, is part of Dao.
- From the viewpoint of humans.
- The Confucians and the Mohists were two prominent schools of thoughts, amongst many, at that time and members of the two schools debated fiercely about a number of issues.
- "Clarity" can mean the ability to understand the underlying principles involved and to see the issues involved from different points of view. This concept of Clarity is explored more in section 5.
See Also
Please find the Chinese text and English translation by James Legge below:
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