Excerpt from The Great and Most Honoured Master (大宗師) in Zhuāng zi (莊子)

顏回曰：「回益矣。」仲尼曰：「何謂也？」曰：「回忘仁義矣。」曰：「可矣，猶未也。」他日復見，曰：「回益矣。」曰：「何謂也？」曰：「回忘禮樂矣。」曰：「可矣，猶未也。」他日復見，曰：「回益矣。」曰：「何謂也？」曰：「回坐忘矣。」仲尼蹴然曰：「何謂坐忘？」顏回曰：「墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通，此謂坐忘。」仲尼曰：「同則無好也，化則無常也。而果其賢乎！丘也請從而後也。」

莊子

"Yan Hui said, 'I am making progress.' Zhongni replied, 'What do you mean?' 'I have ceased to think of benevolence and righteousness,' was the reply. 'Very well; but that is not enough.' Another day, Hui again saw Zhongni, and said, 'I am making progress.' 'What do you mean?' 'I have lost all thought of ceremonies and music.' 'Very well, but that is not enough.' A third day, Hui again saw (the Master), and said, 'I am making progress.' 'What do you mean?' 'I sit and forget everything.' Zhongni changed countenance, and said, 'What do you mean by saying that you sit and forget (everything)?' Yan Hui replied, 'My connexion with the body and its parts is dissolved; my perceptive organs are discarded. Thus leaving my material form, and bidding farewell to my knowledge, I am become one with the Great Pervader. This I call sitting and forgetting all things.' Zhongni said, 'One (with that Pervader), you are free from all likings; so transformed, you are become impermanent. You have, indeed, become superior to me! I must ask leave to follow in your steps.'"

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project

Excerpt from Man in the World, Associated with other Men (人間世) in Zhuāng zi (莊子)

山木自寇也，膏火自煎也。桂可食，故伐之；漆可用，故割之。人皆知有用之用，而莫知無用之用也。

莊子

"The mountain by its trees weakens itself. The grease which ministers to the fire fries itself. The cinnamon tree can be eaten, and therefore it is cut down. The varnish tree is useful, and therefore incisions are made in it. All men know the advantage of being useful, but no one knows the advantage of being useless. "

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project

Excerpt from The Full Understanding of Life (達生) in Zhuāng zi (莊子)Trecho de A Compreensão Completa da Vida (達生) do Zhuāng zi (莊子)

紀渻子為王養鬥雞。十日而問：「雞已乎？」曰：「未也。方虛憍而恃氣。」十日又問。曰：「未也。猶應嚮景。」十日又問。曰：「未也。猶疾視而盛氣。」十日又問。曰：「幾矣。雞雖有鳴者，已無變矣，望之似木雞矣，其德全矣，異雞無敢應者，反走矣。」

莊子

"Ji Xing-zi was rearing a fighting-cock for the king. Being asked after ten days if the bird were ready, he said, 'Not yet; he is still vain and quarrelsome, and relies on his own vigour.' Being asked the same after other ten days, he said, 'Not yet; he still responds to the crow and the appearance of another bird.' After ten days more, he replied, 'Not yet. He still looks angrily, and is full of spirit.' When a fourth ten days had passed, he replied to the question, 'Nearly so. Though another cock crows, it makes no change in him. To look at him, you would say he was a cock of wood. His quality is complete. No other cock will dare to meet him, but will run from him.'

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project

"Ji Xing-zi estava adestrando um galo de briga para o rei. Após dez dias ao ser perguntado se a ave estava pronta, ele respondeu 'Ainda não, ele ainda é vaidoso e brigão, e conta com o próprio vigor.' Ao ser perguntado novamente após mais dez dias, ele respondeu: 'Ainda não, ele ainda responde ao canto e à aparência de outra ave.' Após outros dez dias, ele respondeu: 'Ainda não. Ele ainda tem raiva no olhar e demonstra exuberância.' Quando um quarto período de dez dias passou, ele respondeu à questão: 'Quase. Apesar dos outros galos cantarem, ele não se altera. Ao olhá-lo, poderia-se dizer que ele é um galo de madeira. Sua virtude é completa. Nenhum outro galo vai se atrever a provocá-lo, e ao contrário irão fugir dele'"

Traduzido à partir da tradução para o inglês do Chinese Text Project

Excerpt from What comes from without (外物) in Zhuāng zi (莊子)

荃者所以在魚，得魚而忘荃；蹄者所以在兔，得兔而忘蹄；言者所以在意，得意而忘言。吾安得忘言之人而與之言哉？

莊子

"The fish trap exists because of the fish; once you've gotten the fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit; once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning; once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him? "

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project

Excerpt from Knowledge rambling in the North (知北遊) in Zhuāng zi (莊子)

大馬之捶鉤者，年八十矣，而不失豪芒。大馬曰：“子巧與？有道與？”曰：“臣有守也。臣之年二十而好捶鉤，於物無視也，非鉤無察也。是用之者，假不用者也以長得其用，而況乎無不用者乎！物孰不資焉？”

莊子

"The forger of swords for the Minister of War had reached the age of eighty, and had not lost a hair's-breadth of his ability. The Minister said to him, 'You are indeed skilful, Sir. Have you any method that makes you so?' The man said, 'Your servant has (always) kept to his work. When I was twenty, I was fond of forging swords. I looked at nothing else. I paid no attention to anything but swords. By my constant practice of it, I came to be able to do the work without any thought of what I was doing. By length of time one acquires ability at any art; and how much more one who is ever at work on it! What is there which does not depend on this, and succeed by it?'"

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project