Zi Liezi lived at Zhengpu for forty years, and no one recognized him. The ruler, high officials, and ministers regarded him as they would the common people. The state was insufficient; she was about to marry into Wei. His disciple said, "Master, you are going without a time for your return; I dare to make a request:" "What will Master teach me?" "Have you not heard the words of Hugou Zilin?" Zi Liezi smiled and said, "What did Master Husi say?" "Nevertheless, my teacher once spoke to Bohun Maoren; I overheard it from the side, and I will try telling you about it." He said: "There is life that does not give birth, and there is transformation that does not change. That which does not give birth can bring about life; that which does not change can bring about transformation. Those who give birth cannot avoid giving birth, and those who transform cannot avoid transforming, so life is ever-reproducing and change is ever-occurring. That which is ever-reproducing and ever-changing does not cease to give birth or transform at any time. Yin and Yang are thus, the four seasons are thus; that which does not give life is isolated in doubt, and that which does not transform goes back and forth. Going back and forth, its boundary cannot be brought to an end; Isolation in doubt—its principle cannot be exhausted. The Huangdi Shu says: "The grain spirit does not die; this is called the mysterious female." "The gate of the mysterious female" is called "the root of heaven and earth." It is continuous as if existing, yet its use is effortless. " Therefore, that which brings forth life does not itself give birth, and that which transforms things does not itself change. They generate themselves and transform themselves, take on form and color by themselves, possess wisdom and strength of their own, and dissipate and cease by themselves. To call them "life and transformation," "form and color," "wisdom and strength," or "dissipation and cessation" is incorrect."

Zi Liezi said, "In the past, sages relied on Yin and Yang to unify heaven and earth. That which has form originates from that which is formless; then, how could heaven and earth have arisen?" Therefore it is said: there was Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, and Taisu. Taiyi refers to the state in which qi had not yet appeared; Taichu refers to the beginning of qi; Taishi refers to the beginning of form; Taisu refers to the beginning of substance. When qi, form, and substance were all present but had not yet separated, it was called Hunlin. Hunlin means that all things were intermingled and had not yet become separate. It could not be seen, heard, or grasped, so it was called Yi. Yi had no form or boundary; it changed into One, One changed into Seven, and Seven changed into Nine. The change to Nine is the limit; then it changes again back into One. One marks the beginning of transformation into form. The clear and light became heaven above, the turbid and heavy became earth below, and the balanced qi formed human beings; Therefore, heaven and earth contain essence, and all things are transformed into life."

Zi Liezi said: "Heaven and earth have no complete achievement; sages have no all-encompassing ability; and all things have no perfect use. Therefore, the function of heaven is to give life and cover, the function of earth is to take form and bear, the duty of sages is to educate and transform, and the role of things is to be suited for their proper purposes. Thus, heaven has its shortcomings, earth has its strengths, sages have their failures, and things have their connections. Why is this so? Those who give life and cover cannot take form and bear; those who take form and bear cannot educate and transform; those who educate and transform cannot go against what is suitable for things, and when suitability is fixed, nothing goes beyond its proper place. Therefore, the principle of heaven and earth is not Yin but Yang; The teaching of sages is not benevolence but righteousness; The suitability of all things is not softness but firmness: these are all cases where they follow what is appropriate and cannot go beyond their proper place. Therefore, there are those who give life, and there are those through whom life is given; there are those who have form, and there are those through which form is taken on; there are those who produce sound, and there are those through whom sound is produced; there are those that have color, and there are those through which color is manifested; there are those with taste, and there are those through whom taste is given. That which gives life will die, but that through which life is given never comes to an end; that which takes form becomes real, but that through which form is taken has never existed as a thing in itself; that which produces sound is heard, but that through which sound is produced has never emitted it; that which has color becomes evident, but that through which color manifests itself has never appeared visibly; That which has taste is tasted, but that through which taste is given has never been presented: all of these are forms of non-action (wuwei) awareness. It can be Yin or Yang, soft or firm, short or long, round or square, alive or dead, hot or cool, floating or sinking, palatial (gong) or commercial (shang), emerging or disappearing, dark or yellow, sweet or bitter, foul-smelling or fragrant. It is without knowledge and without ability, yet there is nothing it does not know, and there is nothing it cannot do."

Zi Liezi was traveling to Wei and eating on the road. His follower saw a hundred-year-old skull, picked up some withered grass, pointed at it, and turning to his disciple Baifeng said: "Only I and that one know what it is to have never been born and never died." Is this excessive nourishment? Is this excessive joy? The nature of things has multiple possibilities: for example, the egg of a quail becomes a quail; with water it becomes a reed; at the boundary of water and soil, it becomes the shell-like garment of a clam. If born on a hillside, it becomes a lingxi. Lingxi, when obtaining damp moss, becomes wuzu. The root of wuzu becomes a jicao grub, and its leaves become butterflies. Butterflies, too, transform into insects, living beneath the stove; their appearance resembles a shed skin, and they are called Jueduo. After one thousand days, Jueduo transforms into a bird named Ganxugu. The foam of Ganxugu becomes Simi. Simi becomes Shixiyilu. Shixiyilu gives birth to Shixihuangnian, and Shixihuangnian gives birth to Jiuyou. Jiuyou gives rise to Maorui, and Maorui gives rise to fuchuan. A sheep's liver transforms into Digaao; a horse's blood becomes Zhuanlin, and human blood becomes wild fire. A kestrel transforms into a yuanchun, the yuanchun becomes a cuckoo, and after some time, the cuckoo returns once more to becoming a kestrel. A swallow transforms into clams, a field mouse becomes a quail, a rotting gourd becomes fish, and an old leek becomes amaranth. An old goat transforms into a macaque, and fish eggs become insects. The animal called Danyuan reproduces by itself and gives birth; it is called Lei. The bird of Heze, seeing something and giving birth from that, is called Yi. Those entirely female are named Dayao; those entirely male are named Zhifeng. A man of deep thought can become pregnant without a wife, and a woman of profound emotion can conceive without a husband. Houji was born from a giant footprint; Yi Yin was born from the hollow mulberry tree. The insect Juezhao is born in dampness, and the vinegar fly is born in wine. Yangxi is comparable to bushi; a long-lived bamboo gives birth to Qingning, Qingning gives birth to Cheng, Cheng gives birth to Ma, and Ma gives birth to humans. Humans, after a long time, become entangled in the mechanisms of things. All things originate from mechanism and eventually return to mechanism." 1. 餘 : Originally read: "徐". 據下文及今本《莊子》改。

The Huangdi Shu says: "Movement of form does not produce form but produces shadow; movement of sound does not produce sound but produces echo; and movement of nothingness does not produce nothingness but produces something." Form is necessarily temporary; Do heaven and earth also come to an end? They end together with me. Does ending continue on? I do not know. The Dao has no beginning and thus does not end; it continues on without a fixed duration. Where there is life, it returns to the formless; where there is form, it returns to nothingness. That which does not give rise to life is not originally without giving rise to life; That which has no form is not originally formless. Life is something that must inevitably come to an end by principle. That which ends cannot help but end, just as that which begins cannot help but begin. And to desire perpetual life and complete the process of ending is confusion over numbers. The spirit is a portion of heaven; Bones and marrow are portions of earth. The spirit, belonging to heaven, is clear and disperses; the body, belonging to earth, is turbid and coagulates. When the spirit separates from the form and each returns to its true nature, it is called a ghost. Ghost means "return," returning to one's true dwelling place. Huangdi said: "When the spirit enters its gate and the bones return to their roots, where would I still exist?"

From birth to death, a person undergoes four great transformations: infancy, youth and strength, old age, and death. In infancy, the vital energy is focused and the will is undivided—this is the utmost harmony; external things do not harm it, and virtue could not be greater than this. In youth and strength, the blood and vital energy surge, and desires and thoughts arise abundantly; external things attack it, so virtue naturally declines. In old age, desires and thoughts become gentle; rituals will cease, and external things can no longer harm it; although it has not yet reached the completeness of infancy, compared to youth and strength, it is an improvement. In death, vital energy ceases, and one returns to the ultimate state.

Confucius traveled in the great mountains and saw Rong Qiqi walking in the wilds of Cheng, wearing a deer hide robe with a rope belt, playing the qin while singing. Confucius asked: "Master, what is it that makes you happy?" He replied: "I have many reasons for joy." Heaven has produced myriad things, but only human beings are precious. And I have been born as a human being—that is one reason for joy. Among humans, there are distinctions between male and female; males are honored while females are considered inferior, so the male is esteemed; I have been born as a man—that is a second reason for joy. People are born who never see the sun and moon, or who die before leaving swaddling clothes; I have already reached ninety years of age—that is a third reason for joy. Poverty is the norm for scholars, and death is the end for all people; to live a normal life and reach one's natural end—what reason is there for worry?" Confucius said: "Well spoken! He is a man who can comfort himself."

Lin Lei, who was nearly one hundred years old, in early spring wore a fur coat and picked up leftover grains from an old field, singing as he walked along. Confucius went to Wei and saw him in the fields. He turned to his disciples and said: "That old man is someone with whom we can speak; go try to inquire of him!" Zi Gong volunteered to go. Facing him at the field's edge, Zi Gong sighed and said: "Sir, have you never regretted it, yet you walk singing while picking up leftover grains?" Lin Lei continued walking without stopping. He did not stop singing. Zi Gong kept asking until finally Lin Lei looked up and replied, saying: "What is there for me to regret?" Zi Gong said: "Sir, when young you did not work diligently; in your prime you did not strive to keep up with the times; now in old age you have no wife or children. Death is approaching—what joy could there be for you to pick up leftover grains and sing as you walk?" Lin Lei smiled and said: "The reason I find joy, everyone possesses it, yet they instead regard it as a sorrow. When young, not working diligently; in my prime, not striving to keep up with the time—this is why I have lived so long. In old age having no wife or children, and death approaching—this is why I can be as happy as this." Zi Gong said: "Longevity is what people desire; death is what they detest. You regard death as a joy—why is that?" Lin Lei said: "Death and life are one departure and one return. Therefore, for one who dies here, how can we know they will not be born there? Therefore, I know that this and the other are not the same. How can I know that busily striving to seek life is not confusion? And how can I know that my death now is not better than my former life?" Zi Gong, upon hearing this, did not understand its meaning and returned to report it to his teacher. The Master said: "I knew he would be someone with whom I could speak; indeed he is; yet he has grasped it without reaching its full depth."

Zi Gong became weary of study and told Zhong Ni: "I wish to take a rest," to which Zhong Ni replied, "Life knows no rest." Zi Gong said: "Then am I not allowed to rest at all?" Zhong Ni said: "There is a place, indeed. Look at the grave—its shape resembles a jug, a basin, a mound, or a tripod; then you will know where to rest." Zi Gong said: "How great is death!" For gentlemen, it is a rest; for petty people, it is an end." Zhong Ni said: "Zi Gong! You now understand. All people know the joy of life, but do not know its bitterness; they know the fatigue of old age, but do not know the ease it brings; they know death is an evil, but do not know that in death there is rest.

Yanzi said: "Good indeed! That the ancients had death!" For the benevolent, it is a rest; for those without benevolence, it is an end.' Death is the reward of virtue. In ancient times, those who had died were called "returning people." To call the dead "returning people" implies that the living are travelers. To travel without knowing where to return is like being a person who has lost his home. One person who loses his home, the whole world condemns him; When all under heaven have lost their homes, no one knows to condemn it. There is someone who leaves his native land, separates from his six relatives, abandons his family's career, and roams the four directions without returning—what kind of person is this? The world would certainly call such a person a reckless madman. There is also someone who values the wise and virtuous age, boasts of his cleverness and abilities, cultivates reputation, and brags in society without knowing himself—what kind of person is he? The world would certainly regard such a person as a man of wisdom and strategy. These two types are both people who have lost their way. The world approves of one and disapproves of the other; only a sage knows whom to approve of, and whom to reject."

Someone asked Zi Liezi: "What is it that you value about emptiness?" Liezi said: "Emptiness values nothing." Zi Liezi said: "If it is not for the sake of reputation, then nothing is better than stillness, and nothing is better than emptiness. Stillness and emptiness—this is where one finds true dwelling; To take and to give up means losing one's true place. When affairs have collapsed, then there arise those who dance about righteousness and benevolence—but they cannot restore what has been lost."

Zhuxiong said: "The movement of the cosmos never ceases; heaven and earth silently shift—who can perceive it? Therefore, what is diminished there becomes full here, and what is completed here suffers loss there. Loss and gain, completion and deficiency—these follow the world and accompany death. Coming and going in succession, with no interval that can be examined—who can perceive it? All vital energy does not suddenly advance, nor does any form suddenly diminish; nor is one aware of its completion or its deficiency. It is like a person from birth to old age—appearance, complexion, wisdom, and demeanor change day by day; skin, hair, nails, and fur fall away with the passing of time, and there is no pause in which they remain unchanged even for a moment from infancy. The intervals are imperceptible; one can only realize it when it has already happened.

There was a man from Qi State who worried that heaven and earth would collapse, leaving his body with nowhere to rest, so he neglected sleep and food. Another person was troubled by the man's worry and went to explain it to him, saying: "Heaven is merely accumulated air; there is nowhere where air does not exist. When you bend and stretch your limbs, breathe in and out—you are constantly moving and standing within heaven itself; why worry about it collapsing?" The man replied: "If heaven is indeed accumulated air, should not the sun, moon, and stars also fall?" The one who explained said: "The sun, moon, and constellations are also luminous things within the accumulated air. Even if they were to fall, they could not strike or harm anything." The man said: "What about the earth breaking apart?" The explainer said: "Earth is merely accumulated soil, filling all four directions; there is nowhere where soil does not exist. You take steps and walk about—you are constantly moving on the earth itself; why worry that it will break apart?" The man was greatly relieved and happy, and the one who explained to him was also greatly relieved and happy. Zhang Luzi heard of this and laughed, saying: "Rainbows, clouds and mists, winds and rains, the four seasons—these are all formed from accumulated air in heaven. Mountains and peaks, rivers and seas; metals and stones, fire and wood—these are all forms accumulated to form the earth. To know that they are accumulations of air and accumulations of matter, how can one say they will not break apart? Heaven and earth are but a tiny object in the void; yet among objects within it, they are the greatest. They cannot come to an end or be exhausted—this is indeed their nature; They are difficult to measure and understand—this, too, is their inherent nature. Those who worry about them breaking apart are indeed thinking far beyond reason; Those who say they will never break apart are also not entirely correct. Heaven and earth cannot avoid eventually breaking apart, so they must return to destruction. When the time of their destruction comes, how could one not worry?" Zi Liezi heard this and laughed, saying: "To say that heaven and earth will break apart is a mistake; to say they will never break apart is also a mistake. Whether they break apart or not—I cannot know. Although this is so, that one is a view, and this one is another view. Therefore, the living do not know about death, and the dead do not know about life; the coming does not know of going, and the going does not know of coming. As for whether they break apart or do not—I have no need to concern myself with it!"

Shun asked Zheng: "Can the Dao be obtained and possessed?" Zheng replied: "Your body is not truly yours; how then can you possess the Dao?" Shun said: "If my body is not mine, who possesses it?" Zheng replied: "It is the form entrusted to you by heaven and earth. Life is not yours; it is the harmony entrusted to you by heaven and earth." Your nature and destiny are not yours; they are the order entrusted to you by heaven and earth." Your descendants are not yours; they are transformations entrusted to you by heaven and land." Therefore, when walking, one does not know where one is going; when staying in a place, one does not know what to hold on to; and when eating, one does not know why. Heaven and earth are merely the aggregation of strong yang qi—how then could they be obtained or possessed?"

The Guo family from Qi State was very wealthy, while the Xiang family from Song State was extremely poor; A man from Song went to Qi to ask them about their methods. The Guo family told him: "I am good at stealing." At first, when I began to steal, after one year I had enough for my needs; after two years, I was self-sufficient; and after three years, I became very wealthy. From this point onward, my wealth extended to benefiting the entire village and neighborhood." The Xiang family was greatly pleased, and understood the words about stealing but did not understand the way of stealing. So he climbed over walls and dug into houses, probing with his hands wherever his eyes could reach, leaving nothing untouched. Before long, he was caught stealing and punished for the crime, and all the wealth he had previously acquired was confiscated. The Xiang family believed that the Guo family had deceived him, so he went to complain and blame them. The Guo family said: "How did you go about stealing?" The Xiang family described the situation. The Guo family said: "Ah! You have strayed so far from the way of stealing?" Now I will tell you. I have heard that heaven has seasons, and the earth has advantages. I steal from the timing and advantages of heaven and earth—the abundant rains, the fertility brought by clouds and rain, the produce nurtured in mountains and marshes—to grow my grain, cultivate my crops, build my walls, and construct my houses. On land I take from birds and beasts; in water I take from fish and turtles—there is nothing that does not involve taking. Grain, soil and wood, birds and beasts, fish and turtles—all are born from heaven; how can they be considered mine? Yet I steal from heaven without suffering any misfortune. Gold, jade, treasures, grain, silk, and wealth—these are things people gather; how can they be given by heaven? If you steal these and suffer punishment, whom should you blame?" The Xiang family was deeply confused, believing that the Guo family had greatly deceived him. He met Dongguo Xiansheng and asked him about it. Dongguo Xiansheng said: "Is not your own body also a form of taking?" You have taken the harmony of yin and yang to form your life, to bear your physical form; How much more so for external things, which are also forms of taking! Indeed, heaven and earth, all things, do not exist in isolation; To claim ownership over them is an illusion. The Guo family's taking was in accordance with the public Dao, so there was no misfortune; Your taking was driven by selfish desire, hence you incurred punishment. He who acts with public or private intent is also a thief; He who has no sense of public or private is also a thief. To act with the public in mind, to distinguish between public and private—this is the virtue of heaven and earth. Who among those who understand the virtue of heaven and land can truly be called a thief? And who, then, could truly be considered not a thief?"