What is the meaning of Xiaoyaoyou?
The word "Xiaoyaoyou" comes from "Zhuangzi", which is the first of the thirty-three chapters in the whole book. Its opening sentence: "There is a fish in the North Ming Dynasty, and its name is Kun..." It has been passed down for a long time and is known to women and children. The imagination of "Xiaoyaoyou" is strange and eccentric, full of romantic color, pursuing the pursuit of letting nature take its course and finally gaining infinite freedom.
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《 There are thirty-three chapters in Zhuangzi, including seven inner chapters, fifteen outer chapters, and eleven miscellaneous chapters. The inner chapters are generally considered to be written by Zhuangzi himself, while the outer chapters and miscellaneous chapters were written by Zhuangzi's disciples and later scholars.
"Xiaoyaoyou" is the first chapter of "Zhuangzi? Nei Chapter" and is Zhuangzi's masterpiece. It expresses Zhuangzi's outlook on life in pursuit of absolute freedom in a relatively concentrated manner. The full text of "Xiaoyaoyou" is divided into two parts. The first part is the general introduction, arguing that everything in the world is "waiting for something" but not free, and what I pursue is the highest state of "waiting for nothing". The second part uses a series of fables to demonstrate the realm of "no self", "gods and men have no merit" and "sage has no name" proposed in the first part, as well as the proposition that this realm can be achieved through "inaction". The whole article focuses on an important aspect of Zhuangzi's philosophical thought, namely nihilism and absolute freedom. The text is selected from the first part and the third paragraph.
What is "Xiaoyao"? From a semantic sense, this is a Lianmian word. Lianmian words often express an indescribable action and a long and comfortable artistic conception. In addition, it is also a rhyming word, because the rhymes are the same. Xiaoyao means wandering, strolling, and flying. Anyway, just imagine the scene of enjoying the leisurely and leisurely years, that is Xiaoyao. "Xiaoyaoyou" is the first chapter of "Zhuangzi" and is Zhuangzi's masterpiece. Xiaoyaoyou means "to communicate with the spirit of heaven and earth alone, not to be arrogant about things, not to condemn right and wrong, and to be in harmony with the world." ("World") means "to wander around in conversation, to be in harmony with the desert, to follow the nature of things, and to be at peace with the world." If selfishness is tolerated, the world will be governed." Zhuangzi's "inaction" doctrine can also be called "freedom" doctrine.
Zhuangzi believes that only by reaching this state of nothing can one be said to be free. Therefore, Zhuangzi's "Xiaoyao" does not mean being at ease and happy as usually thought. Doing what you love is not called freedom. In fact, Zhuangzi is a kind of knowledge that makes people least free: If you love, you can do it. Zhuangzi would say, if you do this, your heart will be confused, if you do that, your heart will be bad, and it will not work to be angry or sad. , you can’t even be happy if someone says hello. Because being free means being free from all waiting, in this sense, being free is the least free activity in the world. However, if you free your heart from the outside world and your mind is no longer affected by the fluctuations of the outside world, you will reach a state of freedom. This kind of freedom is the freest activity in the world. Zhuangzi uses the "three nothings" of "no self, no merit, and no name" to describe Xiaoyao. Of course, these "three nothings" must be measured by inner standards. By external standards, you can be very successful and famous. , but you must achieve "no self, no merit, no fame" in your heart, only then can you be considered free. Zhuangzi does not rule out your worldly fame, but you should not let external things constrain your soul. You must understand that external things will not bring you inner happiness.
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Zhuangzi said that the "perfect man" with high moral cultivation can reach the state of selflessness, the "god-man" whose spiritual world is completely transcendent, has no fame and career in his mind, and the "sage" who has perfected his ideological cultivation never pursues fame. and status.
In the eyes of Zhuangzi, only such "perfect men", "gods", "sages", or "real men" mentioned by Zhuangzi later are people who have reached the realm of freedom. From Zhuangzi’s description, we can find that what Zhuangzi meant by freedom is neither in the morphological sense. Flying around is not freedom, nor in the worldly sense. With the fame and fortune you have gained, you have wealth and power, and you can do whatever you want. does not mean that you do nothing or have nothing to do.
Excluding the above possibilities, we can say that Zhuangzi's happiness is first of all an inner state. This is the first meaning of Zhuangzi's happiness.
Zhuangzi believes that the standard of high and low realm is internal and inner, rather than external and material. Zhuangzi said, if people all over the world praise you, you will not become more motivated; if people all over the world slander you, you will not become discouraged. Such a person is considered a master. He has a good reputation within himself and never takes external honors, disgrace or reputation seriously.
Zhuangzi gave an example of Yao's surrender of the world: Yao was about to surrender the world to Xu You, and said to Xu You: "The sun and the moon have risen, but the little torch is still there. Stop burning; isn't it difficult for it to compete with the light of the sun and the moon? The monsoon rains fell in time, but they are still watering the ground continuously; such laborious artificial irrigation does nothing to nourish the entire earth. Is it useless? Sir, if you can occupy the position of emperor, the world will definitely achieve great success. However, I am still empty in this position. I feel more and more that my ability is limited. Please allow me to entrust the world to you." Yao felt that the world would be better. Virtuous people govern. But Xu You was unwilling, and he replied: "You govern the world, and the world has achieved great governance, but I have to replace you. Am I doing it for fame and fortune? 'Name' is derived from 'real' and is not very important." Am I going to get something that is not very important? It means that what you give to me is just a false name. How can I accept it?