Nanhua Jing

Author: Zhuangzi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-12-01
Features:
Free and Easy Travel
In the northern sea, there is a fish named Kun. The size of Kun is so vast, it is unknown for how many thousands of miles. It transforms into a bird named Peng. The back of Peng is also unknown for how many thousands of miles. When it rages and flies, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky. This bird, when the sea currents move, will migrate to the southern sea. The southern sea is the heavenly pool. Qi Xie is a book that records strange tales. The words in Qi Xie say: When Peng migrates to the southern sea, the water it strikes is three thousand miles, and it rises ninety thousand miles with the updraft. It departs with the breath of June. The wild horses and the dust, they are all things blown by the breath of existence. Is the sky's blue its true color? Or is it infinitely far with no end? When it looks down, it is just like this. Moreover, if the water accumulates not thick enough, it cannot carry a large boat. Pouring a cup of water on a concave hall, then a mustard seed can become a boat; placing a cup there, it will stick; the water is shallow and the boat is too large. If the wind accumulates not thick enough, it cannot carry large wings. Therefore, at ninety thousand miles, the wind is already below it, and then it begins to ride the wind; carrying the blue sky without being obstructed, and then it begins to plan southward.
The Nan Hua Jing was originally named Zhuangzi, a work by Zhuang Zhou, a famous thinker of the Warring States period and the master of the Taoist school, along with his successors. The book currently exists in three parts, divided into the Inner Chapters, Outer Chapters, and Miscellaneous Chapters, with 7 Inner Chapters, 15 Outer Chapters, and 11 Miscellaneous Chapters. It is generally believed that the Inner Chapters were written by Zhuang Zhou himself, are basically unified and coherent, and have a relatively consistent style. The Outer Chapters and Miscellaneous Chapters are mainly works of Zhuang Zhou's successors, while also mixed with individual chapters from other schools, making their ideological content somewhat diverse and their style inconsistent.
The Nan Hua Jing has profound and extensive thoughts, "its writing is vast and open, with myriad forms," and has had a broad and profound influence on later generations. In recent years, with the rise of traditional Chinese culture, the Nan Hua Jing has moved from scholars' studies and's scriptures to the general public, and more and more people are interested in it. To help ordinary readers understand the Nan Hua Jing, we have annotated this classic. The annotations follow the principle of being concise and clear, and the translation aims to be smooth and easy to understand.