逍遥游 The opening of Free and Easy Wandering

北冥有鱼，其名为鲲。 běi míng yǒu yú, qí míng wéi kūn.
In the northern dark sea there is a fish named Kun.

鲲之大，不知其几千里也。 kūn zhī dà, bù zhī qí jǐ qiān lǐ yě.
Kun is so large that nobody knows how many thousand li it measures.

化而为鸟，其名为鹏。 huà ér wéi niǎo, qí míng wéi péng.
It changes into a bird named Peng.

鹏之背，不知其几千里也；怒而飞，其翼若垂天之云。 péng zhī bèi, bù zhī qí jǐ qiān lǐ yě; nù ér fēi, qí yì ruò chuí tiān zhī yún.
Nobody knows how many thousand li the Peng’s back measures; when it rises with all its force, its wings resemble clouds hanging across the sky.

是鸟也，海运则将徙于南冥。 shì niǎo yě, hǎi yùn zé jiāng xǐ yú nán míng.
When the sea stirs, this bird will migrate to the southern sea.

南冥者，天池也。 nán míng zhě, tiān chí yě.
The southern sea is a pool made by heaven.

《齐谐》者，志怪者也。 《qí xié》 zhě, zhì guài zhě yě.
The Qixie is a record of marvels.

《谐》之言曰：“鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟扶摇而上者九万里，去以六月息者也。” 《xié》 zhī yán yuē: “péng zhī xǐ yú nán míng yě, shuǐ jī sān qiān lǐ, tuán fú yáo ér shàng zhě jiǔ wàn lǐ, qù yǐ liù yuè xī zhě yě.”
The record says, “When the Peng migrates to the southern sea, it beats the water for three thousand li, circles upward on a whirlwind for ninety thousand li, and departs on the wind of the sixth month.”

野马也，尘埃也，生物之以息相吹也。 yě mǎ yě, chén āi yě, shēng wù zhī yǐ xī xiāng chuī yě.
The wavering haze and the dust are what living things blow about with their breath.

天之苍苍，其正色邪？其远而无所至极邪？ tiān zhī cāng cāng, qí zhèng sè yé? qí yuǎn ér wú suǒ zhì jí yé?
The deep blue of the sky: is that its true colour? Or is it so because it is distant beyond any limit?

其视下也，亦若是则已矣。 qí shì xià yě, yì ruò shì zé yǐ yǐ.
When the bird looks down, its view is much the same.

且夫水之积也不厚，则其负大舟也无力。 qiě fú shuǐ zhī jī yě bù hòu, zé qí fù dà zhōu yě wú lì.
When water has not collected deeply enough, it lacks the strength to support a large boat.

覆杯水于坳堂之上，则芥为之舟；置杯焉则胶，水浅而舟大也。 fù bēi shuǐ yú ào táng zhī shàng, zé jiè wéi zhī zhōu; zhì bēi yān zé jiāo, shuǐ qiǎn ér zhōu dà yě.
Pour a cup of water into a hollow in the floor and a blade of grass can float on it as a boat; put the cup there and it sticks, because the water is shallow and the boat is large.

风之积也不厚，则其负大翼也无力。 fēng zhī jī yě bù hòu, zé qí fù dà yì yě wú lì.
When wind has not gathered thickly enough, it lacks the strength to support a large wing.

故九万里，则风斯在下矣，而后乃今培风；背负青天，而莫之夭阏者，而后乃今将图南。 gù jiǔ wàn lǐ, zé fēng sī zài xià yǐ, ér hòu nǎi jīn péi fēng; bēi fù qīng tiān, ér mò zhī yāo è zhě, ér hòu nǎi jīn jiāng tú nán.
So at ninety thousand li the wind is beneath it, and only then can it ride the wind. With the blue sky above its back and nothing to obstruct it, only then can it set its course south.

蜩与学鸠笑之曰：“我决起而飞，抢榆枋而止，时则不至，而控于地而已矣，奚以之九万里而南为？” tiáo yǔ xué jiū xiào zhī yuē: “wǒ xuè qǐ ér fēi, qiāng yú fāng ér zhǐ, shí zé bù zhì, ér kòng yú dì ér yǐ yǐ, xī yǐ zhī jiǔ wàn lǐ ér nán wéi?”
A cicada and a small dove laugh at it: “We spring up and fly to an elm or a sandalwood tree and stop there; sometimes we do not reach it and simply drop to the ground. What is the point of going ninety thousand li up to head south?”

适莽苍者，三餐而反，腹犹果然；适百里者，宿舂粮；适千里者，三月聚粮。 shì mǎng cāng zhě, sān cān ér fǎn, fù yóu guǒ rán; shì bǎi lǐ zhě, sù chōng liáng; shì qiān lǐ zhě, sān yuè jù liáng.
A traveller going to the nearby fields returns after three meals with a full stomach; a traveller going a hundred li pounds grain the night before; a traveller going a thousand li gathers provisions for three months.

之二虫又何知！ zhī èr chóng yòu hé zhī!
What do these two small creatures know!

小知不及大知，小年不及大年。 xiǎo zhì bù jí dà zhì, xiǎo nián bù jí dà nián.
Small understanding cannot reach great understanding; a short life cannot reach a long life.

奚以知其然也？ xī yǐ zhī qí rán yě?
How is this known to be so?

朝菌不知晦朔，蟪蛄不知春秋，此小年也。 zhāo jùn bù zhī huì shuò, huì gū bù zhī chūn qiū, cǐ xiǎo nián yě.
A morning fungus knows nothing of the month’s end and beginning, and a short-lived cicada knows nothing of spring and autumn. These have short lives.

楚之南有冥灵者，以五百岁为春，五百岁为秋；上古有大椿者，以八千岁为春，八千岁为秋。 chǔ zhī nán yǒu míng líng zhě, yǐ wǔ bǎi suì wéi chūn, wǔ bǎi suì wéi qiū; shàng gǔ yǒu dà chūn zhě, yǐ bā qiān suì wéi chūn, bā qiān suì wéi qiū.
South of Chu there is a creature called Mingling that counts five hundred years as spring and five hundred as autumn; in ancient times there was a great chun tree that counted eight thousand years as spring and eight thousand as autumn.

此大年也。 cǐ dà nián yě.
These have long lives.

而彭祖乃今以久特闻，众人匹之，不亦悲乎！ ér péng zǔ nǎi jīn yǐ jiǔ tè wén, zhòng rén pǐ zhī, bù yì bēi hū!
Yet Pengzu alone is famous today for his long life, and everyone tries to match him. Is that not sad?

汤之问棘也是已。 tāng zhī wèn jí yě shì yǐ.
Tang’s question to Ji concerns this same matter.

“穷发之北，有冥海者，天池也。有鱼焉，其广数千里，未有知其修者，其名为鲲。” “qióng fà zhī běi, yǒu míng hǎi zhě, tiān chí yě. yǒu yú yān, qí guǎng shù qiān lǐ, wèi yǒu zhī qí xiū zhě, qí míng wéi kūn.”
“North of the barren land there is a dark sea, a pool made by heaven. A fish lives there, several thousand li across; nobody has known its length. Its name is Kun.”

“有鸟焉，其名为鹏，背若泰山，翼若垂天之云，抟扶摇羊角而上者九万里，绝云气，负青天，然后图南，且适南冥也。” “yǒu niǎo yān, qí míng wéi péng, bèi ruò tài shān, yì ruò chuí tiān zhī yún, tuán fú yáo yáng jiǎo ér shàng zhě jiǔ wàn lǐ, jué yún qì, fù qīng tiān, rán hòu tú nán, qiě shì nán míng yě.”
“A bird lives there named Peng, with a back like Mount Tai and wings like clouds hanging across the sky. It circles upward ninety thousand li on a whirlwind shaped like a ram’s horn, passes beyond the clouds, bears the blue sky above it, then sets its course south toward the southern sea.”

斥鴳笑之曰：“彼且奚适也？我腾跃而上，不过数仞而下，翱翔蓬蒿之间，此亦飞之至也。而彼且奚适也？” chì yàn xiào zhī yuē: “bǐ qiě xī shì yě? wǒ téng yuè ér shàng, bù guò shù rèn ér xià, áo xiáng péng hāo zhī jiān, cǐ yì fēi zhī zhì yě. ér bǐ qiě xī shì yě?”
A little quail laughs at it: “Where is it going? I jump up and fly, coming down after only a few ren, and glide among the weeds. That is as far as flying goes. Where is it going?”

此小大之辩也。 cǐ xiǎo dà zhī biàn yě.
This is the distinction between small and great.

故夫知效一官，行比一乡，德合一君，而征一国者，其自视也亦若此矣。 gù fú zhì xiào yī guān, xíng bì yī xiāng, dé hé yī jūn, ér zhēng yī guó zhě, qí zì shì yě yì ruò cǐ yǐ.
So those whose understanding qualifies them for an office, whose conduct suits a district, whose virtue pleases a ruler, or whose ability wins the confidence of a state regard themselves in much the same way.

而宋荣子犹然笑之。 ér sòng róng zǐ yóu rán xiào zhī.
Yet Song Rongzi laughs at them.

且举世誉之而不加劝，举世非之而不加沮，定乎内外之分，辩乎荣辱之境，斯已矣。 qiě jǔ shì yù zhī ér bù jiā quàn, jǔ shì fēi zhī ér bù jiā jǔ, dìng hū nèi wài zhī fèn, biàn hū róng rǔ zhī jìng, sī yǐ yǐ.
If the whole world praised him, he would make no extra effort; if the whole world condemned him, he would not be discouraged. He settled the division between what belonged to himself and what came from outside, and distinguished the bounds of honour and disgrace. That was as far as he went.

彼其于世，未数数然也。虽然，犹有未树也。 bǐ qí yú shì, wèi shuò shuò rán yě. suī rán, yóu yǒu wèi shù yě.
He was not anxiously occupied with the world. Even so, there was still something he had not established.

夫列子御风而行，泠然善也，旬有五日而后反。 fú liè zǐ yù fēng ér xíng, líng rán shàn yě, xún yòu wǔ rì ér hòu fǎn.
Liezi rode the wind and travelled with effortless grace, returning after fifteen days.

彼于致福者，未数数然也。 bǐ yú zhì fú zhě, wèi shuò shuò rán yě.
He was not anxiously occupied with obtaining good fortune.

此虽免乎行，犹有所待者也。 cǐ suī miǎn hū xíng, yóu yǒu suǒ dài zhě yě.
Although this spared him walking, he still depended on something.

若夫乘天地之正，而御六气之辩，以游无穷者，彼且恶乎待哉！ ruò fú chéng tiān dì zhī zhèng, ér yù liù qì zhī biàn, yǐ yóu wú qióng zhě, bǐ qiě wū hū dài zāi!
But someone who rides the regular course of heaven and earth and travels with the changes of the six atmospheric forces, wandering without limit, what would they depend on?

故曰：至人无己，神人无功，圣人无名。 gù yuē: zhì rén wú jǐ, shén rén wú gōng, shèng rén wú míng.
So it is said: the perfected have no fixed self, the spirit-like claim no achievement, and the sages have no name.