Zhuangzi translation and commentary

公孫龍問於魏牟曰：「龍少學先生之道，長而明仁義之行，合同異，雜堅白，然不然，可不可，困百家之知，窮眾口之辯，吾自以為至達已。今吾聞莊子之言，汒焉異之，不知論之不及與，知之弗若與？今吾無所開吾喙，敢問其方。」

公子牟隱机太息，仰天而笑曰：「子獨不聞夫埳井之鼃乎？謂東海之鱉曰：『吾樂與！出跳梁乎井幹之上，入休乎缺甃之崖，赴水則接腋持頤，蹶泥則沒足滅跗，還虷蟹與科斗，莫吾能若也。且夫擅一壑之水，而跨跱埳井之樂，此亦至矣，夫子奚不時來入觀乎？』

東海之鱉左足未入，而右膝已縶矣。於是逡巡而卻，告之海曰：『夫千里之遠，不足以舉其大；千仞之高，不足以極其深。禹之時，十年九潦，而水弗為加益；湯之時，八年七旱，而崖不為加損。夫不為頃久推移，不以多少進退者，此亦東海之大樂也。』

於是埳井之鼃聞之，適適然驚，規規然自失也。且夫知不知是非之竟，而猶欲觀於莊子之言，是猶使蚊負山，商蚷馳河也，必不勝任矣。

且夫知不知論極妙之言，而自適一時之利者，是非埳井之鼃與？且彼方跐黃泉而登大皇，無南無北，奭然四解，淪於不測；無東無西，始於玄冥，反於大通。子乃規規然而求之以察，索之以辯，是直用管窺天，用錐指地也，不亦小乎！子往矣！且子獨不聞壽陵餘子之學行於邯鄲與？未得國能，又失其故行矣，直匍匐而歸耳。今子不去，將忘子之故，失子之業。」

公孫龍口呿而不合，舌舉而不下，乃逸而走。[a]

Gongsun Long said to Prince Mou of Wei, "As a young man I studied the ways of former kings. As an adult, I elucidated the conduct of kindness and morality, joined the same and different, separated the hard and what, so-ed the not-so, and could-ed the can't. I baffled the wisdom of the hundred schools and wore out the disputations of the mob of mouths. I thought I had it all. But now that I've heard the words of Zhuangzi, I'm dumbfounded, they're so different. I don't know whether I can't keep up with his rhetoric or my knowledge isn't up to the task. I can't open my beak. What's happening?"

Young prince Mou leaned on his armrest, heaved a deep sigh, looked up and smiled. "Haven't you heard about the frog in the collapsed well? He said to the turtle of the eastern sea, 'Aren’t I happy! I come out and spring up on the railing, or I go in and rest in the hollow of a missing brick. When I float in the water, it hugs me under the arms and supports my chin. When I stomp in the mud, my feet sink in until it covers my ankles. Look around at the larvae and shrimp and polliwogs. None of them can match me! To control the water of a whole gully and straddle the happiness of a whole collapsed well—this is really getting somewhere! Why don’t you come in some time and see?'

Before the turtle of the eastern sea could get his left foot in, his right knee was already stuck. He teetered and fell back, and then began to tell of the sea. 'A thousand miles  wouldn’t  measure its breadth. A thousand fathoms wouldn’t plumb its depths. In Yu’s time there were floods nine years out of ten but its waters never rose. In Tang’s time there were droughts seven years inout of eight but its shores never receded. Not to change or shift for an instant or ever, not to advance or retreat a little or a lot—that’s the happiness of the eastern sea.'

When the frog in the caved in well heard this, he spluttered in surprise and round-roundly lost himself. Without knowing the boundaries of right and wrong, you still to want to gaze on Zhuangzi's words—this is like asking a mosquito to carry a mountain or a caterpillar to charge across a river. They can't possibly do it. 

Now if you lack the sense to sort out the most mysterious words but can only serve yourself a moment's profit, aren't you the frog in the collapsed well? That Zhuangzi, he's wading through the Yellow Springs and ascending to the great sky. No north, no south, majestically dissolving all four directions, sinking into the unplumbed. No east, no west, he starts in dark mystery and returns to the great pass. And now you come round-roundly, seeing if you can get a peek at him, throw a rope around him with your words. This is really like looking at the sky through a tube or using a needle to poke the earth. Isn't it too small? Get out of here! Haven't you heard about that poor bastard from Shouling who studied walking in Handan? Before he learned the local stroll, he’d lost his native strut and had to shuffle home on his hands and knees. If you don't quit, you'll forget what you used to know and lose your job."

Gongsun Long's jaw dropped and wouldn't lift. His tongue stuck and wouldn't budge. So he turned and ran. [1]