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莊子衣大布而補之，正緳係履而過魏王。魏王曰：「何先生之憊邪？」

莊子曰：「貧也，非憊也。士有道德不能行，憊也。衣弊履穿，貧也，非憊也，此所謂非遭時也。

王獨不見夫騰猿乎？其得柟、梓、豫、章也，攬蔓其枝，而王長其間，雖羿、蓬蒙不能眄睨也。及其得柘、棘、枳、枸之閒也，危行側視，振動悼慄，此筋骨非有加急而不柔也，處勢不便，未足以逞其能也。今處昏上亂相之間，而欲無憊，奚可得邪？此比干之見剖心，徵也夫！」[a]

Zhuangzi, wearing a patched hemp shirt and shoes wrapped with string, went to see the king of Wei, who said, "What's the problem, my good sir?"

Zhuangzi said, "I'm poor. It's not a problem. A worthy person having the way and powers and not being able to use them: that's a problem. A worn-out shirt and holes in the shoes are poverty, not a problem. It's what called an issue of timing. 

Hasn't your majesty seen those leaping baboons? They reach the tallest of trees, swinging and slinging from limb to limb, kings of all they survey. Even the great Archer Yi and his son, Lost-in-the-weeds, couldn't get a bead on them. But when they land in the middle of thorns, brambles and cactuses, they walk carefully, looking around, quaking and quivering. It's not that their bones and muscles are any less springy and fluid, but the location is not apt and doesn't let them do what they can do. These days, someone living among benighted superiors and chaotic ministers couldn't avoid problems even if they wanted to, as Bi Gan's heart troubles go to prove!" [1]

[1] Watson says, "Chuang Tzu is presumably explaining why he does not take public office in the troubled times in which he lived" (p. 217). Something like that does seem to be what he is saying in the final paragraph. But in his initial response to the the king, he says a worthy person's being unable to put his talents to use is a problem, but denies that he is such a person. Is his point that he doesn't want a job at all, or just not in these treacherous times?

[a] CTP 20.06, HYZY 20/45-50.

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