📖 Overview
This chapter warns against letting external things control your inner peace. Its most famous passage explains Zhuangzi's literary method through the metaphor of the fish trap (筌): 'The fish trap exists for the fish; once you've caught the fish, forget the trap. Words exist for meaning; once you've grasped the meaning, forget the words.'
🏮 Famous Stories & Parables
🏮 The Fish Trap and the Rabbit Snare
Zhuangzi writes: 'The fish trap exists for the fish. Once you catch the fish, forget the trap. Words exist for meaning. Once you grasp the meaning, forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?' This is Zhuangzi's own description of his literary method — words are tools, not truths.
🏮 Zhuangzi Borrows Grain
Zhuangzi is poor and borrows grain from the Marquis of Jianhe. The Marquis promises: 'When I collect my taxes, I will lend you three hundred gold pieces.' Zhuangzi angrily tells a story: a fish in a drying puddle asks for a cup of water to survive; the passerby promises to divert the Yangtze River. 'By then you'll find me in the dried fish market,' the fish replies.