“The fish trap exists because of the fish; once you’ve gotten the fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit; once you’ve gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.
Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?”
— Zhuangzi, chapter 26
translation: Burton Watson
To consider:
Which of us is still carrying the trap around after the fish is already in the boat?
12 responses to “Zhuangzi quote”
Truly thought-provoking.
Thank you. 🙏
Food for thought…
Nom nom nom.
Are words traps? I suppose they can be
They often are.
Brilliant!
Zhuangzi is a brilliant Taoist writer. Probably my favorite because of his absurdist approach.
I’m going to look for what I can find on him. Really good stuff.
It’s all in one book 🙂
Burton Watson is probably the standard translation, but there are a few newer that come highly recommended.
I’m going to look for that book. Seems right up my alley.
It requires a certain mindset, but Chuang Tzu / Zhuangzi is probably the most entertaining of the ancient Taoist writers.