Butterfly Dream

The man Su Qin intended to use was named Zhang Yi, a native of Wei and, like Su Qin at the time, a poor politician. He begged to see King Huai of Wei, who didn't use him. So he took his family to Chu and went to see King Wei of Chu. Like King Hui of Wei, King Wei of Chu thought that he could make Chu as rich and powerful as Qin if he could find someone with special skills to be the minister. Before Zhang Yi arrived in Chu, King Wei of Chu had heard that there was a famous man named Zhuang Zhou, so he sent his messenger to invite him to be the minister.

Speaking of Zhuang Zhou, was also a famous Chinese thinker. He had many disciples like Confucius, Mencius, and Mozi. People called Zhuang Zhou Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi was a native of Song because part of the land of Song was annexed by Chu, so he was also considered a native of Chu. He was a central figure in the Taoist school of Laozi. He saw with his own eyes that the kings and nobles of the kingdoms only knew how to bully and cheat each other for power and profit, and he was very disgusted with them. He said, "When they make a liter or a dipper to measure something, they steal it; when they make a scale to weigh something, they steal the scale; when they make a talisman or a seal as a credential, they steal both the talisman and the seal; when they advocate benevolence and righteousness to correct people's behavior, they steal benevolence and righteousness as well. Those who stole a hook were caught and convicted of death; those who stole from a country became vassals. The vassal had all the benevolence and righteousness in his house!"HuishHuishi said, "In that case, if I am not you, I cannot know you; then, by the same token, if you are not a fish, you cannot know the happiness of a fish." Zhuangzi said seriously, "If you talk in such a roundabout way, no one can know anyone. I am only saying that because I am walking freely on the bridge and feel happy, I think that the fish must also be happy when they are swimming calmly under the bridge." Only then did Huishi have nothing more to say.

Although Zhuangzi and Huishi were friends, in the end, because the two people's think and temperaments are different, can not get together. In particular, Huish became a big official, very powerful. The more powerful he was, the more Zhuangzi despised him.

King Wei of Chu only knew that Zhuang Zi was very learned, but he didn't know what the use of such knowledge was, nor did he know Zhuang Zi's temperament. It was only then that he sent an envoy with a thousand pounds of gold as a gift to Zhuangzi, asking him to become a minister. Zhuangzi smiled and said to the messenger, "A thousand pounds of gold is a big enough gift, and the minister of a country is a high enough position. But have you seen the cattle used for sacrifice? It had been raised for several years and was fat enough to be used. The bull was clothed with embroidered colorful clothes and brought to the temple. At this time [referring to the time of slaughtering the ox], does it want to be a little pig, can it be done?" And he said to the messenger, "Take back the gift, please, and do not come to harm me. I would rather live as an old citizen eating a bitter meal in the mud."

Zhuangzi was unwilling to be an official for the rest of his life. King Wei of Chu failed to invite him there after all.