Introduction and Notes for a Complete Translation of the Chuang Tzu

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Victor H. Mair, "Introduction and Notes for a Complete Translation of the Chuane Tzuw 15. parasol tree (17). More specifically, the Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simwlex) or wut'ung. It has close associations with lute playing in China. See Mair, "Seven Stimuli", pp. 32-39. 16. "hard" and "white" (18). Referring to the sophistries of Master Hui, who claimed that hardness and whiteness could not coexist in the same entity. 17. Progenitor P'eng (18). See chapter 1, note 4. 18. mathematician (19). More literally, "calendrical specialist. " 19. inhumane (19). That is, it is not purposely benevolent toward a specific recipient of its attention while ignoring others. Cf. Tao Te Ching, ch. 5. 20. immodest (19). It is not intentionally modest. 21. Tsung, etc. (20). Three small states (probably imaginary). 22. ten suns (20). This is from a myth supposedly dating to the time of Yao himself. Actually, the simultaneous appearance of ten suns was a disaster because it scorched the crops. Yao had to call upon the mighty archer Yi, a hero of Tai-speaking peoples to the south, to shoot down nine of the suns. 23. loach (20). A small eel, only three to four inches long, that lives in the mud of ponds and lakes, 24. gibbon (20). An arboreal ape with long arms and a slender body. 25. giant centipede. (21). Tropical centipedes, up to 11 inches in length, can inflict severe bites with their jawlike, venomous claws. 26. Mao Ch9iang (21). Another fabled beauty of old. 27. Hillock (22). Ch'iu, Confucius' personal name, possibly referring to the philosopher's high, knobby forehead or to his presumably illegitimate birth in the countryside. Confucius is the Latinization of K'ung Futzu ("Master K'ung "). 28. greatly awakened (22). Tachueh, the expression employed here, was also used later in Buddhist Hybrid Chinese as a translation of Sanskrit mahabodhi and referred to supreme enlightenment or the great intelligence of a Buddha. 29. (ventral) scales, forewings (24). For movement. 30. Chuang Chou (24). Master Chuang (Chuang Tzu). The surname Chuang means "solemn" and Chou, his personal name, signifies " [all] round" or "whole. "
Chapter 3 Sino-Platonic Papers, 48 (September 1994) 1. punishment (25). Both clauses of thls sentence contain a graph that normally functions as a negative. Here, however, a better reading is obtained if we understand the graph as a modal particle, a not uncommon function for it in early texts, especially when appearing in paired clauses. An alternative translation might be: "Intentionally doing good earns one fame; intentionally doing bad earns one punishment. " 2. conduit (25). "Artery" and "conduit, " through which one's vital force (ch'i) flows, are technical terms from traditional Chinese medicine. They are here being used in a partially metaphorical sense. 3. viscera (26). The usual interpretation of this clause is "nourish your parents, " but that is a gross Confucian distortion and completely out of place in the present context. The correct interpretation hinges on how one interprets ch'in ("parents, intimates"). I base my rendering on ch'in as it occurs near the beginning of the previous chapter in reference to the viscera. 4. "The Mulberry Grove," "The Managing Chief" (26). The names of two ancient airs. 5. not man (27). That is, his ghastly appearance is not due to a disfiguring punishment or other human interference with his natural form. 6. Old Longears (28). This is surely meant to be a reference to Lao Tzu, the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching. For a discussion of his big ears, see Mair, "File, " p. 42, note 1. 7. Idle Intruder (28). Ch'in Yi, probably a fictional character, the meaning of whose name is not entirely clear. 8. emancipation (28). This is virtually identical to the Indian concept of moksa.
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