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Text 11 from Zhuangzǐ 莊子, Ràng wáng pian 讓王篇 (節選)

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The Zhuangzǐ was probably compiled during the 4 and 3 centuries B.C. and it may represent the
earliest ideas of the school of thought that later became known as Dàojia 道家, or Daoism. One of the
beliefs common to this school was that personal safety lay in political obscurity, and that the struggle
for political power was a waste of one’s life. The Ràng wáng 讓王 (“Abdicating kings”) chapter of
the text recounts tales of kings and commoners who exemplify the ideal of political withdrawal. The
story of Sheep-slaughterer Yùe 說 that appears below is a selection from this chapter. Although its
ideas are in line with many aspects of Daoism, it also shows regard for certain types of Confucian
ideas, including the “rectification of names” concept, the interest in correlating merit and rewards,
and the use of precision in discourse to make a political point. In terms of the combination of ideas
and narrative rhetoric, it is more complex than other texts we have read so far.