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Translator's Notes
{1} He is reputed to have lived 800 years.{2} 1783 B.C.
{3} Philosopher about whose life nothing is known. The book Liehtse is considered a later compilation. See the section "Parables of Ancient Philosophers."
{4} The wind.
{5} 2357 B.C.
{6} Sage emperors/
{7} A sophist and friend of Chuangtse who often carried on debates with him.
{8} Agitations of the soul (music of Heaven) compared to the agitations of the forest (music of Earth).
{9} Lit. "true lord."
{10} Shih and fei mean general moral judgments and mental distinctions; "right" and "wrong," "true" and "false," "is" and "is not," "affirmative" and "negative," also "to justify" and "condemn," "to affirm" and "deny."
{11} The followers of Motse were powerful rivals of the Confucianists in Chuangtse's days. See the selections from Motse.
{12} The meaning of these two sentences is made clear by a line below. "But if we put the different categories in one. then the differences of category cease to exist."
{13} Ch'eng and k'uei, lit. "whole" and "deficient."
"Wholeness" refers to unspoiled unity of Tao. In the following sentences, ch'eng is used in the sense of "success " It is explained by commentators that the "wholeness" of music exists only in silence, and that as soon as one note is struck, other notes are necessarily held in abeyance. The same thing is true of arguments: when we argue, we necessarily cut up truth by emphasizing certain aspects of it.
{14} See Laotse, Ch. 42.
{15} See Laotse, Ch. 5.
{16} See Laotse, Ch. 58.
{17} Lit. in the "Palace of Heaven."
{18} Personal name of Chuangtse. "tse" being the equivalent of "Master."
{19} An important idea that recurs frequently in Chuangtse, all things are in constant flow and change, but are different aspects of the One.
{20} Best disciple of Confucius.
{21} Lit. "regarded as sons (ie. fathered) by Heaven."
{22} The first part of this song is found in the Analects.
{23} This chapter deals entirely with deformitiesa literary device for emphasizing the contrast of the inner and the outer man.
{24} A well-known historical person, a model minister referred to in the Analects.
{25} Lit. "The outside of frame and bones."
{26} Hueitse often discusses the nature of attributes, like the "hardness" and "whiteness" of objects.
{27} All of these historical and semi-historical persons were good men who lost their lives, by drowning or starving themselves, or pretending insanity, in protest against a wicked world, or just to avoid being called into office.
{28} General attitude of fluidity towards life.
{29} Mythical emperor (2852 B.C.) said to have discovered the principles of mutations of Yin and Yang.
{30} With a man's head but a beast's body.
{31} A river spirit.
{32} A mountain god.
{33} A semi-mythical ruler, who ruled in 2698-2597 B.C.
{34} A semi-mythical ruler, who ruled in 25I4-2417 B.C., shortly before Emperor Yao.
{35} A water god with a human face and a bird's body.
{36} A monarch of the Shang Dynasty, 1324-l266 B.C.100
{37} A famous sword.
{38} Personal name of Confucius.
{39} Huang-chung and ta-lu: were the standard pitchpipes.
{40} Tseng Ts'an and Shih Yu:, disciples of Confucius.
{41} I Yang chu and Motse (Mo Ti).
{42} Beginning with this phrase there is a marked change in style and vocabulary in this part.
{43} Because he refused to serve the new dynasty.
{44} Sun Yang, 658-619 B.C.
{45} A mythical ruler.
{46} 481 B.C.
{47} There is an anachronism here for Chuangtse lived to see only the ninth generation of T'iens, At least the number "twelve" must have been slipped in by a later scribe. This evidence is not sufficient to vitiate the whole chapter, as some "textual critics" claim.
{48} Reference to a story. The states Lu and Chao both presented wine to the King of Ch'u. By the trickery of a servant, the flasks were exchanged, and Chao was blamed for presenting bad wine, and its city Hantan was beseiged.
{49} See Laotse, Ch. 36.
{50} See Laotse, Ch. 19.
{51} See Laotse, Ch. 45.
{52} See Note 40.
{53} See Laotse, Ch. 1.
{54} All legendary ancient rulers.
{55} Cf. Laotse, Ch. 80.
{56} See Laotse, Ch. 13.
{57} Laotse, Tan being one of the personal names of Laotse (Li Tan, or Li Erh). "Lao" means "old," while "Li" is the family name.
{58} The founders of the three dynasties, Hsia, Shang and Chou (2205-222 B.C.)
{59} Signal for attack.
{60} Lit. "Heaven."
{61} Yin, yang, wind, rain, light and darkness.
{62} Great Nebulous is here addressed as "Heaven." See Note 60.
{63} See Note 58.
{64} This chapter further develops the ideas in Chapter "On Levelling All Things" and contains the important philosophical concept of relativity.
{65} Wei-Lu:, a mythical hole in the bottom or end of the ocean.
{66} Mythical rulers before the Three Kings.
{67} Lit. "levelling of ranks or distinctions."
{68} From here on to the end of this paragraph, most of the passages are rhymed.
{69} K'uei, a mythical, one-legged animal.
{70} Now a slogan used in China in the war against Japan.
{71} A Neo-Motseanist (of the Sophist school) who lived after Chuangtse. This section must have been added by the latter's disciples, as is easy to see from the three stories about Chuangtse which follow.
{72} Capital of Chao.