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Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Outer Chapters -> Perfect Enjoyment -> 5

顏淵東之齊，When Yan Yuan went eastwards to Qi,
孔子有憂色。 Confucius wore a look of sorrow.
子貢下席而問曰：Zi-gong left his mat, and asked him, saying,
「小子敢問：'Your humble disciple ventures to ask
回東之齊，夫子有憂色，何邪？」 how it is that the going eastwards of Hui to Qi has given you such a look of sadness.'
孔子曰： Confucius said,
「善哉汝問！ 'Your question is good.
昔者管子有言，Formerly Guanzi used words
丘甚善之， of which I very much approve.
曰： He said,
『褚小者不可以懷大， "A small bag cannot be made to contain what is large;
綆短者不可以汲深。』 a short rope cannot be used to draw water from a deep well."
夫若是者， So it is,
以為命有所成而形有所適也，and man's appointed lot is definitely determined, and his body is adapted for definite ends,
夫不可損益。 so that neither the one nor the other can be augmented or diminished.
吾恐回與齊侯言堯、舜、黃帝之道，I am afraid that Hui will talk with the marquis of Qi about the ways of Huang-Di, Yao, and Shun,
而重以燧人、神農之言。 and go on to relate the words of Sui-ren and Shen Nong.
彼將內求於己而不得， The marquis will seek (for the correspondence of what he is told) in himself;
不得則惑，and, not finding it there, will suspect the speaker;
人惑則死。and that speaker, being suspected, will be put to death.
且女獨不聞邪？And have you not heard this?
昔者海鳥止於魯郊， Formerly a sea-bird alighted in the suburban country of Lu.
魯侯御而觴之於廟，The marquis went out to meet it, (brought it) to the ancestral temple, and prepared to banquet it there.
奏九韶以為樂， The Jiu-shao was performed to afford it music;
具太牢以為善。an ox, a sheep, and a pig were killed to supply the food.
鳥乃眩視憂悲，The bird, however, looked at everything with dim eyes, and was very sad.
不敢食一臠， It did not venture to eat a single bit of flesh,
不敢飲一杯， nor to drink a single cupful;
三日而死。 and in three days it died.
此以己養養鳥也，'The marquis was trying to nourish the bird with what he used for himself,
非以鳥養養鳥也。 and not with the nourishment proper for a bird.
夫以鳥養養鳥者，They who would nourish birds as they ought to be nourished
宜栖之深林， should let them perch in the deep forests,
遊之壇陸， or roam over sandy plains;
浮之江湖， float on the rivers and lakes;
食之鰍鰷， feed on the eels and small fish;
隨行列而止， wing their flight in regular order and then stop;
委蛇而處。 and be free and at ease in their resting-places.
彼唯人言之惡聞， It was a distress to that bird to hear men speak;
奚以夫譊譊為乎！ what did it care for all the noise and hubbub made about it?
咸池、九韶之樂，If the music of the Jiu-shao or the Xian-chi
張之洞庭之野， were performed in the wild of the Dong-ting lake,
鳥聞之而飛， birds would fly away,
獸聞之而走， and beasts would run off when they heard it,
魚聞之而下入， and fishes would dive down to the bottom of the water;
人卒聞之，while men, when they hear it,
相與還而觀之。would come all round together, and look on.
魚處水而生，人處水而死， Fishes live and men die in the water.
故必相與異， They are different in constitution,
其好惡故異也。 and therefore differ in their likes and dislikes.
故先聖不一其能， Hence it was that the ancient sages did not require (from all) the same ability,
不同其事。 nor demand the same performances.
名止於實， They gave names according to the reality of what was done,
義設於適， and gave their approbation where it was specially suitable.
是之謂條達而福持。」 This was what was called the method of universal adaptation and of sure success.'

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