Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Inner Chapters
The Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, traditionally treated as the philosophical heart of the text.
✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦
Texts
Zhuangzi — Enjoyment in Untroubled EaseThe first chapter of the Zhuangzi — the great Daoist parable of the Kun fish, the Peng bird, and the freedom beyond all usefulness. Translated by James Legge, 1891.Zhuangzi — Man in the World, Associated with other MenThe fourth chapter of the Zhuangzi — Confucius on the fasting of the mind, the useless tree that dreams, and the madman who warns the Phoenix. Translated by James Legge, 1891.Zhuangzi — Nourishing the Lord of LifeThe third chapter of the Zhuangzi — the cook who carves the ox, the pheasant in the marshes, and the fire that passes on. Translated by James Legge, 1891.Zhuangzi — The Adjustment of ControversiesThe second chapter of the Zhuangzi — the pipe of heaven, the equality of all things, and the butterfly dream. Translated by James Legge, 1891.Zhuangzi — The Great and Most Honoured MasterThe sixth chapter of the Zhuangzi — the True Man who breathes from his heels, the Dao that is older than God, the four friends who laugh at death, and Yan Hui who sits and forgets everything. Translated by James Legge, 1891.Zhuangzi — The Normal Course for Rulers and KingsThe seventh and final Inner Chapter of the Zhuangzi — the keystone of the arch. Non-action as the way of rulers, the wizard confounded by Huzi's transformations, and the death of Chaos at the hands of kindness. Translated by James Legge, 1891.Zhuangzi — The Seal of Virtue CompleteThe fifth chapter of the Zhuangzi — the footless sage, the dustless mirror, the ugly man who ruled by inner virtue, and the Dao that gives us our form. Translated by James Legge, 1891.