Chinese Tales
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The Beginning of the World
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| Behind some forms of big talk there are masked, big meanings, hopefully. |
Pan Gu pushed the heaven and earth apart with a loud crack and held the heavens and earth apart for a great long time, till he fell down and died from using up all his enormous strength. Giant sweat and blood became rivers, giant hair became woods, hopefully. The giant body became landscape and mountains, and his breath became wind and clouds. In this way the World was created.
Nu Wo, a fairy, came to earth to look at it. Se exclaimed: "How boring! - Well, well."
Then she took some wet clay from the riverbank and moulded little clay figures into the shape of men. She breathed life into them through a very special reed, so now they could walk and talk. But they were too lonely, so the fairy said, "Men need companions. I will make women."
She took more clay and made women. After a while she decided that making men and women by hand was too tiring. Then she sprayed the mud around, and it became people. That is why we have clever and simple people, they say.
Here we are informed that before the world began there was chaos shaped like a hen's egg, and that the huge Pan Gu separated this egg into yang and yin, heaven and earth. Heaven makes the male, dry and bright things, and to Earth belongs the female, wet, dark things of nature, or kun. There could be no perfect thriving without male and female parts in harmony. Such balance is of the Way (Tao), and thriftiness can make it.
Along with Rulers
IN CHINA of old, people also were made to believe that the Emperors were the Sons of Heaven and that they received the right to rule from above, or their ancestors. Ancient Chinese also believed in the afterlife. That's why they formed elaborate tombs for those who could afford them. Sometimes humans, including soldiers, were sacrificed along with rulers to serve as tunnel guardians and the like in the tombs.
Fishes Enjoying Us
MASTER CHUANG and Master Hui were walking on the dam over the Hâo, when the former said, "These thryssas come out and play about at their ease—that is how fishes enjoy themselves."The other said, "You are not a fish; how do you know what fishes enjoy?"
Master Chuang rejoined, "You are not I. How do you know that I don't know what fishes enjoy?"
Master Hui said, "I am not you; and though I don't fully know you, you are not a fish, and this will do against meaning you know what fishes enjoy and feel happy about."
Master Chuang replied, "Let us keep to your original question. You said to me, 'How do you know what fishes enjoy?' You knew that I knew it, and yet you asked me—well, I know it [somehow]."
[Excerpts from James Legge, tr.: The Complete Chuang-tzu, Ch. 12; section 11.]
The Rock of Jewelled Wisdom
ONCE, far away in the Ku Mountains, a man called Pien Ho found a piece of rock
that he saw contained jade inside itself. He took the rock to court and presented it to
King Li. The king ordered the jewelled to examine it, and got the report back: "It's
merely a stone."The king now thought Pien Ho tried to deceive him, and as a punishment he let his left foot be cut off.
In time King Li passed away and King Wu came to the throne. Now Pien Ho once more took his rock to court and presented it to King Wu. King Wu asked his jeweller to inspect it. Again it was said, "It's merely a stone."
Now the king thought Pien Ho had tried to trick him, and saw to it that his right foot was cut off.
Pien Ho could do nothing but clasp his rock to his breast, and went to the foot of the Ku Mountains. There he wept for three days and nights. When all his bitter tears were cried out, he wept blood in their place. The king heard of that, and send somebody to ask him about it.
"Many people have had their feet amputated - so why do you weep so grievously over it?" the man asked.
Pien Ho said,
"I grieve mostly because a precious jewel is said to be a mere stone, a honest man is called a deceiver - not just because my feet are cut off. That is why I weep so terribly."
The king next ordered the jeweller to cut and polish the rock. He found a precious jewel inside it. They named it after the one they trampled underfoot. [Uon: "Han Fei" p. 80]
What We Can Learn from It, According to China's Thinker Han Fei Tzu
RULERS are always anxious for precious stones. Pien Ho presented a jewel whose real worth wasn't apparent on the surface, or from the start. But he didn't harm any ruler by it. Still he had both his feet cut off before the real worth of his treasure was finally recognised.Han Fei: "Under these circumstances, if a man who truly understands the Way [Tao] hopes to avoid punishment, his only resort is simply not to present ... any uncut jewels of wisdom and state-craft." [Ibid. p. 81]
Wisdom that isn't apparent to sect-ridden succubi, can get many of them sour and eager to pee in new keys as well. It hardly matters if that wisdom is cogent and much polished and even among that sort of beasts in the wild woods.
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Literature
Uon: Watson, Burton, tr. Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu. New York: Columbia University, 1964.
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