original text
My life is limited, but so is my knowledge. With the limit, there is no limit, and it is almost there; It's almost enough for people who already know! Good has no near name, and evil has no near punishment. The Governor thinks that classics can preserve our health, nurture our life, support our loved ones and last for several years.
translate
Human life is limited, but knowledge is infinite. Pursuing infinite knowledge with limited life will inevitably lead to exhaustion, so it is really dangerous to continue pursuing knowledge! Do what the world calls good without coveting fame and fortune, and do what the world calls evil without facing the humiliation of punishment. Follow the righteousness of nature, as a constant method to conform to things, so as to protect themselves, preserve their nature, and let their parents have no worries and enjoy the rest of their lives.
Notes on the title or background of a book.
This is an article about keeping in good health. "Health Master" is the key to health. Zhuangzi believes that the way to keep fit is to conform to nature, forget your feelings and not be trapped by foreign things.
The full text is divided into three parts. The first part is "You can spend all your years", which is the general outline of the whole article. It is pointed out that the most important thing for health preservation is to "know the classics from the edge", that is, to adhere to the virtual Tao in things and adapt to the changes and development of nature. The second part, How to Keep Healthy, compares people's health with the decomposition of cows' bodies by chefs, explaining that life and life should be "nature-oriented" and "sky-oriented", and only by taking virtual "space" for yourself can we be "comfortable", thus avoiding the entanglement of right and wrong and contradictions. The rest is the third part, which further explains the attitude of "obeying fate, conforming to nature and being safe and smooth".
The center of Zhuangzi's thought is, on the one hand, helpless freedom, and on the other hand, opposing letting nature take its course. Although this article talks about health preservation between the lines, it actually reflects the author's philosophy and life purport.