HSK 5 · Story · 743 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhuangzi-butterfly-dream-meaning

庄周梦蝶

Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream, and what it means

Name: ________________ Date: ________

你nǐ有没有yǒuméiyǒu做zuò过guò一个yígè特别tèbié真实zhēnshí的de梦mèng？醒xǐng了le以后yǐhòu好几háojǐ秒钟miǎozhōng，梦mèng里的de场景chángjǐng还hái清清楚楚qīngqīng-chúchǔ，你nǐ都dōu分不清fēnbuqīng自己zìjǐ在zài哪儿nǎr，甚至shènzhì分不清fēnbuqīng哪边nǎbiān才cái是shì真的zhēnde。两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián前qián，有yǒu个gè中国zhōngguó人rén也yě有yǒu过guò这样zhèyàng的de经历jīnglì，而且érqiě把bǎ它tā写xiě了le下来xiàlai，只用zhǐyòng了le短短duánduǎn几jǐ行háng字zì。这zhè几jǐ行háng字zì，后来hòulái成chéng了le中国zhōngguó哲学zhéxué史上shǐshàng最zuì有名yǒumíng的de段落duànluò之一zhīyī。

这zhè个gè人rén叫jiào庄周zhuāngzhōu，生活shēnghuó在zài战国zhànguó时期shíqī，后hòu人rén尊称zūnchēng他tā为wéi庄子zhuāngzǐ，他tā是shì道家dàojiā最zuì重要zhòngyào的de思想家sīxiǎngjiā之一zhīyī。有yǒu一次yícì，庄周zhuāngzhōu做zuò了le一yí个gè梦mèng，梦见mèngjiàn自己zìjǐ变成biànchéng了le一yì只zhī蝴蝶húdié。那nà只zhī蝴蝶húdié在zài空中kōngzhōng轻轻qīngqīng地de飞来飞去fēilái-fēiqù，时而shí’ér飞fēi高gāo，时而shí’ér飞fēi低dī，自由自在zìyóu-zìzài，心满意足xīnmǎn-yìzú。它tā完全wánquán沉浸chénjìn在zài做zuò蝴蝶húdié的de快乐kuàilè里li，根本gēnběn不bù知道zhīdào世界shìjiè上shàng还有háiyǒu一个yígè叫jiào庄周zhuāngzhōu的de人rén。

忽然hūrán，庄周zhuāngzhōu醒xǐng了le。他tā发现fāxiàn自己zìjǐ好好háohǎo地de躺tǎng在zài那里nàlǐ，手是手shǒushìshǒu，脚是脚jiǎoshìjiǎo，明明白白míngmíng-báibái就是jiùshì庄周zhuāngzhōu本人běnrén。他tā愣lèng住zhù了le，躺tǎng在zài那里nàlǐ半天bàntiān没méi动dòng，心里xīnli不禁bùjīn冒出màochū一个yígè奇怪qíguài的de念头niàntou：刚才gāngcái到底dàodǐ是shì庄周zhuāngzhōu做梦zuòmèng变成biànchéng了le蝴蝶húdié，还是háishì一yì只zhī蝴蝶húdié正在zhèngzài做梦zuòmèng，梦见mèngjiàn自己zìjǐ变成biànchéng了le庄周zhuāngzhōu？

乍zhà一yì听tīng，这zhè像xiàng是shì一yí个gè玩笑wánxiào。可是kěshì仔细zǐxì琢磨zuómo一下yíxià，你nǐ会huì发现fāxiàn它tā很hěn难nán反驳fǎnbó。做梦zuòmèng的de时候shíhou，我们wǒmen几乎jīhū从来不cóngláibù怀疑huáiyí梦mèng是shì假的de；只有zhíyǒu醒xǐng过来guòlai，才cái恍然大悟huǎngrán-dàwù：“哦ò，原来yuánlái是shì一yì场cháng梦mèng。”既然jìrán如此rúcǐ，我们wǒmen凭什么píngshénme断定duàndìng，眼前yǎnqián这zhè一刻yíkè就jiù不是búshì另lìng一个yígè更gèng长cháng的de梦mèng呢ne？

有意思yǒuyìsi的de是shì，庄子zhuāngzǐ并bìng没有méiyǒu回答huídá这zhè个gè问题wèntí。故事gùshi的de最后zuìhòu，他tā只zhǐ留下liúxià一句话yíjùhuà：庄周zhuāngzhōu和hé蝴蝶húdié之间zhījiān，一定yídìng是shì有yǒu区别qūbié的de，这zhè就jiù叫做jiàozuò“物化wùhuà”。

“物化wùhuà”是shì什么shénme意思yìsi？对duì此cǐ，人们rénmen的de理解líjiě并不bìngbù一致yízhì。一种yìzhǒng常见chángjiàn的de理解líjiě是shì：世界shìjiè上shàng的de万物wànwù一直yìzhí在zài变化biànhuà，人rén可以kéyǐ变成biànchéng蝴蝶húdié，蝴蝶húdié也yě可以kéyǐ变成biànchéng人rén，“我wǒ”只是zhǐshì这zhè场cháng变化biànhuà中zhōng暂时zànshí的de一yí个gè样子yàngzi。庄周zhuāngzhōu和hé蝴蝶húdié确实quèshí不同bùtóng，但dàn这种zhèzhǒng不同bùtóng并bìng不是búshì本质上běnzhìshàng的de，也yě不是búshì永远yóngyuǎn不变búbiàn的de。

这个zhège故事gùshi出现chūxiàn在zài《庄子zhuāngzǐ》中zhōng《齐物论》这zhè一yì篇piān的de结尾jiéwěi。这zhè一yì篇piān反复fǎnfù追问zhuīwèn：我们wǒmen凭什么píngshénme认为rènwéi自己zìjǐ是shì对duì的de？人们rénmen总zǒng爱ài争论zhēnglùn谁对谁shéi错cuò、什么shénme是shì美měi什么shénme是shì丑chǒu，可是kěshì换huàn一个yígè角度jiǎodù看kàn，这些zhèxiē界限jièxiàn也许yéxǔ并bìng没有méiyǒu我们wǒmen以为yǐwéi的de那么nàme绝对juéduì。这zhè个gè故事gùshi的de智慧zhìhuì恰恰qiàqià在zài这里zhèlǐ：庄子zhuāngzǐ不想bùxiǎng给gěi出chū一yí个gè标准biāozhǔn答案dá’àn，他tā更gèng想xiǎng让ràng人rén放松fàngsōng下来xiàlai，别bié把bǎ自己zìjǐ的de看法kànfǎ看kàn得de太tài重zhòng。

今天jīntiān，“庄周梦蝶zhuāngzhōu-mèngdié”已经yǐjīng成chéng了le一yí个gè成语chéngyǔ，人们rénmen用yòng它tā来lái形容xíngróng人生rénshēng如rú梦mèng、真假zhēnjiǎ难辨nánbiàn。所以suóyǐ，下次xiàcì你nǐ从cóng一个yígè特别tèbié真实zhēnshí的de梦mèng里醒xǐng过来guòlai，不妨bùfáng问wèn自己zìjǐ一yí句jù：现在xiànzài的de我wǒ，会不会huìbúhuì是shì一yì只zhī蝴蝶húdié的de梦mèng？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
梦	mèng	dream; to dream
醒	xǐng	to wake up
经历	jīnglì	experience (things one has been through)
真实	zhēnshí	true; real; authentic
哲学	zhéxué	philosophy
时期	shíqī	period; time; era
蝴蝶	húdié	butterfly
空中	kōngzhōng	in the sky; in the air; aerial; airborne
本人	běnrén	oneself; in person
如此	rúcǐ	so; such; like this
一致	yízhì	unanimous; in agreement; consistent
反复	fǎnfù	repeatedly; over and over

English (for the teacher)

Have you ever had a dream that felt completely real? For a few seconds after waking, the scene is still sharp in your mind, you can’t tell where you are, and you can’t even tell which side is the real one. More than two thousand years ago a man in China had the same experience, and he wrote it down in just a few short lines. Those lines went on to become one of the most famous passages in the history of Chinese philosophy.

His name was Zhuang Zhou; he lived in the Warring States period, later generations honoured him as Zhuangzi, and he is one of the most important thinkers of Daoism. Once, Zhuang Zhou had a dream in which he became a butterfly. The butterfly drifted lightly through the air, now high, now low, free and perfectly content. It was so wrapped up in the joy of being a butterfly that it had no idea there was anyone in the world called Zhuang Zhou.

Suddenly, Zhuang Zhou woke up. There he was, lying where he had been, hands and feet and all, unmistakably Zhuang Zhou himself. He froze and lay there a long while without moving, and a strange thought came to him: just now, had Zhuang Zhou dreamed he became a butterfly, or was a butterfly dreaming right now that it had become Zhuang Zhou?

At first it sounds like a joke. But think it over carefully and you’ll find it very hard to argue with. While we are dreaming we almost never suspect the dream is false; only when we wake do we realise, “Oh, it was just a dream.” If that’s so, on what grounds can we be sure that this very moment isn’t another, longer dream?

The interesting thing is that Zhuangzi never answers the question. At the end of the story he leaves just one remark: between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be a difference, and this is called “the transformation of things”.

What does “the transformation of things” mean? Readers have never agreed. One common reading is that everything in the world is always changing: a person can become a butterfly, a butterfly can become a person, and “I” is only a passing shape in that change. Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly really are different, but the difference is not essential, and it does not last for ever.

The story comes at the very end of the chapter “On the Equality of Things” in the book Zhuangzi. That chapter keeps asking: what makes us so sure we are right? People love to argue about who is right and who is wrong, what is beautiful and what is ugly, but seen from another angle these lines may not be as absolute as we think. That is where the story’s wisdom lies: Zhuangzi doesn’t want to hand us a model answer; he would rather we relaxed and didn’t take our own views so seriously.

Today “Zhuang Zhou dreams of the butterfly” is an idiom, used to say that life is like a dream and the real is hard to tell from the unreal. So next time you wake from a dream that felt completely real, you might ask yourself: could the me right now be a butterfly’s dream?