Chuang Tzu saw the king of Lu, and he said to him:
“There are many Confucians in Lu, but few of your followers.”
“There are few Confucians in Lu,” Chuang Tzu objected.
“How can you say that there are few of them when people in Confucian clothes walk around the whole kingdom?”
“I have heard that Confucians wear a round hat as a sign that they have experienced the burden of Heaven,” said Zhuang Tzu. “I have heard that they wear square shoes as a sign that they know the shape of the Earth; they hang a jade thimble for shooting from their belt on a multi-colored cord as a sign that they are solving matters immediately. Noble men who possess this teaching are unlikely to wear such clothing, and those who do are unlikely to know this teaching. You, sir, of course, think differently. But why don’t you announce throughout the kingdom: “Those who wear such clothes without knowing this teaching will be sentenced to death!”
And then the king ordered the decree to be announced for five days, and in Lu they no longer dared to wear Confucian clothing.
Only one man in Confucian clothing stopped in front of the royal gate. The king immediately called him, asked him a question about state affairs, and he, in answering, turned out to be inexhaustible in a thousand options and darkness of shades.
“Is there only one Confucian in the entire kingdom of Lu?” - the king exclaimed in surprise.
- This is really a lot! - said Chuang Tzu.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru