The Phoenix and the Dead Rat
What do you do when someone fears you're after their job?
Original
惠子相梁，莊子往見之。或謂惠子曰：「莊子來，欲代子相。」於是惠子恐，搜於國中三日三夜。莊子往見之，曰：「南方有鳥，其名為鵷鶵，子知之乎？夫鵷鶵發於南海而飛於北海，非梧桐不止，非練實不食，非醴泉不飲。於是鴟得腐鼠，鵷鶵過之，仰而視之曰：『嚇！』今子欲以子之梁國而嚇我邪？」
In plain words
Huizi was prime minister of Liang when Zhuangzi went to visit him. Someone told Huizi, “Zhuangzi is coming to take your place.” Huizi was so alarmed that he had the capital searched for three days and three nights. Zhuangzi went to see him himself and said: “In the south there is a bird called the yuanchu. Have you heard of it? It sets out from the southern sea and flies to the northern sea. It rests only on parasol trees, eats only bamboo seeds, drinks only from sweet springs. Now an owl had got hold of a rotten rat. As the yuanchu passed overhead, the owl looked up and screeched, ‘Shoo!’ Are you trying to shoo me with your state of Liang?”
Key words
- 鹓鶵yuān chúA kind of phoenix.
- 鸱chīAn owl.
- 练实liàn shíBamboo seeds.
Reading it step by step
Remember the Peng from Day 1, flying from the northern dark to the southern? Today another great bird appears, flying the other way, south to north. And once again, a small creature on the ground is making noise.
Let's take it in three steps.
First: this is a story about a friend. Across the whole book, Huizi is practically Zhuangzi's only named friend. Yet this friend, over a prime minister's seat, suspected him and searched the whole capital for three days and nights. Disappointing. Zhuangzi didn't hide. He walked up to Huizi's door.
Second: what does the phoenix eat? Parasol trees, bamboo seeds, sweet springs. It knows what it lives on, so it's choosy. Zhuangzi calls the premiership of Liang a rotten rat. The story goes that King Wei of Chu offered Zhuangzi high office and a rich salary, but to Zhuangzi worldly glory was like sparrows or gnats flitting past his eyes; it stirred no interest at all. This isn't posing. The thing simply isn't on his menu.
Third: don't be the owl. It's tempting to read this as “I'm the phoenix, they're the owl.” But ask honestly: are we clutching a rotten rat of our own (a title, a client, a position) and screeching “Shoo!” at anyone who comes near?
So two questions today. What are your parasol tree, bamboo seeds and sweet spring? When you know what you live on, other people's rats can't scare you. And if you find yourself gripping a rat, try loosening your grip.
Know what you live on, and no one's rat can scare you.
Today's question
Write your “parasol tree, bamboo seeds, sweet spring”: the three things that truly nourish you. Then ask: am I clutching a rotten rat right now?
Quick check
What does Zhuangzi compare to the rotten rat?
For the phoenix, power simply isn't on the menu.
I · The Troubles of the World — First, see the trouble clearly