道 Dao Knowledge Base

The Dithering Bird

Confucius is besieged and starving, and Taigong Ren offers him the survival lesson of the bird called Yidai: it never leads, never trails, eats only leftovers — and no one ever harms it. Then the diagnosis: the straight tree is cut first, the sweet well drained first. Displaying knowledge to startle the ignorant is carrying sun and moon while walking.

Daoist ·

PRIMARY SOURCETRADITIONAL / LINEAGE INTERPRETATION

The passage

孔子围于陈、蔡之间，七日不火食。太公任往吊之，曰：“子几死乎？“曰：“然。""子恶死乎？“曰：“然。“任曰：“予尝言不死之道。东海有鸟焉，其名曰意怠。其为鸟也，翂翂翐翐，而似无能，引援而飞，迫胁而栖，进不敢为前，退不敢为后，食不敢先尝，必取其绪，是故其行列不斥，而外人卒不得害，是以免于患。直木先伐，甘井先竭。子其意者，饰知以惊愚，修身以明污，昭昭乎如揭日月而行，故不免也。昔吾闻之大成之人曰：‘自伐者无功，功成者堕，名成者亏。‘孰能去功与名，而还与众人？道流而不明居，得行而不名处，纯纯常常，乃比于狂，削迹捐势，不为功名，是故无责于人，人亦无责焉。至人不闻，子何喜哉？“孔子曰：“善哉！“辞其交游，去其弟子，逃于大泽，衣裘褐，食杼栗，入兽不乱群，入鸟不乱行。鸟兽不恶，而况人乎？

Confucius was besieged between Chen and Cai, seven days without a cooked meal. Taigong Ren came to condole with him: “You are near death?” “Yes.” “You hate death?” “Yes.” Ren said: “I once spoke of the way of not dying. In the Eastern Sea there is a bird named Yidai. As a bird, it flutters about as if it had no ability at all; it flies only by joining others, roosts only pressed among others; advancing, it dares not lead; retreating, it dares not trail; eating, it dares not taste first, taking only what is left over. And so the flock never rejects it, and outsiders never manage to harm it — in this way it escapes disaster. The straight tree is cut down first; the sweet well is drained first. Your intention, sir, is to adorn your knowledge to startle the ignorant, to cultivate your person to expose others’ filth, blazing as if carrying the sun and moon while you walk — therefore you cannot escape it. I once heard the Greatly Accomplished One say: ‘The self-displayer gains no merit; when the work is complete it falls; when the name is complete it shrinks.’ Who can shed merit and name and return them to the crowd? The Way flows without dwelling in brightness, gains its walking without resting in a name — pure and constant, and so compared to madness. Erase the tracks, discard the standing, not for merit or name — then you make no demands on others, and others make none on you. The perfect person is unheard of — what are you so pleased about, sir?” Confucius said: “Well said!” He took leave of his acquaintances, dismissed his disciples, fled to the great marsh, wore rough furs and hemp, ate acorns and chestnuts — entered among beasts without disturbing their herds, among birds without disturbing their flocks. Birds and beasts do not dislike him — how much less would people?

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