Discoursing on Swords

Discoursing on Swords

In the past, King Wen of Zhao delighted in swordsmanship. Swordsmen thronged his gates as guests, more than three thousand of them, striking at each other before him day and night. Those who died or were wounded numbered over a hundred each year, yet he was never wearied of it. After three years of this, the state declined, and the feudal lords plotted against it.

Prince Kui was troubled by the matter and summoned those around him, saying, "Who can persuade the King to put an end to his swordsmen? I will reward him with a thousand pieces of gold." Those around him said, "Zhuangzi should be able to do it." The Prince then sent a man to present a thousand pieces of gold to Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi did not accept the gold but went with the messenger to see the Prince. He said, "What instructions does the Prince have for Zhou, that he would bestow a thousand pieces of gold upon me?"

The Prince said, "I have heard that you, Master, are enlightened and sagely. I respectfully offer this thousand pieces of gold to provide for your attendants. But since you refuse to accept it, how dare I even speak?"

Zhuangzi said, "I have heard that the Prince wishes to employ me in order to sever the King's fondness for swordsmanship. If I should go before the Great King and go against his wishes, and if below I fail to meet the Prince's expectations, then I would be executed and die—what use would I have for the gold? But if I should go before the Great King and succeed, and if below I meet the Prince's expectations, what could I not obtain throughout the state of Zhao?"

The Prince said, "True. The only men my King receives are swordsmen."

Zhuangzi said, "Very well. I am skilled in swordsmanship."

The Prince said, "But the swordsmen my King receives all wear their hair in a tangled mass, their temples jutting out, their caps hanging down, their tassels of coarse silk, their coats short behind, glaring with their eyes and speaking of difficulties—only then does the King delight in them. Now if you, Master, must appear before the King in the robes of a Confucian scholar, the affair will surely go terribly awry."

Zhuangzi said, "Then let me prepare the attire of a swordsman." He spent three days preparing the swordsman's garb, and then went to see the Prince. The Prince then accompanied him to see the King, who bared a blade and awaited him.

Zhuangzi entered the palace gate without hastening and saw the King without bowing. The King said, "What do you wish to teach me, that you sent the Prince ahead?" Zhuangzi said, "I have heard that the Great King delights in swordsmanship, and so I come to see the King with a sword."

The King said, "What can your sword control or overcome?"

Zhuangzi said, "My sword: every ten steps it slays one man, and across a thousand miles it leaves no obstacle."

The King was greatly delighted and said, "There is no equal under heaven!"

Zhuangzi said, "In wielding the sword, one reveals emptiness, opens the way with advantage, gives the opponent the initiative in striking, yet arrives before him. I would like a chance to demonstrate it."

The King said, "Rest, Master, in your quarters. I will give orders to arrange a contest for you, Master."

The King then pitted his swordsmen against each other for seven days. Sixty or more died or were wounded. He selected five or six men and had them take up their swords below the hall, then summoned Zhuangzi.

The King said, "Today let us test the swordsmen in earnest combat."

Zhuangzi said, "I have been looking forward to this for a long time!"

The King said, "The weapon you will wield—what is its length?"

Zhuangzi said, "Any weapon I am offered will do. However, I have three swords, and it is for the King to choose which one to use. May I first describe them and then demonstrate them?"

The King said, "I would like to hear about the three swords."

Zhuangzi said, "There is the sword of the Son of Heaven, the sword of the feudal lord, and the sword of the common man."

The King said, "What is the sword of the Son of Heaven like?"

Zhuangzi said: "The sword of the Son of Heaven: its point is forged from the valleys of Yanxi and Stone Wall; its blade edges are forged from Qi and Dai; its spine is forged from Jin and Wei; its hilt is forged from Zhou and Song; its fittings are forged from Han and Wei. It is wrapped by the four barbarian peoples, enfolded by the four seasons, encircled by the Bohai Sea, and girded by the Heng Mountains. It is regulated by the Five Phases, opened by yin and yang, held in the spring and summer, and deployed in the autumn and winter. This sword: thrust straight, it has no obstacle before it; raised, it has no limit above it; pressed down, it has no limit below it; swung, it has no limit beside it. Above it cleaves the drifting clouds; below it severs the bonds of the earth. When this sword is once employed, the feudal lords are set in order and all under heaven submits. This is the sword of the Son of Heaven."

King Wen was bewildered and seemed to have lost himself. He said, "What is the sword of the feudal lord like?"

Zhuangzi said: "The sword of the feudal lord: its point is forged from men of wisdom and courage; its blade edges are forged from men of purity and integrity; its spine is forged from men of virtue and goodness; its hilt is forged from men of loyalty and sageliness; its fittings are forged from gallant and heroic men. This sword: thrust straight, it too has no obstacle before it; raised, it too has no limit above it; pressed down, it too has no limit below it; swung, it too has no limit beside it. Above it models itself on the round heaven to accord with the Three Luminaries; below it models itself on the square earth to accord with the Four Seasons; in the middle it harmonizes with the will of the people to bring peace to the four quarters. When this sword is once employed, it is like the shock of thunder: within the four borders, none will fail to submit and obey the commands of their lord. This is the sword of the feudal lord."

The King said, "What is the sword of the common man like?"

Zhuangzi said: "The sword of the common man: tangled hair, jutting temples, hanging caps, tassels of coarse silk, coats short behind, glaring eyes and speech of challenges—striking at each other before you, above severing necks and heads, below piercing livers and lungs. This sword of the common man is no different from a cockfight. Once a man's life is cut off, it is of no use in the affairs of state. Now the Great King occupies the position of the Son of Heaven, yet delights in the sword of the common man. I humbly consider this unworthy of the Great King."

The King then led him up into the hall. The steward presented food, and the King circled the table three times.

Zhuangzi said, "Let the Great King sit peacefully and settle his breath. The matter of the sword has now been fully presented."

Thereafter King Wen did not leave the palace for three months, and the swordsmen all killed themselves where they lay.