Zhuangzi, Chapter 15: Book 15, Chapter 15: Self-Conceit

Translation

Self-Conceit

CHAPTER XV.

SELF-CONCEIT.

Argument:--Would-be sages--The vanity of effort--Method of the true Sage--Passivity the key--The soul and mortality--Re-absorption into the immortal.

Self-conceit and assurance, which lead men to quit society, and be different from their fellows, to indulge in tall talk and abuse of others,--these are nothing more than personal over-estimation, the affectation of recluses and those who have done with the world and have closed their hearts to mundane influences.

Preaching of charity and duty to one's neighbour, of loyalty and truth, of respect, of economy, and of humility,--this is but moral culture, affected by would-be pacificators and teachers of mankind, and by scholars at home or abroad.

Preaching of meritorious services, of fame, of ceremonial between sovereign and minister, of due relationship between upper and lower classes,--this is mere government, affected by courtiers or patriots who strive to extend the boundaries of their own State and to swallow up the territory of others.

Living in marshes or in wildernesses, and passing one's days in fishing--this is mere inaction, affected by wanderers who have turned their backs upon the world and have nothing better to do.

Exhaling and inhaling¹, getting rid of the old and assimilating the new, stretching like a bear and craning like a bird,--² --this is but valetudinarianism, affected by professors of hygiene and those who try to preserve the body to the age of P'êng Tsu³.

But in self-esteem without self-conceit, in moral culture without charity and duty to one's neighbour, in government without rank and fame, in retirement without solitude, in health without hygiene,--there we have oblivion absolute coupled with possession of all things; an infinite calm which becomes an object to be attained by all.

Such is the TAO of the universe, such is the virtue of the Sage. Wherefore it has been said, "In tranquillity, in stillness, in the unconditioned, in inaction, we find the levels of the universe, the very constitution of TAO."⁴

Wherefore it has been said, "The Sage is a negative quantity, and is consequently in a state of passivity. Being passive he is in a state of repose. And where passivity and repose are, there sorrow and anxiety do not enter, and foul influences do not collect. And thus his virtue is complete and his spirituality unimpaired."

Wherefore it has been said, "The birth of the Sage is the will of God; his death is but a modification of existence. In repose, he shares the passivity of the Yin; in action, the energy of the Yang. He will have nothing to do with happiness, and so has nothing to do with misfortune⁵.

He must be influenced ere he will respond. He must be urged ere he will move. He must be compelled ere he will arise. Ignoring the future and the past, he resigns himself to the laws of God.

"And therefore no calamity comes upon him, nothing injures him, no man is against him, no spirit punishes him. He floats through life to rest in death. He has no anxieties; he makes no plans. His honour does not make him illustrious. His good faith reflects no credit upon himself⁶.

His sleep is dreamless, his awaking without pain. His spirituality is pure⁷, and his soul vigorous. Thus unconditioned and in repose, he is a partaker of the virtue of God."

Wherefore it has been said, "Sorrow and happiness are the heresies⁸ of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause the loss of virtue. The heart unconscious of sorrow and happiness,--that is perfect virtue. ONE, without change,--that is perfect repose. Without any obstruction,--that is the perfection of the unconditioned. Holding no relations with the external world,--that is perfection of the negative state. Without blemish of any kind,--that is the perfection of purity."

Wherefore it has been said, "If the body toils without rest, it dies. If the mind is employed without ceasing, it becomes wearied; and being wearied, its power is gone."

Pure water is by nature clear. If untouched, it is smooth. If dammed, it will not flow, neither will it be clear. It is an emblem of the virtue of God. Wherefore it has been said, "Pure, without admixture; uniform, without change; negative, without action; moved, only at the will of God;--such would be the spirituality nourished according to TAO."

Those who possess blades from Kan⁹ or Yüeh, keep them carefully in their scabbards, and do not venture to use them. For they are precious in the extreme. The spirit spreads forth on all sides: there is no point to which it does not reach, attaining heaven above, embracing earth beneath. Influencing all creation, its form cannot be portrayed. Its name is then Of-God.¹⁰

The TAO of the pure and simple consists in preserving spirituality. He who preserves his spirituality and loses it not, becomes one with that spirituality. And through that unity the spirit operates freely, and comes into due relationship with God¹¹.

A vulgar saying has it, "The masses value money; honest men, fame; virtuous men, resolution; and Sages, the soul."

Thus, the pure is that in which there is nothing mixed; the simple is that which implies no injury to the spirituality. And he who can keep the pure and simple within himself,--he is a divine man¹².

Practical Reading

Book 15: Self-Conceit -- 刻意 (kèyì)

Zhuangzi's brief but razor-sharp "Self-Conceit" dismantles every category of deliberate self-improvement—the recluse who cultivates solitude, the moralist who preaches charity, the patriot who serves the state, the hermit who does nothing, the health enthusiast who practices breathing exercises—and reveals them all as performances. True virtue is not any of these; it is "oblivion absolute coupled with possession of all things."

Key Modern Applications:

1. The Five Masks of Self-Improvement -- Zhuangzi lists five archetypes: the self-conceited recluse, the preaching moralist, the empire-building patriot, the idle wanderer, and the longevity-obsessed health seeker. Each is doing something to be something. Today's equivalents are the social-media ascetic, the thought-leader, the hustle-culture entrepreneur, the "doing nothing" aesthetic poster, and the biohacker. The chapter asks: are you pursuing a way of life, or performing an identity?

2. Sorrow and Happiness as Heresies of Virtue -- "Sorrow and happiness are the heresies of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause the loss of virtue." This is not emotional suppression but a radical claim: being whipsawed by emotional extremes is itself a sign that you've left the center. Modern life's emotional escalation—outrage cycles, doomscrolling, performative grief on social media—is not merely unproductive; according to Zhuangzi, it is a form of spiritual heresy that fragments the self.

3. The Spirit as a Precious Blade -- "Those who possess blades from Kan or Yüeh keep them carefully in their scabbards, and do not venture to use them." The spirit is like a legendary sword—its power lies in not being deployed casually. Every time you exhaust yourself in argument, overcommit emotionally, or spread your attention across a hundred trivial engagements, you are drawing the blade on unworthy opponents and dulling it.

4. The Body Toils Without Rest, It Dies; The Mind Employed Without Ceasing, Becomes Wearied -- Pure water, if dammed, will not flow and will not be clear. This is an emblem of the virtue of God. The modern pattern of relentless mental engagement—back-to-back meetings, constant context-switching, thinking as default mode—is not productivity but a form of soul-exhaustion that Zhuangzi identified millennia before burnout became a clinical term.

5. The Sage Is a Negative Quantity -- "The Sage is a negative quantity, and is consequently in a state of passivity." In a culture that equates value with output, being a "negative quantity" sounds like insignificance. But Zhuangzi means it as the highest compliment: the Sage's power is precisely in not adding to the noise, not imposing form, not creating the turbulence that comes from forcing the world into one's own image.

Action Step: For one day, notice every time you are "doing something to be something"—performing health, performing virtue, performing productivity. Don't stop the behavior; just label it internally. At day's end, count how many of your actions were genuine responses versus identity performances.