Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi, ch. 30: "Discoursing on Swords" (Shuojian)
Later compilation
Zhuangzi, ch. 30: "Discoursing on Swords" (Shuojian)
《莊子·說劍》

King Wen of Zhao, obsessed with swordsmen's duels, receives Zhuangzi dressed as a warrior, who describes three swords to him: that of the Son of Heaven, that of the feudal lord and that of the commoner. The king gives up his passion. It is a persuasive speech in the style of the strategists of the period.
No edition of this work is currently on sale in a store we have been able to verify.
Authorship note
Miscellaneous chapter (zapian). Not by Zhuang Zhou, even though the book circulates under his name: it belongs to the schools that claimed him between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE, and its present form is that of Guo Xiang's recension (c. 300 CE). It is usually considered the chapter most alien to the whole: a piece of persuasive court rhetoric in which Zhuangzi appears only as a character; Graham groups it with the material of chapters 28–31.
Editions and translations
Editions in your language first, without hiding the others. Each with its cover and its store.
English
Zhuangzi
Chuang Tzŭ, ch. 30: On Swords
The Conscious LibraryChuang Tzŭ, ch. 30: On Swords
Bernard Quaritch / Wikisource, 1889
Translation: Herbert A. Giles
Dominio público (Giles murió en 1935).
Français
Zhuangzi
Œuvre de Tchoang-tzeu, Chapitre 30. Spadassins
The Conscious LibraryŒuvre de Tchoang-tzeu, Chapitre 30. Spadassins
Imprimerie de Hien-hien / Wikisource, 1913
Translation: Léon Wieger
Dominio público (Wieger murió en 1933).
Chino clásico · 文言
Zhuangzi
莊子·說劍
The Conscious Library莊子·說劍
Wikisource (recensión de Guo Xiang)
Texto chino de dominio público.
Other works by Zhuangzi
- Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu). The True Classic of Nanhua · 250
- Zhuangzi, ch. 1: "Free and Easy Wandering" (Xiaoyao you) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 2: "Discussion on Making All Things Equal" (Qiwu lun) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 3: "The Secret of Caring for Life" (Yangsheng zhu) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 4: "In the World of Men" (Renjian shi) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 5: "The Sign of Virtue Complete" (Dechong fu) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 6: "The Great and Venerable Teacher" (Da zongshi) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 7: "Fit for Emperors and Kings" (Ying diwang) · 300
- Zhuangzi, ch. 8: "Webbed Toes" (Pianmu) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 9: "Horses' Hoofs" (Mati) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 10: "Rifling Trunks" (Quqie) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 11: "Let It Be, Leave It Alone" (Zaiyou) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 12: "Heaven and Earth" (Tiandi) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 13: "The Way of Heaven" (Tiandao) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 14: "The Turning of Heaven" (Tianyun) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 15: "Constrained in Will" (Keyi) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 16: "Mending the Inborn Nature" (Shanxing) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 17: "Autumn Floods" (Qiushui) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 18: "Supreme Happiness" (Zhile) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 19: "Mastering Life" (Dasheng) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 20: "The Mountain Tree" (Shanmu) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 21: "Tian Zifang" (Tian Zifang) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 22: "Knowledge Wandered North" (Zhi beiyou) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 23: "Gengsang Chu" (Gengsang Chu) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 24: "Xu Wugui" (Xu Wugui) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 25: "Zeyang" (Zeyang) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 26: "External Things" (Waiwu) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 27: "Imputed Words" (Yuyan) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 28: "Giving Away a Throne" (Rangwang) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 29: "Robber Zhi" (Daozhi) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 31: "The Old Fisherman" (Yufu) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 32: "Lie Yukou" (Lie Yukou) · 200
- Zhuangzi, ch. 33: "The World" (Tianxia) · 200
Sources
- Roth, Harold D. «Chuang tzu 莊子». En Michael Loewe (ed.), Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China / Institute of East Asian Studies, 1993, pp. 56–66.
Affiliate link: if you buy through it, the library may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. When an edition's real cover is not available, we show an illustrative library cover.