A quotation from Liezi

Quotation

The dead are like those who have set out on a journey and forgotten to return.
— Liezi

Philosophical Context

DaoistChinese

Liezi

c. 450 BCE – c. 375 BCE

The Daoist who rode the wind. Let go of striving, and even the self begins to dissolve.

Liezi is half legend, a sage said to ride the wind for days at a time, and half a book, a collection of Daoist tales and reflections assembled in his name. Its stories turn on emptiness, spontaneity, and the folly of clinging, including the famous fable of the man of Qi who could not stop worrying that the sky might fall. Where Laozi is gnomic and Zhuangzi is wild, the Liezi is quieter and stranger, dwelling on dreams, illusion, and the suspicion that waking and sleeping may not differ as much as we assume.

Worldview & Key Ideas:The DaoWu Wei

Understanding This Quotation

What does Liezi mean by this quotation?

The Daoist who rode the wind. Let go of striving, and even the self begins to dissolve. Liezi is half legend, a sage said to ride the wind for days at a time, and half a book, a collection of Daoist tales and reflections assembled in his name. Its stories turn on emptiness, spontaneity, and the folly of cli…