Notes on Billeter's Zhuang Zi, le taoïsme et la philosophie chinoise
I discovered yesterday that Université de Genève has an online library of Billeter’s lecture recordings from the 1980’s and 1990’s. According to the German Wikipedia entry on Billeter, these recordings were made for students unable to participate in his classes at the time.
My last post on Billeter and Zhuangzi was a beginner’s post, with surface level reflections on connections that resonated with me. It was pointed out to me that I mixed traditional characters with pinyin, which doesn’t make sense. (I’ve since corrected the post.) Mixing “styles” like this is like mixing Chaucerian with modern English mixed up with occasional American spellings.
In an effort to build basic knowledge, I will take Billeter’s online course: Zhuang Zi, le taoïsme et la philosophie chinoise available at https://mediaserver.unige.ch/play/CA3-1185-95 and share my notes and reflections.
Preamble
Billeter’s lecture starts with a brief explanation of the name, in particular the 子 in 庄子. The 子 is an honorific, like maître (master), added to the family name. So, for example, Confucius is a westernised version of Kong-fu-zi (孔夫子). The -ius ending is the result of translations into latin (via Jesuits). Meng-zi, becomes Mencius. But Laozi (老子) and Zhuangzi were not affected by the latinised endings in translation, perhaps because it would sound too strange.
The lecture briefly outlines the etymology of 子, starting from the meaning “child” and then its use to denote child/descendant of a noble person, and from there its use as a term of respect like maître (master).
This is a nice story about 子, leading to an association of mastery with child-related qualities: children are curious and intrepid in their explorations. A master should be too. In Zhuangzi, mastery is often described with a sense of child-like mystery and wonderment, I feel. So the association fits, even if it isn’t true.
Billeter moves on to an outline of the Zhuangzi (the work) with its three sections.
Chapters 1-7, 内篇, the interior chapters.
Considered by many to be the interior, older, authentic chapters, written by Zhuangzi himself.
Chapters 8-22, 外篇, the exterior chapters.
Chapters 23-33, 杂篇, mixed chapters.
Chapter 33 is of particular interest as the first history of Chinese philosophy.
It goes without saying that this division and classification of the chapters is not generally accepted.1 It’s a reference point.
Billeter talks about the surprise or confusion that a first-time reader of Zhuangzi is likely to feel when reading Zhuangzi in translation for the first time. My previous post may help give a sense of that initial confusion.
Billeter recommends not to move into analysis too quickly, let your imagination connect first.
The lecture then proceeds with the first reading.
孔子观于吕梁,县水三十仞,流沫四十里,鼋鼍鱼龞之所不能游也。见一丈夫游之,以为有苦而欲死也,使弟子并流而拯之。数百步而出,被发行歌而游于塘下。孔子从而问焉,曰:“吾以子为鬼,察子则人也。请问蹈水有道乎?”曰:“亡,吾无道。吾始乎故,长乎性,成乎命。与齐俱入,与汩偕出,从水之道而不为私焉。此吾所以蹈之也。”孔子曰:“何谓始乎故,长乎性,成乎命?”曰:“吾生于陵而安于陵,故也;长于水而安于水,性也;不知吾所以然而然,命也。”2
https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/full-understanding-of-life/ens?searchu=swimming
In the next post we’ll continue from about 19:28 in the video with Billeter talking us through the text from the question posed by ‘Confucius’ to the wild swimmer: 请问蹈水有道乎?
May I ask whether there is a way to dance in water? (Google Translate)
Let me ask if you have any particular way of treading the water. (James Legge on Ctext, link above)
May I ask if you have some special way of staying afloat in the water? (Burton Watson)
Further notes
You can think of Zhuangzi’s texts as short texts that you can read quickly for your amusement and as texts that you can spend time with. You can swim with them or into them.
Zhuangzi is prolific and flamboyant in his description of nature. Nature is (most) important to him.
Confucius plays an interesting role in this passage. He is a master and he wants to be taught. He’s a transmitter of culture. He’s an important man. The responses from the swimmer are laconic at first... but Confucius wants an answer. He wants to learn. The swimmer then explains his art based on his experience.
For example https://www.jstor.org/stable/41354706
Translation, Burton Watson:
Confucius was seeing the sights at Lu-liang, where the water falls from a height of thirty fathoms and races and boils along for forty li, so swift that no fish or other water creature can swim in it. He saw a man dive into the water and, supposing that the man was in some kind of trouble and intended to end his life, he ordered his disciples to line up on the bank and pull the man out. But after the man had gone a couple of hundred paces, he came out of the water and began strolling along the base of the embankment, his hair streaming down, singing a song.
Confucius ran after him and said, "At first I thought you were a ghost, but now I see you're a man. May I ask if you have some special way of staying afloat in the water?"
"I have no way. I began with what I was used to, grew up with my nature, and let things come to completion with fate. I go under with the swirls and come out with the eddies, following along the way the water goes and never thinking about myself. That's how I can stay afloat."
Confucius said, "What do you mean by saying that you began with what you were used to, grew up with your nature, and let things come to completion with fate?"
"I was born on the dry land and felt safe on the dry land - that was what I was used to. I grew up with the water and felt safe in the water - that was my nature. I don't know why I do what I do - that's fate."