"It is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to help each other in the rivers and lakes" comes from "Zhuangzi·Neipian·Grand Master", the original text is as follows:
When the spring dries up, the fish are together on the land, and they are wet with each other. , It is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes. Instead of praising Yao instead of Jie, it is better to forget both and change his ways.
This sentence has survived to this day, because the idiom "love each other" refers to the relationship between husband and wife, and can also be used for friends. It is a metaphor for helping each other with little strength in a difficult situation. "Forgetting each other in the world" is more unrestrained and freehand than helping each other, so it is often used to express that after lovers or couples break up, they forget about the past together life with a new mentality and devote themselves to a broader and freer emotional life. Go in.
This is no problem. Because today, there must be many different extensions and explanations for the interpretation of ancient texts. No one stipulates that the reference to ancient texts or poems must be used according to the original meaning. Even experts can only conduct research based on various materials, and even if there is an official Explanation will not affect people's flexible use in life at all. This is the law of the development of language and writing.
So what is the original meaning of this sentence? Here I will talk about some personal understandings, because there are countless capable people and scholars over the thousands of years, and there are countless interpretations of this wonderful book "Zhuangzi", so the explanations here only represent the original meaning of the text and personal opinions.
“When the spring water dries up, the fish are trapped together on the land, nourishing each other with moisture and moistening each other with saliva. It is better to forget each other and be at ease in the rivers and lakes. Instead of praising Yao Instead of being unruly, it is better to forget both grudges and grudges and become one with the great road."
Zhuangzi's writing habits are rather jumpy. Except for those fables, the language of reasoning is sometimes a bit mysterious. The poetic method of Li Bai, a great poet of later generations, actually imitated Zhuangzi. However, the language of poetry is tolerable to everyone, and Zhuangzi's writing is sometimes a bit difficult to read.
The controversial understanding of this sentence is the words "forgetting each other in the world". Why is it better to "forget each other than to forget each other"? You will definitely think that this is natural. Fish living in dry mud and relying on spitting water to survive are certainly not as happy as living happily in rivers, lakes and seas, not knowing each other.
Is it really that simple? Of course not. Looking at the next two sentences, instead of praising Yao's sage and criticizing Jie's tyranny, it is better to forget them all and mix them with "Tao". From a normal person's point of view, isn't this a lack of distinction between right and wrong? Why does Zhuangzi think so?
At this time, we might as well look at the following sentences:
The husband carries me in shape, works me in life, leaves me old, and rests me in death. Therefore, what is good for my life is also a good death.
"The earth supports my body, and uses survival to toil me, uses aging to relax me, and uses death to rest me. Therefore, those who regard my existence as a good thing will also do so. You can regard my death as a good thing.”
So, in Zhuangzi’s view, Yao’s sageness and Jie’s tyranny are just the pros and cons of the existence of “Tao” in the world, and we don’t need to go too far. With their attention, their bodies, virtues, and bad deeds will eventually return to the great road and reach natural balance. So from the perspective of the great road, what is the difference between "helping each other" and "swimming in the lake and sea"? There is no difference. There is no difference in essence between dying of thirst in a dry spring and eventually dying of old age in the sea.
In this case, "forgetting each other in the world" has some carpe diem flavor.
In fact, the rivers and lakes in "forgetting each other in the rivers and lakes" are used to metaphor the "Tao". People who seek the truth should be like fish in the rivers and lakes, forgetting the existence of the rivers and lakes. We must forget the existence of "Tao" in order to truly attain Tao.
In fact, when it comes to this sentence, there is a story in "The Great Master". Zhuangzi further elaborated on the dialogue between Confucius and Zigong, but many people did not pay attention:
Zigong said : "Dare to ask for its prescription." Confucius said: "The fish are created by water, and the human beings are created by Tao. Those who are created by water will feed through the pond; those who are created by Tao will be sedated without incident. Therefore, it is said "The fish forgets the rivers and lakes, and the people forget the Tao." Zigong asked: "How to pursue the great road?" Confucius replied: "Fish will seek water, and people will seek water." If you dig the ground into a pond, you will have plenty of food; if you are striving for the Tao, your mind will be peaceful if you do nothing. Therefore, it is said that fish forget each other in the rivers and lakes, and people forget each other in the Taoism.'"
Although. The words are in the mouth of Confucius, but of course they are the attitude of the author Zhuangzi.