諺語 · a single proverb
墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通
Simplified: 堕肢体，黜聪明，离形去知，同于大通
What does 墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通 (duò zhī tǐ, chù cōng míng, lí xíng qù zhī, tóng yú dà tōng) mean?
墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通 (duò zhī tǐ, chù cōng míng, lí xíng qù zhī, tóng yú dà tōng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "Let the limbs fall away, dismiss cleverness, leave form behind and abandon knowledge, become one with the Great Openness." In use it means: By releasing attachment to the body, intellect, and identity, one merges with the boundless flow of the Dao. This is the practice Zhuangzi calls sitting in forgetfulness. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "Let the limbs fall away, dismiss cleverness, leave form behind and abandon knowledge, become one with the Great Openness."
The reading
Yan Hui described this state to Confucius, and even the sage was humbled. Forgetfulness here does not mean losing your keys. It means releasing the tight grip you keep on the story of who you are. The body, the reputation, the accumulated opinions: set them down like heavy bags at the end of a long walk. What remains when all of that is gone is not emptiness but connection to something vast enough to hold everything.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zhuangzi, Dazongshi (Great Ancestral Teacher chapter), Warring States period
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通 (duò zhī tǐ, chù cōng míng, lí xíng qù zhī, tóng yú dà tōng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Zhuangzi, Dazongshi (Great Ancestral Teacher chapter), Warring States period. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通?
In Mandarin it is duò zhī tǐ, chù cōng míng, lí xíng qù zhī, tóng yú dà tōng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知，同於大通 aloud in Mandarin.