batch.motif.daoist-zhuangzi-giles-gutenberg-l10219-l10306
---
record_id: batch.motif.daoist-zhuangzi-giles-gutenberg-l10219-l10306
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER XXI. / CHAPTER XXII. / KNOWLEDGE TRAVELS NORTH. / CHAPTER XXIII.;
lines 10219-10306
start: '10219'
end: '10306'
translation: 'Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social Reformer'
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: '"If you would attain peace, level down your emotional nature."'
summary: The passage presents teachings on ordering the mind into repose, clarity,
unconditioned inaction, the relation of Tao and Tê, natural versus artificial
conduct, examples of skill and acquisition, and the equanimity of those who become
oblivious of personality and enter eternal harmony.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: When the twenty-four are not allowed to run riot, the mind becomes ordered,
reposed, clear of perception, unconditioned, and capable of inaction by which
nothing cannot be accomplished.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Tao is described as the sovereign lord of Tê, and Tê is glossed as the virtue
of spontaneity.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage contrasts people who know through physical power or mental effort
with being like an eye that sees without looking.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Spontaneous emotion is called passive virtue, while emotion not evoked by
the external is called active virtue.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Yi is said to be skilled at hitting the bull's-eye and catching birds, but
not at preventing people from praising him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The Sage devotes himself to the natural and neglects the artificial.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: If the world were made into a cage, birds would have no place of escape from
Yi.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: T'ang obtained I Yin by cookery, and Duke Mu of Ch'in obtained Po Li Ch'i
by five ram skins.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: A one-legged man discards ornament because his exterior is not open to commendation.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Condemned criminals go to great heights without fear because they no longer
regard life and death from their former point of view.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Those who pay no attention to moral clothing and condition become oblivious
of their own personality and proceed to be the people of God.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: Those who have passed into the eternal harmony of God do not rejoice when
revered and are not angered when insulted.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The passage advises attaining peace by leveling down the emotional nature,
seeking spirituality by cultivating adaptation of intelligence, and acting according
to necessity.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Sage
description: A figure who follows necessity, devotes himself to the natural, and
acts in accordance with Tao.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Perfect Man
description: A figure capable of devoting himself profitably to both the natural
and the artificial.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Yi
description: A skilled archer or hunter who can hit the bull's-eye and catch birds,
but who is vulnerable to praise.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: T'ang
description: A prince who obtained I Yin by cookery.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: I Yin
description: A minister whom T'ang obtained by cookery, according to the passage
note.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Duke Mu of Ch'in
description: A prince who obtained Po Li Ch'i by five ram skins.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Po Li Ch'i
description: A man obtained by Duke Mu of Ch'in through five ram skins.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: one-legged man
description: A man who discards ornament because his exterior is not open to commendation.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: condemned criminals
description: People who go to great heights without fear after changing their view
of life and death.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: people of God
description: Those who become oblivious of personality after neglecting moral clothing
and condition.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: wise practitioner of necessity and Tao
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Sage acts according to necessity, which is called the Tao of the Sage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: perfect integrator of natural and artificial
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Only the Perfect Man can profitably devote himself to both the natural and
the artificial.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: skilled but praise-susceptible hunter
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Yi can hit the bull's-eye and catch birds, but is described as unable to
prevent praise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: successful acquirer of men
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:6
basis: T'ang and Duke Mu are given as examples of princes who got capable men through
particular means.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: acquired minister or man
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:7
basis: I Yin and Po Li Ch'i are described as men obtained by princes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: example of altered valuation
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: The one-legged man and condemned criminals are examples of people who no
longer respond to ordinary concerns in the same way.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: equanimous person beyond personality
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: These people become oblivious of personality and do not rejoice at reverence
or become angry at insult.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: eye that sees without looking
literal_form: eye
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: world as cage
literal_form: cage enclosing the world
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: birds with no place of escape
literal_form: birds
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: moral clothing
literal_form: clothing used as a metaphor in the passage's wording
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: great heights without fear
literal_form: great heights
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ordering of the mind into inaction
summary: A sequence describes mental ordering leading to repose, clarity, unconditionedness,
and effective inaction.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Definitions of Tao, Tê, life, nature, and action
summary: The passage sets out a chain of relations among Tao, Tê, life, nature,
action, and error.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Natural and artificial conduct
summary: The Sage and Perfect Man are contrasted in relation to the natural and
artificial, with Yi introduced as a skilled but limited figure.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Capture and acquisition examples
summary: Yi's ability to catch birds is extended into the image of a world-cage,
followed by examples of rulers obtaining men through cookery and ram skins.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Examples of detachment from ordinary valuation
summary: The one-legged man, condemned criminals, and people who neglect moral clothing
illustrate altered concern for ornament, fear, life and death, and personality.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Equanimity and necessity
summary: Those in eternal harmony are unmoved by reverence or insult, and the passage
concludes with instructions for peace, spirituality, and action according to necessity.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:10
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: wisdom through inaction and inner ordering
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage teaches that an ordered, reposed, unconditioned mind reaches
inaction through which accomplishment is possible, and concludes with instructions
for peace and action by necessity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a philosophical teaching motif rather than a narrative myth episode.
- id: motif:2
label: detachment from praise, insult, life, and death
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Yi's limitation is his relation to praise; other examples describe persons
no longer governed by ornament, fear, life and death, reverence, or insult.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents exempla and maxims, not a full mythic plot.
- id: motif:3
label: loss of personality into eternal harmony
taxonomy_refs:
- annihilation_union
basis: The passage says that those who neglect moral clothing become oblivious of
personality, become people of God, and pass into eternal harmony.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy label is broader than the passage wording; the
text does not narrate death or literal annihilation.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10219-10225
quote_or_summary: The passage says that restraining the twenty-four orders the mind,
leading to repose, clarity, unconditionedness, and inaction by which all can be
accomplished.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 10226-10240
quote_or_summary: Tao is the sovereign lord of Tê; Tê is the virtue of spontaneity;
life, nature, action, and error are defined; true knowing is compared to an eye
that sees without looking.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 10241-10254
quote_or_summary: The passage defines passive and active virtue, notes Yi's skill
and susceptibility to praise, and says the Sage follows the natural while the
Perfect Man can handle both natural and artificial.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 10255-10269
quote_or_summary: Yi catches birds; if the world were a cage, birds could not escape.
T'ang obtained I Yin by cookery, and Duke Mu of Ch'in obtained Po Li Ch'i by five
ram skins.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10270-10280
quote_or_summary: A one-legged man discards ornament; condemned criminals climb
heights without fear; those ignoring moral clothing become oblivious of personality
and become people of God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 10281-10294
quote_or_summary: Those in eternal harmony do not rejoice at reverence or become
angry at insult; the passage advises leveling emotion for peace, adapting intelligence
for spirituality, and following necessity as the Tao of the Sage.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/daoist/project-gutenberg/chuang-tzu-giles.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels
are cautious because the passage is mainly philosophical discourse with short
exempla rather than a narrative myth. No comparison claims were added because
the passage itself does not explicitly support cross-text or cross-tradition comparison.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are limited to provided available taxonomy refs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:daoist-zhuangzi-giles-gutenberg__l10219-l10306
passage_sha256=874ff6f09bf78b1a35073d4d1de270581236da78139b48c3b909c202da881241