“The distinction between waking and dreaming is no different from the distinction between life and death.”

Zhuangzi takes “awakening” as life and “dreaming” as death, expounding the principle that one does not know when dreaming is awake, nor when awake is dreaming; one does not know when alive is dead, nor when dead is alive. Most people’s fear of death stems from ignorance, yet Zhuangzi maintains that such ignorance is, in fact, nothing to be feared. Death may be like a dream: in the state of death, one is unaware of having died and even feels a profound sense of contentment—far from clinging to the former state of being. Just as Zhuang Zhou, upon dreaming he had become a butterfly, neither knew he was Zhuang Zhou nor longed for his former “Zhuang Zhou‑ness”—whether as a butterfly or as Zhuang Zhou, Zhuangzi could accept it all with equanimity. This, then, is a perspective of attaining vitality; to put it in the words of the “Great Master”:

 

“He who lives well is he who also knows how to die well.”

 

 

Later generations elaborated on this philosophical insight of Zhuangzi, giving rise to Shen Jiji’s “The Pillow‑in‑the‑Room Record,” Ma Zhiyuan’s “Reflections on the Yellow Millet Dream Along the Road to Handan,” and Tang Xianzu’s “The Handan Record.”

The historical basis of “The Tale of Handan”

This is the philosophical insight Shen Jiji sought to convey: he believed that life is like a dream, illusory and fleeting, with wealth and honor, gain and loss, and glory and disgrace all intertwined—ultimately culminating in death. In this tale, the emphasis lies on the illusory nature of “life,” while the true meaning of “death” remains unaddressed.    

The theme of “The Tale of the Pillow” is desire.

Ma Zhiyuan’s Reinterpretation of “The Pillow Book”

 

Unlike Shen Jiji, Ma Zhiyuan transforms the Yellow Mil Dream into a nightmare and introduces numerous original plot elements. While Shen Jiji seeks to convey that life is fleeting, illusory, and ever‑changing, urging one not to indulge excessively in desire, Ma Zhiyuan portrays existence as a form of suffering: it is only because people lose sight of their true nature that they descend into worldly corruption, ensnared by wine, women, wealth, and power. The sole path to liberation, then, is to renounce the world and pursue immortality through cultivation. In this way, Ma Zhiyuan turns the legendary tale into a tragedy that negates life itself; yet by the Ming dynasty, Tang Xianzu would reverse this trajectory, recasting the tragedy as a chuanqi play—and, beyond “birth,” he began to contemplate “death” as well.

The Philosophical Core of Tang Xianzu’s “The Tale of Handan”

 

 

At the play’s conclusion, Lu Sheng meets the Eight Immortals. With a smile, he remarks, “All my life, I have been held back by the single word ‘love.’” Then Zhang Guolao summons the immortals to offer him gentle admonition and guide him through heartfelt repentance. In the end, Lu Sheng sees through the illusions of marital ties, official success, grudges, honor and disgrace, and even life and death; he willingly takes up the broom and becomes a carefree wanderer, tending to the fallen blossoms.

 

The so‑called notion that life is but a dream holds true, yet life is no mere dream one can awaken from—there is no second chance to suddenly come to one’s senses after having tasted glory and wealth. Thus, it is through the art of drama that we may attain this unique experience: we need not, as in a dream, pursue what we long for or confront the consequences of forsaking ruler, ministers, wife, and children. If the audience possesses a sufficiently refined aesthetic sensibility, they will naturally find in “The Story of Handan” answers to life’s fundamental questions, allowing themselves to enter the dream alongside Lu Sheng and to partake in the fleeting, illusory nature of existence. In doing so, they deepen their insight and come to grasp the true meaning of life—this, indeed, is the value of art in the human journey.
 

 

Editor: Deng Chao | Source: Yehe Yixue Tang

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