庄周梦蝶 — “Zhuangzi dreams of a butterfly”
庄周梦蝶 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the dilemma of not knowing whether one is Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi; it signifies the ambiguity between reality and illusion, and the fluidity of identity and existence”. Literally, “Zhuangzi dreams of a butterfly”.
庄周梦蝶 Pronunciation and Pinyin
庄周梦蝶 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 庄周梦蝶
Origin and Story of 庄周梦蝶
During the Warring States period, Zhuang Zhou, a famous philosopher, often told allegorical stories in his book 'Zhuangzi' to illustrate his philosophical views.
Among them, the allegory 'Zhuangzi Dreams of a Butterfly' vividly describes him dreaming of transforming into a butterfly, feeling utterly content, flying freely and joyfully, completely forgetting the troubles of the human world.
Upon waking, the dream remained vividly in his mind.
Idioms Related to 庄周梦蝶
Synonyms of 庄周梦蝶
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Open the tool →Questions about 庄周梦蝶
What does 庄周梦蝶 mean?
庄周梦蝶 (zhuāng zhōu mèng dié) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the dilemma of not knowing whether one is Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi; it signifies the ambiguity between reality and illusion, and the fluidity of identity and existence”.
How do you pronounce 庄周梦蝶?
庄周梦蝶 is pronounced zhuāng zhōu mèng dié in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 庄周梦蝶 literally mean?
Literally, 庄周梦蝶 means “Zhuangzi dreams of a butterfly”. It is used to mean “the dilemma of not knowing whether one is Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi; it signifies the ambiguity between reality and illusion, and the fluidity of identity and existence”.
Where does 庄周梦蝶 come from?
庄周梦蝶 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 庄周梦蝶?
不知是庄周做梦变成了蝴蝶呢，还是蝴蝶做梦变成了庄周。