Zhuangzi - Kingly rewards

宋人有曹商者為宋王使秦其往也。得車數乘；王說之，益車百乘。反於宋， 見莊子，曰：「夫處窮閭阨巷，困窘織屨，槁項黃馘者，商之所短也；一悟萬乘之主 而從車百乘者，商之所長也。」莊子曰：「秦王有病召醫，破癰潰痤者得車一乘，舐 痔者得車五乘，所治愈下，得車愈多。子豈治其痔邪？何得車之多也？子行矣！」

宋人有曹商者為宋王使秦其往也
A man of Song, named Cao Shang, serving as an ambassador of the king of Song to Qin, was leaving the country.

宋人有曹商者 Among the people of Song, there was someone named Cao Shang
宋 Song, a state
宋人有A者 : among the people of Song, there was someone who A
秦 Qin, the state
使 a messenger, an envoy, or ambassador
為 to be, for, on behalf of
王 king
為宋王使秦 He was sent by the king of Song as an ambassador in Qin
往 to go
其 is used here to remind the subject (Cao Shang), after the complement 為宋王使秦 : Caoshang, having been named an ambassador of the king of Song in Qin (為宋王使秦), he (其) left (往).
Note : my reading of the beginning of this passage is different from the punctuation found in many modern editions, which goes
宋人有曹商者為宋王使秦。其往也，得車數乘；王說之，益車百乘。
The 其往也， is put at the beginning of the second sentence. I believe this is illogical, as this is an instance of 有A者B也, and 也 is usually not found in the middle of sentences.I therefore chose to read it as 宋人有曹商者為宋王使秦其往也。得車數乘；王說之，益車百乘。and adapted the punctuation accordingly...

得車數乘 ;王說之 , 益車百乘。 He had but a few chariots, but the king (of Qin) was pleased with him, and gave him one hundred chariots.
得 to obtain, to own
車 chariot
數 several, usually implying a small number
乘 a team of horses
In classical chinese, numbers (and specificatives) are often put after the noun : Modern chinese :百乘車 one hundred chariotsClassical chinese : 車百乘 one hundred chariots
說 to like, to be pleased with someone
之 him (complement)
王說之 the king liked him
益 to increase, more, the verb (to give more) is here implied.

反於宋， 見莊子，曰：When he returned to Song, he visited Zhuang Zi and said :
反 to return
見 to visit, to pay a visit
莊子 Zhuangzi

夫處窮閭阨巷，困窘織屨，槁項黃馘者，商之所短也；一悟萬乘之主 而從車百乘者，商之所長也。Living in a poor house, in a narrow alley, being utterly poor and wearing sandals of woven straw, this is what I call bad. To be a confident to the ruler of ten thousand chariots, and have an escort of one hundred horses, this is what I call great.

夫 in spoken language, introduced an explanation : now, as a matter of fact
短 small, bad, to consider bad
長 long, great, to consider great
所 makes what follows a relative :
所短 what is short
商 I, Shang
商之所短 this is what I Shang, consider bad (short)
商之所長this is what I Shang, consider great(the 之 adds emphasis on the sentence : *this* is what I consider …)
The whole sentence therefore is 夫A者，商之所短也；B者，商之所長也。Now, A is what I consider bad, and B is what I consider great.
處 to live in some place,
窮 extreme poverty
閭 a house in a village, a small village
阨 narrow, poor
巷 a narrow (and poor) alley
處窮閭阨巷 living in a poor house, in a narrow alley
困 poor, narrow
窘 lack of resources, poverty
織 cloth, weave
屨 shoe, sandal
困窘織屨 living in poverty and weaving sandals (out of straw)/ or having sandals made of woven straw
槁 dry, skinny
項 neck
黃 yellow
馘 literally cut the head (or ear) of a prisoner of war, here, it probably means the face
槁項黃馘 skinny neck and yellow face, ie having a sickly face on a skinny neck
一 one, the only one
悟 to understand, to be in the good graces of someone
主 ruler
萬乘之主 the ruler of ten thousand chariots
而 and
從 to escort, an escort
從車百乘 to have a escort of one hundred chariot

莊子曰：「秦王有病召醫，破癰潰痤者得車一乘，舐 痔者得車五乘，所治愈下，得車愈多。子豈治其痔邪？何得車之多也？子行矣！」Zhuangzi said : « When the king of Qin was ill, he summoned doctors. Those who punctured his abscesses and emptied his furuncles were rewarded by one chariot. Those who licked his hemorrhoids received five chariots. The dirtier their healing, the more chariots they received. Did you by any chance heal his hemorrhoids? How come you received so many chariots? Get away of here! »
病 illness
有病 to be ill
召 to call upon, to summon (someone in a higher position calling upon someone in a lower position)
醫 doctor
破 to break
癰furuncle, abscess
潰 to flow (for a river which breaks its banks and floods)
痤furuncle
者 makes what preceeds a noun
破癰潰痤者 those who broke his abscesses and emptied (flowed) his furuncles (yuck !)
得車一乘 received one chariot, was rewarded with one chariot
舐 to lick
痔hemorrhoids
愈 … 愈 the more …. the more…
治 to heal
下 low, meaning here dirty
多 many

所治愈下，得車愈多 the lower they healed, the more chariots they received
子 you
子豈A邪 ? A rethorical question : would you have A ? Can it be possible that you have A ?
何 how
得車之多也？the use of 之 adds some emphasis : how could you obtain so many chariots ?
行 to go
矣 indicates a change, here is used for imperative
子行矣！Off with you !

Selling the recipe

宋人有善為不龜手之藥者，世世以洴澼絖為事。客聞之，請買其方百金。聚族而謀曰：『我世世為洴澼絖，不過數金；今一朝而鬻技百金，請與之。』客得之，以說吳王。越有難，吳王使之將。冬，與越人水戰，大敗越人，裂地而封之。能不龜手，一也；或以封，或不免於洴澼絖，則所用之異也。

There was a man in Song who knew a good medicine to prevent hands from chapping. Since many generations, his family made a living washing and bleaching silk. A foreigner heard of it, and offered to buy the recipe for one hundred gold. The man assembled his family and told them this plan: “For generation, we have been washing silk, and never had more than a few gold. Now, in one day, (we can) sell our secret for one hundred gold. I suggest that we accept.” When the foreigner had the recipe, he went to persuade the king of Wu. As there were troubles in Yue, the king of Wu sent him there, as a general. In winter, he fought the people of Yue in a naval battle, badly defeated the people of Yue, and took some land, which became his fiefdom. The ability to prevent hands from chapping was the same. One turned it into a fiefdom, whereas the other did not escape washing silk, because it was used in different ways.

Butterfly dream

昔者莊周夢為胡蝶，栩栩然胡蝶也。自喻適志與！不知周也。俄然覺，則蘧蘧然周也。不知周之夢為胡蝶與，胡蝶之夢為周與？周與胡蝶，則必有分矣。此之謂物化

Long ago, Zhuang Zhou dreamt he was a butterfly. He fluttered gaily, in a butterfly way, all to his pleasure, following his whims ! He did not know Zhou. Suddenly he woke up, and at once was Zhou again. But he did not know whether he was Zhou dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming it was Zhou. Yet, between Zhou and the butterfly, a distinction must be made. This is called the transformation of things.

Three in the morning

勞神明為一而不知其同也謂之朝三何謂朝三曰狙公賦芧曰朝三而暮四眾狙皆怒曰然則朝四而暮三眾狙皆悅名實未虧而喜怒為用亦因是也是以聖人和之以是非而休乎天鈞是之謂兩行

Exhausting oneself unifying things without realising that they are the same, is called “three in the morning”. This is why. A monkey trainer gave them chestnuts. He said: “You will get three in the morning, and four in the evening.” All monkeys were angry. He said: “alright, four in the morning and three in the afternoon, then”. All monkeys were happy. Reality was the same, but passions were used, and had to be accomodated. Therefore, the Sage reconciles all things by looking at our affirmations and denials, while standing still in the center of the Heavenly Wheel. This is called going both ways.

Fishtraps and snares

荃者所以在魚得魚而忘荃蹄者所以在兔得兔而忘蹄言者所以在意得意 而忘言吾安得夫忘言之人而與之言哉

Fish traps are meant for fishes. Once the fish is caught, the trap is forgotten. Snares are meant for hares. Once the hare is caught, the snare is forgotten. Words are meant for ideas. Once the idea is passed, the word is forgotten. Where can I find someone who has forgotten words, someone I can talk to?

Death of Zhuangzi

莊子將死弟子欲厚葬之莊子曰吾以天地為棺槨以日月為連璧星辰為珠璣萬物為齎送吾葬具豈不備邪何以加此弟子曰吾恐烏鳶之食夫子也莊子曰在上為烏鳶食在下為螻蟻食奪彼與此何其偏也

As Zhuangzi was about to die, his disciples wanted to prepare a rich funeral. He said : “Heavens and Earth will be my coffins, Sun and Moon my jade disks, Stars and Zodiac my pearls, and all creatures my procession. Aren’t all the instruments of my funeral prepared? What could you add to them?" The disciples said : “we fear that you are eaten by crows and kites.” Zhuangzi said: “over the earth, I shall be eaten by crows and kites, under the earth, I shall be eaten by ants. Take from those to give to these, is it fair?”