Scale Within Infinite Scale | Generated by AI
This is about a nested analogy of scale.
In Qiusui (秋水), Zhuangzi builds a layered comparison to illustrate how limited perspective creates illusion of greatness.
The analogy works like this:
Small stones and small trees exist within a great mountain — they are tiny parts of something much bigger, yet from their own perspective, the mountain might feel like the entire world.
North Sea (北海若) says “I exist between Heaven and Earth” (吾在天地之间) — meaning he now realizes he is just a small part of something vast, exactly like those small stones and trees sitting inside a great mountain.
So the mapping is:
- Small stones/trees → North Sea (北海若)
- Great mountain → Heaven and Earth (天地)
Both are examples of something that seems significant on its own, but is actually just a tiny piece of a larger whole.
The deeper point: The analogy reinforces Zhuangzi’s core idea — no matter how “big” you think you are, there is always a bigger frame of reference. North Sea felt proud of his vast waters, but once he saw the ocean, he understood he was no different from a small pebble inside a mountain. Scale is always relative.