The Sign of Virtue Complete

In Lu there was a man named Wang Tai who had lost a foot, yet his followers were as numerous as Confucius's. Confucius said: 'This man is a sage. I will take him as my teacher.'

The chapter explores how inner power draws people regardless of outer form. Through dialogues about cripples, ugly men, and those who have suffered punishment, Zhuangzi shows that what truly matters is the fullness of inner virtue — that which makes the crippled whole, the ugly beautiful, and the condemned free.

Shen Tujia, another amputee, studied alongside the prime minister Zichan. When Zichan showed contempt for his disfigured classmate, Shen Tujia responded with quiet dignity: 'In our teacher's school, is there such a thing as a prime minister? Those who dwell long with the worthy make no mistakes.'

In Wei there lived a famously ugly man named Ai Taituo. Yet men who spent time with him could not bear to leave. Women who saw him begged to become his concubine rather than another man's wife. He never initiated anything — he only responded. He held no office, possessed no wealth. Confucius explained: 'He is one whose power is complete but whose virtue takes no form.'