The character “An” (安)

Minh-Hoang Nguyen

05-10-2025

Created by Copilot

Zhuangzi strolls slowly when he sees Kingfisher perch on a branch by the pond. He looks closely and notices Kingfisher seems different from usual. He appears restless, turning his head one way then the other. From time to time, he lifts a foot, spreads the wings unconsciously. No longer calm, Kingfisher is anxious. 

“Are you worried about something?” asks Zhuangzi. 

Kingfisher replies, “Worried, worried,” and tells of the heavy rain that has washed into his earthen burrow by the pond. The earthen roof could not hold back the rain. Kingfisher Lady had to keep bailing water out of the burrow.

“The glyph 安 (An) combines the roof 宀 and the female 女. The idea of a woman sheltered under a roof means  ‘secure and protected’; like安全 safety, 安定 stability, and 安心 peace of mind,” Zhuangzi muses.  “Without安, one cannot meditate. But storms are the Dao (道)—way of heaven and earth—just as you Kingfishers choose to dig earthen burrows as nests.” 

Kingfisher frets, “I have a plan to fix it: to weave a grass-screen to keep the rain out.” 

Zhuangzi asks, “Where is that grass-screen? Why doesn’t it keep out the rain?” 

Kingfisher answers, “Master Zhuang, look at my beak—so big—how can I weave it from those thin grass fibers? I had to hire the Flowerpecker family to weave it. They finished only half when the rain came...” 

Zhuangzi laughs, “It’s all right, all right; one storm is nothing. It is meant to be used for a long time.” 

Kingfisher says, “But after that storm, I searched and searched for these Flowerpecker weavers and could not find them. So the screen cannot be finished. Now another storm is coming.” 

As if recalling something, Zhuangzi says, “This morning I heard the birds in the Bird Village said that the last storm had swept away all the Flowerpeckers’ nests. They have no home now. Do you still want them to finish weaving your burrow’s rain-proof screen?”

Hearing Zhuangzi, Kingfisher sighs and closes his eyes as if meditating. Kingfisher suddenly realizes the wonder of the Dao, of wu wei (無為).

References

[1] Vuong QH. (2024). Wild Wise Weird. https://books.google.com/books?id=N10jEQAAQBAJ

[2] Zhuang Zhou. (1964). Zhuangzi.

[3] Laozi. (1868). Tao Te Ching.