Which fruit attains the Dao?
- Yen Nguyen
- Jan 1
- 2 min read
NMH
01-01-2026
From time to time, there are days when Zhuangzi finds himself at a loss in his thinking. At such moments, Master Zhuang’s face tightens into a frown; even when he smiles, it looks twisted and rather unsightly.
At times like these, the limited learning of Kingfisher can unexpectedly prove useful.
This noon, in the cool air of winter, on the first day of the new year, the sunlight was pale—rarely does one see a winter day so beautiful. Yet Kingfisher noticed Zhuangzi frowning, lost in thought. He must be stuck again.
Kingfisher: — Is something weighing on your mind, Master?
Zhuangzi: — A fruit.
Kingfisher: — A fruit, and you’re stuck because of that? Then it must be bitter melon (苦瓜)!
Zhuangzi: — You’re remarkably clever today. I can’t think it through. It’s truly bitter. On days when I’m foolish, you become wise. Tell me then, among the people, which fruit could be regarded as a fruit that has attained the Dao?”
Kingfisher replies without a second thought: — Papaya (木瓜)!
Zhuangzi is astonished: — Excellent. And yet I couldn’t think of it.
After saying this, Zhuangzi burst into hearty laughter, as delighted as if he had just begged two sacks of rice.
Kingfisher: — What are you laughing so joyfully about, Master Zhuang?
Zhuangzi: — I’m reminded of a folk saying: ‘You give me a papaya; I return to you a piece of jade’ [“你投我木瓜，我回你琼琚”]. Only a fruit that has attained the Dao could make people cast aside jade, hoping to trade it for it, without the slightest attachment or worldly entanglement.
Kingfisher nods thoughtfully: — Sometimes it’s right, and sometimes it isn’t.
Zhuangzi: — What do you mean by right, and what by not right?”
Kingfisher: — As for what’s right: where I live, papaya in Vietnamese is called "đu đủ." "Đủ" means complete, whole. If the very name of the fruit is already ‘Dao,’ why would you still go searching elsewhere and exhaust yourself? Doesn’t wu-wei also lead there?”
Zhuangzi: — Excellent. But what about the "đu" before "đủ"?
Kingfisher: — "Đu" still implies lack, so one must know how to "ask" in order to become "đủ" *. If one is lacking but doesn’t know how to ask, how could one ever be ‘complete’?
Zhuangzi laughs loudly again, full of joy: — Indeed, I truly am asking you.
Kingfisher does not laugh this time… Zhuang falls silent, then presses on: — And in what way is it not right…?
Kingfisher replies very firmly: — Quite possibly, the person trying to trade jade for papaya is suffering from constipation!
*"Ask" in Vietnamese is "hỏi," which also means the question mark (?) above the "đu."
References
[1] Vuong QH. (2024). Wild Wise Weird. https://books.google.com/books?id=N10jEQAAQBAJ
[2] Zhuang Zhou. (1964). Zhuangzi.
[3] Nguyen MH. (2025). Kingfisherish Wandering. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVLLLXNW/
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