Zhuangzi-Kingfisher dialogue on value exchange

NMH (*)

12-10-2025

Created by ChatGPT

Kingfisher asks Zhuangzi: “What is truly precious in this world—gold, silver, jewels, life, or happiness?”

Zhuangzi: “Precious, yet not truly precious.”

Kingfisher ponders and finds it reasonable, then adds: “I think I understand somewhat. Anything that can be exchanged or priced loses much of its true value.”

Zhuangzi responds: “You’re close to seeing the Dao.”

Suddenly enlightened, Kingfisher exclaims: “Then wisdom and eloquence must be the true values!”

Zhuangzi smiles faintly: “The Dao was near, and now it has escaped you again.

Can what is truly valuable wait for flattery or be measured and listed like merchants weighing watermelons? The Dao knows no such logic.”

Kingfisher: “I’ve heard that even princes and nobles say Zhuang Zhou’s wise words are worth a thousand pieces of gold. Were they wrong?”

Zhuangzi: “They were not wrong.”

Kingfisher is puzzled. Zhuangzi continues: “Then how much is an entire Nan Hua Jing worth?”

Kingfisher: “Tens of billions of taels of gold!”

Zhuangzi squints and laughs: “Yet the world also says that Zhuang Zhou’s silence is worth more than a thousand books. So, can you calculate the value of silence?”

After struggling for a while, Kingfisher replies: “Even if we gathered all the gold of the seven warring states, it would not suffice.”

Zhuangzi narrows his eyes, gazing at Kingfisher…

Kingfisher: “Zhuangzi, you are truly rich…”

Zhuangzi nods and concludes: “Now you understand why I have no rice to cook and must borrow some from Marquis Jian He.”

(*) This fictional story benefits from the original storytelling by Professor Quan-Hoang Vuong and is rewritten with his consent.

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/