The Ordinary and the Extraordinary
- Yen Nguyen
- Nov 30
- 2 min read
NMH
30-11-2025
One autumn day, Kingfisher perches on the pomegranate branch next to Zhuangzi’s house, cheerfully boasting:
— I just ate a fish that had a pearl, which allows me to see the future, so I witnessed many marvelous things!
Zhuangzi asks:
— What did you see?
Kingfisher replies:
— I saw that 1,500 years later, there would be a painting called Six Persimmons. And more than 2,000 years later, the advanced Japanese would still venerate it as a national treasure. But after looking at it for a long time, I still find nothing special about the painting. It is neither beautiful nor does it reflect any extraordinary brushwork.
Zhuangzi examines the painting and says:
— Your obscurity arises from your muddled cultivation of Dao.
Startled, Kingfisher asks:
— Why do you say so, Master?
Zhuangzi replies:
— Have you forgotten that value is born through the permeation of information?
Kingfisher says:
— You mean, unless one understands the value of a persimmon, one cannot appreciate the brilliance of the painting? Usually, painters use objects bearing symbolic virtues, like bamboo, pine, peach, or mandarin orange… But persimmons are ordinary, mundane. They carry no meaning; even when sold, they fetch barely a few coins.
Zhuangzi calmly responds:
— If something helps you understand your own Dao, how much is it worth?
Kingfisher reflects:
— Even if I had to give up all the delicious, fatty fish, I would not regret it.
Zhuangzi continues:
— And if it helps one understand the Dao of the nation, of all under heaven?
Kingfisher ponders for a while before replying:
— In that case, it is priceless—for it would influence millions, even billions of living beings.
Zhuangzi smiles:
— And what if it helps one comprehend the workings of the cosmos?
Kingfisher jolts:
— Master… do you mean… this painting reflects the hidden mechanisms of the universe?
Zhuangzi gently nods, smiling:
— When something so ordinary can speak of heaven and earth, is it not wondrous—thus, extraordinary?
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/
[4] Nguyen MH. (2025). On Six Persimmons by Master Muqi Fachang. https://www.xomchim.com/post/on-six-persimmons-by-master-muqi-fachang
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