Motif
Mutilation or alteration of natural form brings suffering
mutilation_or_alteration_of_natural_form_brings_suffering
A motif of the Sacred Law and Social Order family, within the sub-family Taboo and Ritual Restriction. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
daoist
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Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social Reformer CHAPTER VII. / HOW TO GOVERN. / CHAPTER VIII. / JOINED TOES.; lines 3958-4085 confidence: high
The passage says one who seeks perfection does not lose sight of natural conditions; a duck’s short legs cannot be lengthened without pain, and a crane’s long legs cannot be shortened without misery.
Joined toes, extra fingers, duck legs, and crane legs are used to show that cutting, lengthening, or shortening natural or bodily forms causes pain or misery.
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