Have a bright future

Have a bright future

"Peng" refers to a legendary giant bird; "cheng" means distance. It metaphorically represents a person with lofty ambitions and a promising future, boundless and limitless.

From "Zhuangzi's Happy Journey" (Zhuangzi's "Zhuangzi's Wandering"), the original text states:

"When the Peng bird migrates to the Southern Ocean, it strikes the water for three thousand miles, and soars upwards for ninety thousand miles."

Zhuangzi used exaggerated descriptions of a giant bird named Peng, showcasing its extraordinary flight, laying the foundation for the idiom's imagery.

Kun transforms into a giant Peng:

In the far north, "north of the end of hair," lies the boundless "Minghai" (the North Sea).

In this sea lived a giant fish named Kun, thousands of miles long, and no one knew its true size.

Later, Kun transformed into a bird named Peng.

The Peng's back was as majestic as Mount Tai, and when its wings spread, they resembled clouds hanging from the sky, obscuring the sun and moon.

A Magnificent Southern Migration:

The Peng bird aims to reach the "Heavenly Lake" of the South China Sea.

At takeoff, its wings slap the water, stirring up waves three thousand miles high.

Then, riding the hurricane force winds (Fuyao) generated by the June sea tremors, it soars ninety thousand miles into the sky, piercing through the clouds, carrying the sky on its back, and ultimately reaching the South China Sea.

This process relies on the power of nature, suggesting that achieving great things requires accumulating strength and adapting to the times.

The Little Bird's Ridicule:

A little bird (Chiyu) in the swamp sees the Peng bird soaring high and, puzzled by its ambition, mocks it, saying, "I soar, but only a few feet before falling. Soaring among the weeds is enough. Why fly ninety thousand miles?"

Through this contrast, Zhuangzi reveals the vast difference in realms resulting from differences in perspective: the little bird is limited by the present, while the Peng bird embraces the world.

Later, as Li Bai's poem "To Li Yong" says, "When the great peng bird soars with the wind, it soars straight up to ninety thousand miles."

This story encourages people to set ambitious goals and not be obsessed with immediate gains and losses.

The peng bird must "collect the wind from the sea" to accumulate strength, and only after this accumulation can it soar into the sky.

This story implies the Taoist concept of "freedom," advocating breaking free from the constraints of reality and pursuing spiritual freedom.

The peng bird's flight is not only a transcendence of physical space, but also a sublimation of life.