Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28
CORE DEFINITION
Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream is a philosophical argument proposed by Zhuangzi, holding that people cannot definitively distinguish between reality and illusion. When one believes there is a difference between reality and illusion, problems already exist. It puts forward the view of 'transformation of things' (wu hua).
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Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream is a philosophical argument proposed by Zhuangzi, holding that people cannot definitively distinguish between reality and illusion. When one believes there is a difference between reality and illusion, problems already exist. It puts forward the view of 'transformation of things' (wu hua).
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In the 'Discussion on Making All Things Equal' (Qiwulun) of the Zhuangzi, Zhuangzi dreams of being a butterfly: not knowing whether Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, or the butterfly dreamed it was Zhou. It dissolves the hard boundaries between 'subject-object' and 'dream-waking', revealing perspective-dependence and the relativity of reality, serving as a metaphor for 'the unity of things and self'.
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BA%84%E5%91%A8%E6%A2%A6%E8%9D%B6verified
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