The Yellow Emperor Loses his Pearl

This story was recorded in the chapter Heaven and Earth of Zhuangzi ( 《莊子‧天地》 Zhuangzi Tiandi ). It mentions that in his journey to the north of river Ci, the Yellow Emperor went to Mt. Kunlun, overlooking the south from its peak. On his way back, he could not find his 'mysterious pearl'. He sent Zhi, Li Zhu and Chigou for it. But none of them found it. At last, he sent a man named Xiang Wu, who brought it back. In historical documents, Xiang Wu was also known as Wu Xiang, which, in classic Chinese, referred to 'forgetting' and 'trace' respectively. By this story, the author suggested that Dao ought to be the result of spontaneity and non-action. If a man changes the pursuit for Dao into intentional behavior, he leaves the Dao. 黃帝遺珠