English Original
Zhuangzi slept using a skull as his pillow. At midnight, he dreamt that the skull told him how happy it was after death.
The skull said, "After death, there is no emperor above nor subjects below, which saves a great deal of trouble. There is no toil through summer heat or winter cold. One is free and at ease, living as long as heaven and earth. Even the pleasure of being an emperor could not surpass this."
Zhuangzi did not believe this. He said he wished the skull could return to life and go back to its parents, wife, and friends.
The skull frowned melancholy and said, "How could I abandon this imperial happiness to return to the painful life on earth?"
中文翻译
庄子枕着髑髅入眠。半夜时分，他梦见骷髅向他讲述死后的快乐。
骷髅说：“人死后，上没有君主，下没有臣仆，免去了诸多麻烦。再也没有夏暑冬寒的劳苦。人自由自在，与天地同寿。即便是身为帝王的快乐，也无法超越此境。”
庄子并不相信。他说希望骷髅能够复生，回到它过去的父母、妻子和朋友身边去。
骷髅却忧愁地皱起眉头说道：“我怎能抛弃这帝王般的快乐生活，再回到人世去忍受痛苦呢？”