Zengzi
was living in the state of Wei.
He wore a robe of quilted hemp
and no outer garment.
He appeared rough and emaciated,
his hands and feet had hard callouses.

He would go three days
without lighting a fire and
ten years without a new coat.
If he put his hat on straight,
   the strings would break;
If he pulled on his robe, his elbows
   would be seen through the cloth;
If he put on his shoes,
   the heels broke.

BUT moving about in his shoes without heels,
he sang the “Sacrificial Odes of Shang”
with a voice that filled heaven and earth
as if it came from a bell or a sounding stone.

The ruler could not persuade him
to become a minister.
The feudal princes did not succeed
in befriending him.

So it is that those who seek
to complete their minds forget their bodies,
those who see to preserve their bodies
set aside considerations of gain,
and those who follow the tao
forget their own minds.

Zhuangzi trans. by Hyun Höchsmann and Yang Guorong, Book 28 Renouncing the Throne

“Throughout Zhuangzi’s characterizations of the man/woman of tao, music has a significant place. The physical state of the person whose external circumstances are at the limit of bare subsistence is sharply contrasted with the moral state through the activity of music.” – write Höchsmann and Guorong in the footnotes to their translation.

The Singers is a contemporary cinematic example of what is required in the following of the tao. The Singers won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2026 Academy Awards. The award was shared in a tie with Two People Exchanging Saliva.

Enjoy the trailer! And watch the Netflix film.