“Words exist because of meaning; once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.”Zhuangzi · Zhuangzi · -300 · capitolul 26
Words are the boat to meaning: once you reach the shore, you leave them behind.
Zhuangzi emphasizes that language is merely a tool for conveying meaning, not the meaning itself. Once insight is achieved, words become redundant. This occurs when a person intuitively grasps a mathematical problem and no longer needs the formal proof. Hence, deep knowledge transcends verbal expression and remains an internal experience.
The card says meaning makes words redundant. Let's go further: forgetting words is not an accident, but a skill you can practice. You must know when a word has done its job and set it down, like a ladder used to climb onto a roof. Many people stay clinging to the ladder and mistake terminology for understanding. Think of someone learning to swim: at first they repeat instructions, then they forget them and simply swim. If they kept reciting rules in the water, they would drown. The practical question becomes: how do you recognize the moment when you can drop the explanation?
Why it matters It encourages focusing on genuine understanding rather than jargon that can entangle communication.