Ancient Daosist story by Zhuang Zi

[Gamma Ray]

"The Death of Wonton"

Another well known Zhuangzi story—"The Death of Wonton" (Hùndùn zhī sǐ 渾沌之死)—illustrates the dangers Zhuangzi saw in going against the innate nature of things.

The emperor of the Southern Seas was Lickety, the emperor of the Northern Sea was Split, and the emperor of the Center was Wonton. Lickety and Split often met each other in the land of Wonton, and Wonton treated them very well. Wanting to repay Wonton's kindness, Lickety and Split said, "All people have seven holes for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing. Wonton alone lacks them. Let's try boring some holes for him." So every day they bored one hole [in him], and on the seventh day Wonton died. — Zhuangzi, chapter 7


Discuss and assist me in understanding this story.

Do they literally bore holes in him? Or this story figuratively described something that Zhuang Zi meant by "going against innate nature of things".
Or probably this is allusion to something?

Bore - verb Bore - noun

​

 

[jutfrank]

Zhuangzi is one of my favourite philosophers.

Wonton doesn't have holes. But Lickety and Split do have holes, so they think that Wonton should be like them.

 

[Matthew Wai]

http://www.chiculture.net/0307/html/d12/0307d12.html
Having read the above original Chinese version of the story, I think the gist is that making artificial changes to the simple nature (Wonton) according to one's (Lickety and Split's) will and nature would destroy the simple nature.

 

[Gamma Ray]

http://www.chiculture.net/0307/html/d12/0307d12.html
Having read the above original Chinese version of the story, I think the gist is that making artificial changes to the simple nature (Wonton) according to one's (Lickety and Split's) will and nature would destroy the simple nature.

Great web site, I need to learn Chinese.