Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is what is meant by the transformation of things.
“Once upon a time, I, Zhuangzi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuangzi. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things.”
“The Butterfly Dream” is the most famous story in the Zhuangzi book (c. 3rd century bce), one of two foundational texts of Daoism. The Zhuangzi is an ancient Chinese text from the late Warring States period which contains stories and anecdotes that exemplify the carefree nature of the ideal Daoist sage.
This work explores philosophical issues, stemming from the relationship between the waking state and the dream-state, or between illusion and reality.