Chapter 45: Kuafu — 夸父 — Who Chased the Sun and Drank Two Rivers Dry
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A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
On the Matter of Kuafu — 夸父 — Who Chased the Sun and Drank Two Rivers Dry
His name is Kuafu — 夸父.
Kua — 夸 — means to boast. To exaggerate. To speak of oneself in grand terms. The character shows a person — 大 — da — with words — 于 — yu — above. A person who speaks greatly. A person who speaks of what is beyond ordinary.
Fu — 父 — means father. Elder. The one who goes before. The one who leads.
Together — 夸父 — the Boasting Father. The One Who Spoke Greatly and Walked Ahead. The One Who Claimed He Could Catch the Sun.
He is also called the Giant Who Chased the Sun — 逐日巨人 — Zhu Ri Ju Ren. He was a giant. He was taller than mountains. He could stride across rivers. He could drink oceans. He chased the sun across the sky.
He is also called the Ancestor of the Kuafu Clan — 夸父氏 — Kuafu Shi. He was not alone. He was the leader of a tribe. His people were giants like him. They lived in the northern wilderness. They followed him in the chase.
He is one of the great figures of Chinese mythology. He is not a god. He is not a sage. He is a giant who tried to do what no one could do. He chased the sun. He almost caught it. He died trying. His story is recorded in the Shanhaijing — 山海經 — the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It is one of the most famous stories in Chinese literature.
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On the oldest record. The Shanhaijing — 山海經.
The Shanhaijing — 山海經 — compiled during the Warring States period — 戰國時代 — Zhanguo Shidai — contains the oldest account of Kuafu.
It states: Kuafu chased the sun. He followed it across the sky. He ran until he reached the place where the sun sets. He was thirsty. He drank from the Yellow River — 黃河 — Huang He. He emptied it. He drank from the Wei River — 渭河 — Wei He. He emptied it. He was still thirsty. He went north to drink from the Great Marsh — 大澤 — Da Ze. He did not reach it. He died of thirst on the way.
His staff fell from his hand. It became a forest. The forest is called the Denglin — 鄧林 — the Forest of Deng. It is a forest of peach trees — 桃林 — tao lin. The trees are tall. The fruit is sweet. The forest covers the land where he fell.
This is the complete account in the Shanhaijing. It is short. It is flat. It is factual. It records the chase. It records the thirst. It records the rivers. It records the death. It records the staff becoming a forest. It does not explain why he chased the sun. It does not judge him. It simply records.
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On the second record. The Liezi — 列子.
The Liezi — 列子 — a Taoist text attributed to Lie Yukou — 列禦寇 — compiled during the Warring States period — contains a more detailed account of Kuafu.
It states: Kuafu measured his strength against the sun. He wanted to catch it. He ran after it. He ran across the land. He reached the place where the sun sets. He was burned by the sun's heat. He was thirsty. He drank from the Yellow River. He emptied it. He drank from the Wei River. He emptied it. He was still thirsty. He ran toward the north to reach the Great Marsh. He did not reach it. He died of thirst on the way.
The Liezi adds a detail. Kuafu measured his strength against the sun. He was not merely chasing. He was testing himself. He wanted to see if he could match the sun's speed. He wanted to see if he could endure the sun's heat. He wanted to see if a human could do what only gods could do. He could not. He died. But he tried.
The Liezi also records that Kuafu was a giant. He was from the Kuafu tribe. His people were giants. They lived in the northern wilderness. They were tall. They were strong. They were fierce. They followed Kuafu in the chase. They died with him.
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On the third record. The Zhuangzi — 莊子.
The Zhuangzi — 莊子 — written by Zhuang Zhou — 莊周 — approximately 350 to 300 before the common era — mentions Kuafu in Chapter 1.
It states: Kuafu chased the sun. He ran until he died of thirst. He did not succeed. But his effort was not wasted. His staff became a forest. The forest provided shade for travelers. It provided fruit for the hungry. It provided wood for building. His death gave life to others.
The Zhuangzi uses Kuafu as an example. A person who tries to do the impossible may fail. But the effort itself has value. The attempt itself creates something. Kuafu died. But his staff became a forest. His failure produced something that helped others. The attempt was worth making.
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On his size — the giant.
Kuafu was a giant. The texts describe him as enormous.
He was taller than mountains. His head touched the clouds. His strides crossed rivers. His footsteps made valleys.
He could drink a river dry. He could drain a lake in a single swallow. His thirst was as great as his size. His hunger was as great as his thirst.
He was not the only giant. His people were giants. The Kuafu tribe were all giants. They lived in the northern wilderness. They were strong. They were fierce. They were proud. They followed Kuafu because he was the strongest. They followed Kuafu because he was the bravest. They followed Kuafu because he would not give up.
The giants of Kuafu are recorded in the Shanhaijing. They are described as a tribe of giants. They lived in the north. They were tall. They were strong. They were wild. They did not farm. They did not build. They hunted. They fought. They chased.
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On the chase — why he chased the sun.
The texts do not agree on why Kuafu chased the sun. Several reasons are recorded.
The first reason. He wanted to catch it. The Shanhaijing states this simply. He chased the sun. He wanted to catch it. He did not say why. He simply wanted to. The sun was there. He wanted it. He chased it.
The second reason. He wanted to measure his strength against it. The Liezi records this. Kuafu measured his strength against the sun. He wanted to see if he could match it. He wanted to see if he could outrun it. He wanted to see if he could endure its heat. He wanted to test himself against the greatest force in the sky.
The third reason. He wanted to stop the sun. Some texts record that Kuafu was angry at the sun. It burned the earth. It dried the rivers. It killed the crops. He wanted to catch it. He wanted to stop it. He wanted to save his people from the heat.
The fourth reason. He was a fool. Some texts record that Kuafu was simply foolish. He did not think. He did not plan. He saw the sun. He chased it. He did not consider the consequences. He did not consider his limits. He just ran.
All four reasons are recorded here. None is declared correct. Kuafu chased the sun. That is what the texts record. Why he chased is not essential. He chased. He died. That is the story.
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On the course of the chase.
The texts describe the course of Kuafu's chase.
He started in the north. His people lived in the northern wilderness. He saw the sun rising in the east. He began to run.
He ran east. He ran across the central plain. He crossed the Yellow River. He crossed the Wei River. He ran through the lands of the tribes. The people saw him. They were terrified. A giant was running across the land. He was chasing the sun.
He ran across the mountains. He ran across the deserts. He ran across the forests. He did not stop. He did not rest. He did not eat. He ran.
He reached the west. He reached the place where the sun sets. He was at the edge of the world. The sun was before him. He could almost touch it.
He reached out his hand. He was about to catch it.
Then he became thirsty.
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On the rivers — the Yellow River and the Wei River.
When Kuafu became thirsty, he drank.
He came to the Yellow River — 黃河 — Huang He — the great river of China. He knelt. He put his mouth to the water. He drank. He drank until the river was dry. The bed of the river was empty. The fish lay in the mud. The boats sat on the dry ground.
He was still thirsty.
He came to the Wei River — 渭河 — Wei He — the largest tributary of the Yellow River. He knelt. He put his mouth to the water. He drank. He drank until the river was dry. The bed of the river was empty. The fish lay in the mud. The boats sat on the dry ground.
He was still thirsty.
He looked north. There was the Great Marsh — 大澤 — Da Ze. It was a vast lake. It was larger than the Yellow River. It was larger than the Wei River. It could quench his thirst.
He ran north. He ran toward the Great Marsh. He ran with his last strength. He ran with his last breath.
He did not reach it.
He fell. His body hit the ground. The earth shook. He died of thirst.
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On his staff becoming a forest — 鄧林 — Denglin.
When Kuafu died, his staff fell from his hand.
The staff was made of wood. It was as tall as a tree. It was as thick as a trunk. It was the staff of a giant.
It fell to the ground. It took root. It grew. It became a forest.
The forest is called the Denglin — 鄧林 — the Forest of Deng. It is a forest of peach trees — 桃林 — tao lin. The trees are tall. The fruit is sweet. The shade is cool.
Travelers rest in the forest. They eat the peaches. They drink from the streams. They are refreshed.
The forest grows where Kuafu fell. It covers the land where he died. It is his gift to the world. He could not catch the sun. But he gave shade to those who followed. He gave fruit to those who were hungry. He gave wood to those who needed it.
His failure became a gift. His death became life for others.
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On the Kuafu tribe — 夸父族 — Kuafu Zu.
Kuafu was not alone. He was the leader of a tribe. His people were giants. They were called the Kuafu tribe.
The Kuafu tribe lived in the northern wilderness. They were tall. They were strong. They were fierce. They did not farm. They did not build. They hunted. They fought. They chased.
When Kuafu chased the sun, his people followed. They ran with him. They crossed the Yellow River. They crossed the Wei River. They ran toward the west.
When Kuafu died, his people did not stop. They continued to chase the sun. They continued to run. They continued to die.
Some of them reached the Great Marsh. They drank. They survived. They settled in the south. They became the ancestors of some of the southern tribes.
Some of them did not reach the Great Marsh. They died like Kuafu. Their bodies fell where they ran. Their staffs became trees. Their bones became mountains. Their blood became rivers.
The Kuafu tribe is recorded in the Shanhaijing. They are described as a tribe of giants. They are described as the descendants of Kuafu. They are described as the ones who still chase the sun.
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On the meaning of the story.
The story of Kuafu has been interpreted in many ways. The texts do not provide an interpretation. They simply record. The interpretations come from later readers.
Some read it as a story of folly. Kuafu was foolish to chase the sun. He should have known he could not catch it. He should have stopped. He should have rested. He should have drunk from the Great Marsh before he was thirsty. His death was the result of his own foolishness.
Some read it as a story of heroism. Kuafu knew he could not catch the sun. He chased it anyway. He ran until he died. He did not give up. He did not stop. He did not surrender. His effort was heroic even though it failed.
Some read it as a story of sacrifice. Kuafu died. His death created a forest. His failure became a gift. He gave shade to travelers. He gave fruit to the hungry. He gave wood to builders. His sacrifice helped others even though he did not succeed.
Some read it as a story of the human condition. Humans cannot catch the sun. Humans cannot do everything they want. Humans have limits. Kuafu represents the human desire to exceed limits. He represents the human effort to do the impossible. He fails. But his failure is not without meaning. His staff becomes a forest. The attempt itself creates something.
All of these interpretations are recorded here. None is declared correct. The story stands. The reader determines what it means.
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On the Denglin Forest — 鄧林 — the Peach Forest.
The Denglin Forest is recorded in Chinese geography. It is said to be in present-day Henan province — 河南省 — Henan Sheng. It is a real place. It is a forest of peach trees. It is said to be where Kuafu fell.
Travelers who pass through the forest remember Kuafu. They remember the giant who chased the sun. They remember the one who drank two rivers dry. They remember the one who died of thirst. They eat the peaches. They rest in the shade. They continue their journey.
The forest is his memorial. The peaches are his gift. The shade is his protection. He is dead. But he still gives.
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On what he represents.
He represents the effort to exceed limits. He represents the refusal to accept impossibility. He represents the human desire to do what cannot be done.
He is not a god. He is a giant. He is a human who became more than human. He is strong. He is brave. He is foolish. He is heroic. He is all of these things.
He chased the sun. He could not catch it. He died. But his staff became a forest. His death gave life. His failure gave shade. His effort was not wasted.
He is Kuafu. He is the Boasting Father. He is the Giant Who Chased the Sun. He is the one who drank two rivers dry. He is the one who died of thirst. He is the one whose staff became a forest. He is the one who tried. He is the one who failed. He is the one whose failure helped others.
He is remembered. He is honored. He is Kuafu.
END OF CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE