There are still seven entries in this chapter called “Yang Chu” from “My travels with Lieh Tzu” after number 113 below called “Return engagements”. 
Several from The Book of Lieh Tzu appear not to follow the main theme as Lieh Tzu himself would have written. It was common for someone with less writing skill or recognition to attribute their work to a more famous figure that found its way here.
We see this happening frequently on social media today, where sayings are credited to historical figures, and there’s no one around to dispute it. Quotes are often wrongly attributed to people like Confucius or Lao Tzu, even though they never actually said them. Example would be when we always hear the words “Confucius says…”
Part of the problem can be translations from one language to another. If you are interested in Chinese history and philosophy and cannot read or write Chinese, then you are limited to a translation done in English (if that’s your primary language) by someone else who has translated a book from Chinese to English and hope they have captured the intent of the original author. That’s always the gist of it… What was the original intent of the original author and was their meaning expressed clearly.
An example, when I was active in the sister city program between Boynton Beach and the city of Qufu I often met with government officials in Qufu. I didn’t speak Chinese, and they didn’t speak English, so we had a translator. The problem was he only knew about fifty commonly used English words so when I spoke and he translated he could only translate maybe half of what I said because of his limited vocabulary. We got a different translator from the university that solved the problem.
Historical examples show that a lack of language skills and vocabulary has often led to actions being misaligned with the actual events, resulting in unfavorable outcomes. 
Even most of Confucius’ teaching were passed down by word of mouth for two or three generations before they were accurately written down from someone else’s memory. What did he really say?
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce delivered a famous speech in the 1830s about his people and the US government, which was reportedly recorded by a newspaper reporter who barely understood his language and managed to capture only about 30% of it. What he truly said no one can be sure.
What do we leave behind? In ancient China, it was recorded on stone steles or bamboo strips, often buried with the deceased. Our history, memories, and storytelling describing event from the past often hold great significance. A person’s intentions can be misrepresented when someone else uses their good name for another purpose. 
This is what we find in this chapter of Lieh Tzu.
The chapter entitled Yang Chu is often used to illustrate different meanings beyond what the rest of the Book of Lieh Tzu and intended and demonstrate a different point of view. Especially the meaning of death and how we are to treat as our coming and going.
Some people have even argued that Lieh Tzu didn’t really exist, that the book attributed to his name was simply a repository for several various writers. I don’t believe that’s true. Lieh Tzu and writing attributed to him were written by him, except for this chapter and Yang Chu.
My travels with Lieh Tzu / Interpolations along the Way
Chapter Seven – Yang Chu
113. Return engagements
What can it matter if we live for a day, a year, until we are eighty or an instant? How or why should we attempt to prolong our life in the hope of living forever? When our spirit, or chi, shall live on regardless of what we do.
Yang Chu explains:
“Valuing life cannot preserve it, just as taking care of one’s body cannot do it good. What can be the point of prolonging life? Are our passions and our likes and dislikes not the same now as they were before? Just as we have always been, are we not simply concerned with the safety and danger of our four limbs, the joy and bitterness of worldly affairs, changes of fortune, good government, and discord? Have we not heard it all before, seen it already, experienced these and all things many times before?”
Is not experiencing both good and bad the true essence of living and dying. Could we be more satiated by living for a hundred or thousand years? If all this is so, then how can it matter how long we live and when we die? How could we desire or endure the bitterness of a long life beyond what has been prescribed for us by heaven? Are we not to remain free to die without prolonging what must be inevitable? 
Again, Yang Chu tells us:
“While you are alive, resign yourself and let life run its course, satisfy your desires and wait for death. When it is time to die resign yourself to it and let death run its course.”
With death, are not we simply waiting for return engagements? So that in the end we are in no place except where we are now. No more. No less. Just biding our time. Letting everything run its course. With no need to speed up or delay what will occur. Knowing all this, do we not come to know that we truly do live as spirit forever? 7/8/95
Number one hundred thirteen of one hundred fifty-eight entries.
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