“Zhuangzi's wife died. When Huizu went to convey his condolences, he
found Zhuangzi sitting with his legs sprawled out, pounding on a tub and
singing. "You lived with her, she brought up your children and grew
old," said Huizu. "It should be enough simply not to weep at her
death. But pounding on a tub and singing - this is going too far, isn't
it?"
Zhuangzi said, "You're wrong. When she first died, do you think I didn't
grieve like anyone else? But I looked back to her beginning and the time
before she was born. Not only the time before she was born, but the time
before she had a body. Not only the time before she had a body, but the
time before she had a spirit. In the midst of the jumble of wonder and
mystery a change took place and she had a spirit. Another change and she
had a body. Another change and she was born. Now there's been another
change and she's dead. It's just like the progression of the four
seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter.
"Now she's going to lie down peacefully in a vast room. If I were to
follow after her bawling and sobbing, it would show that I don't
understand anything about fate. So I stopped.”
Zhuangzi said, "You're wrong. When she first died, do you think I didn't grieve like anyone else? But I looked back to her beginning and the time before she was born. Not only the time before she was born, but the time before she had a body. Not only the time before she had a body, but the time before she had a spirit. In the midst of the jumble of wonder and mystery a change took place and she had a spirit. Another change and she had a body. Another change and she was born. Now there's been another change and she's dead. It's just like the progression of the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter.
"Now she's going to lie down peacefully in a vast room. If I were to follow after her bawling and sobbing, it would show that I don't understand anything about fate. So I stopped.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuang_Zhou