Kingfisherish Wandering

KINGFISHERISH WANDERING Minh-Hoang Nguyen AISDL Copyright © 2025 AISDL / Minh-Hoang Nguyen All rights reserved The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 979-8269223599 Cover design by: Nguyen Thi Quynh Yen Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS Title Page Copyright Foreword Introduction Preface Kingfisherish Wandering Zhuangzi on Kingfisher’s Quiet Perch What Zhuang Zhou Has to Say about the Bird Village The Daoist Angler and Kingfisher The Dao of Doodles Ripples of Dao in a Conservation Talk Is Peng Real? Ultimate Harmony with Dao Qin Shi Huang’s Dream of Dao Lao and Zhuang, too, Had Their Flaws On Wu Wei Wages with Zhuangzi Zhuangzi-Kingfisher Dialogue on Value Exchange Asking Zhuangzi to Restore Justice The Wonder of Uselessness The Character “An” (安) Acknowledgment References About The Author Praise For Author FOREWORD Doubtless, this little book has more stories for a serious thinker than many other, much longer ones. Surprisingly deep, in some stories in Kingfisherish Wandering, one conversation can potentially capture the essence of the entire book. My favorite one is the last sentence of the story “Zhuangzi-Kingfisher Dialogue on Value Exchange”. Its last (seemingly) simple statement can unfold into at least five layers of meaning, much like ripples on a still pond. First, it reveals the paradox between abundance and poverty—being so rich that one must beg for food. Second, it indicates the paradox of wisdom—only the wise are qualified to be a dog. Third, words of wisdom and precious insight can only reach the rice through the “bark of a dog.” Fourth, what kind of people who have surplus rice yet prefer the bark of a fake dog over the sound of wisdom? And finally, all this impossible chaos is what we now call reality. In this way, the story exemplifies what Kingfisherish Wandering seeks to offer: the meeting point between absurdity and uncertainty, where laughter and wisdom coexist beneath the noise of the world. Thi Mai Anh Tran October 14, 2025 Michigan Technological University Houghton, United States. INTRODUCTION Nam Hua Jing and Wild Wise Weird share striking similarities in illuminating the path toward Dao, yet each follows its own distinctive rhythm and expression. Thanks to the nature-loving, free-spirited, tolerant, and open-minded parables and allegories—imbued with profound uncertainties—found in Nam Hua Jing, the deep wisdom of Laozi’s Dao De Jing becomes more tangible and accessible. Wild Wise Weird, with the humor, satire, and high ecological intelligence woven throughout, serves as a conduit guiding readers to recognize the absurdities within their own thinking, transcend personal greed and desire, and gently return to the pure essence of Dao. This book is a collection of short dialogues and allegories centered on imagined conversations between two philosophers across time and consciousness: Zhuangzi, the sage of Nam Hua Jing, and Kingfisher, the protagonist of Wild Wise Weird. The former is a philosopher of uncertainty; the latter, a philosopher of absurdity. When these two wanderers meet, their exchange is not an argument but a natural rhythm—spontaneous, unforced, and harmonious. Through conversations, I hope readers will find moments to wander freely within their own minds, to question uncertainty with ease, to smile at absurdity, and to experience—even if only for a fleeting instant—the primordial essence of Dao. The Butterfly Dream, by Chinese painter Lu Zhi (c. 1550); Creative Commons’ CC0 / the Public Domain (Wikimedia) Let go of the effort; trust insight to wander in like an uninvited bird at your nest. For a bit of extra fun, notice how the snail grumbles about pace, the crane brags about soaring, and the bamboo flaunts its bendy moves. All have something to teach, but none match Kingfisher’s effortless cool. So Zhuang meets Kingfisher: perch, breathe, stare into the flow—and watch the Dao flow his mind and veins. There he is, meditating to become part of the Dao. Kingfisher and the Dao appear to become a whole, the integrity at the sublime realm. Masterful art of meditation. But here’s the real scoop Sparrow let slip to Zhuangzi. Kingfisher isn’t always deep in thought—he frequently dozes off in that solemn pose. It turns out, his “meditation” is often just a power nap in disguise. How does Sparrow know this secret? Fish tell him so, many times... ACKNOWLEDGMENT I want to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Vuong Quan Hoang for providing me with invaluable ideas, advice, and wholehearted support, which enabled me to begin and complete this book. His storytelling has revived Zhuangzi’s thoughts in an unimaginably creative way while preserving their essence. REFERENCES [1] Vuong QH. (2024). Wild Wise Weird. https://books.google.com/books? id=N10jEQAAQBAJ [2] Zhuang Z. (2022). Zhuangzi. Columbia University Press. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/zhuangzi/9780231123877/ [3] Lao Z. (n.d.). Dao De Jing. https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing/ens [4] Vuong QH, Nguyen MH. (2024). Exploring the role of rejection in scholarly knowledge production: Insights from granular interaction thinking and information theory. Learned Publishing, 37(4), e1636. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1636 [5] Vuong QH, Nguyen MH. (2025). On Nature Quotient. Pacific Conservation Biology, 31, PC25028. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC25028 [6] Nguyen MH, Ho MT, La VP. (2025). On “An” (安): Inner peace through uncertainty, nature quotient, and harmony with Dao. http://books.google.com/books/about?id=NIKMEQAAQBAJ [7] Nguyen MH. (2024). How can satirical fables offer us a vision for sustainability? Visions for Sustainability, 23(11267), 323-328. https://doi.org/10.13135/2384-8677/11267 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Minh-Hoang Nguyen Dr. Minh-Hoang Nguyen earned his Ph.D. from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. He was awarded Young Outstanding Scientist title by Phenikaa University where he has been working as a research scientist at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research since 2020. In 2024, he received the Vietnamese Blaze Journalism Prize for his publication of the eco-surplus culture. Dr. Nguyen has published nearly 200 articles and book chapters in peerreviewed journals, and been ranked among top cited publishing academic authors according to the Elsevier-Stanford Ranking in 2025. This little book is his only fictional work. PRAISE FOR AUTHOR A Journey Toward True Freedom: If you have ever wondered what true freedom really means, Kingfisherish Wandering is a book that lingers long after you close it. Instead of offering dense philosophical arguments, it weaves Daoist insight into gentle, modern fables told through the quiet, witty voice of a small bird named Kingfisher. Through his wandering reflections, the book explores wu wei (acting effortlessly in harmony with nature), Dao (the boundless flow of all things), and freedom - not as doing whatever we please, but as finding peace by no longer resisting life. Each story stands on its own, yet together they form a calm, meditative whole: you can open to any page, read a few lines, and feel the world slow down just enough for something inside you to shift. The writing is poetic, playful, and contemplative, echoing the spirit of Zhuangzi while quietly asking whether we are truly awake or still dreaming our way through existence. The book’s connection to Professor V ươ ng Quân Hoàng adds an extra layer of meaning. It draws inspiration from his Kingfisher Story Collection (Wild Wise Weird), where the character of Kingfisher first appeared as a symbol of playful Daoist wisdom. Professor Hoàng’s creative philosophy— his way of using irony, simplicity, and quiet reflection to explore human nature—shapes the book’s tone and emotional depth, giving it a distinctly Vietnamese balance of clarity, warmth, and compassion. At its heart, Kingfisherish Wandering reminds us that true freedom is not something to chase or control—it appears only when we finally let go. - DR. MINH-PHUONG THI DUONG (13 OCTOBER 2025, AUSTRALIA)