且夫水之积也不厚，则其负大舟也无力。覆杯水于坳堂之上，则芥为之舟；置杯焉则胶，水浅而舟大也。风之积也不厚，则其负大翼也无力。故九万里，则风斯在下矣，而后乃今培风；背负青天，而莫之夭阏者，而后乃今将图南。
qiě fú shuǐ zhī jī yě bù hòu ，zé qí fù dàzhōu yě wúlì 。fù bēishuǐ yú àotáng zhī shàng ，zé jiè wèizhī zhōu ；zhì bēi yān zé jiāo ，shuǐ qiǎn ér zhōu dà yě 。fēng zhī jī yě bù hòu ，zé qí fù dàyì yě wúlì 。gù jiǔwàn lǐ ，zé fēng sī zài xià yǐ ，ér hòu nǎi jīn péifēng ；bèi fù qīngtiān ，ér mò zhī yāoè zhě ，ér hòu nǎi jīn jiāng tú nán 。
And moreover, (to speak of) the accumulation of water; if it be not great, it will not have strength to support a large boat. Upset a cup of water in a cavity, and a straw will float on it as if it were a boat. Place a cup in it, and it will stick fast; the water is shallow and the boat is large. (So it is with) the accumulation of wind; if it be not great, it will not have strength to support great wings. Therefore (the peng ascended to) the height of 90,000 li, and there was such a mass of wind beneath it; thenceforth the accumulation of wind was sufficient. As it seemed to bear the blue sky on its back, and there was nothing to obstruct or arrest its course, it could pursue its way to the South.