庄周梦蝶的寓言也引起了西方学者的广泛讨论，例如爱莲心的《向往心灵转化的庄子》中不仅讨论了蝴蝶的隐喻意，还修改了庄周梦蝶寓言的逻辑顺序[27]。翟理斯翻译的庄周梦蝶在西方比较有名，也容易引起歧解：
Once upon a time，I，Chuang Tzǔ，dreamt I was a butterfly，fluttering hither and thither，to all intents and purposes a butterfly.I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly，and was unconscious of my individuality as a man.Suddenly，I awaked，and there I lay，myself again.Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly，or whether I am now a butterfly，dreaming I am a man.Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a barrier.The transition is called Metempsychosis.[28]