The fable "My Skillful Hand Helps Cattle" comes from "Master of Health Care in Zhuangzi", and its original intention is to explain the way of health care. Zhuangzi believes that society is full of complex contradictions, and people live in contradictory struggles and are vulnerable. If you want to save yourself, you have to avoid "superior skills" and "masterpieces" just to find a gap, that is, to avoid contradictions and seek personal survival by escaping from reality.
This negative outlook on life should be criticized. But as far as the story itself is concerned, it objectively expounds that although things are complicated, they have their inherent laws; Through long-term practice, I am good at thinking, understanding and mastering the law, so as to give full play to my subjective initiative and gain freedom of action.
Zhuangzi's prose is good at using visual reasoning. This fable uses a variety of techniques such as exaggeration, contrast, contrast and description. And with strong pen and ink, literary talent brilliantly demonstrated my skillful understanding of cattle, carefree expression, beautiful movements, harmonious rhythm and natural and unrestrained body and mind. Specifically, the main features of this article in writing are:
Tight structure. The full text is divided into two parts, first telling the story (the first and second paragraphs) and then pointing out the meaning (the third paragraph). As far as the story is concerned, it is divided into two layers, that is, from writing "skills" to saying "Tao". First, I describe my superb skills in understanding cows, and then I explain his way of understanding cows. The writing skills of My Master are first described directly, then summarized by the admiration of the writer, and transferred to my conversation. The exposition of Tao is divided into three aspects: first, it introduces the three stages of mastering Tao vertically, highlighting the characteristics after mastering Tao; Secondly, from the horizontal aspect, I will compare my master with the good master and the master, and explain the similarities and differences between them. Third, it shows that the thorny issue of "clan" has been successfully solved. This is from general to special.
These three aspects are closely related to the Tao of "relying on heaven for justice" and "because of it". My answer to the first sentence of Wen is naturally to associate writing skills with speaking. The way of keeping in good health mentioned in My Clever Words also plays a role in controlling the whole text and revealing the theme. The full text revolves around Jie Niu incident, expounding a word "Tao", from concrete to abstract, layer by layer analysis, interlocking, and telling the truth clearly and thoroughly.
The language is vivid and concise. For example, the movements of writing hands, shoulders, feet and knees only need to touch, lean, walk and squat, which embodies their own characteristics. Use "hey! It's good. The skills cover so far. These eight words (half true, half false) truly reflect Wen's thoughts and feelings of surprise, admiration and incomprehension when he saw my superb skills in understanding cattle. The words "I dare not take warning, I don't look, I act late, and I seldom use a knife" vividly depict my inner activities, eyes and actions that are focused, cautious and full of confidence when solving special difficulties, which is in sharp contrast with my carefree actions and demeanor because of difficulties I wrote later.