A clever woman can't cook without rice is an fable written by Zhuangzi (Zhuang Zhou), a representative of Taoism in the pre-Qin period.
Original text:
My life is limited, but so is my knowledge. With restrictions, there is no restriction, and it is almost there! It's almost enough for people who already know! Good has no near name, and evil has no near punishment. The Governor thinks that classics can preserve our health, nurture our life, support our loved ones and last for several years.
My skilled hands, my shoulders, my feet, my knees and my knife are all in harmony. The dance combined with mulberry forest is a chance for quiet life.
Wen said, "Hey, good! So much for technical coverage? "
My master let go of his knife and said to him, "I am a good minister and I am proficient in technology." When the first minister solved the cow, he saw nothing but the cow. I haven't seen all the cows for three years. At this time, I saw God instead of looking at him. Zhi Zhi was an official and wanted to do something. According to heaven, we should criticize and guide the big ones, because the technology and experience are certainly not bad, but the situation is excellent! A good man is a better cutter; There are many knives and many folds in the family month.
Today, I have killed thousands of cows with my sword for nineteen years, but if the blade is new. There is a gap between people for a while, but the blade is not thick; Without thickness, there will be room for recovery, so 19 years, the blade is still new. Although, as for the competition, I think it is difficult, it is a warning that it is too late to act now. The knife is very small, and what should be solved has been solved, such as land. Stand with a knife, look around for it, be full of ambition, and hide it with a good knife. "
Wen said, "Good! I listened to my master and I have to stay healthy. "
Translation:
A chef named Ding slaughtered cattle for Wen. Where his hand touched, where his shoulder leaned, where his foot stepped, and where his knee pressed, there was a loud sound, and the knife pierced the cow and snapped. There is no sound that is out of rhythm: it is in line with the rhythm of mulberry dance and Jing Shou's movements.
Wen said, "Hey, that's great! How can your technology be so clever? "
Chef Ding put down the butcher knife and replied, "I like pottery, which is further than technology. When I started slaughtering cows, I saw the whole cow; Three years have passed, and I have never seen the whole cow again; Now, I contact the cow with my spirit and don't look at it with my eyes anymore. My sensory perception has stopped, and I only use my mental activities.
Follow the natural structure of cattle, make a big gap and eat along the gap between joints; According to the original tissue of cattle, the place where blood vessels connect and bones agglomerate has never been touched with a knife, let alone thick bones! Good chefs change a knife every year, because they cut meat with a knife; Usually cooks change a knife every month because they use it to cut bones.
Now, my knife has been used 19 years. It killed thousands of cows, but the blade looked as if it had just been ground from a millstone. Because there are gaps in the joints of cattle, the blade is thin to no thickness. If you insert a blade without thickness into a seam with a gap, it will be very wide and spacious, and there will definitely be a lot of room for operating the knife.
So it has been used for 19 years, but it seems that the blade has just been ground from the millstone. Even so, whenever I meet a place where bones and muscles are intertwined, I find it difficult to deal with it, so I carefully guard against it, so my eyes are focused on one point and my movements slow down, making the knife very light. As a result, it opened with a bang and scattered on the ground like dirt.
Wen said: "Good! I listened to master's words and got the truth of maintaining my health. "
Extended data:
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 ways of "following nature" and "because of its nature". 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 expounds a word "Tao" around the incident of solving cattle, from concrete to abstract, interlocking, and making the truth clear.