Once upon a time, a man named Ji Shengzi raised fighting cocks for the king.
Every ten days, the king would ask if the cock was ready.
Ji Shengzi replied each time:
- "Not yet. It is still coxcombical, proud, and arrogant."
- "Not yet. It still reacts to the crow or sight of other cocks."
- "Not yet. Its gaze is still swift, and its spirit is still high."
Forty days later, he said, "Now it is almost ready. It may still crow, but shows little reaction or change, like a wooden cock. It now possesses all the qualities of a true fighter. When other cocks see it, they dare not fight but turn and flee."