One day, Hui Zi met Zhuang Zi and told him a story: "King Hui gave me some bottle gourd seeds. I planted them, and soon a huge gourd grew—large enough to hold five dan of rice. I had never seen such a large gourd and was delighted. Yet, it solved none of my practical problems. In disappointment, I smashed it.
Zhuang Zi felt sorry and said, "What a pity you destroyed such a fine gourd so rashly."
Hui Zi eagerly interrupted, "If you think it's a pity, what would you have used it for?"
Zhuang Zi calmly replied with a story: "In the State of Song, there lived a man who knew how to make a salve to prevent chilblains. For generations, his family had eked out a meager living by bleaching and washing cotton wadding for others. A visitor heard of this and offered one hundred catties of gold for the family's secret recipe. After discussing it, the family agreed: 'We've toiled for generations with little reward. Selling the recipe will bring us a fortune at once. We must not miss this chance.'
"The buyer, feeling he had obtained a treasure, took the recipe to the King of Wu. At that time, the State of Yue was invading Wu. The king put the man in command of troops.
"It was a harsh winter. The armies of Wu and Yue fought a naval battle. Thanks to the salve, not a single Wu soldier suffered frostbite on their hands or feet. They soundly defeated the Yue army. The King of Wu rewarded the man richly and granted him a high rank.
"Thus, the same salve that brought one family only a humble living brought another fame and fortune. Why? Because some know how to use ordinary things for great purposes, while others limit fine things to petty uses."
Zhuang Zi paused, then continued: "Sir, you should have learned to use your large gourd. Instead of a water ladle, why not use it as a float to cross rivers and seas? Would that not have been better?"
Hearing this, Hui Zi nodded repeatedly, admitting Zhuang Zi's wisdom. He sighed, "It seems I am indeed a man of muddled thinking."