English Original
One day, Hui Zi met Zhuang Zi and told him a story: "King Hui bestowed upon 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 my disappointment, I smashed it."
Zhuang Zi felt sorry upon hearing this and said, "What a pity you destroyed such a fine gourd so rashly."
Before Zhuang Zi could finish, Hui Zi eagerly asked, "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 an ointment that prevented chilblains. For generations, his family had eked out a meager living by bleaching and washing silk floss for others. A visitor, hearing of this skill, offered one hundred catties of gold for their ancestral prescription. The family deliberated: 'We should sell it. Our bleaching work has brought us little income for generations. Selling the prescription would give us a large sum at once. We must not miss this chance!' So, they agreed to the sale."
Zhuang Zi continued, "The buyer, feeling as if he had obtained a treasure, took the idea to the King of Wu. At that time, the State of Yue was invading Wu. The king sent this man to lead troops into battle."
"It was winter, and bitterly cold. The armies of Wu and Yue fought a naval battle. Because the Wu army possessed the secret ointment, not a single soldier suffered frostbite on their hands or feet. In the end, they vanquished the Yue forces. For this, the King of Wu rewarded the man generously and granted him a high official post."
"Thus," said Zhuang Zi, "some use the chilblain ointment to gain high rank, while others use it only for bleaching silk floss. Why? Because some know how to employ things to great effect, while others see only their most limited use."
Pausing briefly, Zhuang Zi added, "Sir, you should learn to utilize your large gourd. Instead of thinking of it merely as a ladle for water, consider using it as a buoyant vessel to cross rivers and seas. Would that not be far better?"
Hearing this, Hui Zi nodded repeatedly, admitting Zhuang Zi's greater wisdom. With a sigh, he said, "It seems I am indeed a man of muddled thinking."
中文翻译
一日，惠子见到庄子，讲了一件事：“惠王赐给我一些大葫芦种子。我将其种下，不久结出一个巨大的葫芦，大得足以装下五石谷物。我从未见过如此大的葫芦，非常高兴。但它解决不了我任何实际问题，失望之下，我把它砸碎了。”
庄子听后十分惋惜，说道：“你这样轻率地毁掉这么好的葫芦，真是太可惜了。”
不待庄子说完，惠子急切地问道：“你觉得可惜，那你想用它来做什么呢？”
庄子平静地讲了一个故事作为回答：
“宋国有一人，会制作防止冻疮的药膏。他家世世代代以替人漂洗丝絮为生，收入微薄。有人听闻此事，登门愿出百斤黄金购买其祖传药方。全家商议道：‘我们还是卖了吧。世代漂洗，所得甚少。现在卖掉药方，立刻能得一大笔钱，不可错过这个机会！’于是，他们同意出售药方。”
庄子接着说：“买得药方之人，如获至宝，便去游说吴王。当时，越国正在侵犯吴国。吴王便派此人领兵作战。”
“时值寒冬，天气酷冷。吴越两军在水上交战。因吴军有此秘制药膏，全军上下无一人手足冻伤。最终，他们大败越军。为此，吴王重赏此人，并赐予高官厚禄。”
“由此可见，”庄子说，“有人用这防冻药膏获取高官爵位，有人却只用它来漂洗丝絮。为何？因为有些人懂得物尽其用，发挥其最大价值，而有些人只看到其最有限的用途。”
庄子稍作停顿，补充道：“先生，你也应学会利用你的大葫芦。不要只把它当作舀水的瓢，不妨考虑将其用作渡江过海的浮具。这岂不是好得多吗？”
惠子听后连连点头，承认庄子更有智慧。他叹息道：“看来我真是个思想僵化之人啊。”