匠石運斤
Carpenter Shi Swings His Axe
莊子送葬，過惠子之墓，顧謂從者曰："郢人堊慢其鼻端若蠅翼，使匠人斫之。匠石運斤成風，聽而斫之，盡堊而鼻不傷，郢人立不失容。宋元君聞之，召匠石曰：'嘗試為寡人為之。'匠石曰：'臣則嘗能斫之。雖然，臣之質死久矣！'自夫子之死也，吾無以為質矣，吾無與言之矣！"
Zhuangzi was attending a funeral when he passed the grave of Huizi. He turned to his companions and said: 'There was once a man of Ying who had a spot of plaster on the tip of his nose, thin as a fly's wing. He sent for Carpenter Shi to slice it off. Carpenter Shi swung his axe with such speed it made the wind sing. He sliced off every bit of plaster without nicking the nose, and the man of Ying stood perfectly still, his expression unchanged. When Lord Yuan of Song heard of this, he summoned Carpenter Shi and said: "Try doing that for me." Carpenter Shi said: "I was once able to slice like that. But the material I worked with has been dead for a long time now." Since you died, Master Hui, I have had no one to use as my material. I have no one to talk to anymore!'
Notes
This poignant anecdote reveals the depth of Zhuangzi's relationship with Huizi. Despite their endless debates and disagreements, Huizi was the only person who could match Zhuangzi intellectually — the 'material' (質) without which his philosophical artistry could not function. The axe-wielding carpenter needs a fearless partner; the philosopher needs a worthy opponent. It is one of the most moving expressions of intellectual friendship in world literature.