外物

Zhuangzi's family was poor, so he went to borrow grain from the Marquis Who Oversees the River. The marquis said: 'Certainly. I shall receive the tax revenues from my fief soon and will then lend you three hundred pieces of gold. Would that be all right?' Zhuangzi flushed with anger and said: 'On my way here yesterday, I heard a voice calling from the middle of the road. I looked and saw a carp in the rut of a cartwheel track. I said: "What are you doing here, carp?" It replied: "I am a minister of the waves of the Eastern Sea. Could you give me a dipperful of water to keep me alive?" I said: "Certainly. I am heading south to visit the kings of Wu and Yue. I shall divert the waters of the West River to welcome you. Would that be all right?" The carp flushed with anger and said: "I have lost my element and have no place to go. A dipperful of water is all I need to stay alive. If that is all you can offer, you'd better look for me soon in the dried-fish stall!"'

The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you have the fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you have the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you have the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a person who has forgotten words, so I can have a word with them?