There's a famous saying in Zhuangzi Tianxia, an ancient Chinese masterpiece:

There's a famous saying in Zhuangzi Tianxia, which means "a foot of pestle, half of which is taken every day, will never be exhausted", which means: a foot of wooden stick can be cut half a day, and it will never be cut out.

The original text and translation of Zhuangzi's Tianxia article are as follows:

The world is in chaos, the sages are unknown, and the morals are different. There are many ways to look after yourself. For example, the eyes, ears, nose and mouth are all clear and cannot be connected; There are still hundreds of skills, all of which have their own strengths and are used from time to time.

although, you shouldn't miss ①, a man of one song is also. Judging the beauty of heaven and earth, analyzing the reason of all things, and observing the whole of the ancients, few people can prepare for the beauty of heaven and earth, which is called the capacity of the gods.

(2) it is the way to be a saint inside and a king outside, which is dark and unknown, depressed but not made, and everyone in the world has his own way. Sad husband, a hundred schools of thought will not go against it, and it will be incompatible! Scholars of later generations unfortunately fail to see the purity of heaven and earth and the generality of the ancients. Daoism will crack for the world.

note

① this: complete. Time: comprehensive. 2 judgment: split. Cha: "Kill" sound, destroy.

Translation

In the turbulent times of the world, the way of sages is no longer evident in the world, and morality cannot be unified. People all over the world are self-righteous with their own selfish interests. For example, eyes, ears, mouth and tongue have their own uses, but they cannot replace each other; For example, the various skills of hundreds of schools have their own specialties, but they can only be used at the right time.

even so, those who are incomplete and not comprehensive enough are all people with a single view. They split the beauty of heaven and earth, separated the common sense of all things, and dispersed the perfect morality of the ancients. It is difficult to have the pure beauty of heaven and earth, which is commensurate with the description of the gods.