Someone mocked at Hui Zi before the King of Liang. "This Hui Zi likes to use metaphors¹ when he speaks. If he is not allowed to use metaphors, he surely won't be able to explain anything at all."

 

The following day the King of Liang met Hui Zi and said to him: "From now on, when you speak, come straight to the point and do not use metaphors and beat about the bush."

 

Hui Zi said: "Now someone does not know what a slingshot is. You tell him, ''A slingshot' is 'a slingshot'. 'Can he understand?"

 

"How can he understand?" said the King of Liang.

 

Hui Zi went on: "If I tell him a slingshot is like a bow, its bowstring is made of bamboo, and it is a device for shooting, can he understand?"

 

The King of Liang said: "Yes, he can."

 

Hui Zi said: "The purpose of drawing an analogy between the thing people have already known and the thing they don't know yet is to make them understood. You want me to speak without using metaphors. How can that be done?"

 

The King of Liang said: "What you said is right."

 

有人在梁王面前嘲笑惠子：“这个惠子说话爱用比喻，假如不准他用比喻，那他一定什么也说不清楚了。”

 

第二天，梁王见到惠子，就对他说：“你以后讲话直截了当讲，不要再用比喻，拐弯抹角的。”

 

惠子说：“现在有个人不知道‘弹’是一种什么东西。你告诉他:‘弹’就是‘弹’，他听得明白吗?”

 

梁王说：“那怎么能明白呢？”

 

惠子说：“如果我告诉他，弹的形状像弓，弦是用竹子做的，是一种射具，他能明白吗?”

 

梁王说：“可以明白了。”

 

惠子说:“用别人已经了解的事物来比喻他还不了解的事物，目的是要使他了解。你让我说话不用比喻，那怎么行呢？”

 

梁王说：“你说得对呀！”

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