Once when Confucius was in the state of Chu, he saw a stooped（弯腰） old man glue cicadas（蝉） with a pole. He did this as easily as pick up things on the ground.

 

Confucius asked him what the secret was. The old man said, "Five six months after I began practice, only a few could escape from my hands . later I began practice, only a few could escape from my hands. Later, even fewer, it eventually became as easy as picking up things on the ground. How I do it is like this. I watch absorbedly the cicada's wings, ignoring completely the things around me and not allowing anything to distract¹ my attention. So how can I fail to capture it?"

 

Confucius sighed with a feeling and said, "If you bone up on something, you get absorbed in it. And your skill become marvelous. This should be the right thing to say about the stooped old man."

 

孔子在楚国时，见到一个驼背老人举着粘蝉，如同从地上拾取东西那样容易，便问他奥妙所在。

 

老人说：“我练习到5、6个月的时候，捉蝉时蝉跑掉的就已经很少，这之后就更少了，到后来就像在地上取东西一样的容易。我的方法是站稳身子，全心注意蝉的翅膀，不去左顾右盼，不因纷杂的事物而分散我对蝉翅膀的注意力，怎么会捉不到呢？”

 

孔子感叹道：“用心专一静定，就能聚精会神，技艺自然神妙，这样说这位驼背老人大概是可以的吧。”

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