庖丁解牛

Chinese

cook
to loosen; to untie; to explain
to loosen; to untie; to explain; to remove; to divide; to dissolve; to solve; solution; send under escort
 
 ox; cow; bull
trad. (庖丁解牛) 庖丁 解 牛
simp. #(庖丁解牛) 庖丁 解 牛

Etymology

From Zhuangzi.

庖丁為文惠君解牛，手之所觸，肩之所倚，足之所履，膝之所踦，砉然嚮然，奏刀騞然，莫不中音，合於桑林之舞，乃中經首之會。文惠君曰：「譆！善哉！技蓋至此乎？」
庖丁釋刀對曰：「臣之所好者道也，進乎技矣。始臣之解牛之時，所見無非牛者。三年之後，未嘗見全牛也。方今之時，臣以神遇而不以目視，官知止而神欲行。依乎天理，批大郤，導大窾，因其固然，技經肯綮之未嘗，而況大軱乎！良庖歲更刀，割也；族庖月更刀，折也。今臣之刀十九年矣，所解數千牛矣，而刀刃若新發於硎。彼節者有間，而刀刃者無厚；以無厚入有間，恢恢乎其於遊刃必有餘地矣，是以十九年而刀刃若新發於硎。雖然，每至於族，吾見其難為，怵然為戒，視為止，行為遲。動刀甚微，謋然已解，如土委地。提刀而立，為之四顧，為之躊躇滿志，善刀而藏之。」
文惠君曰：「善哉！吾聞庖丁之言，得養生焉。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
庖丁为文惠君解牛，手之所触，肩之所倚，足之所履，膝之所踦，砉然向然，奏刀𬴃然，莫不中音，合于桑林之舞，乃中经首之会。文惠君曰：「嘻！善哉！技盖至此乎？」
庖丁释刀对曰：「臣之所好者道也，进乎技矣。始臣之解牛之时，所见无非牛者。三年之后，未尝见全牛也。方今之时，臣以神遇而不以目视，官知止而神欲行。依乎天理，批大郤，导大窾，因其固然，技经肯綮之未尝，而况大𮝴乎！良庖岁更刀，割也；族庖月更刀，折也。今臣之刀十九年矣，所解数千牛矣，而刀刃若新发于硎。彼节者有间，而刀刃者无厚；以无厚入有间，恢恢乎其于游刃必有余地矣，是以十九年而刀刃若新发于硎。虽然，每至于族，吾见其难为，怵然为戒，视为止，行为迟。动刀甚微，𰵼然已解，如土委地。提刀而立，为之四顾，为之踌躇满志，善刀而藏之。」
文惠君曰：「善哉！吾闻庖丁之言，得养生焉。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
Páodīng wèi Wénhuì jūn jiě niú, shǒu zhī suǒ chù, jiān zhī suǒ yǐ, zú zhī suǒ lǚ, xī zhī suǒ jī, huārán xiǎngrán, zòudāo huōrán, mòbù zhòng yīn, hé yú Sānglín zhī wǔ, nǎi zhōng jīngshǒu zhī huì. Wénhuì jūn yuē: “Xī! Shànzāi! Jì gài zhì cǐ hū?”
Páodīng shì dāo duì yuē: “Chén zhī suǒ hǎo zhě Dào yě, jìn hū jì yǐ. Shǐ chén zhī jiě niú zhī shí, suǒ jiàn wú fēi niú zhě. Sān nián zhīhòu, wèicháng jiàn quán niú yě. Fāngjīn zhī shí, chén yǐ shén yù ér bù yǐ mùshì, guānzhī zhǐ ér shényù xíng. Yī hū tiānlǐ, pī dà xì, dǎo dà kuǎn, yīn qí gùrán, zhījīng kěnqǐ zhī wèicháng, érkuàng dà gū hū! Liáng páo suì gèng dāo, gē yě; zú páo yuè gèng dāo, zhé yě. Jīn chén zhī dāo shíjiǔ nián yǐ, suǒ jiě shù qiān niú yǐ, ér dāorèn ruò xīn fā yú xíng. Bǐ jié zhě yǒu jiān, ér dāorèn zhě wú hòu; yǐ wú hòu rù yǒu jiān, huīhuī hū qí yú yóurèn bì yǒu yúdì yǐ, shì yǐ shíjiǔ nián ér dāorèn ruò xīn fā yú xíng. Suīrán, měi zhìyú zú, wú jiàn qí nán wèi, chùrán wèi jiè, shì wèi zhǐ, xíng wèi chí. Dòng dāo shèn wēi, huòrán yǐ jiě, rú tǔ wěi dì. Tídāo ér lì, wèi zhī sìgù, wèi zhī chóuchúmǎnzhì, shàn dāo ér cáng zhī.”
Wénhuì jūn yuē: “Shànzāi! Wú wén Páodīng zhī yán, dé yǎngshēng yān.” [Pinyin]
The cook Ding cut up an ox for Lord Wenhui. Where his hands came in contact, his shoulder leaned, his foot treaded on, his knee touched, the sound of skin ripping echoed, the knife-work a sharp sound, there is nothing that is not on-beat, suiting the dance of the 'Mulberry Forest' and the rhythm of Jingshou. Lord Wenhui said, 'Eh, Good! For your skills to reach this?'
The cook put down his knife, and replied, said, 'What the servant loves is the Dao, more advanced than skills. When I first began to cut up an ox, I saw nothing but the ox. After three years, I never saw the whole ox. Now, I handle it with my spirit, by not looking at it, sensory perception stopped, spiritual will moving. Relying on the natural compositions, I attack the great crevices, guiding along the great cracks, following its original structure. Not ever the meridians, places where muscle and bone gather, let alone the big bones! A good cook changes knives yearly, cut; An ordinary cook changes knives monthly, broken. Now my knife is nineteen years old, having cut up several thousand oxen, yet the blade is like newly coming from the whetstone. Those joints have gaps, and the blade does not have thickness; by that not having thickness entering that having gaps, vaster than one to the knife movement surely having room, this is in nineteen years and the blade is like newly coming from the whetstone. Nevertheless, every time as to the usual, I see it difficult to do, vigilantly becoming cautious, my vision made stopped, my movements made slow. Moving the knife very slightly, the meat has quickly separated with a sound, dropping to the ground like earth. Holding a knife while standing, for this I looked in all directions, self-satisfied due to this, I wiped the knife and hid it.'
Lord Wenhui said, 'Good! I heard the words of cook Ding, getting to keep in good health.'

Pronunciation

Idiom

庖丁解牛

  1. to be skilled at what one does; to do something with ease; like a hot knife through butter

See also

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