译文：惠子对庄子说：“魏王送给我葫芦的种子，我把它种到成熟，结成的葫芦很大，有五石的容积。用来盛水和饮料，它的坚硬程度却禁不起举。剖开来作瓢，却因太大而没有适于它容纳的东西。不是它不够大，而是因为它没有用处，所以我把它打破了。”庄子说：“你实在是不善于利用大的东西。宋国有一个善于制作防止皮肤冻裂的药的人，祖祖辈辈以在水中漂洗棉絮为业。有人听说了，就请求用百金买他的药方。全家族的人集中在一起商议道：“我们世世代代漂洗棉絮，收入不超过几金。现在卖药方一下子可以得到百金，请允许我把药方卖给他。”那人得了药方，便用它去说服吴王。越国来侵犯吴国，吴王让他统帅军队。冬天和越军进行水战，把越军打得大败。吴王便将一块土地封赏给他。能不使手裂开的药是一样的，有的人靠它得到封赏，而有的人却免不了漂洗棉絮的辛劳，就是因为用途不同。现在你有五石容量的葫芦，为什么不考虑把它作为腰舟而浮游于江湖之上，反而担忧它大得无处可容，可见你的心如蓬草一样屈曲不通啊！”这篇寓言说明：同样的东西用在不同的地方，其效果大不一样。对待事物，要主动探究事理，要用善于发现的眼睛探索事物最大的价值，从而完美地利用它的内在价值。

《古代寓言·不龟手之药》

惠子谓庄子曰：“魏王贻我大瓠之种，我树之成而实五石，以盛水浆，其坚不能自举也。剖之以为瓢，则瓠落无所容。非不呺然大也。吾为其无用而掊之。”
庄子曰：“夫子固拙于用大矣。宋人有善为不龟手之药者，世世以洴澼絖为事。客闻之，请买其方百金。聚族而谋曰：‘我世世为洴澼絖，不过数金，今一朝而鬻技百金，请与之。’客得之以说吴王。越有难，吴王使之将，冬与越人水战，大败越人。裂地而封之。能不龟手一也，或以封，或不免于洴澼絖。则所用之异也。今子有五石之瓠，何不虑以为大樽，而浮于江湖，而忧其瓠落无所容？则夫子犹有蓬之心也夫！”
——《庄子》

The Ointment for Chapped Hands
A family in the state of Song made an excellent ointment for chapped hands; so for generations they engaged in laundering. A man who heard of this offered a hundred pieces of gold for their recipe.
"We have been in the laundry trade for generations," said this family as they discussed the matter. "But we never made more than a few pieces of gold. Today we can sell our recipe for a hundred pieces. By all means let us sell it."
Now the state of Yue was invading the state of Wu, and having bought the recipe this man presented it to the Prince of Wu, who thereupon made him a general. His troops fought a naval action with those of Yue that winter, and completely routed the enemy. Then the prince made him a noble, rewarding him with a fief.
Thus the same ointment for chaps could win a fief or simply aid laundrymen.
All depends upon the use to which things are put.
Zhuang Zi

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