The King, expressing admiration, said to the butcher, "Good! It seems that this is the consummation of technique."

The butcher put down his cleaver and replied, "What I like is the Way, which is more advanced than technique. But I will present something of technique."

"When I first began to cut up oxen, all I saw was an ox.Even after three years I had not seen a whole ox. NOw I meet it with spirit rather than look at it with my eyes."

"When sensory knowledge stops, then the spirit is ready to act. Going by the natural pattern, I seperate the joints, following the main apertures, according to the nature of its formation. I have never even cut into a large mass of gristle, much less a large bone."

"A good butcher changes cleavers every year because of damage, a mediocre butcher changes cleavers every month because of breakage. I've had this cleaver for nineteen years now, and it has cut up thousands of oxen:yet it's blade is as though newly come from the whetstone."

"The joints have spaces in between, whereas the edge of the cleaver blade has no thickness. When that which has no thickness is put into that which has space, there is ample room for moving the blade. This is why the edge of my cleaver is still as sharp as if it had newly come from the whetstone."

"Even so, whenever I come to a knot, I see the difficulty of doing it. I am careful to remain alert, with my gaze steady. Moving slowly, I exert very slight force, and the knot has come apart, like earth crumbling into the ground. Then I stand there with my cleaver, looking all around and pausing over the satisfaction in this. Then, I clean the cleaver and put it away."