He inquired of the old man about the reason. The old man replied, "It is because I abide by the rules. I have liked forging waistband hooks ever since I was twenty. I have been concerned about nothing but waistband hooks, and never looked carefully at things other than hooks. By doing so, I have had a lot of time and energy to master what I wanted to master. Once I reach this realm, all things come into my usage."
楚國(guó)的大司馬見屬下的鐵匠雖然年已八十,但記憶仍然精湛,便詢問其中的原因。
老人回答說:“我遵守行為的法則呀。我二十多歲的時(shí)候,就喜歡鍛打腰帶鉤,對(duì)于別的什么,都不關(guān)心;不是腰帶鉤,我從不仔細(xì)去看。這樣,我就有了足夠多的時(shí)間和精力,去熟練掌握想要掌握的東西。一旦達(dá)到這種境界,萬物都會(huì)為我所用!”