One day, seated in the ancestral hall, King Hui of Liang saw a man leading an ox pass by. He asked, "Where are you taking the ox?"

　　The man leading the ox stopped and answered: "I am taking it to be slaughtered1 and will use its blood to paint the bell."

　　As king Hui heard this, he felt pity for the ox and said: "How can that be done? You are too cruel. Let it go at once. It is not guilty. How can you kill it? I cannot bear to see it panistricken, shedding2 tears and trembling before its death."

　　The man leading the ox asked: "Do you mean that I shall let the ox go and not paint the bell? Is that it?"

　　King Hui answered: "What are you saying? How can you not paint the bell! Let the ox go, but use a sheep instead."

　　一天，梁惠王坐在廟堂上，看到堂下有一個人牽著一頭牛走過，便問道：“你把牛牽到哪里??？”

　　牽牛的人停了下來回答說：“我要把這頭牛牽去殺掉，用它的血來涂鐘。”

　　惠王聽了，便對牛十分憐憫，說：“那怎么行呢！你們太殘忍了，趕快把牛放掉。它沒有罪，怎么能殺掉呢？我不忍心看到牛臨死前恐懼、流淚、戰(zhàn)栗的樣子。”

　　牽牛的人問道：“您的意思是要我把牛放了，不必再涂鐘了，是嗎？”

　　惠王回答說：“你在說什么？鐘怎么能不涂呢！把牛放了，換只羊吧。”