Someone mocked at Hui Zi before the King of Liang. "This Hui Zi likes to use metaphors1 when he speaks. If he is not allowed to use metaphors, he surely won't be able to explain anything at all."

　　The following day the King of Liang met Hui Zi and said to him: "From now on, when you speak, come straight to the point and do not use metaphors and beat about the bush."

　　Hui Zi said: "Now someone does not know what a slingshot is. You tell him, ''A slingshot' is 'a slingshot'. 'Can he understand?"

　　"How can he understand?" said the King of Liang.

　　Hui Zi went on: "If I tell him a slingshot is like a bow, its bowstring is made of bamboo, and it is a device for shooting, can he understand?"

　　The King of Liang said: "Yes, he can."

　　Hui Zi said: "The purpose of drawing an analogy between the thing people have already known and the thing they don't know yet is to make them understood. You want me to speak without using metaphors. How can that be done?"

　　The King of Liang said: "What you said is right."

　　有人在梁王面前嘲笑惠子：“這個(gè)惠子說(shuō)話愛(ài)用比喻，假如不準(zhǔn)他用比喻，那他一定什么也說(shuō)不清楚了。”

　　第二天，梁王見(jiàn)到惠子，就對(duì)他說(shuō)：“你以后講話直截了當(dāng)講，不要再用比喻，拐彎抹角的。”

　　惠子說(shuō)：“現(xiàn)在有個(gè)人不知道‘彈’是一種什么東西。你告訴他:‘彈’就是‘彈’，他聽(tīng)得明白嗎?”

　　梁王說(shuō)：“那怎么能明白呢？”

　　惠子說(shuō)：“如果我告訴他，彈的形狀像弓，弦是用竹子做的，是一種射具，他能明白嗎?”

　　梁王說(shuō)：“可以明白了。”

　　惠子說(shuō):“用別人已經(jīng)了解的事物來(lái)比喻他還不了解的事物，目的是要使他了解。你讓我說(shuō)話不用比喻，那怎么行呢？”

　　梁王說(shuō)：“你說(shuō)得對(duì)呀！”