This sentence embodies the dialectical view of uselessness. Usefulness and uselessness are objective, but they are also relative, and will be transformed under certain circumstances. If you insist that something is useless, you can't see its usefulness and can't use it for you.
During the Warring States Period, Zhuangzi's "On Earth" embodied Zhuangzi's "inaction" thought. The original text is:
Confucius justified Chu's name, and Chu swam to his door because he was crazy, saying, "Feng Feng, how can it be as bad as virtue?" We can't wait for the afterlife, and we can't chase after it. There is a saying in the world, and a saint becomes a man; There is no road in the world, and saints have no way to live. At this time, I was just exempted from punishment.
The blessing is as light as a feather, you don't know what it is; If the disaster is serious, I don't know how to avoid it It's almost over. Treat people with virtue! Almost, drawing ground and trend! Fan Yang, you didn't hurt john young! I can walk without hurting my feet. "
The mountain wood is self-defeating, and the paste is self-fried. Guangxi is edible, so cut it; Paint can be used, so cut it. Everyone knows what is useful, but not what is useless.
Translation:
Confucius went to Chu, and the hermit of Chu deliberately came to Confucius' door and said, "Phoenix bird, Phoenix bird!" " How can you come to this decadent country with great virtue! The future world can't be expected, and the past time can't be recovered. The rule of the world, the sage made a career; The monarch is dark, the world is in chaos, and saints have to go with the flow to survive.
In today's era, fear can only avoid punishment and humiliation. Happiness is lighter than feathers, and I don't know how to get it; Evil is more important than the earth, and I don't know how to avoid it. Forget it, forget it! Don't preach your virtue in front of people! Danger. Danger. Artificially draw a road for people to follow! Thorns everywhere, don't hinder my walking! The winding road, don't hurt my foot! "
The trees on the mountain are cut down by themselves because there are ready-made materials, and the candles with oil spots are melted and fried by themselves because they can burn lighting. Cinnamon is fragrant and edible, so it is cut down. Because the tree paint can be used, it is chopped with a knife and axe. People all know the useful use, but they don't know the greater use of the useless.
Extended data:
Zhuangzi's Thought of "Inaction"
Zhuangzi's "inaction" thought advocates attaching importance to the law of natural development. We can't go against the laws of natural development. If we break the law of natural development, we will inevitably go to the road of alienation and reap the consequences.
According to Zhuangzi's point of view, if we want to achieve a certain goal, we should follow the law of development like the development of nature and achieve the established goal in inaction.
The "inaction" of lifestyle means that people should let nature take its course, pursue their life ideals and realize their personal values according to the needs of nature. Simply put, it is to look straight at your heart and follow the laws of nature.
Baidu encyclopedia-human world