In the past, there was a married couple in the State of Lu. The husband was a shoemaker who made very good shoes. The wife was a good hand at weaving silk. One day, the couple decided to go to the State of Yue to make a living.
從前，魯國有這么一對夫婦:丈夫是一個鞋匠，鞋子做得很好;妻子是一個織絹能手。一天，這兩口子商量決定，去越國謀生。
When this news spread around, one man tried to dissuade them:
這消息一傳開，就有一個人去勸他們說:
"You had better not go. If you go to the State of Yue to make a living, that would be too bad. Over there, you certainly cannot make a living!"
“還是不要去吧。如果你們到越國去謀生，那可糟了。在那里，你們一定會無法生活下去的!”
The couple asked in surprise:
他倆奇怪地問:
"We don't understand what you mean. Each of us has superb craftsmanship. How is it possible that we couldn't make a living? Don't talk nonsense!"
“我們不懂你說的意思!我們各人有一門手藝，怎么會生活不了呢?別胡說了!”
Thereupon, the man said to them:
于是，那人對他倆說:
"Right. You indeed have superb craftsmanship. But you probably don't know the situation. You make shoes for people to wear, but the people in the State of Yue like to go barefooted and do not wear shoes; you weave silk to make hats, but the people there like to have their hair hanging down and do not wear hats. Then, how can you sell the shoes and hats you make? Though you are highly skilled, your manual skills are of no use over there. Then how can you make a living?"
“對呀，你們手藝的確很好。不過你們大概不了解情況吧!你們做了鞋子，原來是給人穿的，可是越國人喜歡赤腳，不穿鞋子;你們織的絲絹，原來是做帽子用的，可是越國人喜歡披著頭發，不戴帽子。那么，你們做的鞋子、帽子，怎么賣得出去呢?你們的技藝雖然很高，可是在那里卻用不上。到那時候，看你們怎么生活。”
After hearing this, the husband and wife saw the light:
這對夫妻聽后，恍然大悟:
"Oh, so our way of thinking is against the current fashion."
“噢，原來我們的想法不合時尚啊!”