Zhuang Zhou's family was poor. Once, he went to the official who supervised rivers to borrow some grain. The official said:
莊周家境貧窮。一次，他去監河侯那裡借糧食，監河侯說:
"Well, wait until the end of the year when I collect the taxes from the people, then I will lend you 300 gold pieces. All right?'
“好吧!等到年底，我收到了老百姓的稅金時，就借給你三百金，行嗎?”
When Zhuang Zhou heard this, he was so angry that the colow of his face changed. But he told the official this story:
莊周一聽，氣得臉色都變了，但是他卻對監河侯講了這樣一件事情:
"When I came here yesterday, on the way I heard a voice calling `Help!' I turned my head and saw a small crucian carp in the dried-up carriage ditch.
“我昨天來時，半路上聽到‘救命’的呼喊聲。我回過頭來，看見乾涸的車溝里有條小螂魚。
I went over and asked: `Little crucian carp, why are you calling for help?'
我走過去，問它:‘小娜魚，你為什麼喊救命?’
The little crucian carp answered: `I am a subject of the Dragon King of the East China Sea. Unfortunately I fell down here. Can you give me a little water to save my life?'
小鯉魚回答說:‘我是東海龍王的臣子，不幸落到這裡。您能夠給我一些水來救我活命嗎?’
I said: `All right, I am just going to the south to sell ideas to the kings of the States of Wu and Yue. I will ask them to stir up the water of the Xijiang River to welcome you. Will that do?'
我說:‘好吧!我正好要去南方遊說吳國和越國的國王，那我就請他們激起西江的大水來迎接您，可以嗎?’
When the crucian carp heard this, it got angry and said:
卿魚聽了，氣得不得了，說:
`When I lose the water which is always with me, I cannot survive. Now, I want only a little bit of water so that I can survive.Yet you say such things. Then you'd better go to the salt-fish shop to look for me.' "
“我失去了常跟我在一起的水，就無法生存下去了。現在，我只要得到一些水，就能夠生存下去;你卻說出這樣的話。好吧，你不如趁早到鹹魚店裡去找我吧!”