One day, seated in the ancestral hall, King Hui of Liang saw a man leading an ox pass by. He asked:

The man leading the ox stopped and answered:

"Where are you taking the ox?"

"I am taking it to be slaughtered and will use its blood to paint the bell."

As King Hui heard this, he felt pity for the ox and said:

The man leading the ox asked:

"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 panic-stricken, shedding tears and trembling before its death."

"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."