Thereupon, the man said to them:

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.

"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!"

When this news spread around, one man tried to dissuade them:

The couple asked in surprise:

"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!"

"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?"

"Oh, so our way of thinking is against the current fashion."

After hearing this, the husband and wife saw the light: