In the past, there was a farmer in the State of Song. There stood a big tree in the field he cultivated. One day, while working in the field, he suddenly saw a hare running by in front of him. The bare bumped against the big tree, broke its neck and died under the tree.

Thereupon, he no longer cultivated his land, but watched by that tree and waited for the chance to pick up another hare which knocked itself dead against the tree.

Without any effort, the farmer happily enjoyed a meal of bare meat. He was very pleased and thought how nice it would be if every day were like this.

He waited and waited and watched. His field lay waste, but he never got a second hare. The people in the village laughed at him for taking the accidental for the inevitable.