# 庖丁解牛
## Chinese

| | | cook | to loosen; to untie; to explainto loosen; to untie; to explain; to remove; to divide; to dissolve; to solve; solution; send under escort | ox; cow; bull |
| trad. (庖丁解牛) | trad. (庖丁解牛) | 庖丁 | 解 | 牛 |
| simp. $^#$(庖丁解牛) | simp. $^#$(庖丁解牛) | 庖丁 | 解 | 牛 |

### Etymology

From Zhuangzi.
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Páodīng wèi Wénhuìjūn jiě niú, shǒu zhī suǒ chù, jiān zhī suǒ yǐ, zú zhī suǒ lǚ, xī zhī suǒ jī, huārán xiǎng rán, zòu dāo huōrán, mò bù zhōng yīn. Hé yú “Sānglín” zhī wǔ, nǎi zhōng “Jīngshǒu” zhī huì. Wénhuìjūn yuē: “Xī, shàn zāi! Jì hé zhì cǐ hū?” Páodīng shì dāo duì yuē: “Chén zhī suǒ hǎo zhě dào yě, jìn hū jì yǐ. Shǐ chén zhī jiě niú zhī shí, suǒ jiàn wú fēi niú zhě. Sān nián zhīhòu, wèi cháng jiàn quán niú yě. Fāng jīn zhī shí, chén yǐ shén yù ér bù yǐ mù shì, guān zhī zhǐ ér shén yù xíng. Yī hū tiānlǐ, pī dàxì, dǎo dàkuǎn, yīn qí gùrán, zhījīng kěnqǐ zhī wèi cháng, érkuàng dà gū hū! Liáng páo suì gèng dāo, gē yě; zú páo yuè gèng dāo, zhé yě. Jīn chén zhī dāo shíjiǔ nián yǐ, suǒ jiě shù qiān niú yǐ, ér dāorèn ruò xīn fā yú xíng. Bǐ jié zhě yǒu jiān, ér dāorèn zhě wú hòu; yǐ wú hòu rù yǒu jiān, huīhuī hū qí yú yóu rèn bì yǒuyú dì yǐ, shì yǐ shíjiǔ nián ér dāorèn ruò xīn fā yú xíng. Suīrán, měi zhì yú zú, wú jiàn qí nán wèi, chùrán wèi jiè, shì wèi zhǐ, xíng wèi chí. Dòng dāo shèn wēi, huòrán yǐ jiě, rú tǔ wěi dì. Tí dāo ér lì, wèi zhī sìgù, wèi zhī chóuchúmǎnzhì, shàn dāo ér cáng zhī.” Wénhuìjūn yuē: “Shàn zāi! Wú wén Páodīng zhī yán, dé yǎngshēng yān.” [Pinyin]
    His cook, Ding, cut up an ox for the ruler Wanhui. Whenever he applied his hand, leaned forward with his shoulder, planted his foot, and employed the pressure of his knee, in the audible ripping off of the skin, and slicing operation of the knife, the sounds were all in regular cadence. Movements and sounds proceeded as in the dance of the 'Mulberry Forest' and the blended notes of Jingshou. The ruler said, 'Ha, good! That your art should have become so perfect!' (Having finished his operation), the cook put down his knife, and replied, said, 'What your servant loves is the method of the Dao, something in advance of any art. When I first began to cut up an ox, I saw nothing but the (entire) carcass. After three years I ceased to see it as a whole. Now I deal with it in a spirit-like manner, and do not look at it with my eyes. The use of my senses is discarded, and my spirit acts as it wills. Observing the natural lines, (my knife) slips through the great crevices and slides through the great cavities, taking advantage of the facilities thus presented. My art avoids the membranous ligatures, and much more the great bones! 'A good cook changes his knife every year cutting; an ordinary cook changes his every month broken. Now my knife has been in use for nineteen years; it has cut up several thousand oxen, and yet its edge is as sharp as if it had newly come from the whetstone. There are the interstices of the joints, and the edge of the knife not thick; when that which is so thin enters where the interstice is, how easily it moves along! The blade has more than room enough. Nevertheless, whenever I come to a complicated joint, and see that there will be some difficulty, I proceed anxiously and with caution, not allowing my eyes to wander from the place, and moving my hand slowly. Then by a very slight movement of the knife, the part is quickly separated, and drops like earth to the ground. Then standing up with the knife in my hand, I look all round, and in a leisurely manner, self-satisfied, wipe it clean, and put it away.' The ruler Wanhui said, 'Good! I have heard the words of cook Ding, and learned from them to keep in good health.'

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): páodīngjiěniú
    (Zhuyin): ㄆㄠˊ ㄉㄧㄥ ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄋㄧㄡˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): paau$^4$ ding$^1$ gaai$^2$ ngau$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: páodīngjiěniú
*** Zhuyin: ㄆㄠˊ ㄉㄧㄥ ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄋㄧㄡˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: páodingjiěnióu
*** Wade–Giles: pʻao$^2$-ting$^1$-chieh$^3$-niu$^2$
*** Yale: páu-dīng-jyě-nyóu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: paurdingjieeniou
*** Palladius: паодинцзеню (paodinczenju)
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰɑʊ̯³⁵ tiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: paau$^4$ ding$^1$ gaai$^2$ ngau$^4$
*** Yale: pàauh dīng gáai ngàuh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: paau$^4$ ding$^1$ gaai$^2$ ngau$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: pao$^4$ ding$^1$ gai$^2$ ngeo$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰaːu̯²¹ tɪŋ⁵⁵ kaːi̯³⁵ ŋɐu̯²¹/

### Idiom

庖丁解牛
* to be skilled at what one does; to do something with ease; like a hot knife through butter

#### See also

* 遊刃有餘／游刃有余 (yóurènyǒuyú)