To handle a task with great ease and skill; to be more than equal to a task; to perform a job with facility and proficiency, suggesting ample capability.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
King Hui of Liang had a cook named Pao Ding. One day, the king watched him butcher an ox. Pao Ding effortlessly separated the bones from the meat, moving his knife swiftly and smoothly.
King Hui was astonished and asked admiringly, “How can your skill be so superb?” Pao Ding smiled and replied, “There's nothing to be surprised about. The reason I can do this is that I am extremely familiar with the structure of the ox's bones and meat, which allows me to operate with such ease.”
King Hui then asked, “Then, the knife you use must be extremely sharp, right?” Pao Ding gently waved his knife and, explaining the meaning of '游刃有余', he smiled and answered, “An ordinary butcher's knife needs to be replaced every month because its blade often hits the bones. But this knife of mine has been used for nine years, butchering thousands of oxen, yet it's still as sharp as a new one. In fact, the blade is very thin, and there's a gap between the meat and bones that is much wider than the blade. Inserting such a thin blade into it leaves more than enough room!”