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屋廬子一早就匆匆忙忙地往鄒國的路上趕，腦子混亂極了，以致於差點被一個滾落道路旁的葫蘆瓜絆倒。他順腳把瓜踢回瓜棚下，沒好氣地嘀咕著：「你這瓜要長也不長對地方，躺在路當中幹嘛？」想起來也真夠窩囊的！自己一向以為口才好、書讀得多，又跟了個了不起的老師學習，昨天卻三言兩語就被人封了嘴。嗐！那個仁國的小子，明知他是強詞奪理，卻又找不出適當的話來駁倒他！他問說：「到底禮節重要？還是飲食和女色重要？」那當然是禮節重要囉！三歲孩子都知道！可是他卻又問：「如果一定要依照禮儀才能吃得到飯；不行禮就沒得吃而餓死，是不是還要行這些禮儀啊？又假若你按照迎親的禮儀卻娶不著妻子；不按這個禮，反得著了妻子，那是不是還要依循這個禮儀呢？」這真叫人難以回答！雖然說「餓死事小，失節事大」；但是丟了命到底是件嚴重的事，更何況不行那些瑣碎的禮儀，也沒嚴重到可以稱做「失節」。唉！那傢伙還真有些歪理！人人誇老師辯才無礙，且聽聽老師會怎麼回答？
誰知孟子聽了他的問題，卻哈哈大笑：「這有什麼難答的？人若不從根本處去衡量，光在末梢上比來比去，要求一種齊頭式的平等，那是一點也不通事理的。你看看！這麼一寸大小的方塊，可以堆積得比樓房高，你能說方塊本來就高過樓房嗎？再說，人人都知道金子比羽毛重，難道這種比較是用一丁點金子去和一大車羽毛比出來的嗎？既然不是，你卻拿飲食方面關係到人命的大事，去和禮節中最輕微的項目來比較，豈止是飲食重要？簡直就相差太遠了！同樣的，拿女色方面如娶妻這樣的大事，去和迎親的小禮儀來比，毋怪乎顯得女色重要了！你啊，教人家拿話給套牢了，就沒想到『比較』是要放在同等的立場才能比的。份量不相當，比出來的也不會是真實的結果。」
屋廬子才拭乾的汗水又冒了出來：「那我要怎麼回答才好？」孟子平和地微笑：「你就這麼反問他：『如果你必須扭轉你哥哥的臂膀並搶去他的食物，你才能得著吃的，你是不是真的去扭他的臂膀？又如果你必須跳過東邊鄰居的圍牆去抱人家的閨女，才娶得著妻子，你是不是真要跳牆去做這樣的事呀？』」
屋廬子立時露出笑容：「對呀！這下包他啞口無言了！我怎就想不到這麼簡單的道理呢？」孟子正色道：「那是因為你沒有從根本上真正去研究道理，以致於學一樣只知一樣，永遠無法全面地融會貫通所有事物的道理。好比你依著圖樣畫葫蘆，你根本也不曾實際去瓜棚下觀察過，不知道葫蘆的性質和特徵，你恐怕會畫出一株地上長的葫蘆樹呢！」屋廬子一下子摀住了口，想到了那個差點絆倒他的葫蘆瓜。
孟子繼續說：「研究學問，首先要拋棄所有的愛惡好壞成見；實際而客觀地去觀察，並廣泛地蒐集資料；有不懂得的，要仔細地問明白；接著就是謹慎地去全盤思考、分析，並一一加以明確地分辨。經過這樣的篩選淬鍊，所得的知識才是真實的。最後再實實在在地去運用這些知識，那就是『知行合一』的最高境界了！就這樣子的求知，心神領會，事理圓融。說出口來，自然彼此照應、首尾相通。一般人以為辯才無礙是口才好，那真是只見其末，不知其本。若非把道理融會貫通了，光憑一張嘴，很容易就教人堵死了的！」
回去的路上，又經過瓜棚，望望那個仍然躺
在地上的葫蘆瓜，再舉頭看著頂上的瓜棚，屋廬子忍不住會心地微笑：「原來葫蘆是這麼掛著的！」
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Early in the morning, Wu Luzi rushed on his way to the State of Zou. His mind was in such a turmoil that he was almost tripped over a gourd which had fallen by the roadside. Instinctively, he kicked the gourd back under the trellis of gourd vines and grumbled, "You gourd, you're not growing in the right place; what are you lying in the the middle of the road for?" Then he thought about how stupid he'd been! He'd always thought of himself as eloquent and well-learned, with an excellent teacher, but yesterday he'd been stumped by a few words. Obviously, the youth from the State of Ren had an irrational argument, but he hadn't been able to think of a good rebuttal! The youth had asked, "Which is more important: propriety, or food and a spouse?" Of course propriety is more important; even a three-year-old child knows that! However, the youth had asked further, "If you can get food only by following the rules of propriety, and would starve to death if you didn't, should these rules still be followed? Moreover, if you can't marry a woman by following the rules of propriety, while by not following them, you'd be able to marry her, would you still want to follow the rules?" What tough questions! Although it's said that "Starving to death is a small matter, while losing your integrity is a great matter," losing one's life is a serious matter, while overlooking the meticulous rules of propriety isn't exactly "losing one's integrity." Oh! That guy really had some crooked theories! Everyone praises my teacher's unbounded eloquence; let's hear what he has to say about this!
Unexpectedly, after Mencius heard the question, he laughed and asked, "Where's the difficulty? If a person doesn't evaluate at a fundamental level, but only compares two things superficially, wanting to make them come out equal, then he simply doesn't understand anything. Take a look! One-inch cubes can be piled higher than a tower. But how can you say that any one of those cubes is higher than a tower? Furthermore, everybody knows that gold is heavier than feathers. But is this comparison made between a pinch of gold and a cartload of feathers? No, and yet you are comparing eating, which is a big matter in life, to the most trivial detail of propriety. How can eating not appear more important? The difference is simply too great! Similarly, when the great matter of marrying a woman is compared with the minor ritual of meeting the bride and escorting her to the wedding, no wonder the matter of getting a spouse appears more important! You were trapped by his words and forgot that comparisons have to be made at an equal level. If the quantities being compared are not equivalent, the comparison will not be accurate."
Wu Luzi had just wiped away his sweat, and at this point he perspired again. "What's the right way to respond, then?" Mencius smiled gently and said, "You could ask him in return, 'If you have to twist your brother's arm and rob his food before you can eat, would you really go and twist his arm? If the only way you could get a wife would be to jump over your neighbor's wall and embrace his daughter, would you really do such a thing?'"
Wu Luzi grinned, "Good! That will render him speechless! Why didn't I think of such a simple reason?" Mencius said seriously, "Because you didn't investigate the principle at a fundamental level. Since you don't know how to expand upon what you've learned, you don't have an overall understanding of the principles underlying all things. Take drawing a gourd, for instance. If you've never walked under the trellis to observe the gourd vine, you wouldn't know its nature and characteristics, and I'm afraid you'd draw a gourd plant which grows on the ground!" All of a sudden, Wu Luzi covered his mouth with his hand as he recalled the gourd that had almost tripped him.
Mencius continued, "In studying, you must first give up all preconceived notions of like and dislike, of good and bad. Investigate things in a practical, objective manner, and collect extensive data. When something is unclear, carefully inquire until you understand it. Next, you have to carefully analyze the whole picture and discriminate every aspect clearly. Only after you have gone through such screening and refinement will the knowledge you obtain be real. Lastly, you should truly apply the knowledge, and then you'll reach the supreme state of 'knowledge and action going hand-in-hand!' Seeking knowledge in this way, your mind and spirit will come to understand the perfect fusion of principles and facts. When you speak, your words will naturally correspond and connect from beginning to end. Ordinary people think eloquence refers to the ability to speak well, but they only see the surface, not the source. If you don't thoroughly understand the principles, and rely only on your speaking ability, you'll easily be defeated by others."
As Wu Luzi was passing under the trellis of gourd vines on his way back, he glanced down at the gourd which was still lying on the ground, and then looked up at the trellis. He couldn't help but smile in his heart as he thought: "So that's how the gourds hang!"
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