As a sage waited for a ferry on the upper Yellow River en route to his hermitage in the Chungnang Mountains, he came upon an old fisherman intent in his practice along the river bank. As he waited, it became apparent the fisherman had no hook on his line. Mystified, the sage asked: “Dear fisherman, I have noticed that you fish without a hook. How, may I ask, do you intend to catch a fish?” The old fisherman replied: “Kind sage, my purpose is not to catch a fish.”