Chen Yaozi, Duke of Kangsu, was the finest archer in the land. He boasted of his skill openly. One day, while practicing in his courtyard, an old oil seller set down his load and stood watching. He watched arrow after arrow hit the target — eight or nine out of ten — and merely nodded.
Chen Yaozi was annoyed: "Do you know archery? Is my skill not remarkable?"
The old man said: "Nothing special. Just practice."
"How dare you belittle my archery!"
The old man calmly placed a gourd on the ground, laid a coin over its narrow opening, and poured oil through the hole in the coin — without wetting the coin's surface. He set down the ladle and said: "Nothing special. Just practice."
陈康肃公尧咨善射，当世无双，公亦以此自矜。尝射于家圃，有卖油翁释担而立，睨之，久而不去。见其发矢十中八九，但微颔之。
康肃问曰：「汝亦知射乎？吾射不亦精乎？」翁曰：「无他，但手熟尔。」康肃忿然曰：「尔安敢轻吾射！」翁曰：「以我酌油知之。」乃取一葫芦置于地，以钱覆其口，徐以杓酌油沥之，自钱孔入，而钱不湿。因曰：「我亦无他，惟手熟尔。」
陈康肃公尧咨善射，当世无双，公亦以此自矜。尝射于家圃，有卖油翁释担而立，睨之，久而不去。见其发矢十中八九，但微颔之。
康肃问曰：「汝亦知射乎？吾射不亦精乎？」翁曰：「无他，但手熟尔。」康肃忿然曰：「尔安敢轻吾射！」翁曰：「以我酌油知之。」乃取一葫芦置于地，以钱覆其口，徐以杓酌油沥之，自钱孔入，而钱不湿。因曰：「我亦无他，惟手熟尔。」
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Every master was once a beginner who refused to stop. The oil flows through the coin not because the old man is gifted, but because he has poured ten thousand times before.
The phrase "熟能生巧" (practice creates mastery) is one of the most commonly used Chinese proverbs. The old oil seller's lesson is not that skill is unimpressive — it is that skill is acquired, not innate. The archer and the oil pourer have both achieved mastery through repetition.
The story also contains a subtle critique of arrogance. Chen Yaozi's skill is real — but his pride blinds him to the fact that his ability is the result of practice, not genius. The old man, who has achieved an equally remarkable skill through the same process, sees through the illusion.