Confucius was traveling to Chu. Passing through a forest, he saw a hunchback catching cicadas as easily as if he were picking them up with his hands.
Confucius said, “How skillful you are! Do you have a Way?”
The hunchback replied, “I have a Way. For five or six months, I practiced balancing two pellets without letting them fall; then I missed only by a tiny fraction. When I could balance three without letting them fall, I missed only one in ten. When I could balance five without letting them fall, it was like picking them up. I settle my body like a rooted tree stump; I hold my arm like a withered branch. Though Heaven and Earth are vast and the myriad things are many, I know only the wings of the cicada. I do not turn back, I do not lean aside; I would not exchange the cicada’s wings for all the myriad things. Why should I not succeed?”
Confucius turned to his disciples and said, “When the will is undivided, it congeals into spirit – this describes that hunchbacked old man!”
Interpretation
This famous parable, from the Chapter 19. Understanding Life (Da Sheng) of Zhuangzi, teaches the power of undivided attention and the way skill becomes the Way.
The hunchback is not merely a skilled cicada catcher. He has a Way (Dao). His secret is not magic but total concentration. Through months of practice – balancing two, three, five pellets – he trains his body and mind until his movements are perfectly stable. His body becomes like a tree stump; his arm like a withered branch. He is no longer distracted by the vastness of Heaven and Earth or the multiplicity of things. He knows only the cicada’s wings.
The key line is Confucius’ conclusion:
“When the will is undivided, it congeals into spirit.”
用志不分，乃凝于神。
This means that when attention is not scattered, it gathers into a spiritual concentration that makes success natural. The hunchback does not chase the cicadas. He becomes still, focused, and empty of everything else – and the cicadas come to him.
The parable resonates with other Zhuangzi stories, such as Cook Ding carving an ox. In both, a humble craft becomes a path to the Dao. The point is not simply “try harder.” It is:
- Practice until the skill becomes second nature.
- Concentrate totally, excluding all distractions.
- Let the mind become still and one-pointed.
- Do not force – act from a settled, undivided spirit.
The hunchback’s “Way” is not outside him. It is his own undivided mind.
Note
The founder of Confucianism. In the Zhuangzi, he often appears as a seeker who learns from Daoist sages and humble craftsmen. Here he is the one who observes the hunchback and draws the lesson for his disciples.
The Hunchback / The Hunchbacked Old Man (佝偻者 / 痀偻丈人)
A humble cicada catcher. He is probably a fictional character used by Zhuangzi to embody the Daoist ideal of concentrated skill. His physical deformity contrasts with his spiritual completeness.
Chu
A major state in southern China during the Warring States period. Confucius is said to be traveling there.
Catching Cicadas(承蜩)
An ancient method of catching cicadas, often using a long pole with a sticky tip. The hunchback makes it look as easy as picking something up with his hand.
Balancing Pellets / Lei Wan (累丸)
A practice of stacking small balls or pellets, probably on the tip of the pole, to train steady hands and absolute concentration. The progression – two, three, five pellets – shows gradual mastery.
Zi Zhu (锱铢)
Ancient Chinese units of weight, extremely small. “Missing by a zi or zhu” means missing by only a tiny amount.
“Body like a rooted stump; arm like a withered branch”
Classic Daoist images of stillness. The body becomes immovable, the arm lifeless and steady. Similar images appear in the Zhuangzi’s descriptions of “sitting and forgetting” and “mind like dead ashes.”
“Only the wings of the cicada”
The hunchback’s mind is completely filled with one thing. This is the opposite of a scattered, distracted mind. It is a state of perfect absorption.
“When the will is undivided, it congeals into spirit” (用志不分，乃凝于神)
A famous Chinese idiom from this passage. It means that single-minded focus gathers the spirit and produces extraordinary results. It is often quoted in discussions of concentration, meditation, and mastery.
The Daoist Ideal of Skill
In the Zhuangzi, mastery of any craft – butchering, carpentry, cicada catching – can become a spiritual path. When technique becomes spontaneous and effortless, it expresses the Dao. The hunchback is one of the classic examples.
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