During the Warring States period, a golden age of philosophical debate emerged as thinkers like Yang Zhu and Mozi traveled among the feudal states, each promoting their own doctrines on politics, society, and life. One day, a follower of Mozi named Qin Guli confronted Yang Zhu and asked, "If plucking a single hair from your body could save the entire world, would you do it?" Yang Zhu replied, "The world would not be saved by one hair." Qin Guli pressed, "But if it truly could, would you do it?" Yang Zhu remained silent, unwilling to concede. This exchange gave rise to the idiom "not even one hair," illustrating Yang Zhu's extreme individualism—he would not sacrifice even the smallest part of himself for the greater good. Today, it describes someone who is utterly unwilling to make the slightest sacrifice for others. Source: *Mencius*, Chapter "Jin Xin"
Among the important figures of the School of Names was a man named Hui Shi, known as "Master Hui." A native of the State of Song, he once served as Prime Minister to King Hui of Liang. He was a close friend of Zhuangzi and often engaged in academic discussions and debates with him. He was prolific in both reading and writing.
The philosopher Hui Shi argued that all things in the universe are in constant flux, so nothing can ever be fixed. He declared, "The sun is just at its zenith when it begins to tilt; a thing is just born when it starts to die." From the perspective of time's endless flow, Hui Shi insisted that nothing remains unchanged and nothing stays still. He believed all qualities are relative, thus no absolute distinctions exist between things. He provocatively stated, "Heaven is as low as earth; mountains are as level as marshes." Through such paradoxes, he illustrated that all things in heaven and earth are one. He introduced concepts like the "Great One," the "Small One," and "Great Similarities and Differences" versus "Small Similarities and Differences," arguing that all things are both identical and utterly distinct.
Zhuangzi commented on him, "Huishi had many talents, his writings filled five carts." This affirmed Huishi's rich and broad scholarship, covering many aspects, praising that his works were so numerous they couldn't fit in five carts. But he also pointed out that Huishi's thoughts were "mixed and impure, and his words were not accurate," meaning his reasoning was very jumbled and his expressions were not entirely appropriate.
Later, the idiom "Learn Rich Five Carts" came to describe someone with vast knowledge, profound learning, and abundant writings.
Source: *Zhuangzi*, Chapter "Tian Xia"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "学富五车" came to describe how someone with vast knowledge, profound learning, and abundant writings.