Pang Zi asked Hecuanzi, "Sages study and follow their teachers; is there a beginning and an end to this pursuit, or does it merely involve picking up and reciting words until the coffin is closed?" Hecuanzi said: "It begins with the initial inquiry and ends with the Nine Dao. "If one does not understand the explanation of the Nine Dao, but merely picks up and recites words until the coffin is closed, on what basis can they be determined?"

Pang Zi said: "What are the Nine Dao?" Hecuanzi said: "First is Dao De, second is Yin Yang, third is laws and decrees, fourth is heavenly officials, fifth is divine omens, sixth is skills and arts, seventh is human nature, eighth is tools and weapons, ninth is the deployment of troops."

Pang Zi said: "I wish to hear about the matters of the Nine Dao." Hecuanzi said: "Dao De is the foundation of conduct and virtue; Yin Yang are the principles by which one observes changes in qi (vital energy); laws and decrees determine the fate of a state in order or chaos; heavenly officials serve as signs and omens that correspond to events below; divine omens manifest through appearances and phenomena, thereby ordering what is strange." Skills and arts are like shared responsibilities that enable one to act without being solitary or extraordinary. Human nature encompasses the myriad differences between the small and great, the foolish and wise, the virtuous and unworthy, the heroic and the outstanding. Tools and weapons are means by which society and the state prepare for practical use. Deployment of troops is about holding authority to establish a position from which one cannot be defeated. The Nine Dao, when they take form and influence the mind, are said to possess spirit; only then can one perceive changes and issue commands, determining matters according to what is done. If the mind lacks form, spirit, and understanding, even with great effort one will not know where to go. When the heart is in charge, it governs the external; if internally there is no skill or discernment, then nearby matters cannot be managed, and distant ones cannot be reached."

Pang Zi said: "Rites, music, benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness—I wish to hear how they correspond to the principles of numbers." Hecuanzi said: "What is called rites means not committing offenses; what is called music means being free from calamity; what is called benevolence means sharing the same preferences; what is called righteousness means sharing the same aversion; what is called loyalty means growing closer over time; what is called trustworthiness means having no second response." Sages use these six principles to discern the patterns of gains and losses, reversals and 顺 s in the world through divination. To depart from the Dao and not follow numbers, one cannot grasp beginnings or ends; without adhering to fundamental principles, one cannot cut through the mind's essence. Superficial techniques may appear profound but do not exhaust truth; if inner understanding is empty while outward knowledge is broad, then even great breadth will inevitably be hollow."

Pang Zi bowed twice and said: "What a warning this is! Although one may not be like such an obscure talent, who can become strong without learning?" This is the highest Dao in the world; why do rulers of this age abandon it?" Hecuanzi said: "Value arises from being recognized as a vessel; lowliness arises from having no use. Losing a boat in the middle of a river, one gourd becomes worth a thousand gold pieces—thus, value and lowliness are not constant but determined by circumstances. Things change according to time; those who consistently know what is good remain steadfast, clearly distinguishing right from wrong without alteration, following this principle up to the present day." Those who do not recognize what is good are thus doomed to die, lose their states, have their ancestral rites extinguished and families destroyed; even petty individuals remain the same, unable to preserve their lives, and righteousness becomes self-evident in such cases.