A boy caught a butterfly and said to himself, "I will go to the Old Sage (wise man). I will say to him, "I have a butterfly in my hand." "Tell me is the butterfly alive or is it dead?" If the wise man says the butterfly is alive, I will crush it with my pinky finger. If he says the butterfly is dead, I will open my hand and let it fly away.
Either way I will show the Old Sage (wise man) to be a fake.
As the boy spoke, the Old Sage stroked his beard, and then he said to the lad,
"Young man, the answer is in your hand!"