When she smiles, will you assure me of her joy?

(from chapter 12) of The Zuangzi

庄子与惠子游于濠梁之上。庄子曰：“儵鱼出游从容，是鱼之乐也。”惠子曰：“子非鱼，安知鱼之乐？”庄子曰：“子非我，安知我不知鱼之乐？”惠子曰：“我非子，固不知子矣；子固非鱼也，子之不知鱼之乐，全矣！”庄子曰：“请循其本。子曰‘汝安知鱼乐’云者，既已知吾知之而问我。我知之濠上也。

Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the dam of the Hao Waterfall when...Zhuangzi said, "See how the minnows come out and dart around, leisurely and contentedly, wherever they please! That's what fish really enjoy!"

Huizi said, "You're not a fish — how do you know what fish enjoy?"

Zhuangzi said, "You're not I, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"

Huizi said, "I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish — so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy!"

Zhuangzi said, "Let's go back to your original question, please. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy — so you already knew I knew it when you asked the question. I know it by standing here beside the Hao waterfall."

(Zuangzi = Chuang Tzu = 莊子, name of Chinese Taoist Philosopher, 370 to 301 BCE; The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu/Zuangzi, trans. by Burton Watson, trans. altered. http://www.terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu.html)

Image: Chuang Tzu and the Butterfly

http://www.chinapage.com/story/butterfly.html