《幼学琼林·卷四·鸟兽》
有力量却用不上，就说 虽鞭之长，不及马腹 ；处理小事情不必花大力气，就说 割鸡之小，焉用牛刀 。
有势莫能为，曰虽鞭之长，不及马腹；制小不用大，曰割鸡之小，焉用牛刀。
When one has strength but cannot use it, it is said, "Even though the whip is long, it cannot reach the horse's belly"; when dealing with something small, one does not need to use a lot of force, so it is said, "To kill a chicken, why use a butcher's knife?"