惠子先是称自己有大树不中绳墨，匠者不顾，笔锋一转把庄子的思想言论比作大树，认为其大而无用。《庄子·天下》篇称其文“谬悠之说，荒唐之言，无端崖之辞”。其文的形象正可与大树“不中绳墨”、“不中规矩”相类比。庄子的观点是大树虽无世俗所用，却可以免于世俗之害，自有逍遥之用。可见惠施之用与庄子之所用异也，惠施认为的“用”与匠人心目中的“用”是一样的，是形而下的“器”之用，而庄子认为的“用”是形而上的“道”之用。冯友兰的译文如下：
Now you have a large tree and are anxious about its uselessness.Why do you not plant it in the domain of nonexistence，in a wide and barren wild？[8] By its side you may wander in nonaction；under it you may sleep in happiness.Neither bill nor ax would shorten its term of existence.Being of no use to others，it itself would be free from harm.[9]