The ruler of the southern sea was called Shu.

The ruler of the northern sea was called Hu.

The ruler of the central region was called Huntun.

Shu and Hu met often in Huntun's territory.

Since he invariably acted in a friendly manner toward them, they decided to repay his goodwill.

They said, "All human beings have seven openings -- to see, hear, eat, and breathe. Let us drill some for him."

Every day they drilled one opening.

On the seventh day Huntun died.

Buber, M. (1991). Chinese Tales: Zhuangzi [Chuang Tzu]: Sayings and Parables and Chinese Ghost and Love Stories. New Jersey: Humanities Press International.

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