I just looked up 伐柯 directly in mdbg and it says "(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax / fig. to follow a principle / fig. to act as matchmaker". The first fig. meaning seems to refer to the second stanza instead of the first, but it only refers to the first stanza, interestingly.
The first line of the second stanza might be (from Baike's vernacular): "Chopping an axe handle, chopping an axe handle, these rules and regulations come to the front"
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Re: 158. 伐柯 - Fa Ke
Date: 2021-03-22 01:41 am (UTC)The first line of the second stanza might be (from Baike's vernacular): "Chopping an axe handle, chopping an axe handle, these rules and regulations come to the front"