  We extend the Mason-Newman Lax pair for the elliptic complex Monge-Amp\`ere
equation so that this equation itself emerges as an algebraic consequence. We
regard the function in the extended Lax equations as a complex potential. We
identify the real and imaginary parts of the potential, which we call partner
symmetries, with the translational and dilatational symmetry characteristics
respectively. Then we choose the dilatational symmetry characteristic as the
new unknown replacing the K\"ahler potential which directly leads to a Legendre
transformation and to a set of linear equations satisfied by a single real
potential. This enables us to construct non-invariant solutions of the Legendre
transform of the complex Monge-Amp\`ere equation and obtain hyper-K\"ahler
metrics with anti-self-dual Riemann curvature 2-form that admit no Killing
vectors.
