Someone gave Zi Chan, a high official of the state of Zheng, a living fish as a gift. Zi Chan instructed the pond-keeper to release it into the pond.
The pond-keeper, however, cooked and ate the fish. He then lied to Zi Chan, claiming he had set the fish free. He even described the joyous look on the fish's face as it entered the water.
Upon hearing this, Zi Chan was delighted and exclaimed, "It has gone to the place where it belongs! It has gone to the place where it belongs!"
Later, the pond-keeper went out and said to others, "Who says Zi Chan is shrewd? I cooked and ate the fish, yet he said it went to the place where it belongs."
Thus, a gentleman can be deceived by lies that appear reasonable, but not by things that are unreasonable.