A neighbor of Yang Zi, a famous scholar, lost a sheep. He asked his relatives, friends, and even Yang Zi's servant for help.
Yang Zi asked, "Why send so many people for one lost sheep?"
"Because there are many branching paths," the neighbor replied.
Later, everyone returned empty-handed. "Did you find the sheep?" Yang Zi inquired.
"No," they answered. "Each main road has branches, and each branch has its own forks. We didn't know which path to take, so we gave up."
Hearing this, Yang Zi fell silent. Puzzled, his student asked Xin Du Zi, a friend of Yang Zi, about the teacher's thoughts.
Xin Du Zi explained, "Your teacher is concerned about your studies. This incident reminds him of the challenges of learning and research. He believes that without finding the right direction and method, one can achieve nothing—just like those who failed to find the lost sheep."
This idiom illustrates that when faced with numerous choices and complexities, a truth-seeker can easily get lost or go astray without a correct method.