English Original
A fox fell into a deep well and could not escape. A thirsty goat came to the well and asked if the water was good. Concealing his plight, the fox lavishly praised the water and encouraged the goat to descend. Mindful only of his thirst, the goat jumped down.
Once the goat drank, the fox revealed their shared predicament and proposed an escape plan. "If you place your forefeet on the wall and bend your head," said the fox, "I will run up your back and escape, then help you out." The goat readily assented. The fox leaped onto the goat's back, steadied himself with its horns, reached the mouth of the well, and ran off.
When the goat upbraided him for breaking his promise, the fox turned and cried, "You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains as hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before inspecting the way up, nor exposed yourself to inescapable danger."
Look before you leap.
中文翻译
一只狐狸掉进了深井，无法逃脱。一只口渴的山羊来到井边，问井水是否好喝。狐狸隐藏了自己的困境，大肆赞美井水，并怂恿山羊下来。山羊只顾着口渴，想也没想就跳了下去。
山羊刚喝完水，狐狸就告知了它们共同的困境，并提出了一个逃跑计划。狐狸说：“如果你把前蹄搭在井壁上，低下头，我就能从你背上跑出去，然后再帮你出来。”山羊欣然同意。狐狸跳到山羊背上，扶着羊角稳住自己，安全到达井口，然后飞快地逃走了。
当山羊责备狐狸违背诺言时，狐狸转过身喊道：“你这个愚蠢的老家伙！如果你脑子里的智慧和胡子上的毛发一样多，你就不会在看清出路之前跳下来，也不会让自己陷入无法逃脱的危险之中。”
三思而后行。