English Original
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.
中文翻译
有人送了一条活鱼给郑国的大夫子产，子产吩咐管理池塘的校人把鱼放养到池塘里。
校人却把鱼煮着吃了。随后，他回来向子产谎报，声称自己已经把鱼放生了，甚至还形容了鱼入水时欢快的样子。
子产听了非常高兴，说道：“它去了它该去的地方啦！去了它该去的地方啦！”
校人出来后对别人说：“谁说子产精明？我把鱼煮着吃了，他却说鱼去了它该去的地方。”
所以说，正人君子可能会被看似合乎情理的谎言所欺骗，但不会被明显不合情理的事情所蒙蔽。