English Original
Shortly after King Zhao of the State of Yan came to the throne, he visited Guo Kui, a virtuous scholar, seeking advice on how to govern the state, make it strong, and avenge his father. Guo Kui told him the story of "Buying Bones with 1,000 Pieces of Gold."
In ancient times, a king was very fond of horses that could cover a thousand li a day. He sent many people, tried many means, and spent much money to buy such horses. Yet three years passed, and no such horses were found.
One day, a guard volunteered, saying to the king: "I am willing to buy a thousand-li steed for Your Majesty."
The king was pleasantly surprised. "You? Can you do it?"
"Your Majesty, you can rest assured," replied the guard.
The king agreed and let him go.
The guard sought the horse wholeheartedly. After three months of effort, he found the whereabouts of one. But when he hastened there, the horse had already died. Without hesitation, he bought its bones for 500 pieces of gold and returned to report.
Seeing the bones, the king flew into a rage. "You! I want a live horse, but you bought the bones of a dead one. What use are they? You have wasted 500 pieces of gold. What punishment do you deserve?"
The guard replied calmly: "Your Majesty, this is to let the public know that you are willing to pay a high price even for a dead thousand-li horse, let alone a live one. All the world will know you sincerely wish to buy one. Please do not be angry. Just wait, and the horse you want will come soon."
As the guard had expected, the king bought three thousand-li horses within a year.
中文翻译
燕昭王即位后不久，拜访贤士郭隗，请教如何治国图强、为先王报仇雪耻。郭隗给他讲了一个“千金买骨”的故事。
古时，一位国君非常喜欢千里马。他派了很多人，想了不少办法，花了许多钱去买马。然而三年过去，仍未买到。
一天，一个卫士自告奋勇对国君说：“我愿意为大王买马。”
国君又惊又喜：“你？你能行吗？”
“请大王放心。”卫士回答。
国君答应了他的请求。
卫士一心一意寻找千里马。花了三个月，好不容易打听到一匹的下落。但等他赶到，马已死了。他毫不犹豫，花五百金买下马骨，回来报告。
国君见买回的是马骨，勃然大怒：“你！我要的是活马，你却买回死马骨头，有什么用？白白浪费五百金，该当何罪？”
卫士不慌不忙地回答：“大王，这是为了让百姓知道，大王连死的千里马都肯花大价钱买，何况活的呢？天下人都会知道大王是真心诚意要买千里马。大王请勿生气，您等着，不久您要的马一定会来。”
果然，不出卫士所料，一年不到，国君就买到了三匹千里马。