English Original
The Xia Dynasty, founded by Yu the Great, lasted about four hundred years until Jie became its supreme ruler in the 18th century BC. Jie was a tyrannical and dissolute king, whose rule aroused great resentment among the people.
Tang, the chief of the Shang tribe, seized this opportunity to overthrow the Xia Dynasty, establishing the Shang Dynasty in the early 17th century BC. A key part of his strategy was winning popular support.
One day, while walking in the countryside, Tang saw a man catching birds with a large net. The man was chanting, "Come, birds! Come into my net! All of you, flying high or low, east or west, come into my net!"
Tang approached him and said, "This method is too ruthless! It will spare no bird." He then cut the net on three sides and murmured softly, as if in prayer, "Oh birds! Fly left or right as you wish. Only if you are tired of life, enter this net."
When other tribal chiefs heard of this, they were deeply moved. "Tang is truly a good leader," they said. "He shows such kindness even to birds and beasts. He must be even more merciful to people." Soon after, about forty tribes pledged their allegiance to Tang.
This story gave rise to the idiom "Open the net on three sides," later paraphrased as "Give the wrongdoer a way out," meaning to show leniency.
中文翻译
夏朝自大禹开创，延续了约四百年，直到桀在公元前18世纪成为最高统治者。桀是一个残暴放荡的君主，他的统治激起了人民的极大愤恨。
商部落的首领汤利用这一时机推翻了夏朝，于公元前17世纪初建立了商朝。他战略的关键部分就是赢得民心。
一天，汤在乡间散步时，看见一个人正在用一张大网捕鸟。那人念叨着：“来吧，鸟儿们！进到我的网里来！你们所有鸟儿，无论飞高飞低，向东向西，都进到我的网里来！”
汤走上前对他说：“这个方法太残忍了！这会一只鸟也不放过。” 然后，他割断了网的三面，轻声低语，仿佛在祈祷：“哦，鸟儿们！随你们心意向左或向右飞吧。只有你们厌倦了生命，才进入这张网。”
其他部落的首领听说此事后，深受感动。他们说：“汤真是一位好领袖。他对鸟兽都如此仁慈，对人必定更加宽厚。” 不久之后，大约四十个部落宣誓效忠于汤。
这个故事产生了成语“网开一面”，后来也被表述为“给犯错者一条出路”，意思是宽大处理。