English Original
A man from the state of Qi heard that Tian Ying, a lord of the state of Qi, wanted to expand the city wall of his fiefdom, Xue.
He then told Tian Ying a story about a big sea fish: "There is a big fish in the sea. No net can catch it, no hook can haul it, and no one dares to bother it. One day, it was stranded on the beach and could not move. Then, even ants and mole crickets could feast on it as they pleased.
To Your Lordship, the state of Qi is like the sea. It has protected you for a long time. Therefore, there is no need to build a city wall in Xue. If the state of Qi were conquered, even the highest city wall here would be of no help." After hearing this story, Tian Ying abandoned his plan to build the city wall.
中文翻译
一个齐国人听说齐国的靖国君田婴想要在他的封地薛城扩建城墙。
于是，他对田婴讲了一个大海鱼的故事：“海里有一条大鱼。渔网捕不住它，鱼钩拖不动它，也没人敢招惹它。一天，它被潮水搁浅在沙滩上，动弹不得。这时，就连蚂蚁和蝼蛄都可以随心所欲地享用它。
对您来说，齐国就像大海。它保护了您这么多年。因此，没有必要在薛地筑城。如果齐国灭亡了，即使这里的城墙筑得高耸入云，也于事无补。”田婴听了这个故事后，便放弃了筑城的计划。