English Original
Tian Jiu, a Mohist scholar, wished to present his governance strategies to King Hui of Qin. He remained in Qin for three years but never secured an audience.
Someone informed the King of Chu of this situation. The King summoned Tian Jiu, was deeply impressed by his talents, and appointed him as an emissary to Qin. With this new official status, Tian Jiu promptly gained an audience with the King of Qin.
After leaving the Qin palace, Tian Jiu sighed and reflected, "I never imagined that the path to meeting the King of Qin would first lead me through the state of Chu."
中文翻译
墨家学者田鸠希望向秦惠王阐述自己的治国方略。他在秦国居留了三年，却始终未能获得觐见的机会。
有人将此事告知了楚王。楚王于是召见了田鸠，对他的才识非常欣赏，并任命他为出使秦国的使者。凭借这一新的官方身份，田鸠很快就见到了秦惠王。
离开秦宫后，田鸠感慨道：“想不到谒见秦王的途径，竟是先要到楚国去走一趟。”