English Original
About four thousand years ago, Huangdi, the first legendary ruler of China, was traveling to the countryside with his entourage to visit an old friend. On the way, they encountered a boy watching over a herd of horses.
Huangdi asked the boy, "Do you know the way to my friend's village, which is far from here?"
The boy replied that he did.
The Emperor then asked, "Do you know my friend?"
Again, the boy answered yes.
Impressed by the boy's apparent broad-mindedness, Huangdi asked him, "Do you know how to rule a country?"
The boy said, "Ruling a country is not much different from watching over a herd of horses. You simply have to drive the wild horses out of the herd."
Huangdi left, deeply brooding over the boy's words.
This idiom originates from the boy's statement and is used to describe someone who has a bad influence on their peers.
中文翻译
大约四千年前，中国第一位传说中的统治者黄帝，在随从的陪同下前往乡间拜访一位老友。途中，他们遇到一个正在看守马群的男孩。
黄帝问男孩：“你知道去我朋友那个遥远村庄的路吗？”
男孩回答他知道。
黄帝接着问：“那你认识我的朋友吗？”
男孩再次给出了肯定的回答。
黄帝觉得这个男孩见识不凡，便问他：“你知道如何治理国家吗？”
男孩说：“治理国家与看守马群没有太大区别。你只需要把害群之马从马群中赶出去就行了。”
黄帝离开了，反复思索着男孩的话。
这个成语便源自男孩的话，用来形容对同伴产生不良影响的人。