English Original
One day, King Tang, the founder of the Shang Dynasty, saw a man setting up a net on all sides and praying to a deity: "May all creatures that fly from the sky, emerge from the ground, or come running from every direction be caught in my net!"
Tang remarked, "This would catch everything at once!"
He then stepped forward and removed the net on three sides, leaving only one. He instructed the man, "Now, pray again. Say this: 'In the past, spiders spun webs. Now, humans have learned to make nets. You birds and beasts, those who wish to go left may turn left; those who wish to go right may turn right; those who wish to fly may soar; those who wish to enter burrows may do so. I will only catch those whose fate is doomed.'"
The story of King Tang leaving the net open on three sides spread far and wide. When the people of the states south of the Han River heard it, they said, "King Tang of Shang bestows kindness even upon birds and animals. He is so lenient and truly a benevolent man."
Consequently, all forty small states of the time felt a heartfelt admiration for Tang and pledged their allegiance to the Shang Dynasty.
中文翻译
一天，商朝开国君主汤看见一个人正在四面张网，并向神明祷告：“愿所有从天而降、从地而出、从四面八方跑来的生灵，都落入我的网中！”
汤说道：“这样岂不是要一网打尽了吗？”
他走上前去，撤去了三面的网，只留下一面。然后，他对那人说：“现在，请重新祷告。这样说：‘过去，蜘蛛结网。如今，人类也学会了织网。你们这些鸟兽，想向左的便向左去；想向右的便向右去；想高飞的便展翅高飞；想钻洞的便入洞归穴。我只捕捉那些命中注定该死的。’”
商汤网开三面的故事立刻广为流传。汉水以南各国的人们听说后，都说：“商汤王对鸟兽都如此恩赐。他如此宽厚，真是个仁慈的人。”
于是，当时的四十个小国都对汤心悦诚服，归顺了商朝。