English Original
A neighbor of Yang Zi, a famous scholar, lost a sheep. He asked his relatives, friends, and even Yang Zi's servant for help.
Yang Zi asked, "Why send so many people for one lost sheep?"
"Because there are many branching paths," the neighbor replied.
Later, everyone returned empty-handed. "Did you find the sheep?" Yang Zi inquired.
"No," they answered. "Each main road has branches, and each branch has its own forks. We didn't know which path to take, so we gave up."
Hearing this, Yang Zi fell silent. Puzzled, his student asked Xin Du Zi, a friend of Yang Zi, about the teacher's thoughts.
Xin Du Zi explained, "Your teacher is concerned about your studies. This incident reminds him of the challenges of learning and research. He believes that without finding the right direction and method, one can achieve nothing—just like those who failed to find the lost sheep."
This idiom illustrates that when faced with numerous choices and complexities, a truth-seeker can easily get lost or go astray without a correct method.
中文翻译
著名学者杨子的邻居丢了一只羊。他请了亲戚、朋友，甚至杨子的仆人去帮忙寻找。
杨子问道：“为何为一只羊兴师动众？”
邻居回答：“因为岔路很多。”
不久，所有人都空手而归。杨子问：“找到羊了吗？”
他们回答：“没有。每条大路都有岔路，每条岔路又有分叉。我们不知该走哪条路，只好放弃。”
闻听此言，杨子陷入了沉默。他的学生不解老师所想，便去询问杨子的朋友心都子。
心都子解释道：“你们的老师是在担心你们的学业。这件事让他联想到学习和研究的艰难。他认为，如果找不到正确的方向和方法，就会一事无成，就像那些找不到羊的人一样。”
这个成语用以说明，当面对众多选择和复杂情况时，寻求真理的人若没有正确的方法，很容易迷失方向或误入歧途。