Someone gave Zi Chan, a high official of the state of Zhen, a living fish as a gift. Zi Chan told the pond-keeper to put it in the pond.

 

But the pond-keeper cooked and ate it, and lied to Zi Chan that he had set free the fish and he even described the joyous¹ look the fish had when it entered the water.

 

Zi Chan was very glad and said, "It went to the place where it belongs to! It went to the place where it belongs to!"

 

The pond-keeper went out and said to others, "Who says that Zi Chan is shrewd（精明的）? I cooked and ate the fish and he said it went to the place where it belongs to."

 

So a gentleman can be deceived by lies that look reasonable, not by things unreasonable².

 

有人送了一条活鱼给郑国的大夫子产，子产让管池沼的校人养在池塘里。

 

校人却把鱼给煮着吃了，却回来谎报说把那条鱼放走了，并且形容了一下把鱼放进水里的欢快样子。

 

子产高兴地说：“它去了应该去的地方啦！去了该去的地方啦！”

 

校人出对别人说：“谁说子产精明？我把鱼煮着吃了，他却说它去了该去的地方啦。”

 

所以说，对待正人君子，可以用合乎情理的方法欺骗他，用违反道理的话欺骗他肯定不行。

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