Chinese Wisdom Stories · Volume 1 · Story guide

秦西巴放小鹿Qin Xiba Frees the Fawn

qín xī bā fàng xiǎo lù

HSK4+典故

Mengsun catches a young deer and orders Qin Xiba to carry it home. When the mother deer follows, crying, Qin Xiba cannot bear it and lets the fawn go.

Where this story comes from

《韩非子·说林上》

Hanfeizi, chapter “Shuo Lin I”

The story

孟孙猎到一只小鹿,让秦西巴带回去。母鹿一路跟着叫,秦西巴不忍心,就把小鹿放了。孟孙回来后发现小鹿没了,非常生气,赶走了秦西巴。过了几个月,孟孙又把他请回来,让他做自己儿子的老师。身边人问为什么,孟孙说:他连一只小鹿都不忍心伤害,又怎么会忍心伤害我的儿子?

What the idiom means

秦西巴放鹿指因不忍心伤害弱小而被认为有仁心,后用来形容人善良、有恻隐之心;也提醒人,有些选择在当时看是损失,却会带来更长远的信任。

To release a fawn out of compassion — kindness can look like a loss at first, but it may build deeper trust later.

How to use it

他宁可自己受罚也要帮助弱者,就像秦西巴放小鹿一样,反而赢得了大家的信任。

tā níng kě zì jǐ shòu fá yě yào bāng zhù ruò zhě , jiù xiàng qín xī bā fàng xiǎo lù yī yàng , fǎn ér yíng dé le dà jiā de xìn rèn 。

Stories you may also like

Part of the Chinese Wisdom Stories series