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One day, King Tang, the founder1 of the Shang Dynasty, saw a man arranging a net on all sides and praying to the deity2: "Let those that fly down from the sky, those that come out of the ground, and those that come running from all directions all run into my met!" Tang said: "Well, isn't this catching3 the whole lot in one net?" Tang went forward and took away the net on three sides, leaving only one side there. Then he said to the man: "Now please pray again! You can say thus: In the past, the spiders have spun4 nets. Now people have learned to make nets too. You birds and animals, those that want to turn left can go to the left; those that want to turn right can go to the right; those that want to fly can soar; those that want to get into holes can get intoholes. I only catch those that are doomed5 to die." The much-told tale of King Tang's leaving the net open on three sides spread far and wide at once. When the people of the states south of the Han River heard of it, they all said: "King Tang of Shang bestows6 favour even upon birds and animals. He is so lenient7 that he is truly a benevolent8 man." Thereupon, all the 40 small states of the time had a heartfelt admiration9 for Tang and pledged ther allegiance to the Shang Dynasty. 一天，商朝开国君主汤看见一个人四面布下了天罗地网，正在向神祷告: “从天上飞下来的，从地下钻出来的，从四面八方跑过来的，都撞到我的网里来吧!” | 
