與狐謀皮

Quoted from Zuo Qiuming, the author of Master Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals:

周人有愛裘而好珍羞，欲為千金之裘而與狐謀其皮，欲具少牢之珍而與羊謀其羞。言未卒，狐相率逃於重丘之下，羊相呼藏於深林之中。故周人十年不制一裘，五年不具一牢。何者？周人之謀失之矣。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

---

周人有爱裘而好珍羞，欲为千金之裘而与狐谋其皮，欲具少牢之珍而与羊谋其羞。言未卒，狐相率逃于重丘之下，羊相呼藏于深林之中。故周人十年不制一裘，五年不具一牢。何者？周人之谋失之矣。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: Taiping Yulan (Readings of the Taiping Era), 977 – 983 CE

Zhōu rén yǒu ài qiú ér hǎo zhēnxiū, yù wèi qiānjīn zhī qiú ér yǔ hú móu qí pí, yù jù shàoláo zhī zhēn ér yǔ yáng móu qí xiū. Yán wèi zú, hú xiàng lǜ táo yú zhòng qiū zhīxià, yáng xiàng hū cáng yú shēnlín zhī zhōng. Gù zhōu rén shí nián bù zhì yī qiú, wǔ nián bù jù yī láo. Hézhě? Zhōu rén zhī móu shī zhī yǐ. [Pinyin]

There was a man from Zhou who loved fur coats and delicacies. He would ask foxes for their skin for splendid fur coats, and ask lambs for its meat to make a feast. But before he finished saying this, the foxes fled to under mountains following each other, and the lambs hid themselves deep in forests whining. As a results, that man from Zhou could never make a coat even after ten years, and could never have a feast even after five years. Why? It was because he discussed with the wrong person.

與狐謀皮

1. Synonym of 與虎謀皮／与虎谋皮 (yǔhǔmóupí).