In the dense1 mountain forest, there lived herds2 of stout3 and strong red deer. They were alert and suspicious animals and ran about with agility4. It was very difficult for people to catch them.

　　When some people came to the mountains to hunt, they would first seek for yu (supervisor of the mountain forests in ancient times,) request him to be their guide, and inquire in detail about the red deer's pattern of activities and their usual haunts. Only with full preparations would they carry their knives and arrows, lead their hounds and enter the dense forest for the siege. As a result, all the red deer dashed into their ring of encirclement, and one by one fell dead under the rainfall of arrows.

　　But when some other people came to the mountains to hunt, they would not first seek for yu to find out the situation, but rushed rashly into the forest. As a result, after a busy day they couldn't find a single trace of red deer and could only return dejectedly with empty hands.

　　在茂密的山林里，生活著成群肥壯的馬鹿。這種動物機警多疑，奔走敏捷，人們很難捕捉到它們。

　　有的人來山里打獵，首先找到虞（古代官民，掌管山林的人），請他做向導，又仔細打聽馬鹿的活動規(guī)律和它們經(jīng)常出沒的地方。經(jīng)過一番準備之后，他們才帶著刀箭，牽著獵犬走進密林圍獵。結果，那些馬鹿都撞進了包圍圈，一頭頭倒斃在雨點般的箭矢之下。

　　但是，另外一些人來山里圍獵時，他們不是先去找虞了解情況，而是冒冒失失地闖進森林。結果，他們連馬鹿的蹤影也找不著，白忙了一天，只好空著垂頭喪氣地回去了。