The Story Behind:
During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), the State of Chu was once
ruled by an incompetent and decadent lord,
楚襄王
(King Chuxiang). He and four of his high-ranking ministers indulged
themselves in excesses all the time. Another minister, Zhuang Xin,
foresaw the danger his country could face and voiced his concerns to
King Chuxiang, but the King refused to listen to him. He then asked for
the King's permission to leave his country and stay in the State of
Zhao. The King consented.
Five months later, the King of Qin sent his troops to invade the State
of Chu and occupied a large portion of its territory while King Chuxiang
was forced into exile. Remembering the warning Zhuang Xin gave him, the
King of Chu sent his men to fetch Zhuang Xin. He then sought the advice
of Zhuang Xin, who told him the following story.
Once upon a time, there was one man who built a sheep pen and raised his
sheep inside. One day, the pen was damaged and a sheep escaped through
the hole. One of his neighbors suggested him to mend the pen, but he
refused and said, "That's the use of mending the pen when one of my
sheep is lost?"
The next day, another sheep was missing, and he regretted not taking his
neighbor's advice. Yet his neighbor soothed him and said, "It's not too
late to mend the sheep pen even after some sheep are lost." The man
mended the pen and, of course, no more sheep ran away.
Learning from the lesson of this story and correcting his mistakes, the
King of Chu made a comeback, defeated the Qin troops, and eventually
recovered the lost land.
This expression is all about how one deals with his/her failures and
mistakes. One is not supposed to do nothing but forgive him-/herself and
take the mistakes as given. Instead, one should take a more active role
in reflecting on his/her failures and mistakes and drawing lessons from
them, in order to address them. By so doing, one can always put an end
to the damage or losses and manage to turn over a new leaf.