与狐谋皮

与狐谋皮

周朝时有一个人非常喜欢穿皮衣服，还爱吃精美的饭食。他打算缝制一件价值昂贵的狐狸皮袍子，于是就与狐狸商量说：“把你们的毛皮送给我几张吧”，狐狸一听，全逃到山林里去了。他又想办一桌肥美的羊肉宴席，于是去找羊说：“请帮帮我的忙，把你们的肉割下二斤，我准备办宴席”，没等他说完，羊就吓得狂呼乱叫，互相报信，一齐钻进树林里藏了起来。这样，那人十年也没缝成一件狐狸皮袍子，五年也没办成一桌羊肉宴席。

这个故事原来叫“与狐谋皮”， 后来转化成“与虎谋皮”，比喻跟恶人商量要他牺牲自己的利益，那是绝对办不到的。

Borrowing the Skin from a Fox

In ancient times there was a man who was very fond of fur clothes and fine food. He asked a fox to give him its pelt, but the fox ran away. He then asked a sheep for its meat, but the sheep too ran away.

This idiom means that it is impossible to discuss with the vicious about getting profits from them.