覆鹿遗蕉 — “To mistake reality for a dream, leading to repeated errors”

Once upon a time, a man from the State of Zheng was cutting firewood in the wilderness. He saw a wounded deer run by, so he killed it. Fearing that hunters might pursue it, he hid the dead deer in a small ditch and covered it with some plantain leaves.

When night fell, he wanted to find the dead deer to carry it home, but unfortunately, he couldn't find it anywhere. He had no choice but to give up, convincing himself that he had merely dreamt the whole thing.