To have no fixed plan or opinion and constantly change one's mind based on others' suggestions, leading to no accomplishment; to consult everyone on how to do things, resulting in nothing being built.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhang intended to assign the task of revising rites and music to the scholar Cao Bao.
However, another prominent scholar, Ban Gu, argued that all Confucian scholars in the capital should be gathered to collaboratively research and formulate these rites.
Emperor Zhang disagreed, stating that involving too many opinions, like 'building a house by the roadside' (筑室道谋), would mean it 'would not be completed in three years.' Therefore, he insisted that Cao Bao complete the work independently.
After careful review, 150 chapters were eventually adopted.