During the Warring States period, there was a man from the State of Qin named Niu Que, a highly learned scholar of great repute from the region of Shangdi. Once, while on his way to the capital of Zhao to pay respects to the ruler of Zhao, he passed through a place called Ousha where he encountered a band of robbers. The bandits seized his ox-drawn cart, valuables, and personal belongings. Niu Que then continued on foot, appearing as cheerful as ever, with not the slightest trace of worry or reluctance on his face. The robbers, watching from the side, grew suspicious and chased after him to question him. Niu Que replied calmly: “A man of virtue should not fight with others over the loss of a few possessions that sustain him, for doing so would endanger the very body they are meant to sustain.” Hearing this, the robbers all praised him, saying, “He is truly a worthy and virtuous man!” But as they watched Niu Que’s receding figure, they muttered among themselves: “Given his wisdom, once he meets the ruler of Zhao, he is sure to be appointed to office. If he mentions this incident, the ruler of Zhao will surely send troops to hunt us down. It would be better to kill him now before it’s too late.” So the robbers swarmed forward and murdered Niu Que.
A man from the State of Yan heard about this and gathered his clansmen to warn them, saying: “If you encounter bandits, do not be as pedantic as Niu Que of Shangdi.” They all heeded this advice. Not long after, this man’s younger brother traveled to Qin and, upon reaching the Pass of Hangu, indeed ran into bandits. Remembering his brother’s warning, he fought fiercely with the robbers. When he could not overpower them, he chased after them and humbly begged them to return his belongings. Enraged, the bandits said: “We were already merciful enough not to kill you, yet you keep pursuing us—you’ll soon expose our whereabouts. Since we are bandits, what use do we have for benevolence and righteousness?” And with that, they killed him, along with four or five companions who were traveling with him.
Origin: “Liezi – Shuofu”
#47 遇到强盗怎么办
秦国人牛缺，是上地这个地方的声望很高的饱学之士，有一次他去邯郸拜见赵国国君，途经耦沙时，遇上了一伙强盗。强盗抢走了他的牛车、财宝及随身衣物，牛缺便步行而去，看上去依然是欢然的样子，脸上连半点忧愁和吝惜的表情都没有。强盗在一旁看到，不免心中生疑，便追上去问个究竟。牛缺坦然回答说：“一个有德行的人，不应当因丢失一点供养自己的财物而去与人争斗，这样会危害它所供养的自身的安全啊。”强盗们听后，同声称赞道：“这真是一个贤德之人啊！”而望着牛缺渐渐走远的背影，又相互议论说：“以他的贤明，拜见了赵国国君，必会被任用。如果提到这件事，赵国国君一定会派兵剿杀我们。所以不如趁早杀了他。”强盗们一哄而上，把牛缺杀害了。
一位燕国人听说了这件事，就集合族人相互告诫，说：“遇见强盗，不要像上地的牛缺那样迂腐。”大家都接受了这种告诫。不久，这个燕国人的弟弟到秦国去，走到函谷关下，果然遇上了强盗。他想起哥哥的告诫，便同强盗尽力争夺。争夺不过，又追赶上去低声下气地哀求强盗归还他的财物。强盗生气地说：“我们没有杀你，已经够宽宏大量的了，你却追个不停，我们的行踪都快让你给暴露了。既然做了强盗，哪里还要什么仁义？”就动手杀了他，同行的四五个人也被杀害 。
出自 《列子·说符》