旁鄰窺牆而問之曰：「子何故而哭悲若此乎？
A neighbor peered through a gap in his wall and asked, “Why are you weeping so piteously?” “My state is going to perish” was the reply.
」對曰：「吾國且亡。
」曰：「何以知也？
“How do you know this?” the man asked.
」應之曰：「吾聞病之將死也，不可為良醫；國之將亡，不可為計謀。
“I have heard,” Wei Gong said, “that, when a person is about to die of an illness, no treatment can be devised that will be of avail and that, when a state is about to perish, no schemes can be made that will save it.
吾數諫吾君，吾君不用，是以知國之將亡也。
I admonished my ruler repeatedly, but he would not adopt my advice— that is how I know that my state is going to perish.” Upon hearing these words, the one who had peered through the wall went with his entire clan to Chu.
」於是窺牆者聞其言，則舉宗而去之於楚。
居數年，楚王果舉兵伐蔡。
A few years later the king of Chu in fact raised an army and attacked Cai.
窺牆者為司馬，將兵而往，束虜甚眾。
The one who had peered through the wall acted as the commander on that expedition. He went forth with his troops and took many prisoners.
問曰：「得無有昆弟故人乎？
」見威公縛在虜中，問曰：「若何以至於此？」
Addressing the prisoners, he said, “Are any of you relations or friends of mine?” Seeing Wei Gong among the prisoners, he asked, “What brought you to this condition?