多岐亡羊(다기망양)

갈림길이 많아 양을 잃다.

달아난 양을 찾는 사람이 길이 여러 갈래로 갈려 양을 찾지 못하고 놓치다.

학문의 길이 여러 방면으로 갈려 오히려 진리를 찾기가 어려운 상황을 비유적으로 가리키는 표현이다.

방침이나 지시가 너무 많아 도리어 갈 길을 정하지 못하다.

歧路亡羊(기로망양)이라고도 한다.

Sheep will easily get lost when there are too many forked roads.

a lamb going astray at a fork in the road

too many options making selection difficult

truth being hard to find as paths to it proliferate

 

  列子(戰國) 《列子 說符》 楊子之鄰人亡羊，既率其黨，又請楊子之豎追之。楊子曰： "嘻！ 亡一羊何追者之眾？" 鄰人曰： "多岐路。" 既反，問： "獲羊乎？" 曰： "亡之矣。" 曰： "奚亡之？" 曰： "岐路之中又有岐焉。吾不知所之，所以反也。"

楊子戚然變容，不言者移時，不笑者竟日。門人怪之，請曰： "羊賤畜，又非夫子之有，而損言笑者何哉？" 揚子不荅。門人不獲所命。

弟子孟孫陽出，以告心都子。心都子他日與孟孫陽偕入而問曰： "昔有昆弟三人，游齊、魯之閒，同師而學，進仁義之道而歸。其父曰： '仁義之道若何？' 伯曰： '仁義使我愛身而後名。' 仲曰： '仁義使我殺身以成名。' 叔曰： '仁義使我身名並全。' 彼三術相反，而同出於儒。孰是孰非邪？" 楊子曰： "人有濱河而居者，習於水，勇於泅，操舟鬻渡，利供百口，裹糧就學者成徒，而溺死者幾半。本學泅不學溺，而利害如此。若以為孰是孰非？"

心都子嘿然而出。孟孫陽讓之曰： "何吾子問之迂，夫子荅之僻？ 吾惑愈甚。" 心都子曰： "大道以多岐亡羊，學者以多方喪生。學非本不同，非本不一，而末異若是。唯歸同反一，為亡得喪。子長先生之門，習先生之道，而不達先生之況也，哀哉！"

열자(전국) 《열자 설부》 양자지인인망양，기솔기당，우청양자지수추지。양자왈： "희！ 망일양하추자지중？" 인인왈： "다기로。" 기반，문： "획양호？" 왈： "망지의。" 왈： "해망지？" 왈： "기로지중우유기언。오부지소지，소이반야。" 

양자척연변용，불언자이시，불소자경일。문인괴지，청왈： "양천축，우비부자지유，이손언소자하재？" 양자부답。문인불획소명。

제자맹손양출，이고심도자。심도자타일여맹손양해입이문왈："석유곤제삼인，유제、노지한，동사이학，진인의지도이귀。기부왈： '인의지도약하？' 백왈： '인의사아애신이후명。' 중왈： '인의사아살신이성명。' 숙왈： '인의사아신명병전。' 피삼술상반，이동출어유。숙시숙비사？" 양자왈： "인유빈하이거자，습어수，용어수，조주죽도，이공백구，과량취학자성도，이닉사자기반。본학수불학닉，이리해여차。약이위숙시숙비？"

심도자묵연이출。맹손양양지왈： "하오자문지우，부자답지벽？오혹유심。" 심도자왈： "대도이다기망양，학자이다방상생。학비본부동，비본불일，이말이약시。유귀동반일，위망득상。자장선생지문，습선생지도，이부달선생지황야，애재！"

One neighbor of Yang Zi(楊子), a famous thinker during the Warring States Period (476-221 BC) lost a sheep. He asked all his relatives , friends as well as all his servant for help. Yang Zi asked, "Why do you send so many people out just for one lost sheep?" His neighbor said, "Because there are a lot of branch road." 
After a while, all the people came back. "Have you found the sheep?" Yang Zi asked. "No," they answered, "Each road has branch roads and each branch has its forked roads. We just do not know which road to follow. So we give up."
On hearing this, Yang Zi became silent. His student did not understand what the teacher was pondering. He passed the question to Xin Du Zi(心都子), a friend of Yang Zi. Xin Du Zi replied, "Your tutor is worrying about your study. What have appened reminds him of the difficulty of learning and researching. He thinks that if you fail to find the right orientation and method of study, you can accomplish nothing, just like those people trying to find the lost sheep."