一天，狐狸不小心掉進了一口很深的井裏，想盡了辦法也爬不出去，他隻好呆在那裏。一隻口渴的山羊來到了井邊，看見了井裏的狐狸，就向他詢問井裏的水是否好喝。狐狸暗自慶幸自己的好運氣，就對山羊說： “這裏井水的味道真是好極了 !”並建議山羊到井下喝水。
一心想解渴的山羊毫不猶豫地就跳了下去。山羊喝足了水，才意識到自己所處的困境，隻好和狐狸一起商量出去的辦法。這時候，狡猾的狐狸說出了他早已盤算好的主意： “首先，你用前肢頂住牆壁，並且低下頭，我踩著你的背往上跳，我出去之後再把你拉上去。 ”山羊一聽開心極了，非常愉快地接受了狐狸的建議。狐狸跳上山羊的後背，撐住犄角，用力一跳就出了井口。他一擺脫困境，拔腿就跑。這時，山羊才明白自己上當了，開始痛罵狐狸背信棄義，而狐狸轉過身來說道： “愚蠢的老夥計 !如果你腦袋裏的智慧可以和你下巴上的胡子一樣多，那麼你跳下井之前就應該想好該如何爬上來。 ”
三思而後行。
A Fox oo a deep well and d no means of escape. A Goat， overe with thirst，e well，ahe Fox， ihe water was good. g his sad plight under a merry guise，the Fox indulged in a lavish praise of the water，saying it was ext beyond measure，and eng him to desd.
The Goat，mindful only of his thirst，thoughtlessly jumped down， but just as he drank，the Fox informed him of the dif.culty they were both in aed a scheme for their on escape. “If，”said he，“you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head，I will run up your bad esd will help you out afterwards.” The Goat readily assehe Fox leaped upon his back. Steadyihe Goat’s horns，he safely reached the mouth of the well and made off as fast as he could. Whe upbraided him f his promise，he turned around a，“You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard，you wone down before you had ihe ，nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had no means of escape.”
Look before you leap.