Original text: Xiao Liri, the prince's young master, was told: "I am very good at bows and arrows, and I have obtained dozens of good bows. I say that I have no more to add to them, so I came close to show my bow skills, but they are all not good materials." I asked why, Gong said: "If the heart of the wood is not straight, the veins will be wrong, and the bow will not be straight but the arrow will not be straight." If he fails to do so, how can he know everything about the affairs of the world!" He then ordered the officials of the fifth rank and above to stay in Zhongshu to reflect on their own affairs, and to see them for a long time, asking about the sufferings of the people and the gains and losses of political affairs.

Translation: Taizong said to Xiao Yu: "When I was young, I liked to play with bows and arrows, and I thought I could fully understand the mysteries of them. Recently I got dozens of good bows, and I used them to make bows. The craftsmen looked at it. They said: "These are not good materials." I asked them why. The craftsman said: "If the wood is not right, the texture of the wood will not be good. Although the bow is very strong and powerful, it will not shoot the arrow." If you can't move forward, it's not a good bow. 'I just started to understand this truth. I thought I had been using the bow for a long time, but I still didn't understand the truth. Besides, I didn't have much time to control the government. The meaning of this principle is not as good as the understanding of the bow, and the understanding of the bow is still unavailable, let alone the principles of governing the country." From then on, the officials of the fifth rank and above who went to the capital to report on their duties and Zhongshu introspected. Every time Taizong summoned officials, he would sit down and talk to them, inquire about things in various places, and strive to understand the needs and wants of the people, as well as the gains and losses in political education and other aspects.

This passage shows that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was not only able to face up to his own shortcomings, but was also good at drawing parallels, discovering problems from his own shortcomings, summing up experiences and lessons, so as to improve his governance methods, so that he could rule the world. He said, "Although it's not in the middle, it's not far off." This may also be the main reason for the formation of the Zhenguan rule in the Tang Dynasty.