What is lost in the East is gained in the form of mulberry trees

The source is as follows (Southern Song Dynasty, Fan Ye's "Book of the Later Han, Volume 17, Feng Yi Zhuan 7"): "Xi Shu Lao Yi said: "The red eyebrows are broken, and the officials work hard, but they can finally fly back to the stream. It can be said that "the east corner is lost, the mulberry tree is gained".

Usage example (Qing Dynasty Wang Junqing's "Cold Eyes · Chapter 20"): "Who would have thought that the flag woman still wanted to be a thief, but she wanted to 'lose the east corner and gain the mulberry tree', so she dared to go to a big place in Xiaogan County. He went to the shop and still did the same thing, but this time he was full of evil and wanted to be exposed."

Explanation: After Liu Xiu ascended the throne as Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he sent General Feng Yi to lead an army to the west. Defeat the Red Eyebrow Army. Chimei pretended to be defeated and defeated Feng's army at Huixi. After Feng Yi was defeated and returned to the camp, he called up scattered soldiers and mixed people into Chimei. Then he attacked from both inside and outside and defeated Chimei in the Gudi area. Afterwards, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty Liu Xiu issued an edict to reward Feng Yichu, saying that although Feng Yichu failed in Huixi, he would eventually win in Mianchi. It can be said that there is a loss here, and then there is a gain there, and rewards should be given based on merit to show military merit.

Interpretation ① Dongyu: Refers to the place where the sun rises, that is, in the morning, which is a metaphor for the beginning. ② Sangyu: refers to the sunset, that is, at night, which means the end.

Losing in the East, reaping in the mulberry tree originally means that something is lost in one place and finally gained in another place. This metaphor is often used to express failure in one aspect but success in another aspect.