During the Warring States period, King of the State of Qin sent his general Bai Qi to attack the State of Wei. Bai Qi was a general with great military gifts and had never lost a battle. The order aroused great fear among the states, because if the state of Wei was besieged, it will send a shock wave that will affect them all. Therefore, a man called Su Li was sent to see Bai Qi to persuade him not to wage war.

In the State of Chu, there was a famous archer named Yang Youji. One day he met another well-known archer, Pan Hu and decided to see who was the best with a bow and arrow. This drew a large crowd of people.

The target was a board 50 paces away with a red dot at the center. Pan Hu quickly shot three arrows, one after the other. They all hit the red dot target and the onlookers cheered.

Yang looked around and said: "To hit the red dot at fifty paces is a snap but I can shoot a willow leaf at one hundred paces." Then he pointed to a willow tree about a hundred yards away, and asked someone to choose a leaf and paint it red. With the twang of a bowstring, the arrow pierced through the air and hit dead center of the red leaf. 

The people were in awe. Pan Hu could not believe that Yang could hit a willow leaf every time. So he went to the willow tree and chose three leaves, which he marked, and asked Yang to shoot them in order. 

Yang took up his bow and let off three arrows. Each arrow pierced the very center of the selected leaf. The crowd erupted in applause. Yang was very proud of his performance, but he suddenly heard someone nearby say: "He still needs some instruction." Hearing this, Yang was very angry, and found the person who said it. "Do you want to teach me archery?" he demanded.

The man replied calmly: "I do not come here to teach you archery, but to let you know how to keep your reputation. I see that you have been here a long time, and you are getting tired. If you continue, and miss with even one arrow, your reputation will be ruined. A person who is good at archery should know how to keep his reputation. You should stop now."

Then Su Li persuaded Bai Qi: "You have never failed a single battle in your life, but the state of Wei is not easily conquered. Aren't you afraid that your reputation will be ruined? If the battle drags on, could you take Wei quickly? His words put the latter into silence and eventually, the Qin general evaded the war to Wei on health excuses.