网开三面

网开三面:

Literally means:

leave three sides of the net open

Actually means:

be lenient

网, here refers to the net used to catch birds.

According to the historical record, Emperor Cheng Tang of Shang Dynasty saw some people spread a net of four sides to catch birds, and he ordered that three sides of the net be opened to avoid excessive killing of birds.

From that story, the idiom takes the figurative meaning of being tolerant or forgiving to a person or thing.

网，这里指捕鸟的网。

史书记载，三千多年前的商代君主成汤看见有人张网四面捉鸟，便命令那个人把网去掉三面，只留一面，借以避免过度捕杀。

后来的人便用“网开三面”来比喻以仁慈宽厚的态度来对人或对事。