In the "King Liang Hui" chapter of Mencius it is written: Don't use too-fine nets to catch fish in order to avoid trapping the young ones and wiping them out. In this way, "use with restraint, take only in its time" became just the formula for sustainable use.
孟子梁惠王篇中說道：不要以網口太細的魚網捕魚，以免仔魚也被捕撈殆盡，如此「用之有節，取之有時」，正是最好的永續利用範例。