In the state of Qi, there once lived a man who was utterly obsessed with the idea of acquiring a fortune in gold, to the point of near madness.
One morning, he rose at dawn, dressed himself neatly, and headed to the marketplace. Wandering about with one thought on his mind—how to get his hands on some gold—he spotted a goldsmith's shop and strode straight in. There, gleaming gold vessels and jewelry were laid out before him. He paused for a moment, then marched over, scooped up the gold pieces without a word, turned around, and walked away.
Bystanders were baffled, but the shopkeeper, seeing him grab the gold and flee, shouted, "Stop, thief!" The crowd snapped to attention and gave chase. Just then, several patrol officers happened by and seized him on the spot.
The patrol officer escorted him into the yamen. The magistrate interrogated him: "In front of so many people, you dared to steal someone else's gold? What audacity! I've never seen a thief like you. Why did you do it? Confess the truth at once!"
The man seemed to snap out of it at that moment and replied trembling, "When I took the gold, I only saw the gold—I didn't see anyone nearby." Later, the idiom "A Man of Qi Grabs Gold" came to describe someone who loses all reason and restraint due to greed.
Source: *Liezi*, Chapter "Explaining Signs"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "齐人攫金" came to describe how someone loses all reason and restraint due to greed.