譬喻以邪見引導人。係摩訶僧祇律卷七所載，佛嘗告諸比丘，昔時，波羅奈城有五百獼猴遊行林中，見井中有月影現。獼猴主見是月影，乃語諸伴曰（大二二‧二八四上）：「月今日死，落在井中，當共出之，莫令世間長夜闇冥。」眾議出月之法，猴主又言：「我知出法，我捉樹枝，汝捉我尾，展轉相連，乃可出之。」於是諸猴展轉相捉，而樹弱枝折，一切獼猴墮井水中。佛復告諸比丘，爾時之獼猴主即是今之提婆達多，餘猴即是今之六群比丘。

佛光電子大辭典

p1041

Like ladling the moon out of the well; the parable of the monkeys who saw the moon fallen into a well, and fearing there would be no more moonlight, sought to save it; the monkey-king hung on to a branch, one hung on to his tail and so on, but the branch broke and all were drowned.

A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, William Edward Soothill and Lewis Hodous

井中撈月===（譬喻）僧祇律曰：「佛告諸比丘：過去世時，有城名波羅奈，國名伽尸。於空間處，有五百獼猴，遊行林中。到一尼俱律樹下，樹下有井，井中有月影現。時獼猴主見是月影，語諸伴言：月今日死，落在井中，當共出之，莫令世間長夜闇冥。共作議言：云何能出？時獼猴主言：我知出法。我捉樹枝，汝捉我尾。展轉相連，乃可出之。時諸獼猴，即如主語，展轉相捉。樹弱枝折，一切獼猴墮井水中。」

丁福保《佛學大辭典》