English Original
A fox and a monkey were traveling together and fell into a dispute about which of them was of better birth. They argued for some time until they came to a place where the road passed through a cemetery filled with monuments. The monkey stopped, looked around, and let out a great sigh.
"Why do you sigh?" asked the fox.
The monkey pointed to the tombs and replied, "All the monuments you see here were erected in honor of my forefathers, who were eminent men in their day."
The fox was speechless for a moment but quickly recovered. "Oh! Don't stop at any lie, sir; you're quite safe. I'm sure none of your ancestors will rise up and expose you."
Boasters brag most when they cannot be detected.
中文翻译
一只狐狸和一只猴子结伴同行，争论起谁的家世更高贵。他们争执了好一阵子，直到来到一条穿过满是墓碑的墓地的路上。猴子停下来，环顾四周，长叹一声。
“你为什么叹气？”狐狸问道。
猴子指着那些墓碑回答说：“你在这里看到的所有纪念碑，都是为了纪念我的祖先而立的，他们在那个时代都是杰出的人物。”
狐狸一时语塞，但很快反应过来，说道：“哦！先生，尽管吹嘘吧，你安全得很。我确信你的祖先没有一个会站起来揭穿你。”
当谎言无法被揭穿时，吹牛者便会夸夸其谈。