chinese-culture
共 158 篇文章
文章列表
Buying the Casket and Returning the Pearl | 买椟还珠
A Chu merchant's overly elaborate pearl casket so captivated a Zheng buyer that he purchased only...
Marking the Boat for the Lost Sword | 刻舟求剑
A man loses his sword in a river and marks the boat where it fell, foolishly searching at the mar...
Going South by Driving North | 南辕北辙
Ji Liang recounts a story to the King of Wei about a man stubbornly driving north to reach the so...
Burn the Boats | 破釜沉舟
This passage recounts the historical origin of the Chinese idiom "Burn the Boats," describing how...
Act Upon Hearing? | 闻斯行诸
Confucius gave opposite advice to two students asking the same question about acting immediately....
The Death of Gongfu Wenbo | 公甫文伯之死
The mother of Gongfu Wenbo criticizes her deceased son for his misplaced priorities, as evidenced...
The Yidai Bird | 意怠免患
The legend of the Yidai bird illustrates how seemingly weak creatures survive through strict unit...
The Meng Jiu Bird | 蒙鸠
The Meng Jiu bird's meticulously crafted nest fails because it is attached to fragile reeds, not ...
The Temple Mice | 社鼠
Yan Zi uses the analogy of mice nesting in a temple's wooden structure—difficult to remove withou...
Hebo's Awakening | 望洋兴叹
The proud river deity Hebo, upon witnessing the boundless North Sea, realizes his own insignifica...
Yan Hui and the Rice Pot | 颜回攫甑
Confucius mistakenly judges his disciple Yan Hui for eating rice before offering it, only to lear...
Wearing Fur Inside Out | 反裘负刍
Marquis Wen of Wei encounters a farmer who wears his fur coat inside out to protect the fur from ...
The Fool and the Salt | 愚人食盐
A fool, after finding salted food delicious, mistakenly believes eating salt alone will be even b...
The Lost Sheep | 臧谷亡羊
Two shepherds, Zang and Gu, both lost their sheep while neglecting their duty—one reading, the ot...
Keeping One's Word | 信守诺言
This story recounts how Zeng Zi, a disciple of Confucius, chose to honor his wife's casual promis...
The Unbeatable Shield and the All-Piercing Spear | 自相矛盾
A Chu man boasted his shield was impenetrable and his spear could pierce anything. When asked wha...
The City Gate Fire | 城门失火
A fable about fish in a moat who ignore a fire on the distant city gate, only to perish when the ...
Five Unreliable Dependencies | 五不足恃
Marquis Wen of Wei asks if he can rely on virtuous family and ministers to govern well. Gu Juanzi...
The Supernatural Turtle | 神龟报恩
A Tang official's wife buys a giant, weeping turtle out of pity. After her husband releases it, h...
The Mantis Blocks the Cart | 螳臂当车
This fable tells of a mantis that tried to stop a moving cart, only to be crushed, illustrating t...