The Crow and the Sheep | 乌鸦与绵羊

A crow bullies a sheep because it is weak, boasting that its survival strategy is to exploit the ...

The Perforation of Hun Dun | 浑沌开窍

Two well-meaning emperors, Tiao and Hu, attempt to repay their friend Hun Dun by giving him the s...

The Life of Aesop | 伊索生平

This article outlines the obscure but influential life of Aesop, the legendary Greek fabulist. It...

The Dog and the Cook | 狗与厨师

A dog invites a stray friend to a feast, but the cook throws the guest out. When asked about the ...

The Secret of Success | 成功的秘诀

A young man repeatedly asks Einstein for the secret of success. Annoyed, Einstein writes a formul...

A Blockbuster Debut | 一鸣惊人

This idiom tells the story of Duke Wei of Qi, who, after an idle start, heeded a metaphorical war...

The Two Soldiers and the Robber | 两个士兵与强盗

Two soldiers are attacked; one flees while the other fights off the robber. The coward returns to...

The Three Surgeons | 三位外科医生

Three overconfident surgeons boast of their skills, but a careless maid and a thieving cat lead t...

Sun Shan, the Last on the List | 名落孙山

This story explains the origin of the Chinese idiom "名落孙山," which describes exam or competition f...

The Runaway Pancake | 逃跑的煎饼

A pancake, hearing it will be eaten, escapes from the frying pan and rolls away. It outruns the f...

The Self-Injury Stratagem | 苦肉计

Before the Battle of Chibi, Huang Gai volunteers for a self-injury stratagem, enduring a severe f...

The Blacksmith and the Dog | 铁匠与狗

A blacksmith criticizes his dog for sleeping during work but waking eagerly for meals, illustrati...

A Special Skill | 一技之长

This story tells how the scholar Gongsun Long valued and recruited a man whose only skill was lou...

Mother Holle | 霍勒妈妈

A kind and hardworking stepdaughter is rewarded with gold by Mother Holle for her diligence and h...

The Coral Filial Daughter-in-Law | 珊瑚孝婆

A harsh mother-in-law mistreats her gentle daughter-in-law, forcing a divorce, only to later suff...

Swallowing a Date Whole | 囫囵吞枣

A young man, upon hearing that pears benefit teeth but harm the spleen while dates benefit the sp...

Children's Minds | 童言妙语

A first-grade teacher's assignment to complete famous proverbs reveals the hilarious and unexpect...

Zhang Fei's Apology | 张飞请罪

Zhang Fei promises to reform and guard Xuzhou for Liu Bei but breaks his vow by getting drunk and...

The Cicada Catcher | 佝偻捕蝉

Confucius learns from a hunchbacked master cicada catcher that supreme skill is achieved through ...

The City of the Dead | 死亡之城

The narrator recounts a terrifying experience during Edinburgh's famous 'City of the Dead' ghost ...