inspirational
318 篇
The Heshibi Jade | 和氏璧

The story of Bian He, who persistently presented a raw jade stone to three successive Chu kings, ...

26 阅读
The Carrot, the Egg, and the Coffee Bean | 胡萝卜、鸡蛋与咖啡豆

A mother uses a kitchen experiment with carrots, eggs, and coffee beans in boiling water to teach...

35 阅读
Great Wealth From Small Beginnings | 积微成著

A passerby hears a wise man say that fortune can start from something as small as a dead mouse. H...

33 阅读
The Farmer and His Gold | 农夫与金币

A dejected farmer receives a bag of gold from a stranger, which inspires him to revitalize his fa...

37 阅读
Having Bamboo in Mind | 胸有成竹

The story of artist Wen Tong illustrates how deep, sustained observation and mental preparation l...

35 阅读
The Master Artist | 大师艺术家

In 1392, a retiring master artist accepts a final commission to paint a 20-foot portrait for a we...

33 阅读
Grinding a Brick into a Mirror | 磨砖成镜

A Chan master uses the metaphor of grinding a brick to make a mirror to teach his disciple that e...

25 阅读
Gong Yixiu and the Fish | 公仪休拒鱼

Gong Yixiu, a minister fond of fish, refused all gifted fish to avoid obligation and potential co...

35 阅读
The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains | 愚公移山

The story of Yu Gong, who, despite his age and others' doubts, resolved to move two mountains wit...

35 阅读
The Big Catch | 钓大鱼

A nobleman uses fifty oxen as bait to fish in the East Sea. After a year of patience, he catches ...

29 阅读
Su Qin's Awl | 苏秦刺股

The story of Su Qin, a poor scholar who, after initial failure and family ridicule, disciplined h...

31 阅读
The Hunchback Cicada Catcher | 佝偻捕蝉

Confucius encounters a hunchbacked man who demonstrates extraordinary skill at catching cicadas. ...

32 阅读
The Happy Monk | 快乐的僧人

A wealthy man becomes a monk, finds profound joy through meditation and renunciation, and teaches...

31 阅读
Practice Makes Perfect | 熟能生巧

A skilled archer in the Northern Song Dynasty is humbled when an old oil peddler demonstrates tha...

33 阅读
Then Do It | 那就去写

When asked to lecture aspiring writers, novelist Sinclair Lewis simply advised them to go home an...

38 阅读
The Stooped Cicada Catcher | 佝偻承蜩

Confucius observes an old man who catches cicadas with effortless skill. The man reveals his secr...

31 阅读
Zao Fu Learns to Drive | 造父习御

Zao Fu learns chariot driving through patience and mastering foundational skills, starting with w...

33 阅读
Perseverance Prevails | 铁杵磨成针

This legend tells how the young poet Li Bai was inspired by an old woman grinding an iron rod int...

33 阅读
The Woodcutter and the Bridge | 樵夫过梁

A woodcutter who easily crosses a perilous moss-covered bridge daily loses his nerve when asked t...

32 阅读
Having the Bamboo in Mind | 胸有成竹的来历

The story of Wen Tong, a Song Dynasty scholar-painter renowned for his bamboo paintings. His exce...

36 阅读