life-lesson
624 篇The Seat of Honor | 谁坐上座
A man ignores his neighbor's warning about a fire hazard. After a fire breaks out, he rewards tho...
37 阅读The Miser | 守财奴
A miser hides his gold but loses it to a thief. A neighbor points out that an unused stone is as ...
32 阅读The Patient and the Ship Owner | 病人与船主
A patient uses a boat without permission to fish on a moonlit night. Dr. Schweitzer adjudicates, ...
31 阅读Two Physicians | 两位医生
An old man secretly consults two physicians who prescribe conflicting treatments. When they disco...
32 阅读The Half-Wit's Choice | 傻子的选择
A man considered foolish always chooses a nickel over a dime. When advised to pick the more valua...
33 阅读Do Not Burn Your House to Get Rid of a Mouse | 投鼠忌器
A cautionary tale from *Hanshu* warns against disproportionate retaliation, using the metaphor of...
33 阅读The Big Oven | 大火炉
A man wastes all his resources trying to heat a faulty oven, ignoring sensible advice to fix it, ...
29 阅读The Cobbler and the Banker | 鞋匠与银行家
A contented, singing cobbler receives a large sum of money from his wealthy but sleepless banker ...
31 阅读Two Pots | 两只罐子
A brass pot and a fragile earthen pot float down a river. The earthen pot keeps its distance, fea...
34 阅读Growing into a Pearl | 磨砺成珠
A single grain of sand endures isolation and hardship within a clam to transform into a priceless...
30 阅读Drawing a Snake with Feet | 画蛇添足
A man wins a wine contest by drawing a snake fastest but loses it by arrogantly adding unnecessar...
33 阅读The Golden Burden | 金子的负担
A poor farmer discovers a huge, immovable lump of gold. After initial frustration, he wisely deci...
31 阅读The Parable of the Pencil | 铅笔的寓言
A pencil maker shares five life lessons with a pencil before sending it into the world, which are...
37 阅读The Man, His Son and the Donkey | 父子与驴
A man and his son, trying to please every critic they meet on their journey with a donkey, end up...
33 阅读The Dog and the Shadow | 狗与影子
A dog, greedy for a second piece of meat he sees reflected in the water, loses the one he already...
36 阅读Armchair Strategist | 纸上谈兵
The idiom "armchair strategist" originates from the story of Zhao Kuo, a Warring States theorist ...
38 阅读No Setback Is Insurmountable | 没有过不去的坎儿
This article recounts the life of a resilient Chinese woman who endured war, loss, and poverty, y...
33 阅读The Golden Hook | 桂饵金钩
A Lu man obsessed with fishing used extravagant golden gear but caught no more fish, illustrating...
36 阅读The Mirror of Self-Knowledge | 自知之明
The ancient minister Zou Ji questions why his wife, concubine, and guest all claim he is more han...
33 阅读The Fox Who Served a Lion | 侍奉狮子的狐狸
A fox serving a lion grows discontent with its small share of the hunt and decides to hunt alone,...
30 阅读