中国寓言， English Wisdom.

In ancient China, during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] a family in the state of Chu[2] held a sacrificial ceremony and rewarded their retainers with a pot of wine.…

Over two thousand years ago, during the Northern Dynasties period of China (420–589 CE),[1] there lived an archer named Changsun Sheng (长孙晟). He was not a soldier or a noble — he w…

There is a famous Chinese story about a musician named Gongming Yi (公明仪), who lived during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE)[1] — an era when philosophy, art, and music flour…

In the late Qing Dynasty, around the beginning of the 20th century, a Chinese official sat in his office reading a novel. The novel was Twenty Years of Spectacles (二十年目睹之怪现状) by Wu…

In ancient China, during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] the philosopher Zhuangzi (庄子)[2] — one of the great masters of Daoist thought, known for his wit, his parables,…

There is an old Chinese folktale, told and retold across the deserts and trade routes of the ancient Silk Road.…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] there lived a farmer in the state of Song.[2] He was not a lazy man — in fact, he was quite the opposite. He worked his fields wi…

In ancient China, during the late Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] the philosopher Han Feizi (韩非子)[2] — one of the great masters of Legalist philosophy, a thinker who believ…

During the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE),[1] in the ancient Chinese state of Lu,[2] there lived a nobleman named Lord Ye (叶公). Lord Ye was, by all accounts, a man of refin…

In ancient India, more than two thousand years ago, before the beginning of the Common Era, the Buddha[1] sat in the city of Śrāvastī[2] with a group of his disciples. He wished to…

In ancient China, during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE),[1] there lived a man on the northern border who was known throughout his village for his mastery of horses. His nei…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] in the ancient Chinese state of Yan,[2] there lived a young man from the city of Shouling. He was not remarkable in any particula…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] in the ancient Chinese kingdom of Chu,[2] there lived a man who kept a small flock of sheep. His sheep were his livelihood, his i…

During the Western Jin Dynasty (265–316 CE),[1] a scholar and official named Le Guang (乐广)[2] invited a close friend to his home for a private drinking party. The two men sat in Le…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] there is a story told of a man crossing a great river by boat.…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] in the ancient kingdom of Chu,[2] there was a hunter who had caught a fox — an old one, cunning and sharp-eyed, whose mind was as…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] in the ancient Chinese kingdom of Zhao,[2] there lived a general named Zhao She — one of the most celebrated military minds of hi…

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] there was a man from the kingdom of Zheng who wished to sell a precious pearl. The pearl was extraordinary — lustrous, flawless, …

During the Spring and Autumn period,[1] in the ancient kingdom of Jin,[2] there lived a man who desired a great bronze bell — an enormous instrument, cast with intricate patterns, …

During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[1] in the ancient kingdom of Wei,[2] there lived a man who decided to travel to the southern kingdom of Chu.[3] He was not poor, thi…