Chapter 7 Chinese Idioms and Fables中国成语和寓言故事
Being an important part of the Chinese language and culture，Chinese idioms and fables are precious gems of Chinese wisdom．As a matter of fact，almost every Chinese idiom has a story behind it．Each idiom alludes to a particular narrative preserved and savored by the Chinese as an encapsulation of unique and significant comments upon life and society．
Fables are lively description of social phenomenon and vivid representation of history．Each fable contains a brief story with an underlying moral．Sometimes the implied common sense moral is evident，while other times it is not so．Some of these stories involve deities，while some involve only mortals or commoners．The merits of these stories lie not so much in their literary worth as in the common folk wisdom they convey．Often，they are short，have a simple plot，and can be told in just a few minutes．Today，many of these folktales have survived as idioms，widely used and understood in the Chinese language．Whether in written or spoken text，the use of idioms can help make the utterance more vivid．
Fifteen source narratives have been selected and rewritten for presentation in this chapter．The significance of these folktales is the display of Chinese values．Some of the common themes are:the triumph of justice over injustice;the supremacy of wisdom over sheer physical strength;examples of cleverness or resourcefulness—to mention just a few．These are all important traditional Chinese values which are passed from one generation to the next through the telling of fables．
1.The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Terror
One day a tiger was hunting around in a forest．An unlucky fox was caught by the tiger．
For the fox，the inescapable fate was very clear—death．Despite the danger，the fox thought hard to find a way out．Promptly，the fox declared to the tiger，“How dare you kill me！”
On hearing the words the tiger was surprised and asked for the reason．The fox raised his voice a bit higher and declared arrogantly:“To tell you the truth，it's I who was accredited by God to the forest as the king of all the animals！If you kill me，it will be against the God's will，you know？”Seeing that the tiger became suspicious，the fox added:“Let's have a test．Let's go through the forest．Follow me and you will see how the animals are frightened of me．”
The tiger agreed．So the fox walked ahead of the tiger proudly through the forest．As you can imagine，the animals，seeing the tiger behind，were all terribly frightened and ran away．Then the fox said proudly，“There is no doubt that what I said is true，isn't it？”
The tiger had nothing to say but to acknowledge the result．So the tiger nodded and said，“You are right．You are the king．”
2.The Donkey of Guizhou
Thousands of years ago，there was no donkey in Guizhou Province．So someone officious shipped one there．But finding no use for it，he set it loose at the foot of the mountain．
One day，a tiger was walking around to find something to eat，when he saw the strange animal．The huge new comer frightened him quite a bit．He hid himself in the bushes and studied the donkey watchfully．It seemed all right．So the tiger came near to the donkey to have a close look．“Hawhee．．．”a loud noise burst out，which sent the tiger running away as fast as he could．He could not have any time to think before he settled himself home．The humiliation stung in him．He must come back to that strange thing to see it clearly though he was still haunted by the terrible noise．
The donkey was enraged when the tiger got too close．So the donkey brought his unique skill to bear on the offender—to kick with his hooves．After several bouts，it became very clear that what the donkey had was so much．The tiger jumped upon the donkey in time，cut its throat，and ate it up．
People always tell the story to speak of one's limited tricks．
3.A Foolish Man Buys Shoes
In the past there lived a foolish man in a small kingdom called Zheng．One day he wanted to buy himself a pair of new shoes．He measured his feet with a ruler first and wrote down his size．But he was in such a hurry to set out that he left the measurement at home．
When he arrived at a shoe shop，he felt in the pocket only to find that it was not there．So he said apologetically，“I have left the measurement at home and don't know the size．I'll fetch it in one minute．”With these words he hurried off as fast as his legs could carry him．
He ran back home，found it and then went to the shop again．But still it took him quite a while and the shop was already closed then．He had gone to all this trouble for nothing and did not get his shoes．
Then someone asked him，“Did you buy the shoes for yourself or someone else？”“For myself，of course．”he answered．“Then why don't you try the shoes on by yourself？”
“No．Only the measurement is reliable，not my feet．I'd rather trust my measurement than trust my feet．”
4.No More Tricks，Mr.Nan Guo！
In the Warring States period of China，there was a state called Qi，the king of which was very fond of listening to the music played on the yu．He convened a band of 300 players from his state．Everyday the band was called in to play the yu for his Majesty at teatime．The king seemed to be very satisfied with the band and the harmonies performed．
As a matter of fact，one of the players，Nan Guo，knew nothing about the instrument．But he boasted about his skill of playing the yu:“Your Majesty，I'm a repute musician．Everybody is deeply touched when they listen to my music．Even the birds，the animals and the plants would dance to my music．I'd very much like to present my performance to you．”The king was very pleased to hear that and he recruited him as a member of the band．Nan Guo did manage to pass himself off and went on well with his tricks that each time he tried to seat himself behind and pretended to be playing the yu together with the others．Everything seemed good for him．He had never been exposed．
Finally，his days were gone when the prince ascended the throne．As the latter would enjoy solo rather than harmony，the players were called each in to play alone before the king．This time，as we have guessed，Nan Guo was embarrassed to find there was no place for him any more．He could do nothing but wrap up his luggage．
5.Bringing the Painted Dragons to Life by Putting Pupils in Their Eyes
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties，once lived a famous painter named Zhang Sengyao who was highly praised for his fine art by the emperor Liang Wudi．
Once the emperor asked Zhang to do a wall painting of four dragons for the Temple of Andong in Jinling(present city of Nangjing in Jiangsu Province)．Zhang Sengyao accepted and completed the paintings in only three days．The painting was beautiful and the dragons were vividly lifelike，as though they were actual dragons！
When Zhang Sengyao was finished，many visitors came in praise of the paintings．However，when people looked closely，they discovered that the otherwise complete dragons were all missing the pupils of their eyes．Everyone repeatedly asked Zhang Sengyao to paint in the pupils，to which he replied，“To give the dragons pupils would not be difficult，but if I did so，these dragons would break out of the wall and fly away．”But people didn't believe him．
Finally，he gave up explaining，and agreed to paint in the dragons'eyes．That day，many people gathered in front of the painted wall．Zhang Sengyao stood in front of the crowd and raised his brush．Deftly，he painted in the eyes of two dragons，and a strange thing occurred．Just as he finished the eyes of the second dragon，the sky suddenly was covered with thick，black clouds，a violent wind kicked up from all directions，thunder roared，and lightning flashed．In the flash of a lightning bolt，people could see that the two dragons were shaking the wall apart and rising into the air．Displaying teeth and brandishing claws，they mounted the clouds and mist and rose towards the heavens．
After a moment had passed，the skies cleared and people stood dumbfounded and speechless．Looking at the wall，only the two dragons which were not given eyes remained．
6.The Frog in the Shallow Well
Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well？It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea，“I am so happy！When I go out，I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well．When I come home，I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well．If I jump into the water，it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks．If I walk in the mud，it covers up my feet．I look around at the wriggly worms，crabs and tadpoles，and none of them can compare with me．Moreover，I am the lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well．My happiness is full．My dear sir，why don't you come often and look around my place？”
Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well，its right knee got stuck．It hesitated and retreated．The turtle told the frog about the East Sea．
“Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width;even a height of a thousand zhang cannot give you an idea of its depth．In the time of King Yu of the Xia Dynasty，there were floods nine years out of ten，but the waters in the sea did not increase．In the time of King Tang of the Shang Dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight，but the waters in the sea did not decrease．The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls．The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea．”
After listening to these words，the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease．
7.His Spear against His Shield
A man of the state of Chu had a spear and a shield for sale．He was loud in praises of his shield．
“My shield is so strong that nothing can pierce it through．”
He also sang praises of his spear．
“My spear is so strong that it can pierce through anything．”
“What would happen，”he was asked，“if your spear is used to pierce your shield？”
It is impossible for an impenetrable shield to coexist with a spear that finds nothing impenetrable．
8.Aping a Beauty
Xi Shi was a famous beauty of the state of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Period．Once she had a pain in her bosom，so she had a frown on her face when she went out．An ugly girl who lived nearby saw her and thought she looked very beautiful．Therefore when she went home，she also put her hands on her bosom and had a frown on her face．
When the rich men in the neighborhood saw her，they shut their doors tightly and did not go out．When the poor men saw her，they took thier wives and children away and gave her a wide berth．
She only knew Xi Shi's frown looked beautiful but she did not know the reason for its beauty．
9.Marking the Boat for a Dropped Sword
A man from the State of Chu was crossing a river in a boat．His sword fell into the water．Immediately he made a mark on the boat．
“This is where my sword fell off，”he said．
When the boat reached the bank，he went into the water to look for his sword at the place where he had marked the boat．
The boat had moved but the sword had not．Is this not a very foolish way to look for a sword？
10.Blessing or Blame
Long ago，near the frontier lived an old man．One day he found his horse missing．It was said that the horse was seen running outside the border of the country．The neighbors came to comfort him for the unfortunate loss．But the old man was unexpectedly calm and said，“It doesn't matter;it may not be a bad event，on the contrary，I think it can be a good thing．”
One night the old man heard some noise of horses and got up to see what was going on．To his surprise，he saw a beautiful horse together with his own horse．It was clear that his horse had brought a companion home．Hearing the news，the neighbors all came to say congratulation on his good luck．At the greetings，however，the old man was very calm and thoughtful．He said，“It is true that I got a new horse for nothing，but it is hard to say whether it is good or bad．It may be an unlucky thing．”
What he said was testified right．The son of the old man was very fond of the horse brought home，and one day，when he was riding the horse，he fell down from the horseback and his left leg was badly injured．Since then he was never able to walk freely．“Nothing serious，”the old man said，“perhaps it is a good thing．”
A year later，many of the youth there were recruited to fight in a war and most of them died．The son of the old man was absolved from the obligation for his disability，so he escaped death．
11.An lllusory Snake in a Goblet
In Jin Dynasty there was a man named Yue Guang who was fond of drinking alcohol．One day，he invited a friend to his house to drink together．Suddenly，his friend saw the reflection of a snake swimming in the goblet．
He got so much frightened that he took ill on bed after getting home．Neither any doctor nor any medicine could cure his illness．Yue Guang came to see him and asked about the cause of his disease．When he got to know the cause，he pulled his friend from the bed immediately and took him to his house．
Yue Guang made his friend sit where he used to，pouring a goblet of alcohol for him，and asked him，“Is there any snake reflection in the goblet？”There was still a“snake reflection”in the goblet！Yue casually took away the bow hanging on the wall．This time，the“snake reflection”disappeared．“So it was the bow reflection that was in the goblet！”His friend at once got well from his illness．
12.A Walk Learner in Handan
During the Warring States Period，Handan，the capital of the State of Zhao，was famous for people's walking style．They walked in vigorous elegant strides．People in other places admired them very much．They thought the Handanners'way of walking was the best under the heaven．A young lad in the town of Shouling，the state of Yan，heard about that and went a long way there to learn the strides．
Arriving in the town of Handan，the young man set about watching how the people there walked in the street．He was well indulged in the study all day long; sometimes he followed one this way and sometimes another that way．
As time passed，the young man felt more and more worried because he had not learned to walk as the natives there．And to make things worse，he found himself unable to walk in his own way in the end．So he had no choice but to crawl home．
13.Mend the Fold After a Sheep ls Lost
During the Warring States Period，the State of Chu was not very powerful．The king and the important court officials were dissolute and incompetent．They indulged in luxury and excessive pleasure．Zhuang Xin，one of the ministers，foresaw that the country was in danger．One day he remonstrated with the king:“Your Majesty，wherever you go，you're always surrounded by people who flatter you with what you like．They try everything to please you and you forget to tend to state affairs．If you go on like this，no doubt，the country will perish sooner or later．”
The King of Chu flew into a rage．“How dare you！You even use such vicious words to curse my country and arouse resentment among the people！”Zhuang Xin explained，“I dare not curse the State of Chu．But I really have a premonition that Chu is facing great danger．”Seeing that the king is especially fond of those corrupt officials and trust them in everything，the minister thought Chu is bound to extinct．So he asked the king to let him leave Chu．He wanted to go to the State of Zhao and stay there for a while．
The king gave him the leave．
Five months later，the King of Qin sent his troops to invade Chu and occupied a large tract of its territory．The King of Chu himself went into exile．Now，the king remembered Zhuang Xin's words．He sent his men to fetch him．When the king saw Zhuang Xin again，he asked him，“What can I do now？”
Zhuang Xin replied，“It's not too late if you mend the sheepfold when you find a sheep is missing．”He then made some good suggestions to rehabilitate the state and recover the lost land．The king was very much pleased．
The idiom“mend the fold after a sheep is lost”has developed from Zhuang Xin's answer to the king．
14.Play the Tune to a Cow
In ancient time，there lived a musician named Gongming Yi．He was very good at playing the Zheng，a 21-or 25-stringed plucked instrument．But he also behaved foolishly sometimes．
One day，he saw a cow eating grass in the field near his house．He was inspired by the scene and ran outside to play a tune for the cow．Gongming Yi played beautifully and he himself was intoxicated by the music．But the cow paid no heed to the beautiful tune．It simply focused its attention on eating the grass．Gongming Yi was surprised and couldn't understand why the cow was so indifferent to his performance．Obviously，it is not because his performance is poor，but the cow could neither understand nor appreciate his elegant music！
From that story comes the idiom“play the tune to a cow”which implies that someone speaks or writes without considering his audience．Generally speaking，the speaker or writer has overestimated his listeners or readers．In these cases，the idiom mocks the audience rather than the speaker．
15.Draw a Snake and Add Feet to lt
An official of the ancient State of Chu awarded a pot of wine to his men after the ceremony of Spring Sacrifice．One man said，“We have only one pot of wine．It's not enough for all of us but sufficient for one．Let's determine who'll have the wine by drawing a snake on the ground．He who finishes first will have the wine．”
The others agreed．Very soon，one man finished his snake．He was about to drink the wine when he saw the others were still busy drawing．He said complacently，“How slow you are！I still have enough time to add feet to my snake．”But before he finished the feet，another man finished his snake and grabbed the pot from him，saying，“Whoever has seen a snake with feet？Yours is not a snake．So the wine should be mine！”He drank the wine．The man adding feet to the snake had to give in and could only regret his foolishness．
Word Bank
allude暗指，提及
savor品尝，欣赏
encapsulation压缩，节略
resourcefulness足智多谋，机智
accredit委任，派往
officious好管闲事的
bout回合，较量
convene召集
railing围栏
tadpoles蝌蚪
trough水槽
berth安全距离，回旋余地
absolve赦免，开脱
dissolute荒淫
remonstrate规劝
premonition预感
tract一片土地
sheepfold羊栏
intoxicate陶醉
heed留意，注意
mock嘲讽
allay减轻
参考译文
汉语成语和寓言故事是中国语言文化和智慧宝库中耀眼夺目的璀璨明珠。事实上，每则成语皆有一段历史典故，内容丰富，语言精粹，寓意深刻，哲理经典。
寓言故事是人类最通俗的语言，是历史最形象的表述。每则寓言都是一个包含了某种道理的故事，有时这个道理是显而易见的常识，有时则需要我们去体会和感悟。寓言故事所具有的道德教育功能远胜于其文学价值。寓言故事短小简洁，经过千百年来的锤炼，已经精炼为成语，被人们普遍接受并广泛使用。无论讲话还是写文章，成语都能使谈吐焕彩、文章生辉、意味隽永。
本章中所提供的15则寓言故事亦为成语故事。这些故事反映了中国人的价值观，例如:正义战胜邪恶、智慧胜过力量和足智多谋的魅力等。这些都是中国重要的传统价值观，它们通过语言的代代相传而深入人心。
1.狐假虎威
有一天，一只老虎正在深山老林里转悠，搜寻猎物，突然发现了一只狐狸，便迅速抓住了它。
狐狸生性狡猾，它知道今天被老虎逮住以后，前景一定不妙，于是就编出一个谎言，对老虎说:“我是天帝派到山林中来当百兽之王的，你要是吃了我，天帝是不会饶恕你的。”
老虎对狐狸的话将信将疑，便问:“你当百兽之王，有何证据？”狐狸赶紧说:“你如果不相信我的话，可以随我到山林中去走一走，我让你亲眼看看百兽对我望而生畏的样子。”
老虎想这倒也是个办法，于是就让狐狸在前面带路，自己尾随其后，一道向山林的深处走去。
森林中的野兔、山羊、花鹿、黑熊等各种兽类远远地看见老虎来了，一个个都吓得魂飞魄散，纷纷夺路逃命。
转了一圈之后，狐狸洋洋得意地对老虎说道:“现在你该看到了吧？森林中的百兽，有谁敢不怕我？”
老虎只得点头说:“对，你是林中之王。”
2.黔驴技穷
过去贵州(黔)这个地方没有驴。有好事者用船运来了一头驴，运来后却没有什么用处，就把驴放到山脚下。
一只老虎看见了驴，以为这个躯体高大的家伙一定很神奇，就躲在树林里偷偷观察着，后来又悄悄走出来，小心翼翼地接近驴，想看看仔细。
这时，驴叫了一声，老虎大吃一惊，远远躲开，以为驴要咬自己了，非常恐惧。然而，老虎反复观察以后，觉得驴并没有什么特殊本领，而且越来越熟悉驴的叫声了。
老虎接着走到驴的周围，在它身边转来转去，还不敢上去攻击驴。后来，老虎慢慢逼近驴，越来越放肆，或者碰它一下，或者靠它一下，不断冒犯它。驴非常恼怒，就用蹄子去踢老虎。
老虎心里盘算着:“你的本事也不过如此罢了！”非常高兴。于是，老虎腾空扑去，咬断了驴的喉管，啃完了驴肉，才离去。
人们常用这个故事来比喻某人有限的本领已经用尽，再没有别的办法了。
3.郑人买履
郑国有个人想去买一双鞋，他先量了自己的脚，然后画了一个底样的尺码。
他匆忙走到集市上，看中了一双鞋子，却突然想起:“我忘了拿量好的尺码来了。”于是，赶紧跑回去拿底样。等到他赶回来时，集市已散了，鞋子也就没有买成。
有人问他:“你用自己的脚去试鞋子不就行了吗？为何还要跑回去看鞋样呢？”
他说:“我宁可相信自己量好的尺码，也不相信自己的脚。”
4.滥竽充数
战国时代，齐国的国君齐宣王爱好音乐，尤其喜欢听吹竽，手下有300个善于吹竽的乐师。齐宣王喜欢热闹，爱摆排场，总想在人前显示做国君的威严，所以每次听吹竽的时候，总是叫这300个人在一起合奏。
有个南郭先生听说了齐宣王的这个癖好，觉得有机可乘，是个赚钱的好机会，就跑到齐宣王那里去，吹嘘自己说:“大王啊，我是个有名的乐师，听过我吹竽的人没有不被感动的，就是鸟兽听了也会翩翩起舞，花草听了也会合着节拍颤动，我愿把我的绝技献给大王。”齐宣王听后很高兴，不加考查，很痛快地收下了他，把他也编入那支300人的吹竽队。南郭先生就这样靠着蒙骗混过了一天又一天，一直没有被识破。
可是好景不长，过了几年，爱听竽合奏的齐宣王死了，他的儿子齐湣王继承了王位。齐湣王也爱听吹竽，可是他和齐宣王不一样，喜欢听独奏。于是齐湣王发布了一道命令，要这300个人好好练习，做好准备，他将让他们一个个地轮流吹竽给他欣赏。乐师们知道命令后都积极练习，想一展身手，只有那个滥竽充数的南郭先生急得像热锅上的蚂蚁，惶惶不可终日。他想来想去，觉得这次再也混不过去了，只好连夜收拾行李逃走了。
5.画龙点睛
南北朝时期的梁朝，有位很出名的大画家名叫张僧繇，他的绘画技术很高超，得到当时的皇帝梁武帝的大力赞赏。
传说，有一年，梁武帝要张僧繇为金陵(现江苏省南京市)的安东寺作画，在寺庙的墙壁上画四条金龙。他答应下来，仅用三天时间就画好了。这些龙画得栩栩如生，惟妙惟肖，简直就像真龙一样活灵活现。
张僧繇画好后，吸引很多人前去观看，都称赞画得好，太逼真了。可是，当人们走近一看，发现美中不足的是四条龙全都没有眼睛。大家纷纷请求他，把龙眼睛点上。张僧繇解释说:“给龙点上眼珠并不难，但是点上了眼珠这些龙会破壁飞走的。”
大家听后谁都不相信，认为他这样解释很荒唐，墙上的龙怎么会飞走呢？日子长了，很多人都以为他是在说谎。
张僧繇被逼得没有办法，不得不答应给龙“点睛”。这一天，在寺庙墙壁前有很多人围观，张僧繇当着众人的面，提起画笔，轻轻地给两条龙点上眼睛。奇怪的事情果然发生了，他刚点上第二条龙的眼睛，突然间天空乌云密布，狂风四起，雷鸣电闪。在雷电之中，人们看见被“点睛”的两条龙震破墙壁凌空而起，张牙舞爪地腾云驾雾飞向天空。
过了一会，云散天晴，人们吓得目瞪口呆，一句话都说不出来了。再看看墙上，只剩下了没有被点上眼睛的两条龙，而另外两条被“点睛”的龙已不知去向。
6.井底之蛙
一口废井里住着一只青蛙。有一天，青蛙在井边碰上了一只从海里来的大龟。
青蛙就对海龟夸口说:“你看，我住在这里多快乐！有时高兴了，就在井栏边跳跃一阵;疲倦了，就回到井里，在砖洞边睡一觉。或者只留出头和嘴巴，安安静静地把全身泡在水里，或者在软绵绵的泥浆里散一会步，也很舒适。看看那些虾和蝌蚪，谁也比不上我。而且，我是这口井里的主人，在这井里极其自由自在，你为什么不常到井里来游赏呢！”
那海龟听了青蛙的话，倒真想进去看看。但它的左脚还没有整个伸进去，右脚就已经被卡住了。它连忙后退了两步，把大海的情形告诉青蛙说:“你看过海吗？海的广大，哪止千里;海的深度，哪止千丈。夏朝禹王时，十年里有九年大水，海里的水，并没涨多少;商朝汤王时，八年里有七年大旱，海里的水，也未见浅多少。可见大海是不受旱涝影响的。住在那样的大海里，才是真的快乐呢！”
井蛙听了海龟的一番话，吃惊地待在那里，再也没有话可说了。
7.自相矛盾
有一个楚国人在街头贩卖盾和矛，他自我吹嘘说:“我所卖的盾坚固无比，任何武器都不能刺穿它。”
然后又继续大放厥词:“我所卖的矛锋利无比，任何东西都能够刺得进去。”
有人问他:“用你的矛刺你的盾，会怎么样呢？”
能抵挡任何武器的盾和能刺进任何东西的矛是不可能同时存在的。
8.东施效颦
春秋时代，越国有一位美女名叫西施。
西施患有心口疼的毛病。有一天，她的病又犯了，只见她手捂胸口，紧蹙双眉，流露出一种娇媚柔弱的女性美。当她从乡间走过的时候，乡里人无不睁大眼睛注视。
乡下有一个丑女子，名叫东施。这一天，她看到西施捂着胸口、皱着双眉的样子竟博得这么多人的青睐，因此，也学着西施的样子，手捂胸口、紧皱眉头，在村里走来走去。哪知这丑女的矫揉造作使她原本就丑陋的样子更难看了。
结果，乡间的富人看见丑女的怪模样，马上把门紧紧关上;乡间的穷人看见丑女走过来，马上拉着妻子、带着孩子远远地躲开。
这个丑女人只知道西施皱眉的样子很美，却不知道她为什么很美，而去简单模仿她的样子，结果反被人讥笑。
9.刻舟求剑
楚国有个人乘船渡江。剑从船上掉进水里了。这个人便急忙在船边刻下一个记号，说:“这是我的剑掉下去的地方。”然后就悠闲地等着船靠岸。等船靠岸之后，他就从刻记号的地方跳进水里去找剑，可是再也没有找到剑。
船开走了，而剑没有动，这样的寻剑方法又怎么行得通？
10.塞翁失马
战国时期，靠近北部边城，住着一个老人，名叫塞翁，以养马为生。一天他发觉有一匹马离群走失，越界跑到北边的胡国去了。当时知道这件事的人，都认为损失一匹马很可惜，跑来安慰他。
塞翁见有人劝慰，笑了笑说:“丢了一匹马损失不大，没准会带来什么福气呢。”
数月之后，从前越界到胡国去的那匹马，不但自己认路跑了回来，还带回胡国的一匹骏马。人们知道了这件事情，于是接踵而来向塞翁道贺说:“还是您有远见，马不仅没有丢，还带回一匹好马，真是福气呀。”但是塞翁却说:“白白得了一匹好马，不一定是什么福气，这件好事或许带来灾祸也未可知。”
塞翁有个独生子，非常喜欢骑马。他很爱那匹骏马，时常骑它出去。一天，他从马背上跌下来，摔断了腿。邻居听说，纷纷前来慰问。
塞翁说:“没什么，腿摔断了却保住了性命，或许是福气呢。”
不久，匈奴兵大举入侵，青年人被应征入伍，塞翁的儿子因为摔断了腿，不能去当兵。入伍的青年都战死了，唯有塞翁的儿子保全了性命。
11.杯弓蛇影
晋朝有个叫乐广的人，爱喝酒。一天，他邀请朋友到家里来对斟对饮。忽然，朋友看见酒杯里有条蛇影在游动。
他受了惊吓，回去便一病不起。请医服药，都无起色。乐广跑来看他，问明生病的缘由。乐广听后一把拉起朋友往家走。
他让朋友坐在原处，斟满酒问:“有蛇影吗？”杯子里还有“蛇影”！乐广随手取下墙上的弓。这次，“蛇影”不见了！“杯子里原来是弓影呀！”朋友的病顿时好了！
12.邯郸学步
战国时，赵国都城邯郸以人们走路的姿势闻名。邯郸人的步伐充满活力，非常优美。其他地方人都很羡慕这一点，他们认为邯郸人的走路姿势是天底下最优美的。
燕国寿陵有个少年，听说邯郸人走路很好看，就赶去邯郸跟人家学习步法。可是，折腾了许多年，他不仅没有掌握邯郸人走路的独特技能，而且忘记了自己原来走路的步法，结果只好爬着回家了。
13.亡羊补牢
战国时期，楚襄王统治楚国时，国势不振。楚王和重要的大臣都荒淫无能。他们一直沉溺于奢侈享乐之中。大臣庄辛预见到楚国会发生危险。一天他劝谏楚王说:“陛下，无论你走到哪儿，身旁总是那些奉承您的人，他们想尽办法让您高兴，您就忘了处理国事。长此以往，国家迟早会灭亡的。”
楚王大怒:“大胆！你居然用这样恶毒的话来诅咒我的国家，蓄意挑起人民的不满！”庄辛解释说:“我不敢诅咒楚国，但我可以预言楚国正面临着巨大的危险。”庄辛见楚王如此宠信那些腐败的大臣，相信楚国必定要亡国。于是他向楚王请求离开楚国，到赵国居住一段时间。
楚王同意了，他便到赵国去了。五个月之后，秦君果然派军入侵楚国，占领了大片土地。楚王被迫流亡。这时，他想起了庄辛的劝谏，于是派人接庄辛回来。楚王见了庄辛，便问:“现在我该怎么办呢？”
庄辛回答说:“丢了羊，就把羊圈修好，不算迟。”然后他提出许多如何重振国家，收复失地的好谋略。楚王非常高兴。
成语“亡羊补牢”就是由庄辛对楚王的回答而来的。
14.对牛弹琴
古时候，有个著名的音乐家公明仪。他弹筝技艺很好，但有时会做些傻事。
有一天，他看到一头牛在他家附近的田里吃草。他一下子有了灵感，就跑出去为这头牛弹琴。公明仪弹的曲子非常优美，他自己也陶醉在音乐之中。可是那头牛根本不理会那美妙的音乐，只顾着吃草。公明仪感到十分奇怪，不明白为什么牛对他的演奏无动于衷。很明显，牛不理会他并不是因为他的演奏很糟糕，而是因为牛听不懂也欣赏不了这种高深的曲调。
“对牛弹琴”这个成语就是从上述故事演化而来的，指那些说话或写东西不考虑听众或读者的人。一般来说，是说话人或作者高估了听众或读者。所以，这则成语嘲讽的主要是听众或观众，而不是说话者。
15.画蛇添足
楚国有一个官员，在春天祭祖之后，便将一壶酒赏给他的办事人员。有人提议:“我们只有一壶酒，肯定不够我们大家喝的，一个人喝倒是绰绰有余。我们每人在地上画一条蛇，谁画得最快，就把这壶酒给他。”大家都同意了。有一个人很快就把蛇画好了。他正打算喝这壶酒时，看见别人都还忙着画呢，就得意扬扬地说:“你们画得好慢呀，等我再画上几只脚吧！”他的蛇脚还没画完，另一个人已经把蛇画好了。那人把酒壶夺了过去说:“有谁见过长脚的蛇？你画的不是蛇，这壶酒应该是我的了。”说罢，就喝起酒来。那个给蛇画脚的人没办法，只能懊悔自己的愚蠢。
Exercises
Section A Thought-provoking questions
1．What is a fable？
2．What does the idiom about dotting the eyes of the dragon mean now？
3．When is the idiom in the first story usually used？
4．What does“塞翁失马，焉知非福”mean in English？
Section B Fill in the blanks with the idioms introduced in this chapter
1．_____is used to describe the psychological state of being frightened caused by taking illusions as reality．
2．The expression_____ is now usually adopted to indicate the case that a person can make his speech or composition smartly lively just with only a few pointed key words or expressions．
3．The story_____ describes the case in which the spurious is mixed with the genuine．
4．The fable_____ tells us that man should not stick stubbornly to his own opinion，instead he should make changes according to specific conditions．
5．The idiom_____ is saying that we have to let things go in its natural course．Being too anxious to help an event to develop often results in the contrary to our intent．
6．A loss may turn out to be a gain is what the fable_____ wants to tell us．
7．Cheap tricks never last is the theme of the fable_____．
8．The story_____ warns us not to formally copy the way of others．
9．If someone is_____，he is addressing the wrong audience or talking over somebody's head．
10．We still use the metaphor_____to advise someone that even when he has made a mistake and suffered losses，he can still remedy it by drawing lessons from the mistake．
——《论语》
※There are three kinds of beneficial friends and three kinds of detrimental friends:It is beneficial to make friends with people who are upright，honest，and well informed.It is detrimental to make friends with people who are crooked，dishonest，and fasttalking.
From Analects of Confucius
(益者三友，损者三友。友直、友谅、友多闻，益矣。友便辟、友善柔、友便佞，损矣。)
——《论语》
※To commit a transgression and not reform is the real transgression！
From Analects of Confucius
(过而不改，是谓过矣！)