In this classic short story, it turns out Lord Ye (叶公) doesn’t like dragons as much as he thinks he does.
Categories
Tag: Myths & Fables (24)
Isn’t it weird that most cultures have an ancient flood myth? China actually has a couple of them, but this one is the most well-known.
This is the fable that sits at the heart of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival – sort of like how the story of Santa sits at the heart of Christmas.
This is one of several famous fables about military strategist Zhuge Liang, a real historical figure who has become legend due to his loyalty and tricky tactics.
In this passage, we get to read a retelling of one of China’s most beloved myths.
This very famous story of star-crossed lovers is the tale behind the Chinese Qixi Festival, sometimes called Chinese Valentine’s Day. In this story, a young mortal man ends up married to a goddess, but is prevented from being with her due to the machinations of heaven.
Categories
Ghost story:《画皮》The Painted Skin
Would you let a beautiful stranger move into your home after meeting them once on a dark night? Yeah, probably not the best idea.
Two ants tackle the same problem, but one does it recklessly, while the other exercises patience. Who do you think succeeds?
In this short fable, we find out that the biggest is not always the strongest.
The moral of this short story, of course, is that faith burns more brightly the more people share it with each other.
Categories
Fable: 洗衣服 – Washing clothes
In this quick lesson about judging others, we learn that those who live in dirty glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. HSK 2-3.
Categories
Fable:《和尚背女人》Monks carrying a woman
An elder monk gives a younger monk a quick lesson in following the spirit of the law, rather than the letter of the law.
A not-too-bright fellow heads to the market to buy a pair of shoes. Includes a beginner’s introduction to classical Chinese. HSK 3.
Ready for a serious challenge? In this myth, the Eight Immortals mess around in the Dragon King’s domain, almost starting a cataclysm in the process.
Categories
Mythology: 女娲补天 – Nvwa Mends the Heavens
Doesn’t it seem like humankind has a collective memory of some prehistoric natural disaster built into our DNA? So many cultures have ancient myths about close calls with total destruction, be it Noah’s Ark, or the story of Atlantis, or in China’s case, “Nvwa Mends the Heavens” (女娲补天).
Categories
Fable: 天堂里的自由 – Freedom in Heaven
A little thrush (画眉 huà méi) trades one cage (笼子 lóng zi) for a bigger one, and doesn’t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.
Categories
Fable: 《上帝的铲子》God’s Shovel
A devout Christian explains the benefits of charitable giving to his neighbors. A short, 7-sentence read, but a little dense on new vocab with harder sentence structures (suitable around HSK 4-5).
This one’s pretty cool, guys. Today, we’re going to take look at a short text that’s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》shān hǎi jīng, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty – that’s around the same time as the Roman Empire.
Categories
Fable: 《沉默的狗》The Silent Dog
Welp, I swore I would never do this again but I found this (and several other short stories) in Hainan Airlines’ in-flight magazine (I’m in Prague!) and couldn’t resist typing it up (as opposed to copy-pasting from an online source). I’ve checked and checked for typos, but I’m not always the best at that, so […]
A cool introduction to one of the lesser-known deities, Shen Nong 神农 shén nóng, the God of Agriculture (and later called the Bodhisattva of Medicine). This is upper-intermediate reading: expect a lot of new words (mostly relating to plants and Chinese medicine) but intermediate sentence structure, and sentences mostly communicate a complete point.