A Dragon Fly Book101 Classic Chinese Fables

Published by Dragon Fly Publications Inc.

Copyright © 1998 by Dragon Fly Publications Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or in any manner whatsoever, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval

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Franslator: Howard Zhai General Editor: Ruth Martin Source Editor: Xuejun Wang

Graphic Designer: AccuGraphics Design Inc. Illustrators: Victor Naval and Bobby Canlas

CD Audio Editor: Ron Rutley

Published in Canada by Dragon Fly Publications Inc.10371 Mortfield Road, Richmond, BC V7A 2W1

Email: dragon@ihermes.comPublished in the U.S.A, by Dragon Fly Publications Inc.

6233 Potrero Drive, Newark, CA 94560Email: dragon@ihermes.com

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Main entry under title: 101 classic Chinese fables

ISBN 0-9682995-0-4

1. Fables, Chinese. 2. Tales -China. I. Zhai, Howard.II. Martin, Ruth. III. Title: One hundred and one classic Chinese fables.

PN989.C5O63 1998 398.2'0951 C98-911036-2

Distributed by Gordon Soules Book Publishers Ltd.1354-B Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC Canada V7T 1B5

620-1916 Pike Place, Seattle, W A 98101, US 604-922-6588 Fax: 604-688-5442 E-mail: books@gordonsoules.com

Web site: http://www.gordonsoules.com

Contents

Introduction

I. Divine and Ghost Fables1. The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains........... 32. The Great Emperor Who Conquered the Floods ... 53. The Ghost of the Flaunted Bridge......................64. The Bug-eyed Monster of the Flaunted Bridge...........85. The Hairy Monkey Ghost................................... 1°6. Fearless Li Crosses the Graveyard................... 117. A Prawn for a Dragon Princess........................128. The King God in the Temple............................ 149. The Buddhist Monk and the Taoist Priest..... 16

10. Roast Cow Flead....................................................1$11. The Temple of the Mountain Gods.................1912. The Boasting Magician........................................2013. The Holy Jade Emperor’s Favorite Wine....... 2314. The Transformed Emperor.................................2415. The Metamorphosis of a Thief...........................25

IL Animal Fables (Anthropomorphic)16. The Fate of the Cold Screamer.......................... 2917. The Tale of the Turtle and the Tadpole..........3018. The Screeching Owl and the Wise Turtledove...........3119. The Contentious Bat.......................................... 3220. The Leopard and the Dove................................. 3321. The Drunken Chimpanzees...............................3422. The Monkey and the Tiger.................................3623. The Clever Ink-fish...............................................3724. The Donkey and the Tiger..................................3825. The Greedy Insect..................................................4026. The Angry Globefish...........................................4127. The Poor Night-watch Goose.............................4228. The Bird with Nine Heads................................. 4429. The Myna Bird, the Magpie, and the Dove... 4530. The Fox Who Borrowed Power from the Tiger .... 4631. The Animals’ Game of Crossing the River..... 4732. Mr. Benevolence and the Turtle........................4933. A Fawn’s Hard Lesson.......................................... 51

V1-------------- - -- - -----------------------------------101 Classic Chinese Fables

III. Animal Fables (Non-anthropomorphic)34. The Hunter Who Blew a Bamboo Whistle....... 5535. Mr. Mouse and Mr. Cat..........................................5636. The Dim-witted Seahorse....................................... 5737. The Enraged Bachelor............................................5838. The Burdened Rider................................................ 6039. Tiger the Mouse-cat................................................ 6140. Requesting a Sick Leave for the Donkey............6241. The Snake’s Shadow.................................................6342. The Turtle Hog..........................................................6443. How the Brothers’ Goose Got Cooked................ 6544. The Greedy Farmer and the Four Fearsome Beasts. 6645. The Priceless Tiger Fur............................................6846. The Monk and the Pig-farmer..............................6947. The Hunter King..................................................... 7048. The Tiger and Tang the Hunter............................7149. The Lost Horse..........................................................7350. The Scarecrow Fisherman..................................... 7451. The Snake with Legs................................................ 7552. The Closet Tippler and the Riverside Pigs....... 7653. The Fat Cat.................................................................78

IV. Social Fables54. The Two Braggart Brothers...................................8155. Lesson of the Taro Soup..........................................8256. The Fragrant Orange.............................................. 8557. The Copper Buddha.................................................8858. The Careless Thief...................................................9059. The Monk and the Escort....................................... 9160. The Magic Mosquito Repellent............................9361. The Burglar and the Fool.......................................9462. Like Father, Like Son.............................................. 9563. The Digestion of the Pear and the Jujube......... 9664. The Boy Learns Several Trades..............................9765. The Rich Man, the Knight, and the Beggar.......9866. Archery Expert Bested by Oil Seller................... 10067. Folk Prescription Liu.............................................10268. A Calligrapher’s Indulgence.................................10469. The Swollen-headed Student.............................. 10570. The Quack Surgeon...............................................10771. The Water Chestnut Tree..................................... 108

Contents

73.74.75.76.77.78.79.

The Sour-tasting Wine . . . Pork as Punishment......... The Listening Chess Player Yu Flatters the Emperor . . An Artist Views a Picture . The Greedy Water............. The Country of Madmen . The Swimmer’s Money. . .

80. The Chief Executive Is Besieged...............81. The Shadow’s Cool Embrace.........82. The Blind Man and the Sun............83. A Man Gets Flim-flammed............84. A Brave Man Learns to Swim..........85. The Copper Vase.................................86. The Blind Man on the Bridge..........87. The Discriminating Monk..............88. The Clean Son-in-law.......................89. Portrait of an Ugly Man...................90. The Mistaken Eulogy.....................91. The Light from the Firefly and the Snow92. A Pot of Boiling Fish.....................93. The Two Stupid Sons.....................94. The Dismantled Bell.....................95. The Prime Minister’s Calligraphy.........96. The Priceless Zither.....................97. The Rich Monk and the Poor Monk . . .98. The Keen Designer........................99. The Harmony Brothers..............

100. The Counterfeit Wine.....................101. Ladies Five, Eight, and Nine..........

Vil

109111112114115116117118119120121122123124126

, 128. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 137. 138. 139. 141. 142. 143. 145. 147