Chinese Folk Tales
Tzeng-Shen Killed One Man
In Chun Chiou Age in China, Tzeng-Shen, one of Confucius' students, lived in Fei County in Shandong. Another man who was also named Tzeng-Shen lived in Fei, too. One day the man killed someone. But some people didn't know the truth and thought that Tzeng-Shen did it. So, someone went to Tzeng-Shen's home and told his mother that her son had killed someone. She didn't believe it and kept weaving because she knew her son was a virtuous person. A little while, another man came and repeated the news. Still, she kept weaving. Then the third man came and told her the same thing. This time Tzeng-Shen's mother started to believe what she heard and became scared. Finally, she threw away the shuttle and ran away.
The story tells us how terrible a rumor could be- maybe those who know you well might not believe you anymore.
A little Chinese Story
Chinese idioms are interesting. What impresses me most is the one about spears and shields. When describing someone is contradictory, we Chinese like to say that he contradicts himself with spears and shields. Here comes the story!
Once upon a time, there was a peddler traveling around every country to sell his spears and shields. He was so talkative and persuasive that he always made good businesses. One
day, he got to a small village and started to brag about his wares. As usual, he gathered many people by beating a gong, and then he said, \" Watch here, everyone! In my hands is the sharpest spear you could ever find. It can poke through any thing and hurt your hard-bitten preys right on the spot.\" As his words were so convincing, he sold most of his spears in a short time. Later he took his shields out and played the tricks again. \"Look, my friends! This is the hardest shield in the world. It can protect you from any assault. No spear ever can poke through it.\" While he was bragging, an old man interrupted,\" What about poking your shield with your spear!\" The peddler was stunned and couldn't utter a word. He packed his wares in a hurry and ran away.
Since then, spears and shields have been used to laugh at someone who is contradicts his own words. Next time, when someone doesn't stick to what he says, tell him,\" You are contradicting yourself with spears and shields!\"
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A long time ago, a shepherd grew a group of sheep in a small village where they lived happily and peacefully.
One night, some yells of wolves were heard everywhere around the village. As soon as the shepherd heard this, he knew wolves were coming. The entrance to the sheepfold was closed tightly and the sheep dogs watched these sheep thoroughly securely. The protection was so severe that the wolves couldn't catch these sheep for food.
After a few days, one of the wolves had an idea that it could pretend to be a sheep. On
a windless night, there was no moonlight, it was quieter and darker than usual. So the wolf decided to put its idea into practice. By wearing the skin of a sheep, it cheated the shepherd and got into the group easily. The wolf was so happy that it could get the food without efforts from now.
During the night, the shepherd invited his friends to his birthday party, so he came into the fold to prepare food for dinner. It was too dark to figure out which one was fatter. Accidentally, the shepherd caught up the wolf, instead of a sheep, and killed the pretentious wolf.
Story About The Year
Once upon a time, there was a big monster called \"Year\" in the sea. It slept all the time except the last night of the year. On that day, people hid themselves in the mountains because \"Year\" would come up to the land and eat them.
This year, on the last night of the year, people hid themselves in the mountains as usual except an old woman. She stayed to fight \"Year\" because her son was eaten by \"Year\" last year. A genie knew this and wanted to help her. He pretended to be a crippled beggar and asked her for some food. She pitied him and gave him some boiled dumplings. After finishing the dumplings, the beggar asked why people ran so fast on the road. The old woman told him the reason. The beggar laughed and saw it's easy to fight off \"Year.\"
He asked her to bring him two pieces of red cloth. He stuck it to the door and burnt his bamboo stick in front of the house. The burning made a lot of noise. He also asked the old
woman for some more dumplings because they were so delicious. So she began to chop the meat for the dumplings in the kitchen.
The sky was becoming darker and darker, and the yelling of the big monster was becoming louder and louder. The old woman was very afraid and she choped the meat more quickly and louder. The big monster couldn't endure the noise of the burning and chopping. Its head hurt so much and he began to seek the source of the noise. However, when it reach the house, it was frightened by the red color on the door, so it fled to the sea.
The next morning, people came back from the mountains. When they found the old woman still alive. They were very surprised and asked her what happened. The old woman told them the truth. Everyone was very happy because if they made boiled dumplings, burn bamboos and stick red cloth to the door on the eve of the Chinese New Year, they wouldn't need to be afraid of \"Year\" again. Therefore, they call the day that \"Year\" flees away \"to pass the Year.\" This is why we eat boiled dumplings, set off firecrackers, and stick \"chuen-lian\" to the door on the eve of the Chinese New Year in order to pass the year.
Zeng Zi Would Not Lie
One day, as Zeng Zi's wife was going out, her child began to cry , begging to go with her.
\" Stay home,\" the mother said to him. \" When I return, we'll kill a pig for your dinner!\"
When she came back, she found Zeng Zi preparing to slaughter a pig for the child's
meal. She hurried over to stop him: \" What are you doing? You're not really going to kill a pig, are you? I was just kidding him!\"
\" How can we lie to children?\" Zeng Zi replied. \" They learn each and every movement from their parents. If you deceive your child with lies, you are teaching the child to lie. One cannot educate children this way.\"
In the end, Zeng Zi killed the pig.
Kitchen God Day
Long ago, there was a lord. He was very fond of eating. He soon tasted all the delicious food in his palace. Later he went out of the palace to look for food. He came to a woman's house and begged for food. The woman gave him some sugar cakes, and he ate them up in a short time. Then he asked the woman to go to his palace and baked cakes for him. The woman wouldn't listen to him. The lord then threatened to drag her to the palace. The woman got mad and slapped him on the face. The slap sent the lord flying to the wall behind the kitchen stove. From there on, the lord couldn't get down. All that he could do was watch people eat. Afterwards, he became the Kitchen Lord. People worried that he might report bad things about them to the Heavenly God, so they got an idea. Every year on the 23th day of the twelfth lunar month, they will prepare some sugar cakes and candies for the Kitchen God, and hope that he will only say good things of them. We call the day \"Kitchen God Day.\"
Sun-Wu Kong--the King in the Flower Fruit Mount
Many years ago, there was a monkey, named Sun Wu Kong. He was a smart monkey leader in the Flower Fruit Mount. He had 72 magic powers and one magic stick--Gin Koo Bang.
The monkey was very happy to be the king there. One day the King of the Gods invited all of the gods to a party; however, the monkey was not invited. This made him very angry. So he decided to play some tricks to the King. The Heaven was in such a mess, so the king had to teach him a lesson.
But no God could do anything about the monkey, until the Buddha showed up. He kept the monkey under a small mountain. And he would have a Monk, Tang Shan Jang, to free him five hundred years later.
Time flies by. Soon it was the time for the monkey to be freed. The Monk then became his master and they would go on their trip to the West for the Buddha Books.
Though they has to face many troubles on their way to the West, the monkey really did a good job. He never gave up easily. All of their stories are seen in the Book--A Tour to the West. It's one of the best books in China. And the king in the Flower Fruit Mount has become the most famous monkey in Chinese history.
The Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Taiwan. It falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Traditionally, we have dragon boat races and eat
Chung-tze on that day, which has something to do with the festival's origins. As legend has it, during the Fourth century B.C., Chu Yuan, a poet and senior government official, committed suicide on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month by throwing himself into the Milo River in Hunan Province. He did so to protest the king's corrupt practices, hoping that by dying he could cause the king to come to his senses and return to honest and upright practices. When the people in the nearby village saw what had happened, they put their boats into the water and raced to rescue him. But his body was never found. The villager threw rice into the river to keep the fish from eating Chu Yuan's body or to feed Chu Yuan's soul. Ever since, they have remembered this long-ago event with the Dragon Boat Festival. Besides, people eat Chung-Tze in honor of the great poet, Chu Yuan. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Poet's Day.
Monkey Keeper 朝三暮四
Once upon a time, in the land of Sung Dynasty there was a monkey keeper who
loved monkeys very much. He raised a whole swarm of them and could understand their thoughts as well as feelings. These monkeys were very dear to him and he treated them as his family. He loved them so much that he would even take the food from the mouths of his own family to satisfy them. However, as time went by, his money was running short and he found out that he couldn't afford the huge amount of money used for buying the food for monkeys. Finally came the time when he had to reduce their provisions. Fearing that the monkeys would feel upset and stop obeying him, he decided to trick them into accepting short rations. One day he told the monkeys, \" Here are the chestnuts for you. You will get three each morning and four each evening. Is that enough for you? \" On
hearing his words, the monkeys started to shout loudly and jumped up and down in anger, as if displeased with his new policy.
So, the trainer said, \"All right, all right. Please calm down, my dear. Since you don't like it, I will give you four each morning and three each evening. Is that enough for you?\" Delighted, the monkeys quieted down and agreed with the new arrangement.
The trainer felt contented, too. ------ Lieh Tzu 列子
The Prime Minister's Coachman 宰相的車夫
Yen Tzu (晏子) was the prime minister of Chi (齊國). One day when he went
out, his coachman's wife watched her husband from the gates. The coachman was sheltered by a large awning befitting his rank. He laid the whip to the team of four horses, his spirits merry, his mood self-satisfied. But when he returned home, his wife said she wanted to leave him. The coachman asked her reasons. \"Yen Tzu is hardly five feet tall, \" she replied, \"and he is the prime minister, famous among the lords of
the realm. I have noticed that when he goes for a drive, he seems serious and reflective and always has an air of humility. You are more than six feel tall, but you serve others as a coachman and seem very pleased with yourself. That's why I want to leave you.\" Thereafter the coachman made less of himself and became very humble and good-mannered. Yen Tzu was surprised by the change and asked the reason. The coachman told Yen Tzu about his wife's remarks. Admiring him, Yen Tzu promoted him immediately. -------------- Ssu-ma
Ch'en 司馬遷
False Vanity
There was a man living with his two wives. Each time he got drunk when he came home. It seemed that he always had a big meal with the rich on his trip out. His curious wives wondered his good fortune as none of the privileged person was ever seen in their house.
They were going to unveil his secret. One of his wives followed her husband's steps only to find that nobody said hello to him. At last, they stopped at a graveyard outside the town. There, many people offered a sacrifice to the dead. The wife was astounded at her husband's begging for surplus food from other people. She realized at this moment that her husband told a big le to cover his shameful behavior.
The two wives were angry to discover the truth. They were sad to marry such a pitiful man. It's a regret that the husband still bragged about his verbal enjoyment without knowing his wives' blazing resentment.
The Land of Peach Flowers
Long time ago there was a fisherman in China. Once he sailed on a small river and forgot the distance the boat had pushed. He surprisingly found a grove of peach trees, which were fragrant and beautiful. He went forward and saw a strange land. The people's dress was unlike those outside. But all people had happy hearts. When they saw the fisherman, they were surprised and asked him a lot of questions. The fisherman answered
fully all the questions. The villagers said their forefathers took their families to the land to avoid the great disorder of the Ching Dynasty. Since then they had never gone out. Several days later, the fisherman who was treated passionately wanted to go home. The villagers beseeched him not to tell anyone what he had seen. On his way back, he marked every place. After getting to the city, he went to see the mayor and reported what he had seen. The mayor sent out officers with the fisherman. He tried to find the marks he had made. But he lost his way and couldn't get to the land of peach flowers.
Ho's Jade
There was once a man named Bian Ho who lived in the state of Chu. He found a piece of unpolished jade, and decided to present it to the king. The Chu's king, Li, told a jadesmith to examine it, and he said that it was only a piece of rock with no jade in it. King Li thought he was deceived by Bian Ho, so he had Bian Ho's left foot cut off. After several years, King Li died and his son, Wu, took the throne. Bian Ho presented the jade stone to the king again. But King Wu regarded him as a crook, and had his right foot cut off. Later King Wu died and his son, Wen, became king. However, Bian Ho dared not present the jade stone any more. He went to the foot of the hill where he discovered the jade rock, and cried until blood flowed from his eyes. When King Wen heard this, he sent for Bian Ho to ask for an explanation. Bian Ho said he was sad because true jade had been taken for worthless rock and his loyalty for deceit. King Wen then ordered the jade rock to be split open. Sure enough, there was a piece of true precious jade. Surprised and touched, the king decided to name the jade \"Ho's Jade\" in honor of Bian Ho.
Plucking Up a Crop To Help It Grow
It is said that a short tempered man in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) was very anxious to have his rice crop growing up quickly. He was thinking about this day and night. But the crop was growing much slower than he expected.
One day, he thought a solution to this. He plucked up all of his crop a few inches.
Even though he was very tired after doing this for a whole day, he felt very happy since the crop did 'grow' taller.
His son heard about this and went to see the crop. Unfortunately the leaves of the crop began to wither.
This proverb teaches us to let nature take its course and let things go in natural course. Being too anxious to help an event to develop often produces unwanted outcomes.
The Long Pole Got into the Gate
Long ago in China, there were a couple living in Lu, a place far away from the city.
One day, the woman gave her husband one hundred dollars and told him to buy a long pole.
After he got one, he had the long pole in his hand and walked home.
On his way home, he had to get into the City Gate.
But how did he pass the gate with a long pole?
First, he held the pole upright, but the pole could not pass through. It was too long.
Then, he held it another way, but it still could not pass through.
It was still too long.
Again, he tried the other way, but the pole just couldn't pass through.
It was always too long.
Finally, an old man came and said to him:
\"I am not God, but I know better than you do.
I see better than you do.
And, I have more experiences than you.
Why don't you cut the middle of it?
Why don't you make the pole shorter, and then it could pass through? \"
The man then happily cut the pole in two.
Now he made his dream come true.
The long pole could pass through.
When he got home, his wife asked him how much money he paid. He answered
\"one hundred dollars.\"
\" How smart you are. One hundred dollars for two poles.\" She said happily.
But what can short poles help do?
So what lesson do you learn from the story?
When someone tells us to do something, think carefully before you do it.
What lesson do you learn from the story?
What we see and hear may not be true.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
What lesson can you learn from the story?
Try to see more, experience more, read more, and get the right person to ask questions.
And what lesson can you learn from the story?
The Big Crane
Long ago, there was a poor young man, Yu-zuo, who lived in a small village. Yu-zuo eked out his livelihood by lumbering. One day, there was heavy snow, but Yu-zuo still backed the wood to the town for sale. After earning some money, he bought food. On his way home, he found a big crane was trapped. Yu-zuo untied the crane as quickly as he could. The crane which just gained freedom flew over Yu-zuo's head around and around as if it was showing its gratitude.
That night, it was extremely cold. Someone was knocking on the door. Yu-zuo opened the door and he saw a beautiful young girl standing at the door. \"I was supposed to visit a person in the village, but I get lost. Can I stay here tonight?\" said the young lady. Since it was still snowing, Yu-zuo allowed her to stay. The next morning, when he got up, the breakfast was served by the girl. Yu-zuo was very surprised and asked the girl to live with him. The girl promised him and asked him to buy some thread from the market. After Yu-zuo got the thread home, the weaving machine was also prepared by the girl. \"When I weave clothe, you can never enter the room,\" asked the girl. Yu-zuo promised. The girl continuously wove the clothe for three days without resting and eating. On the morning of the fourth day morning, the girl finally showed up with a piece of beautiful cloth on her hand. \"You take the cloth to the market, and it will have a good price,\" said the girl. It happened exactly as expected. A rich man saw the cloth in the market, and he not only bought the cloth but asked to buy more the other day. Yu-zuo happily got home and asked the girl to weave another piece of cloth for him. The girl forced herself to do the hard task,
but she still asked him not to enter the room. Five days passed by, but the girl didn't show up. Yu-zuo was worried about her. He couldn't help but peep from the keyhole. He couldn't believe what he saw. He saw a big crane plucking its feathers and weaving the feathers into the cloth. On seeing this, Yu-zuo was too astonished to speak. The big crane found Yu-zuo peeping, and it changed itself into the girl suddenly. But it was too late. \"I am the crane saved by you; I came here to thank you for your help. Now you know the truth; I have to go,\" said the girl sadly. No matter how Yu-zuo urged the girl not to go, she still flew to the sky without turning back.
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