Ancient Chinese Fables

Name: Ancient Chinese Fables
ISBN: 9787545104066

Xiao FengLiaohai Publishing House · ChinaApr 2025

Rating 3.9

Word count: 72 words
Chapters: 12
ISBN: 9787545104066

Summary

This book includes such fables as "Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow," "A Man of Chu Learns to Speak Qi," "Fifty Steps Laugh at a Hundred," "The Shameless One," "The Reason for Stealing Chickens," "Feng Meng Kills Yi," "Two Sons Learn Chess," "Zi Chan and the Minor Official," "Yan Zi's Mission to Chu (I)," "Yan Zi's Mission to Chu (II)," and "Governing a State Is Like Catching Rats."

Editor's review

This book gathers well-known ancient Chinese fables in one place, from "Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow" and "Fifty Steps Laugh at a Hundred" to "Yan Zi's Mission to Chu" and "Governing a State Is Like Catching Rats," balancing storytelling with argumentative interest. The fables are short, with clear plots and easy reading, yet they often leave a thought-provoking lesson at the end, making the book a good introduction to traditional narrative and worldly wisdom. Most of the stories come from pre-Qin classics and historical legends, so readers can also sense how the ancients observed society and expressed criticism. For readers who need material, practice summarizing morals, or hold classroom discussions, this book offers conveniently accessible texts. When reading, treat each story as a prompt: first think about the moral yourself, then compare it with the usual interpretation, and the gain will be more solid.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Upper-primary students for extracurricular reading and building a store of fables
Chinese-language teachers who need short texts for classroom discussion and practice in summarizing morals
General readers interested in traditional stories and lessons on dealing with the world
Parents who want to read with their children and discuss the lessons in the stories

Not a good fit for

Academic readers seeking a systematic study of the origins and editions of fable literature
Readers who prefer long narratives or complex plots
Very young children, as some fables require a certain level of understanding

Reading tips

Read three to five fables at a time; after finishing, close the book and retell the story, then try to sum up the moral in one sentence.
Compare fables with similar themes, such as stories about saying one thing and doing another, or blind imitation.
When reading together as a family, let the child explain their understanding first, then add background and different views.
Keep a notebook to record impressions of each story's source and situations in life that correspond to it, for later reference.

About the publisher

Liaohai Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Liaohai Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for textbooks and the collation of ancient works. Its publishing scope covers state-approved textbooks, local curriculum materials, supplementary educational books, and national and local ancient-text compilation projects, while also extending into humanities fields such as Eastern philosophy. Its catalog contains about 4,694 titles, with representative works including the multi-volume Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and its author resources include classic writers and works such as Sima Qian and Confucius. Grounded in educational publishing and the transmission of traditional culture, the press maintains sustained investment in ancient-text collation, forming a publishing profile that balances textbooks and scholarship. Due to limited public information, its more specific publishing directions and features require further supplementation.

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FAQ

What age of children are the fables in this book suitable for?

Most pieces are short with clear plots, so upper-primary children can read them independently; younger children can listen and read along with a parent or teacher. Some fables involve satire and argument, and a little explanation from an adult will improve understanding.

How can one best grasp the moral when reading fables?

First, without looking at the explanation, find clues in the story's ending and the characters' behavior, state the lesson in one sentence, and then compare it with the common understanding. This makes it easier to form your own judgment than simply memorizing conclusions, and also makes the fables easier to use in writing and discussion.

What is the relationship between the stories in the book and Chinese idioms?

Many pieces correspond to familiar idioms or allusions, such as "Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow" and "Fifty Steps Laugh at a Hundred." Reading the stories helps explain these idioms' origins and contexts, but their actual usage still needs to be mastered through real example sentences in modern Chinese.

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About the author

Xiao Feng Author · China · 1926–2001

Xiao Feng (1926–2001) was born in Pinglu, Shanxi, and graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature at Peking University in 1946. He worked as a reporter and editor for China Youth Publishing House and the magazine Traveler, taught at Renmin University of China and Beijing Normal University, later served as deputy editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief, and joined the Chinese Writers Association in 1984. He co-edited works such as A Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Tourism, Fifty Famous Travel Essays, and Beautiful China, and published hundreds of essays, travel pieces, and literary reviews. His works span inspirational growth, classic literature, and prose miscellany. The library holds over a thousand of his titles, including selected editions of Lu Xun's works and Les Misérables. Public information is limited, but his writing and editorial work were aimed at general readers and helped popularize classics and promote prose and travel writing.