3 Chinese fables that contain great teachings from an ancient culture

Almost all Chinese fables, especially the oldest ones, are short stories that contain great teachings. They have been passed down from generation to generation and many of them survive today, spreading from word to mouth or, as in this case, from article to article.

Chinese fables are a form of popular literature. Many of them have not been written down, but rather circulate through tradition. oral. They represent a didactic way of transmitting the main values ​​of oriental culture to new generations.

On this occasion We bring three traditional Chinese fables. Each of them focuses on showing with an example how values ​​or the lack of them lead to certain consequences. Here they are for you to enjoy.

1. The seagull and kindness, one of the most beautiful Chinese fables

It is said that in an old kingdom there was a wealthy and powerful man who loved to the seagulls. Every morning she got up and looked towards the sea, which was near his mansion. He would stay for hours, ecstatic, contemplating those white birds that amazed him.

One day he found a seagull on the terrace. Shocked by the discovery, he carefully approached her and noticed that she was injured. With the greatest sweetness he took her in his arms and ordered his doctors to cure her. The wound was not very deep and the seagull was healed. coming soon.

Enraptured with her, the man wanted to entertain her. He had the best meals prepared for her… Pheasant, exotic meats, delicious fruits and delicacies of all kinds. However, the seagull did not eat anything. The man tried to convince her, but she did not agree. Three days passed in this way, after which the seagull died.

This is one of the Chinese fables that teaches us how sometimes love, in reality, is not love, but selfishness. The man in this story believed that the seagull would be pleased with what pleased him, not what she needed..

2. The man who saw no one

In the ancient kingdom of Qi there was once a man who had an insatiable thirst for gold.. Unfortunately he was very poor and his work did not allow him to obtain great wealth. He barely had enough to survive. Even so, he was completely fascinated by the idea of ​​obtaining gold.

This man knew that in the market there were several merchants who put beautiful gold figures in their sales stalls. These objects rested on a beautiful velvet mantle. The rich men of the city went there and took them in their hands to observe them. Sometimes they bought them and sometimes they didn’t..

The man in our story devised a plan to seize one of those figurines that shone in the sun. So one day he put on his best clothes and his best ornaments. Then he went to the market and pretended to look at the gold pieces. Then, without thinking twice, he grabbed one of them and ran away.. He didn’t get more than two blocks when he was caught.

The guards asked him how he had thought of stealing the gold like that, in broad daylight and with hundreds of witnesses around him. The man replied that he had not thought about any of that. He only thought about the gold and saw nothing else. This is one of the Chinese fables that tells us about the blindness that accompanies greed.

3. The man who loved dragons

This was a man named Ye, who had an obsessive fondness for dragons.. She admired their form, the way they looked. She was ecstatic when she saw the pictures that represented them breathing fire and subduing all the enemies they faced.

His admiration for dragons was such that he knew all the legends that mentioned them. He also had gigantic dragons painted in his house, both on the walls and ceilings.. His house looked like a temple dedicated to dragons.

One night, when I least expected it, a dragon’s head burst through one of the windows. Without giving her time to react, he began to breathe fire from his jaws and the dragon-loving man ran and screamed everywhere. Mr. Ye only managed to flee like could and almost went crazy with shock. This is one of the Chinese fables that teaches us to love concrete realities, not those that are in our minds.

Chinese fables have and will have an incomparable charm. They are the example of an ancient culture, in which since ancient times great importance has been given to the most social values.

You might be interested…