Pulling Up the Seedlings
A farmer in Song wants his seedlings to grow faster, so he pulls them taller by hand, only to learn that hurry without the right method can ruin what is slowly growing.
Story theme
Chinese Classics
Short idiom stories drawn from the Chinese classics—one small tale, one lasting lesson.
5 stories
Waiting by the Stump for a Hare
A farmer in Song finds a hare that runs into an old tree stump and dies, and hopes the same luck will happen again — until his field turns to weeds and the whole village laughs.
Mending the Sheepfold
A shepherd's sheepfold fence breaks open, and a wolf carries off a sheep in the night; only after losing a second sheep does he finally mend the gap, and his flock is never troubled again.
Marking the Boat to Find the Sword
A man from Chu drops his sword into a river while crossing by boat, but only carves a mark on the boat's side to remember the spot — and discovers, too late, that the boat has drifted far while the sword never moved at all.
Drawing a Snake and Adding Feet
A group of retainers race to draw a snake for a jug of wine — whoever finishes first gets to drink it alone. But the fastest one, thinking his snake looks too plain, adds a few extra feet, and loses the wine to the retainer who finishes second.