50 Chinese Fables

Title

en_US 50 Chinese Fables

Description

en_US Signed by Zheng

Qu Guanghui, Translated by Lianne Zheng

Creator

en_US Guanghui, Qu See all items with this value

Contributor

en_US Leone, Wing K.

Date

2025-05-20T17:10:12Z

2023-11

en_US 1993

Date Available

2025-05-20T17:10:12Z

Date Issued

en_US 1993

Abstract

en_US Here is an unusual large-format (8⅜" x 10¾") unpaginated paperback book of about 60 pages, with only the right-hand pages printed. The introduction acknowledges the Fred Meyer Foundation for a grant to teach English in China and "to bring these fables to the attention of our American friends." That introduction also speaks of a revival of fables in Chinese culture and of good contemporary versions. Their author, Qu Guanghui, is a middle school teacher in Wenzhou. I, as one who has read some Chinese fables elsewhere, am encouraged to read in that introduction "the Chinese way of indirect expression would leave the reader wondering what the fables could possibly mean." Some good fables here include "Cry and Laugh," which has a wolf asking a lamb "Which would make me look better? To cry or to laugh?" The lamb's answer is "Your laughter and your tears are equally evil to me." In "Squirrel See, Squirrel Do," a squirrel sees a supposedly intelligent monkey eat a piece of fruit. The squirrel therefore trusts the fruit and eats it. At the hospital, he sees the dead monkey as he himself is dying. Unfortunately, the story is printed again on the next right-hand page. "The Fox and the Donkey" plays on a familiar Aesopic theme. To curry favor with the lion, the fox delivers to the hungry lion the fox's friend the donkey. "It is easier to die by the hand of a friend than by the hand of an enemy." I was surprised by "Aesop and His Friend." The friend advised Aesop to write not fables but a masterpiece. When Aesop was later acclaimed, his old friend asked him if there had been a shortcut to writing it. "The only short cut that I took is that I didn't take your advice." In "The Mouse and the Elephant," the mouse wants to kill the elephant by climbing up its trunk and plugging it up. The result is that the elephant sneezes out a dead mouse! The black-and-white illustrations are simple and direct.

Identifier

en_US 13505 (Access ID)

uri

https://cdr.creighton.edu/handle/10504/157869

Language

en_US eng

Subject

Chinese See all items with this value