您現在的位置: Language Tips> Columnist> Zhang Xin  
       
     





     
     
    Fable or parable?
    How should the Chinese 寓言 be put into English?
    [ 2006-10-23 14:01 ]

    Fable or parable?

    Reader Question: "What's the difference between a fable and a parable? How should the Chinese 寓言 be put into English? Is it a fable, or a parable?"

    My comments:
    Both can be correct. However, parable is preferred to fable when it comes to the Chinese 寓言.

    Both a fable and a parable are a narrative, a tale that tells a story and at the same time convey a hidden meaning. Both are intended for instruction, elucidating some moral, social or spiritual truth.

    Parable comes from Latin 'parabola', meaning comparison. Any time you have a tale that tells an event, real or fictitious, but at the same time offers a lesson for people who may encounter comparable events in real life, you've got a parable.

    Fable comes from Latin 'fabula', meaning conversation. Fables are supernatural happenings. In other words, tales in fables are not real. Also, fables generally use animals as characters speaking and acting like human beings.

    The parable, on the other hand, usually uses humans as characters. This is the crucial difference. Most of the Chinese 寓言 stories are parables.

    Here's a Chinese parable about the Foolish Man who tried to move mountains:

    Once upon a time there was a foolish man living in a village at the foot of two big mountains. Every time he made a trip abroad he found the mountains in his way. Finally, the foolish man grew tired of scaling the mountains every day and decided to remove them by hand. He was ninety years old at the time.

    So shovel by shovel the foolish man and his family worked on the job. Each bushel of rock they dug out of the hills they took to bury at the seas in the Far East. Each round trip takes a year to complete.

    There was a wise man living in the same village. Upon seeing the foolish man at work, the wise man said disdainfully: "I've never known you to be smart, but I never realize you're stupid to this degree. Do you know how old you are? You'll be dead before you can alter an ants' nest, talking about moving mountains, indeed!"

    To this the foolish man replied: "I might be dead alright, but the job will be done. I have sons and grandsons to carry on the work when I am gone. And they have sons and grandsons to carry on the work when they are gone. Little by little we are going to get it done."

    When the gods governing the two mountains heard about this, they grew worried that the foolish man would be digging at their territories for ever without cease. They reported the foolish man to the God of Heaven.

    The God of Heaven, touched by the very ceaselessness of the foolish man, had the mountains relocated in settling the dispute. The foolish man never found the two mountains in his way again.

    The mountains, by the way, are the Taihang and the Wangwu mountains we know of today.

    The moral of this story: Miracles may happen if you know what you're doing and keep doing it.

     

    About the author:
     

    Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

    中國日報網英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。
    相關文章 Related Story
     
     
     
    本頻道最新推薦
     
    2011最佳著裝榜 西班牙影星居首
    軟件工程師獲評2011年最佳職業
    物聯網 Internet of Things
    Great Wall named top dangerous location
    跨年晚會 countdown party
    翻吧推薦
     
    論壇熱貼
     
    原來國家的名字如此浪漫
    Funny lines about getting married
    關于工資的英語詞匯大全
    關于職業裝的英語詞匯
    余光中《尺素寸心》(節選)譯

     

    国产v亚洲v天堂无码网站| 日韩精品无码一区二区视频| 特级做A爰片毛片免费看无码 | 日韩AV片无码一区二区三区不卡| 无码激情做a爰片毛片AV片| 亚洲真人无码永久在线| 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕不卡| 99热门精品一区二区三区无码| 亚洲成a人片在线观看无码专区| 中文字幕视频免费| 天堂亚洲国产中文在线| 国产V片在线播放免费无码| 亚洲爆乳精品无码一区二区三区| 色综合久久中文色婷婷| 在线精品自拍无码| 国产成人无码免费看片软件| 色爱无码AV综合区| 亚洲V无码一区二区三区四区观看 亚洲爆乳精品无码一区二区三区 亚洲爆乳无码一区二区三区 | 欧美日韩中文字幕久久久不卡| 久久中文字幕精品| 精品无码国产污污污免费网站国产| 亚洲va无码手机在线电影| 大桥久未无码吹潮在线观看| 欧美日韩亚洲中文字幕二区| 中文字幕精品视频| 中文字幕在线免费| 最近免费中文字幕高清大全| 欧美人妻aⅴ中文字幕| 中文精品久久久久人妻不卡| 中文无码久久精品| 色综合中文综合网| 午夜不卡无码中文字幕影院| 三级理论中文字幕在线播放| 人妻少妇精品视中文字幕国语| 中文无码伦av中文字幕| 狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕 | 国产一区二区中文字幕| 色综合中文字幕| 亚洲欧美日韩中文字幕一区二区三区| 久久精品一区二区三区中文字幕| 一级中文字幕免费乱码专区|