Ancient Wisdom

Prince Ling was fond of seeing his women in 'mannish' garb. Before long all the women in the kingdom had taken to wearing men's clothes. The Prince then issued an ordinance against the fad in the following words: 'Any woman who is found wearing men's clothes shall have her robe torn and her belt ripped." Soon the streets were filled with women with torn robes and broken belts, but the mannish fashion persisted. When 'Yentze' was in audience, the Prince asked, "I have issued an order prohibiting women from wearing men's clothes. All those who offended have had their clothes torn, and yet the fashion persists. How do you account for that?" 'Yentze' answered, "Your Highness has caused your women to wear it within the palace at the same time that you banned it without; it is as if you had hung a cow's head at your door and sold horse meat inside. "Why don't you ask that this habit be ended in your own house? Then ther

  A cat fell in love with a handsome young man and entreated Venus to change her into the form of a woman. Venus consented to her request and transformed her into a beautiful damsel. The youth saw her, loved her, and took her home as his bride. While they were reclining in their chamber, Venus, wishing to discover if the cat, in her change of shape, had also altered her habits of life, let down a mouse in the middle of the room. She, quite forgetting her present condition, started up from the couch and pursued the mouse, wishing to eat it. Venus, much disappointed, again caused her to return to her former shape. Nature exceeds Nurture.  

Once There was a man of ' Ch'i ' who desired gold. One morning he rose and dressed and went to market. He went straight to a shop that sold gold, grabbed some of the gold, and ran. The police arrested him and questioned him, saying, "How could you rob somebody else's gold in broad daylight and in front of all these people, too?" The man of ' Ch'i ' answered, "When I reached for the gold I only say gold, I didn't see any people."

Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Yang, two brothers—Yang Chu and Yang Pu—lived side by side. Their lives were intertwined, yet their perspectives diverged like the branches of a gnarled tree. One fateful day, Yang Pu stepped out into the world, clad in a light-coloured coat. The sun smiled upon him, and all seemed well. But as fate would have it, the heavens opened, and raindrops danced upon his shoulders. Yang Pu, practical and adaptable, shed his light coat and donned a dark one—a seamless transition from sun to storm. Returning home, he expected a warm welcome from his loyal companion—the family dog. But to his surprise, the dog met him with fierce barks, eyes filled with suspicion. Yang Pu’s anger flared. How could his faithful friend turn on him? Enter Yang Chu, the elder brother, wise and observant. He stepped in, calming the chaos. “Hold your hand,” he said to Yang Pu. “Would you strike this loyal creature?” Yang Pu hesitated, his anger waning. “But why?” he asked. Yang