古代寓言原是民间口头创作，文学体裁的一种。含有讽喻或明显教训意义的故事。它的结构简短。主人公可以是人，可以是动物，也可以是无生物。多借用比喻手法，使富有教训意义的主题或深刻的道理在简单的故事中体现，而还需要自己去理解，思考，这就是和西方寓言的不同之处。

《古代寓言·矮凳》

家有一坐头，绝低矮，迂公每坐，必取瓦片支其四足。后不胜烦，忽思得策，呼侍者，移置楼上坐。

及坐时，低为故，乃曰：“人言楼高，浪得名耳。”

——《雅谑》

The Low Stool

Yu Gong had a very low stool. When he wanted to sit on it, he always placed bricks under each leg. Later he found it very troublesome and hit upon an idea. He ordered a servant to take it upstairs. But when he sat on it again, he found it just as low.

"Well, people say it's higher upstairs, but I don't find it so!" he said.

Ya Nue (Merry Jokes)

（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）

更多精品翻译素材，敬请关注可可英语。