Even More Aesop's Fables · chapter 1 of 6
The Fox and the Stork
狐狸和鹤
Little Squirrel tries to tell a story and gets it wrong, so Grandpa Owl tells one about a fox who serves soup on a flat plate to a long-beaked guest.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 夏天的晚上，两个小朋友来到老树下。
Xiàtiān de wǎnshang, liǎng gè xiǎopéngyou láidào lǎo shù xià.
On a summer night, two little friends came to the old tree.
- Little Squirrel 猫头鹰爷爷！今天我来讲故事，好不好？
Māotóuyīng yéye! Jīntiān wǒ lái jiǎng gùshi, hǎo bù hǎo?
Grandpa Owl! Tonight I'll tell the story, all right?
- Little Rabbit 爷爷，别听他的！他讲得不好。
Yéye, bié tīng tā de! Tā jiǎng de bù hǎo.
Grandpa, don't listen to him! He tells them badly.
- Little Squirrel 我讲得很好！听着：狐狸吃了那只鸟！
Wǒ jiǎng de hěn hǎo! Tīngzhe: húli chī le nà zhī niǎo!
I tell them very well! Listen: the fox ate the bird!
- Grandpa Owl 咕咕！小松鼠，那只鸟没事！
Gūgū! Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, nà zhī niǎo méi shì!
Hoo-hoo! Little Squirrel, the bird was fine!
- Little Squirrel 啊？那我不讲了，我不会讲。
A? Nà wǒ bù jiǎng le, wǒ bú huì jiǎng.
Huh? Then I won't tell it. I can't.
- Grandpa Owl 别难过。今天，爷爷来讲。
Bié nánguò. Jīntiān, yéye lái jiǎng.
Don't be sad. Tonight, Grandpa will tell it.
- Little Rabbit 太好了！爷爷，讲什么呢？
Tài hǎo le! Yéye, jiǎng shénme ne?
Wonderful! Grandpa, what will you tell?
- Grandpa Owl 一只狐狸，和一只鹤。他们是好朋友。
Yì zhī húli, hé yì zhī hè. Tāmen shì hǎo péngyou.
A fox and a stork. They were good friends.
- Grandpa Owl 一天，狐狸请鹤来他家吃饭。
Yì tiān, húli qǐng hè lái tā jiā chīfàn.
One day, the fox invited the stork to his house for dinner.
- The Fox 鹤朋友，快来我家吃饭吧！
Hè péngyou, kuài lái wǒ jiā chīfàn ba!
Friend Stork, come to my house and eat!
- The Stork 谢谢你，狐狸！我很高兴。
Xièxie nǐ, húli! Wǒ hěn gāoxìng.
Thank you, Fox! I'm so happy.
- The Fox 请坐。今天有很好喝的汤！
Qǐng zuò. Jīntiān yǒu hěn hǎohē de tāng!
Please sit. Today we have very good soup!
- The Fox 汤在大盘子里。喝吧，喝吧！
Tāng zài dà pánzi lǐ. Hē ba, hē ba!
The soup is on the big plate. Drink, drink!
- The Stork 这个盘子这么平……我的嘴太长了。
Zhège pánzi zhème píng… wǒ de zuǐ tài cháng le.
This plate is so flat... my beak is too long.
- The Fox 盘子里的汤好喝！你怎么不喝呢？
Pánzi lǐ de tāng hǎohē! Nǐ zěnme bù hē ne?
The soup on the plate is yummy! Why aren't you drinking?
- The Stork 我……我不饿。谢谢你，狐狸。
Wǒ… wǒ bú è. Xièxie nǐ, húli.
I... am not hungry. Thank you, Fox.
- The Fox 那我喝你的汤！太好喝了！
Nà wǒ hē nǐ de tāng! Tài hǎohē le!
Then I'll drink yours! It's so good!
- The Stork 狐狸，明天你来我家吃饭吧。
Húli, míngtiān nǐ lái wǒ jiā chīfàn ba.
Fox, come to my house for dinner tomorrow.
- The Fox 好啊！我明天一定来！
Hǎo a! Wǒ míngtiān yídìng lái!
Sure! I'll be there tomorrow for sure!
- The Fox 鹤，我来了！我好饿啊！
Hè, wǒ lái le! Wǒ hǎo è a!
Stork, I'm here! I'm so hungry!
- The Stork 请坐，请坐。今天的菜很好吃！
Qǐng zuò, qǐng zuò. Jīntiān de cài hěn hǎochī!
Please sit, please sit. Today's food is delicious!
- The Fox 菜在哪儿呢？我看不到。
Cài zài nǎr ne? Wǒ kàn bú dào.
Where is the food? I can't see it.
- The Stork 在瓶子里。吃吧，吃吧！
Zài píngzi lǐ. Chī ba, chī ba!
It's in the jar. Eat, eat!
- The Fox 瓶子这么高……我的嘴太短了！
Píngzi zhème gāo… wǒ de zuǐ tài duǎn le!
The jar is so tall... my snout is too short!
- The Stork 狐狸，你怎么不吃呢？
Húli, nǐ zěnme bù chī ne?
Fox, why aren't you eating?
- The Fox 我懂了……对不起，鹤朋友。
Wǒ dǒng le… duì bù qǐ, hè péngyou.
I get it... I'm sorry, Friend Stork.
- Little Rabbit 你对朋友好，朋友才对你好。
Nǐ duì péngyou hǎo, péngyou cái duì nǐ hǎo.
Be good to your friends, and they will be good to you.
- Grandpa Owl 说得好！明天，老鼠要给大猫挂铃铛。
Shuō de hǎo! Míngtiān, lǎoshǔ yào gěi dàmāo guà língdāng.
Well said! Tomorrow, the mice will hang a bell on the big cat.
- Little Squirrel 挂铃铛？谁去挂？我可不去！
Guà língdāng? Shuí qù guà? Wǒ kě bú qù!
Hang a bell? Who's going to do it? Not me!
What changed in the story?
- What does the fox give the stork for dinner?
“汤在大盘子里。喝吧，喝吧！”
- Why can't the stork drink the soup?
“这个盘子这么平……我的嘴太长了。”
- What does the stork say to the fox after dinner?
“狐狸，明天你来我家吃饭吧。”
- Why can't the fox eat the stork's dinner?
“瓶子这么高……我的嘴太短了！”
- What does Rabbit learn from the story?
“你对朋友好，朋友才对你好。”