A frog in the well
A frog lived in a disused well.
One day, he bragged to a turtle from the Eastern sea. He said, "I would leap about by the side of the railing of the well. How free and happy I am living here !" He added, "Sometimes, I would jump into the water, sometimes, I would rest in a hole in the brick wall and when I look at the red worms, the little crabs and the tadpoles, I find that they are not as lucky as I am. Why don't you come in and have a look ?"
The turtle was tempted to go in and have a look. The turtle's knee was obstructed by the railing when he put his foot in. The turtle took a few steps back and told the frog, "The Eastern sea is so vast that even a distance of a thousand miles is not enough to describe it. A height of ten thousand feet will fail to give you an idea of its depth. During the Xia Dynasty, the water level of the sea did not rise very much in spite of serious floods in 9 out of 10 years. During the Tang Dynasty, the water level of the sea did not drop in spite of droughts in 7 of the 8 years. It is a real pleasure to live in the Eastern sea."
The frog felt very small with his eyes popping out in great surprise and this story is now used to describe a person for his shallowness.
One day, he bragged to a turtle from the Eastern sea. He said, "I would leap about by the side of the railing of the well. How free and happy I am living here !" He added, "Sometimes, I would jump into the water, sometimes, I would rest in a hole in the brick wall and when I look at the red worms, the little crabs and the tadpoles, I find that they are not as lucky as I am. Why don't you come in and have a look ?"
The turtle was tempted to go in and have a look. The turtle's knee was obstructed by the railing when he put his foot in. The turtle took a few steps back and told the frog, "The Eastern sea is so vast that even a distance of a thousand miles is not enough to describe it. A height of ten thousand feet will fail to give you an idea of its depth. During the Xia Dynasty, the water level of the sea did not rise very much in spite of serious floods in 9 out of 10 years. During the Tang Dynasty, the water level of the sea did not drop in spite of droughts in 7 of the 8 years. It is a real pleasure to live in the Eastern sea."
The frog felt very small with his eyes popping out in great surprise and this story is now used to describe a person for his shallowness.
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