allegory

  • Mencius – Chapter 14.23

    When Qi suffers famine, people expect Mencius to urge the king to open granaries again. He uses Feng Fu’s story: the ex-tiger fighter reverted to old deeds to please villagers, yet other scholars mocked him, showing Mencius sticks to his official retreat principles.

  • The Wren Ode – Jiaoliao Fu

    – By Zhang Hua (Western Jin Dynasty) The wren is but a tiny bird –Born among weeds and wild grasses,Raised beneath garden hedges.It flutters and gathers within ordinary spaces,Yet its needs for life are fully met.

  • Lighting a candle to find the flint

    One night, Ai Zi asked his pupil to strike a flint to light the lamp.