Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
This entry explains idiom “Qie gou zhe zhu, qie guo zhe hou” from Zhuangzi ‑ Quqie. It bitterly satirizes legal‑moral hypocrisy: petty thieves get executed, while powerful usurpers gain noble titles.
– By Bai Juyi An old man, his face dusty and smudged with soot and ash,Burning charcoal in the Southern Mountains, his temples streaked with gray.Selling charcoal, what does he get?Just clothes for his body and food for his mouth.
“Cricket” is a short story from the collection Strange Tales from Liaozhai by the Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling. Through a story about a cricket, it profoundly reflects the hardships of life and social injustice endured by the lower classes in feudal society.