There once lived a scholar by the name of Dongguo, who was known for his compassion.
One day, he was riding along on a donkey on his way to Zhongshan Mount, when he saw a group of hunters. A little while later a wolf came running up to him in great fright “Kind-hearted master,” it begged. ”Please let me get into your bag and hide for a while. If ever I should emerge alive from this crisis, I will for ever remember your kindness.”
Hearing this, Dongguo emptied his bag of books, pushed the wolf inside, and packed the books in around him.
Presently the hunters arrived. Not finding the wolf, they went away.
The wolf then asked Master Dongguo to let him out of the bag, which the master did.
Thereupon the wolf bared his fangs and said, ”I was being chased by wicked men and I am grateful to you for saving my life. Now I am starving and will die unless I have something to eat. You’ll have to let me eat you, if you want to save me.” So saying, it fell upon the master, catching him completely by surprise. The master was defending himself as best he could when, to his intense relief, he saw an old man approaching. Extricating himself for a moment, he ran up to the old man, begging him to save him.
”Why, what’s up?” asked the old man.
“That wolf had the hunters on his trail and asked me to help him,” said the master, “I saved his life. But now he wants to eat me. Please talk to him and tell him he is in the wrong.”
“When the master hid me away,” said the wolf, “he bound my feet, pushed me into the bag and pressed the books in after me. I curled up as tightly as I could, but I couldn’t breathe. Then he lied to the hunters, intended that I should suffocate in the bag so he could monopolize the prey, it’s me. Why should I not eat him?”
“I think perhaps you are exaggerating, the bag is too small for you.” said the old man. “Show me what happened, and let me see if you really suffered as much as you say you did.”
The wolf gladly complied and crawled into the bag.
“Do you have a dagger?” the old man whispered to Master Dongguo.
The master produced one. Whereupon the old man signed to him to knife the wolf.
“Won’t it hurt him!” demurred the master.
The old man laughed. “This is a most ungrateful beast, yet you don’t have the heart to kill it. You are indeed a man of compassion, but you are also very foolish!”
So he helped Master Dongguo to slay the wolf.
Allegorical Meaning
This Ming Dynasty parable critiques ungrateful behavior through the wolf’s betrayal of scholar Dongguo after being saved from hunters. It serves as a cautionary tale about misplaced mercy and the dangers of trusting inherently vicious creatures (or people).
The Perils of Naive Compassion
Dongguo represents Confucian scholars who prioritize benevolence without discernment. His excessive mercy toward the wolf despite its violent nature satirizes rigid adherence to abstract moral principles over practical wisdom.
The Nature of Ingratitude
The wolf’s immediate betrayal after being rescued embodies the “farmer and the snake” archetype. Its logical argument for eating Dongguo (“Since you saved me, you should let me eat you to complete your good deed”) exposes how ruthless actors weaponize moral reasoning.
Historical Context Embedded
According to legend, Ma Zhongxi’s Legend of the Zhongshan Wolf was written to satirize Li Mengyang’s betrayal of Kang Hai’s life-saving grace. Also there are parallels real cases like Yan Song’s faction betraying Xia Yan, etc. The phrase “Zhongshan wolf” became proverbial in Chinese for ungrateful beneficiaries.
Social Commentary
The story reflects Ming Dynasty concerns about:
- Scholar-officials being exploited by those they helped
- The conflict between Confucian ideals and political reality
- The need for pragmatic judgment alongside moral principles
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