| Chinese Fable Stories | |
Mark the Boat for a Dropped Sword
Long, long ago, in Chunqu Dynasty of ancient China, a man from Chu state
dropped his beautiful well-set sword into the water because of the shake
from the boat while he was in the middle of the river ."Oh, God." He cried
in dear pity. "What can I do ?" On hearing that, the boatman replied calmly
"It doesn't matter. I'm coming to dive for it." But the man from Chu
hesitated for a while and said "We can't do that because the water is rapid
and deep. But I have a marvelous idea." With these words, he took out his
knife and made a mark on one side of the boat where his sword was dropped.
"Well, everything is done! " When the boat stopped at the opposite bank, the
man undressed himself immediately and dove into the water for his sword from
the very place where he had made the mark. Of course, he got nothing.
Finally he appeared in the water and murmured: "What's happening? why can't
I find my sword from the water just under the mark? " Laughter burst from
the passengers.
Well, let's end the story with the conclusion: Man should not stick
stubbornly to his own opinion, instead he should make changes according to
specific conditions.