井底之蛙
井底之蛙
有一只青蛙長年住在一口枯井里。它對自己生活的小天地滿意極了，一有機會就要當眾吹噓一番。有一天，它吃飽了飯，蹲在井欄上正閑得無聊，忽然看見不遠處有一只大海鱉在散步。青蛙趕緊扯開嗓門喊了起來：“喂，海鱉兄，請過來，快請過來！”海鱉爬到枯井旁邊。青蛙立刻打開了話匣子：“今天算你運氣了，我讓你開開眼界，參觀一下我的居室。那簡直是一座天堂。你大概從來也沒有見過這樣寬敞的住所吧？”海鱉探頭往井里瞅瞅，只見淺淺的井底積了一汪長滿綠苔的泥水，還聞到一股撲鼻的臭味。海鱉皺了皺眉頭，趕緊縮回了腦袋。青蛙根本沒有注意海鱉的表情，挺著大肚子繼續吹噓：“住在這兒，我舒服極了！傍晚可以跳到井欄上乘涼；深夜可以鉆到井壁的窟窿里睡覺；泡在水里，讓水浸著兩腋，托住面頰，可以游泳；跳到泥里，讓泥蓋沒腳背，埋住四足，可以打滾。那些跟頭蟲、螃蟹、蝌蚪什么的，哪一個能比得上我呢！”青蛙唾沫星兒四濺，越說越得意：“瞧，這一坑水，這一口井，都屬我一個人所有，我愛怎么樣就怎么樣。這樣的樂趣可以算到頂了吧。海鱉兄，你不想進去觀光觀光嗎？”海鱉感到盛情難卻，便爬向井口，可是 左腿還沒能全部伸進去，右腿的膝蓋就被井欄卡住了。海鱉慢慢地退了回來，問青蛙：“你聽說過大海沒有？”青蛙搖擺頭。
海鱉說：“大海水天茫茫，無邊無際。 用千里不能形容它的遼闊，用萬丈不能表明它的深度。傳說四千多年以前，大禹做國君的時候，十年九澇，海水沒有加深；三千多年以前，商湯統治的年代，八年七旱，海水也不見減少。海是這樣大，以至時間的長短、旱澇的變化都不能使它的水量發生明顯的變化。
青蛙弟，我就生活在大海中。你看，比起你這一眼枯井、一坑淺水來，哪個天地更開闊，哪個樂趣更大呢？”青蛙聽傻了，鼓著眼睛，半天合不攏嘴。
典出《莊子?秋水》，寓意為宇宙無終極，學識無窮盡。這則寓言告誡人們，千萬不要因一孔之見，便洋洋自得，不要因一得之功，便沾沾自喜。
The Frog in the Shallow Well
Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated.
The turtle told the frog about the East Sea. "Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."
After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.
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