古代寓言原是民间口头创作，文学体裁的一种。含有讽喻或明显教训意义的故事。它的结构简短。主人公可以是人，可以是动物，也可以是无生物。多借用比喻手法，使富有教训意义的主题或深刻的道理在简单的故事中体现，而还需要自己去理解，思考，这就是和西方寓言的不同之处。
Ancient fables were originally folk oral creations and a literary genre. A story with allegorical or obvious lesson significance. Its structure is short. The protagonist can be a human, an animal, or an inanimate object. The difference between Western fables and Western fables lies in the use of metaphorical techniques to convey meaningful themes or profound truths in simple stories, while also requiring one’s own understanding and contemplation.
《古代寓言·我想要你的手指》
一贫士遇故人于途；故人已得仙术矣。相劳苦中，因指道旁一砖成赤金赠之。士嫌其少，更指一大石狮为赠，士嫌未已。
仙曰：“汝欲如何？”
士曰：“愿乞公此指！”
——《笑府》
I Want Your Finger
A poor man one day met an old friend who had become an immortal. After hearing his friend complain of his poverty, the immortal pointed his finger at a brick by the roadside, which immediately turned into a gold ingot. He presented it to his friend. When the man was not satisfied with this, he gave him a big gold lion. But the man was still not appeased.
“What more do you want?” asked his immortal friend.
“I want your finger!” was the reply.
Xiao Fu
（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
