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·墨鱼》
海中乌鲗鱼，有八足，能集攒口，缩口藏腹，腹含墨，值渔艇至，即喷墨以自蔽。渔视水黑，辄取网获之。
——《谭概》
The Cuttlefish
The cuttlefish has four pairs of legs which it can draw into its beak, and it can hide its beak under its belly. As an added precaution against danger, it emits a jet of ink to screen itself and it does this when it meets a fishing boat. Whereupon the fisherman casts his net on the inky spot and takes it out of the water.
Tan Gai
（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
