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·奉承》
鲁有迂滑二叟，踞石而谈。
迂叟曰：“余有百金，以十之二予若，若趋承予否？”
滑叟曰：“物不均，不得趋承！”
“然则平分之？”
曰：“物之均，不得趋承！”
“然则全予乎？”
曰：“物全归，不用趋承。”
——《艾子外语》
Will you Flatter me?
A rich man and a poor man were talking together.
“I have a hundred ounces of gold,” said the rich man. “If I give you twenty, will you flatter me?”
“It would not be fairly shared, would you flatter me then?”
“We would be equal. I would not flatter you.”
“And if I give you all the gold, how then?”
“If I had all the gold, I would have no deed to flatter you.”
Ai Zi Wai Yu
（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
