Chinese Idiom Stories

The Wolf and The Bei Make Mischief

The "bei" is an animal much like the wolf. The major difference between these two animals is that the wolf has long front legs and short hind legs, while the bei has short front legs and long hind legs. The wolf and the bei often work together to catch sheep or cows.

One day, a wolf and a bei who were out looking for something to eat came across a sheep pen which was surrounded by a very high, very sturdy wall. They tired and they tried, but could neither jump over the wall nor knock it down. Finally, the wolf thought of a plan. He said, "You let me climb up on your shoulders, and stretch out your long hind legs, pushing me up high, then if I stretch out my long front legs, I'll be able to reach us a lamb." And so by cooperating in this way, the wolf and the bei got their lamb.

Today, when two people work together to accomplish something bad, we can say that "the wolf and the bei are making mischief."

狼狽為奸

狼和狽都是野獸。狼的前腳長,漿腿短;狽的前腳短,後腿長。這兩種動物常常同進同出,去偷吃農夫養的牛羊。

有一天,狼和狽肚子餓了,一起出去找吃的東西。當他們走到一個羊圈的外面,知道裡面有很多羊,可是抬頭一看,羊圈的牆又高又結實,跳也跳不進去,撞也撞不倒。他們倆想了一個主意,狼說:「讓我騎在你的脖子上,你把後腿伸直站起來,把我得高高的,我伸出前腳就可以抓住小羊了。」

這次狼和狽合作偷羊,他們是一隻用長的前腳,一隻用長的後腿,互相利用纔成功的。後人就把兩個互相合作做壞事,稱為「狼狽為奸」。


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