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。

《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）

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