The Frog in the Shallow Well

27 The Frog in the Shallow Well One day, a frog met a turtle that lived in the East Sea. " I am so happy! " said the frog to the turtle. " I live in a great well. It's a wonderful place to live in. Sometimes, I go for a walk on the land. When I come home to my great well, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. " “ When I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. I look around at the other small and unimportant creatures living in the well, and none of them can compare with me. I am the king of this water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. I'm perfectly happy. My dear Sir Turtle, why don't you come and take a look at my place?" The turtle from the East Sea agreed. However, before he could get his left foot in the well, his right knee got stuck. The turtle hesitated and moved back. Then, the turtle told the frog about the East Sea where he lived.

“ Even a distance of a thousand kilometres cannot give you an idea of the sea's width. Even a height of a thousand kilometres cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia Dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. " " In the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty, " continued the turtle, “ there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea. " After listening to these words, the frog that lived in the shallow well was shocked. He realized how insignificant he was. He watched sadly as the turtle slowly made his way back to the waters of the Great East Sea.