寓言是一种历史悠久而生命力强大的古老文体，虽多形制短小，却有丰厚的内涵。中国古代寓言大多数以人物故事为载体，说理深刻透辟，包含许多人生智慧。中国先秦时期寓言创作最为兴盛，不少寓言作者是世界一流的思想家。《庄子》、《列子》中的寓言，想象飞驰，语言富丽，表现了道家重道、贵虚、齐物、逍遥的思想；《韩非子》中的寓言，文字简洁准确，表现了法家因时变法、严刑峻法的主张；《战国策》中的寓言，手法铺张，气势宏伟，针对外交、内政、军事方面的大事，随机应变，往往能够收到化险为夷的效果。《大中华文库·中国古代寓言选(汉英对照)》从这些先秦著名典籍中编选了许多寓言，同时还收录了后世其他寓言佳作，共选取121篇作品。它们流传广，饱含智慧，对文学创作和语言的发展影响很大。
《古代寓言·小鸟笑大鹏》
有鸟焉,其名为鹏,背若泰山,翼若垂天之云。搏扶羊角而上者九万里，绝云气，负青天，然后图南，且适南冥也。
斥鷃笑之曰：“彼且奚适也？我腾跃而上，不过数仞而下，翱翔蓬蒿之间，此亦飞之至也。而彼且奚适也？”
此小大之辩也。
——《庄子》
The Tomtit and the Giant Roc
There was once a bird called the roc, whose back was as vast as Mount Tai and whose wings were like clouds that overspread the heavens. When it wheeled up into the air a whirlwind arose, and in each flight it covered ninety thousand li, soaring above the misty vapours under the azure sky. Once it was flying southwards to the Southern Ocean.
"Where can it be going?" wondered a tomtit with a laugh. "I leap up scores of feet, then come down to enjoy myself among the bushes. That's good enough for me. Where else does it want to go?"
Here we see the difference in outlook between great and small.
Zhuang Zi
