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。《大中华文库·中国古代寓言选(汉英对照)》英译者为著名文学翻译家杨宪益、戴乃迭先生。
《古代寓言·砍倒了梧桐树》
人有枯梧树者，其邻人言：
“枯梧之树不祥。”
其邻人遽而伐之。邻人父因请以薪。
其人乃不悦曰：“邻人之父，徒欲为薪，而教吾伐之也，与我邻若此其险，岂可哉！”
——《列子》
Felling the Plane Tree
A man had a withered plane tree.
"It's unlucky to keep a withered tree," said his neighbour.
But when the first man had felled the tree, his neighbour asked him for some of the wood as fuel.
"The old man simply wanted some fuel," thought the owner of the tree indignantly. "That's why he told me to fell my tree. We are neighbours, and yet he tricks me in this way—this is really going too far."
Lie Zi
