The Smart Bird, Pretending to Be Dead,
Cleverly Escapes the Cage

灵鸟装死　巧出樊笼

Mastering the method taught, the little bird chirped, "All right! Good method! Now I understand how to get out of the cage!" When the bird saw his owner approaching in the distance, he applied the expedient method. Sticking his legs out straight and closing his eyes, he waited for his owner to come close.

方法教会了，这小鸟就说：“好了！我现在明白什么是出笼计了！”于是，当它看见主人远远地走来了，登时就把这方便法用出来，腿也伸直，眼睛也闭上了，就等着主人来亲近它。

Every day when the owner came home, he always played with this bird that he was so fond of. Talking to it would cheer him up. And so, as usual, upon his return, he first went to check on his bird. But this time when he looked in the cage he was shocked. He practically burst into tears. Why? His little bird lay on the floor of the cage, unmoving. He couldn't have been more upset if his own son had died. In fact, it's likely that this bird meant even more to him than his son!

这主人天天回来都要来看一看、玩一玩它，这是他最心爱的一只小鸟，可以和他谈话，又可以给他消愁解闷，所以回来总要先看看这只鸟。这主人一看，哇！简直就要哭起来了！怎么这小鸟躺在笼子里头，不动弹了？啊！他比死了儿子都焦急，若儿子死了，他恐怕都没有看得那么重要。