Author: Various

About: Containing folk stories from many different peoples and culture of China, including tales of Tibetan, Han and Uighur origin. The character Nasrdin Avanti may be of particular interest, as some of his adventures are quite familiar to us in the West.

Excerpt:

Good Advice

One day Avanti thought of earning some money. So he took a length of rope, about twenty or thirty feet, and went to the market-place. Just as he got there and stopped among a group of porters, a man came up and said:

“I've a crate full of bowls and cups here. Whoever carries it home for me shall get three pieces of good advice as his pay.”

Hearing this, all the porters ignored him. Avanti, however, bethought himself: “A thing like money can be obtained at any time, but good advice is difficult to get. I'd better hear what advice he has to give, in order to learn something.” So he agreed to carry the crate for the man.

As they were walking along, Avanti said to the owner of the crate: “How about telling me now what good advice you have to give?”

The owner of the crate said: “Don't believe anybody who tells you that it is better to go hungry than to eat your fill.”

“That's very good advice!” Avanti agreed.

They walked on for a little while, then Avanti said: “Well, let's have the second piece of advice now.”

“Don't believe anybody who tells you that it is better to go on foot than to ride on horseback.”

“Aiya! That really is excellent advice!” Avanti exclaimed.

After they had gone on for some distance, Avanti demanded to hear the third piece of advice.

“Don't believe anyone who tells you that there are porters even more foolish than you,” the man said. But hardly had he finished when Avanti suddenly let go of the rope in his hand and said:

“And don't you believe anyone, either, who tells you that the bowls and cups in this crate aren't broken!”