In the classroom, Jose and Ming are talking about the stories they have read.
Jose: Yesterday I read a fable about a frog.
He thought he could be as big as an ox…
Ming: So he kept blowing himself up and finally died, right?
Jose: Yes! That’s exactly what happened.
Ming: Ha! Ha! I know Aesop’s Fables like the back of my hand.
Jose: How about fables in your language?
Ming: I know them even better!
In Chinese we have a fable about a praying mantis.
It tried to stop a carriage and finally was run over by it.
Jose: That’s interesting.
Are there any Chinese phrases about frogs?
Ming: Sure! “A frog in the well” means a person who thinks he knows everything, but in fact doesn’t.
Jose: Oh! Speaking of frogs, in English we have another phrase:
“to have a frog in one’s throat.”
Ming: Oh, yuck! What does that mean?
Jose: Ha! Now it’s my turn to teach you, Miss Frog in the Well.
Ming: What!?