Mantis Story: The Little Mantis Learns a Skill
Once upon a time, there was a little mantis named Taotao, who would often arrogantly brandish his two sharp blades and show off.
One day, his mother said, “Taotao, you’ve grown up. It’s time for you to go out and learn some skills.” Taotao had long wanted to become famous. The thought of learning a skill, mastering it, and becoming famous made him so excited that he hurriedly packed his things, ready to find a master and learn martial arts.
He walked proudly and swaggered over to the house of the martial arts master— the lion— to become his apprentice. After thinking for a moment, the lion master accepted him.
After just a few days of learning, Taotao grew impatient. What’s more, he even wanted to challenge the lion master. The lion master then sent his youngest cub to spar with Taotao. However, the young lion struck too hard, leaving Taotao bruised and battered.
Taotao was unhappy and without looking back, he went to apprentice under the monkey master. The monkey master saw that Taotao had two sharp blades and thought he had potential. After some thought, he accepted him as a disciple.
At first, Taotao was very obedient. The teacher gave him a piece of wood and told him to chop it in half, but no matter how hard he tried, Taotao couldn’t cut it in two. The monkey master then dismissed him.
Taotao returned home, crestfallen, and said to his mother, “Mom, I’d better learn how to catch insects from you!” From then on, Taotao earnestly followed his mother to learn how to catch insects. The animals even awarded him the title of “Insect-Catching Expert,” and Taotao became more and more humble.
This story teaches us that no matter how good we think we are, there’s always someone better. We should learn from others’ strengths, correct our own shortcomings, and strive to become a person who is loved by everyone.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
