古代寓言原是民间口头创作，文学体裁的一种。含有讽喻或明显教训意义的故事。它的结构简短。主人公可以是人，可以是动物，也可以是无生物。多借用比喻手法，使富有教训意义的主题或深刻的道理在简单的故事中体现，而还需要自己去理解，思考，这就是和西方寓言的不同之处。
《古代寓言·两个射雁的人》
昔人有睹雁翔者，将授弓射之，曰：“获则烹。”其弟争曰：“舒雁烹宜，翔雁燔宜。”竞斗而讼于社伯，社伯请剖雁，烹燔半焉。已而索雁，则凌空远矣。
——《贤奕编》
Two Ways of Cooking the Goose
A man saw a wild goose flying in the sky. Fitting an arrow to his bow, he said, “If I can bring it down, we will stew it.”
“No, it would be better to roast it,” said his younger brother.
Their argument reached a deadlock. Finally they went to a senior member of their clan who settled the matter by suggesting a half-and-half treatment. But when they came out to look for the wild goose again, it was nowhere to be seen.
Xian Yi Pian
（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）