东郭先生

Origin and story

In Ma Zhongxi's Ming fable Zhongshan lang zhuan, the scholar Dongguo hides a wounded wolf in his book sack to save it from hunters. Once released, the wolf tries to eat its rescuer, using hunger and clever arguments to justify its ingratitude. Dongguo seeks a judgment, but an old tree and an old ox complain of human ingratitude rather than helping him.

An old man finally asks the wolf to reenter the sack so he can assess what happened. Once it is tied up, he exposes Dongguo's foolishness and helps kill it. Dongguo's name became a warning against indiscriminate kindness without judgment. The tale does not end with the scholar being eaten.