Guizhou had no donkeys. A man brought one by boat, only to discover it was useless. He turned it loose on the hillside.
A tiger saw the donkey and was terrified. It was enormous — the biggest creature the tiger had ever seen. This must be a divine beast! The tiger hid in the trees and watched from a distance, too afraid to approach.
One day, the donkey brayed. The tiger leaped back in horror: It's going to eat me! It fled and did not return for days.
But gradually, the tiger crept back. It watched. It observed. The donkey did nothing but eat grass and bray. The tiger moved closer. The donkey kicked at it. The tiger dodged easily.
The tiger's fear turned to delight: "Is that all you can do?" It attacked, killed the donkey, and ate it.
黔无驴，有好事者船载以入。至则无可用，放之山下。虎见之，庞然大物也，以为神。蔽林间窥之，稍出近之，慭慭然，莫相知。
他日，驴一鸣，虎大骇，远遁，以为且噬己也，甚恐。然往来视之，觉无异能者。益习其声，又近出前后，终不敢搏。稍近，益狎，荡倚冲冒，驴不胜怒，蹄之。虎因喜，计之曰：「技止此耳！」因跳踉大㘎，断其喉，尽其肉，乃去。
黔无驴，有好事者船载以入。至则无可用，放之山下。虎见之，庞然大物也，以为神。蔽林间窥之，稍出近之，慭慭然，莫相知。
他日，驴一鸣，虎大骇，远遁，以为且噬己也，甚恐。然往来视之，觉无异能者。益习其声，又近出前后，终不敢搏。稍近，益狎，荡倚冲冒，驴不胜怒，蹄之。虎因喜，计之曰：「技止此耳！」因跳踉大㘎，断其喉，尽其肉，乃去。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Bluffing works only until your opponent discovers the limits of your ability. When the only weapon you have is a kick, the tiger will eventually learn to dodge.
Liǔ Zōngyuán's fable is one of the most vivid in Chinese literature. The donkey's power was entirely based on unfamiliarity — the tiger had never seen one before and assumed the unknown must be dangerous. The donkey's bray seemed terrifying; its kick seemed deadly. But each encounter revealed more about its limitations.
The idiom "黔驴技穷" (the donkey of Guizhou has no more tricks) describes someone who has exhausted their limited repertoire of skills. The story is also about the nature of intimidation: it works best at a distance, and dissolves with proximity.