Suspecting the Neighbor 疑邻盗斧
▶ Video coming soon Premieres 10-27 21:00 (Beijing time) on our YouTube channel.
The story
A man in ancient China lost his axe. And he was sure who took it.
The neighbor's son. The way he walked? Guilty. The way he talked? Guilty. Even his smile looked like a thief's.
Days later, digging in the valley, the man found his axe, right where he had dropped it.
The next morning, the neighbor's son looked completely normal. He hadn't changed at all. Only the man had. Follow for more ancient stories.
A modern reading (ours)
Once we suspect someone, everything they do looks guilty. The neighbor never changed; only the man's mind did.
Source
Liezi, Shuofu chapter (c. 4th c. BCE, public domain). Retold in English; illustrations are AI-generated.