fable

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Literature

fa·ble /ˈfeɪbəl/ noun  1  STORY[countable] a traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially a story about animals 〔一则〕寓言 the fable of the fox and the crow 狐狸和乌鸦的寓言故事► see thesaurus at story2  [uncountable]STORY fables or other traditional stories 寓言故事，神话传说〔总称〕 monsters of fable 传说中的怪物

Examples from the Corpus

fable• This is just a fable to frighten the children with a bit of free preaching thrown in.• And Notes from Underground is precisely such a fable of disembodied consciousness.• The result is a dark, intoxicating fable about the limits of imagination and the power of memory.• You made it a kind of fable.• monsters of fable and legend• The best-known of Aesop's fables is "The Tortoise and the Hare'.• In several fables the kelpie appears as a handsome young prince, who lures maidens to a watery fate worse than death.• My favorite is the fable of the race between the tortoise and the hare.• The life of Howard Hughes cannot fail to remind us of the fable of Midas.Origin fable (1200-1300) Old French Latin fabula “conversation, story”

fa·ble nounChineseSyllable  

moral teaches a that traditional a Corpus short story

fable
fa‧ble /ˈfeɪbəl/ noun1. [countable] a traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially a story about animals:
    the fable of the fox and the crow
2. [uncountable] fables or other traditional stories:
    monsters of fable
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ story a description of how something happened that is intended to entertain people, and may be true or imaginary: a ghost story | a love story | It’s a story about a man who loses his memory. | a book of short stories
   ▪ tale a story about strange imaginary events, or exciting events that happened in the past: a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen | I loved hearing tales of his travels.
   ▪ myth noun [uncountable and countable] a very old imaginary story about gods and magical creatures: an ancient myth | Greek and Roman myths
   ▪ legend noun [uncountable and countable] an old story about brave people or magical events that are probably not true: popular legends of the creation of the world | According to legend, King Arthur was buried there.
   ▪ fable a traditional imaginary short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially a story about animals: the fable of the tortoise and the hare | a Chinese fable
   ▪ epic a story told in a long book, film, or poem which is about great or exciting events, especially in history: an epic about 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace
   ▪ saga a story about a series of events that take place over a long period of time, especially events involving one family: a family saga beginning in the 1880s
   ▪ yarn informal a long exciting story that is not completely true: The movie’s a rattling good yarn and full of action.

fableBrE /ˈfeɪbl/ 🔊NAmE /ˈfeɪbl/ 🔊 noun [countable, uncountable] a traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially one with animals as characters; these stories considered as a group 寓言；寓言故事◆Aesop's Fables伊索寓言◆a land rich in fable寓言之乡 [uncountable, countable] a statement, or an account of sth, that is not true 谎言；不实之词；无稽之谈