Top 10 Best Fairy Tales About Intelligence You Should Read

In a forest, there was a very clever Rabbit who earned the respect of all the other animals, except for the Tiger, who never admired anyone.

One day, while the Tiger was out walking, it encountered the Rabbit eating honey in a tree hollow. The Tiger stood at the exit and glared at the Rabbit, saying:

– Don’t even think about running! I’ve been searching for you for a long time! If you know what’s good for you, come out and surrender!

The Rabbit decided to delay:

– Please let me finish one last task before you catch me.

– Alright, said the Tiger.

The clever Rabbit started tapping rhythmically on a beehive. The buzzing of the bees sounded like drums to the Tiger. Excited, the Tiger asked the Rabbit:

– Let me try drumming too.

– You can try, but if you do, I’ll go deaf, and my brain will rattle. Let me go a little further, and when you can’t hear my sounds anymore, you can drum.

The Tiger forgot about punishing the Rabbit, allowing it to escape. Once the buzzing stopped, the Tiger reached into the hollow tree and tried to drum, breaking the beehive open. The bees swarmed out and stung the Tiger relentlessly. He ran away, his face swollen and in agony. But the bees chased him until they stopped only after he was thoroughly stung. The Tiger realized he had been tricked by the Rabbit, filled with rage and frustration.

Later, the Tiger encountered the Rabbit again, but this time the Rabbit was in trouble, stuck in a deep pit. Seeing the Tiger, the Rabbit quickly cried out:

– Oh no! You still don’t know? Hurry, we’re in danger!

The Tiger, panic-stricken, asked:

– What’s happening? Tell me!

– You see how the wind is blowing, and the trees are shaking? That’s a sign that the sky is about to collapse! The only way to escape is to jump into this pit!

– Really? Let me jump too!

– Hurry, jump now! If you stay up there, you’ll be crushed!

Without thinking, the Tiger jumped into the pit, forgetting his mission to punish the Rabbit. The Rabbit, knowing the Tiger had been tricked, made plans to escape. The Rabbit started poking the Tiger’s armpit, and the Tiger, irritated, scolded:

– Quiet! You’re as mischievous as a demon! If you keep doing that, I’ll throw you up there, and the sky will crush you!

The Rabbit remained silent for a moment but then continued to poke the Tiger. Frustrated, the Tiger grabbed the Rabbit’s legs and threw it up into the air. This allowed the Rabbit to escape, and it ran to the village to inform the hunters, who came and killed the Tiger.

Long ago, all the land was taken by demons. One day, a farmer went into the forest to plant turnips. While he was digging, a demon appeared and yelled at him:

– Who allowed you into my forest? Do you want to die?

The farmer calmly responded:

– Demon, please don't eat me. Let me sow my turnips. When they grow, I will only take the roots, and leave the tops for you.

Seeing that he could get food without doing much work, the demon agreed, but warned:

– Fine, but you must keep your word. If you break it, never return to this forest.

The turnips grew, and the farmer took the roots, leaving the tops for the demon. The demon tasted them and found them bitter, becoming frustrated but unable to harm the farmer.

The next season, the farmer returned to plant again. The demon demanded a share. The farmer asked:

– Will you take the roots or the tops?

Angry at being cheated before, the demon insisted on taking the roots this time. The farmer planted rice, and when it ripened, he harvested the tops and carried them home, leaving the roots for the demon.

The demon was furious because the roots were inedible, foaming at the mouth, but again couldn't harm the farmer.

In the following season, the demon demanded both the tops and roots. It thought, “Whatever the farmer grows, it will all be mine this time.” However, the farmer, determined not to lose, planted corn. With care and effort, the corn grew large with two or three cobs per stalk. During harvest, the farmer hurriedly picked the corn, leaving both the tops and the roots for the demon.

The demon found the dry, inedible corn stalks and, enraged, stormed back into the forest without being able to harm the farmer.

In the end, through his cleverness, the farmer defeated the greedy and foolish demon three times.

Một phú hộ muốn chọn cho con gái cưng của mình một người chồng hay chữ. Ở cùng làng có một anh nông dân mồ côi cha mẹ, hằng ngày anh ta phải đi cày thuê cuốc mướn, cuộc sống vất vả mà cũng không đủ ăn.

Khi biết nhà phú ông muốn kén rể, anh ta đến nhờ ông mai lo việc mối lái cho mình. Biết chàng trai nghèo khổ, lại cũng chẳng thân thế gì nhà phú hộ, ông mai cố gắng thu xếp giúp. Khi được ngỏ ý, vì tin tưởng ông mai, phú hộ nhận lời với điều kiện: Anh nông dân phải ở rể 3 năm, nếu anh ta là người hay chữ, biết làm ăn thì phú hộ sẽ cho làm lễ cưới rước dâu.

Một hôm, cha vợ, chàng rể lại lên rẫy tiếp. Trời nóng, lão phú hộ đưa tay lên che đầu và ra câu đối:

– Ngũ duyên lai định thượng. Anh con rể lúng túng đưa tay vỗ vào bụng “cái bạch” rồi bỏ ra về.

Lão phú hộ không hiểu anh chàng rể đối thế nào phải lò dò đến ông mai, giận dữ nói: – Tôi thật chẳng hiểu gì cả!

– Có thế mà ông cũng không biết, nó đối thế là hay quá, ý nó là: “Phúc trung tấp thư tịch” (trong bụng chứa rất nhiều chữ nghĩa). Từ đây về sau, ông chẳng nên thử tài nó nữa, nó mà giận bỏ về thì tôi không chịu trách nhiệm nữa đâu!

Bữa kia anh nông dân đi làm gặp trời mưa, anh ghé vào nhà ông mai nói chuyện, nhìn màn mưa bên ngoài ông mai buột miệng: “Lác đác mưa sa làn gió thị”. Chiều về trời vẫn mưa chưa hết, sấm chớp lại nổi lên liên hồi, lão phú hộ tức cảnh đọc:

– Ầm ầm sấm dậy đất kim bôi.

Chàng rể liền đọc ngay: – Lác đác mưa sa làn gió thị.

Lão phú hộ nghe vậy cứ gật đầu khen hay mãi vì câu đối chỉnh quá.

Từ đó về sau, lão yên tâm không thử tài chàng rể nữa. Hết thời hạn ở rể 3 năm, anh nông dân được lão phú hộ tổ chức đám cưới linh đình, bao nhiêu phí tổn lão chịu hết. Bên làng biết được cười rằng: Dốt thôi dốt đặc cán mai, Gặp may chàng cũng thành trai lão làng.

Once upon a time, there was a very rich man who was known for his extreme greed and stinginess. When the New Year arrived, he had a strong craving for wine but didn't want to spend any money. He asked the farmer who worked for him to go to the market and buy some wine, but he refused to give him any money.

The farmer asked:

– Sir, how can I buy wine without any money?

– Oh! Anyone with money can buy wine, but it's the one who buys wine without money who is truly clever and resourceful!

After saying this, the rich man slapped his leg and laughed heartily, feeling very proud. He thought that the farmer would surely take money from his own pocket to buy the wine, just to be seen as clever.

Hearing the rich man, the farmer took the bottle and went to the market. A short while later, he returned with the bottle and handed it to his master:
– Here is the wine, please enjoy, sir!
The rich man was furious, glaring at the bottle and asked:
– What’s this? How can I drink this?

The farmer laughed and replied:
– Anyone can drink wine if the bottle is full, but it takes a true connoisseur to drink wine when there’s no bottle at all!

With that, the farmer left, leaving the rich man standing there, disappointed, staring at the empty bottle, his craving still unsatisfied.

Once upon a time, on a distant mountain, a donkey was happily grazing, unaware of the wolf lurking nearby. When the donkey finished eating and looked up, it was stunned to see the wolf staring at it. Realizing the danger it was in, the donkey knew it had to act fast to escape being devoured.

The donkey began to scream as if severely injured. Upon hearing the cry, the wolf, confused by the situation, approached and asked:

- Hey, donkey, what happened to you?

The donkey replied:

- A sharp thorn just pierced my leg. Could you please help me by removing it?

- Why should I do that? The wolf asked suspiciously.

- Well, it’s in your best interest. If you eat me, the thorn will get stuck in your throat.

The wolf, thinking the donkey’s words made sense, hurried over to help. But as soon as the wolf came close, the donkey kicked the wolf several times with its hooves and quickly ran away. The wolf, stunned by the donkey’s attack, was left in a daze. After regaining composure, the wolf realized it had lost several teeth, feeling utterly ashamed of its greed and foolishness.

A crow was very thirsty. It flew around for a long time in search of water but found none. Exhausted, it perched on a tree branch to rest. Looking around, it suddenly noticed a pitcher lying near the base of a tree.

As the crow approached, it realized that the pitcher only contained a small amount of water, and its beak couldn’t reach the bottom to drink. The crow tried every possible way to get its beak to the water’s surface, but all attempts failed.

Surveying the area, the crow spotted some small pebbles scattered nearby. It quickly used its beak to pick up one of the pebbles and dropped it into the pitcher. The crow continued adding more pebbles one by one into the pitcher.

Before long, the water level had risen enough for the crow to drink. Delighted by the result of its efforts, the crow joyfully drank the cool, refreshing water and then flew back to the tree to rest.

Once upon a time, there was a monkey who lived on a tall tree and was friends with a crocodile who resided in a nearby river. Every day, the monkey would pick delicious apples from the tree and give them to the crocodile. Grateful for the gift, the crocodile would take them home to share with his wife. His wife, however, had a greedy appetite and wanted to eat the monkey's heart. Upon hearing her wish, the crocodile was conflicted but still decided to fulfill it.

The crocodile invited the monkey to sit on his back for a ride along the river, but secretly, he planned to kill the monkey and take his heart when they reached the middle of the river. When the monkey realized the crocodile's wicked plan, he quickly thought of a clever solution and told the crocodile that he had left his heart on the tree.

Using his wit, the monkey managed to deceive the crocodile.

"If you want it, take me back," the monkey suggested. The crocodile, believing the monkey, agreed to take him back to the tree. But once they arrived, the monkey swiftly climbed the tree and disappeared, leaving the crocodile's plan utterly foiled.

Once upon a time, the tiger had a beautiful golden coat. However, his hot-headed nature and habit of hunting other animals for food made him feared by all. Even humans kept a wary eye out whenever they saw the tiger’s shadow.

One day, the tiger ventured to the edge of the forest and saw a farmer plowing his field. The tiger noticed the big, strong ox being occasionally yelled at and whipped by the farmer, but despite the mistreatment, the ox continued to pull the plow obediently. This puzzled the tiger.

The tiger waited until the plowing ended, and the ox was allowed a break to graze while the farmer went to eat. The tiger approached the ox and asked:

– Why do you allow yourself to be beaten and treated like a slave when you’re so strong?

The ox paused and looked at the tiger, then softly replied:

– You see, despite their small size, humans are clever!

– Clever? What do you mean by that? I’ve never heard of such a thing!

The ox couldn’t quite explain, so he simply answered vaguely:

– Cleverness is what it is! If you want to know more, you should ask the human. He’s resting by the shore over there.

The tiger turned to look at the farmer, who was resting by the shore, and thought:

– Ah, I’ll go ask the human about this cleverness and maybe get some for myself.

And so, the tiger leisurely walked over to the farmer, who, startled, tried to remain calm as the tiger approached.

The tiger spoke:

– The ox told me that you are clever, and now I’m curious. Can you show me some of your cleverness?

The farmer was momentarily confused by the question, but after a brief pause, he responded:

– I keep my cleverness at home. Let me go get it for you. If you like, I can even give you some to use.

Delighted by the offer, the tiger agreed. But just as the farmer started walking away, he stopped and turned back to the tiger:

– I’m a little worried! What if, while I go to fetch the cleverness, you eat my ox?

The tiger reassured him:

– Don’t worry, I’ll wait here.

The farmer walked a few steps, then hesitated and turned back again:

– Actually, I’m still not comfortable. How about you let me tie you to this tree while I go to get the cleverness? After all, if you don’t keep your promise, I’ll have no ox left to work with.

The tiger, eager to see the cleverness, agreed to be tied up.

The farmer quickly tied the tiger to the tree and surrounded him with straw. The tiger, confused, asked:

– What are you doing?

The farmer laughed and set the straw on fire, shouting:

– Here! This is my cleverness!

The fire spread quickly, and the tiger howled in panic, his golden coat burning. The ox, who had been grazing, could not hold back and rolled on the ground laughing. In his laughter, he bumped into a large stone and broke his upper jaw.

The tiger struggled to escape but was trapped until the rope burned through. Only then did he run desperately into the forest, never looking back.

From that day on, every tiger born had long black stripes mingled with the golden fur, a lasting reminder of the fire. And the ox, having broken his upper jaw, never had a full set of teeth again.

Once upon a time, there was a king who sent an official across the land to search for a wise person. The official traveled widely, posing difficult riddles to people wherever he went, but despite his efforts, he could not find anyone truly exceptional.

One day, the official passed by a village field and saw a father and son working together: the father was guiding an ox to plow, while the son was breaking up the soil. The official stopped and asked:

– Old man, how many furrows can your ox plow in a day?

The father stood there, unsure of how to answer, when his son, about seven or eight years old, quickly responded with a question of his own:

– First, can you answer me this: How many steps can your horse take in a day? If you answer that, I will tell you how many furrows my father's ox plows in a day.

The official was stunned by the response and was unsure how to answer. He thought to himself, this must be the talent I’ve been searching for. He immediately asked for their names and village, then hurried back to report to the king.

The king was pleased to hear the news. But to verify further, the king ordered three baskets of sticky rice and three oxen to be sent to the village, commanding that the oxen be raised to produce nine offspring, due within a year. If the task was not completed, the entire village would be punished.

When the villagers received the king's orders, they were confused and worried, unable to understand the instructions. Numerous village meetings and discussions took place, but no one could think of a solution. From top to bottom, everyone feared it was a disaster. The story reached the young son of the farmer. He told his father:

– It’s not often we receive royal gifts. Father, tell the village to butcher two oxen and use the sticky rice to prepare a feast for everyone. As for the remaining ox and basket of rice, we’ll ask the village for permission to cover the costs of our trip to the capital.

– After eating the meat, how will we manage the situation? Don’t do something foolish, or we might lose our heads!

But the son was determined:

– Don’t worry, father. I’ll handle everything, and it will work out fine.

The father went to the village council and explained the plan. Although the villagers were still skeptical, they required him to sign a guarantee before allowing the slaughter of the oxen.

A few days later, the father and son set off for the capital. Upon arriving at the palace, the son told his father to wait outside while he snuck past the palace guards and began crying loudly. The king ordered the guards to bring him in and asked:

– Why are you crying, young boy? What is the matter?

– Your Majesty, – the boy replied – my mother passed away at an early age, and my father refuses to remarry, so I have no one to play with. I cry because I wish for your Majesty’s blessing, so my father will give me a sibling.

The king and his ministers laughed at the boy’s words, and the king said:

– If you want a sibling, your father needs to marry someone else. Your father is a male, how could he bear children?

The boy immediately perked up:

– But why then has my village been commanded to raise three male oxen to produce nine offspring for Your Majesty? How can males give birth?

The king laughed and said:

– I was just testing them. Didn’t your village butcher the oxen and enjoy a feast together?

– Yes, Your Majesty. After receiving the oxen and rice, we knew it was royal bounty, so we made a feast to celebrate.

The king and his ministers were amazed at the boy's intelligence. However, the king still wanted to test him further. The next day, while the father and son were having their meal at an inn, a royal messenger arrived with a sparrow and the king’s command to prepare three dishes from it. The boy asked his father to fetch a sewing needle and handed it to the messenger, saying:

– Take this back to the king and ask him to forge it into a knife to carve the bird.

When the king heard this, he was thoroughly impressed.

The king immediately summoned the father and son to the palace and rewarded them generously.

At that time, a neighboring kingdom sought to invade the king's territory. To test the wisdom of the king's land, they sent a challenge in the form of a long seashell with open ends and asked how to thread a fine string through it.

After hearing the messenger’s explanation of the challenge, the king and his officials exchanged uncertain glances. None of them could solve the riddle, and all the ministers were stumped. The king had no choice but to ask for the boy's help once again.

A court official went to the boy’s house while he was playing in the yard. The boy listened to the official explain the riddle and, without saying a word, began singing:

Tang tính tang! Tính tình tang!

Bắt con kiến càng buộc chỉ ngang lưng.

Bên thời lấy giấy mà bưng,

Bên thời bôi mỡ, kiến mừng kiến sang

Tang tình tang…

Then he said:

– No need to bring me to court. Just follow this method, and the string will pass through the shell in no time!

The official rushed back to the king, and the king and his ministers were overjoyed. Sure enough, the ants were able to thread the string through the shell, much to the admiration of the neighboring kingdom’s messenger.

As a result, the king appointed the boy as the royal scholar. The king had a mansion built beside the palace for the boy to live in, so he could be consulted at any time.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who worked as a weaver. She was clever and resourceful, but unfortunately married a man who was slow-witted and incapable of doing any work. One day, she gave him some cloths and asked him to sell them at the market. She instructed him: – “If you don't get four quan for each piece, don't sell them, understand?”

The husband took the cloths to the market, shouting hoarsely, but no one bought anything. Eventually, an old man purchased two pieces from him, but he didn't have any money on him. The old man told him:

– "Come to my house later to collect the money. My house is also in this village."

The husband asked:

– Where is your house?

– It's at the place where: "the market is crowded, but no one is selling, where the flute sounds like 'to le', and the bamboo tree has only one eye." Go there, and I'll pay you right away.

Later that evening, the husband searched all over, asking people where he could find the location, but no one could answer. They all said to him:

– You’ve been tricked by some swindler!

He wandered around until late at night, unable to find the house. Defeated, he returned home in tears.

The wife asked what had happened, and he told her the whole story. She replied:

– It's easy to find! "The market where no one sells" refers to the schoolhouse, "the flute-sounding 'to le'" refers to the reeds, as the wind makes a sound like a flute, and "the bamboo tree with one eye" refers to a patch of onions or garlic. So, you need to look for a school near a reed bed and a garden of onions or garlic.

The next day, the husband set out again and, just as his wife had said, he found the old man. It turned out he was a teacher. When the old man saw him, he asked how he had managed to find his house. The husband said: – “I searched for you all afternoon yesterday. Luckily, my wife helped me find you.” The teacher thought: – “This woman must be very clever, wise, and quick-witted.” That day, there was a family gathering, and the teacher invited him to stay for the meal. After a satisfying meal, the husband was given a gift to take back to his wife. However, when the teacher paid him, he also handed him another small package with a piece of cow dung in it, with a jasmine flower stuck in the middle. The husband didn’t understand, but took it home.

The wife, upon seeing the gift, understood the teacher’s message. She said:

The clever wife marries the foolish husband,

Like a jasmine flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.

The more she thought about the “gift,” the more upset she became, feeling insulted and blaming her husband for being so ignorant. She reflected on her unfortunate fate and, tears streaming down her face, thought of throwing herself into the river.

Meanwhile, the teacher, after thinking over the situation, felt guilty for mocking the woman so cruelly. He began to worry that the wife might harm herself, feeling responsible for what might happen. He decided to take action, borrowing a hole-ridden fish basket and carrying it along the river with a fishing rod. As he walked along the bank, he kept an eye out. When he saw a woman sitting by the river, sobbing, he approached her, pretending to fish, and said:

– Please, move aside so I can fish here.

The woman was, in fact, the wife of the cloth seller. She looked up and saw an old man, much older than her husband, carrying a rickety basket. She thought to herself: – “This man is so foolish. My husband may be slow, but he isn’t this bad.” She then realized: – “So, my husband does have some qualities that others don’t.” With this thought, she abandoned her plan to end her life and returned home.