The Wedding of Mrs. Fox
Introduction
'The Wedding of Mrs. Fox' is one of the cheerfullest animal comedies the Brothers Grimm ever collected, and folklorists give it the number ATU 65. The Grimms printed two versions of the tale side by side. In the first, an old fox doubts his wife, plays dead to test her, and ends up chasing a whole parade of suitors out of the house; in the second, the old fox truly dies, and Mrs. Fox will take no new husband who does not look exactly like the old one. We retell the tale in the style of a Chinese fable because it already has a fable's bones: flat, easy-to-read characters, a short and witty plot, and a lesson tucked inside the final joke. There is a happy accident for Chinese readers as well. The old fox's nine tails call to mind the nine-tailed fox of Chinese myth, from the ancient classic of mountains and seas to countless folk stories; and Mrs. Fox's hunt for an exact copy of her old husband almost echoes the old saying about carving a boat to mark where a sword fell into the river — clinging to a fixed mark long after it has lost its meaning. Chinese folk wisdom also says new clothes are good, but old friends are better; this tale turns the saying upside down for a laugh. The joke lands at the very end: the old fox had caught fat mice all his life and never shared a single one with his wife. Same shape, different heart. As you read, count the suitors' tails with your child, from one to nine, and then ask: when you choose a friend, what do you look at first?
Vocabulary from "The Wedding of Mrs. Fox"
12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.
A feeling that something may not be true or right.
怀疑；疑虑。
For days a dark doubt sat in his head: his wife, he feared, no longer loved him as she used to.
这些日子，他总在暗地里琢磨：妻子待我，怕是不忠了。
Moved quietly and secretly, so nobody noticed.
悄悄溜进；神不知鬼不觉地移动。
One day he slipped into the house, lay down flat under the long bench, tucked in his paws, and shut his eyes.
这一日，他悄悄溜进屋，直挺挺躺在长凳底下，收起爪子，闭紧眼睛。
Moved from one place to many people or places.
传开；散布。
The news of old Mr. Fox's death spread through the forest like wind.
老狐狸过世的消息，转眼传遍了整个森林。
People who come to ask someone to marry them.
求婚者；求亲的人。
From that day on the suitors grew more numerous, and their tails grew too — three tails, four tails, all the way to eight.
打那以后，来求亲的狐狸一天比一天多，尾巴也从三条、四条一直长到八条。
Jumped up suddenly.
猛地跳起；一跃而起。
Old Mr. Fox sprang to his feet, seized a stick, and laid about him left and right.
老狐狸先生猛地跳将起来，抄起一根木棍，照着满屋宾客劈头就打。
Grabbed something quickly and firmly.
一把抓住；夺取。
Old Mr. Fox sprang to his feet, seized a stick, and laid about him left and right.
老狐狸先生猛地跳将起来，抄起一根木棍，照着满屋宾客劈头就打。
Shouted very loudly and angrily.
怒吼；大声喊叫。
"I am not dead yet!" he roared.
“我还没死呢！”他怒声喝道。
Ran away from danger very quickly.
逃走；四散奔逃。
The suitors fled in every direction, and Mrs. Fox was driven out of her own door along with them.
一屋子求亲的狐狸抱头鼠窜，狐狸太太也被赶出了家门。
Long coverings worn on the legs and feet.
长袜。
"Does the gentleman wear red stockings?" asked Mrs. Fox.
狐狸太太问道：“这位先生可穿了红袜子？”
Did not have something that was needed.
缺少；不具备。
But each of them lacked something — no red stockings, or no pointed mouth — and none could match the good points of the old gentleman.
可它们不是缺了红袜子，就是少了一张尖嘴，总也凑不齐老先生的好处。
Sang a tune quietly with closed lips.
哼唱；低声哼曲子。
While she swept and tidied the rooms, Miss Cat hummed a little song: "Sweep the floor and clean the pane, / throw the old one out again! / Fat mice he caught, one, two, three, / but never shared a single one with me — / he gobbled them down all alone."
猫小姐一边收拾屋子，一边哼起一支小调：“扫扫地来擦擦窗，把那个老家伙扔出去！肥老鼠他抓了一只又一只，可从来没分给我半只——他一个独吞了个干净。”
Ate food very quickly and noisily.
狼吞虎咽；大口吞食。
he gobbled them down all alone.
独吞独咽，口口喷香。
Reading Together & Learning More
The Moral
A like shape does not always hold a like heart, and a lie can never test the truth of love. Judge people by their deeds, not by their looks.
Educational Value
Teaches children that deeds matter more than looks, and that tricks cannot test a true heart; the suitors' tails, growing from one to nine, make a fun counting game, and the cat's playful back-and-forth builds a feel for rhythm and rhyme.
Tips for Parents
Read Miss Cat's trips up and down the stairs with a playful voice — children love it. Count the suitors' tails together, and pause at the end to ask: was old Mr. Fox a selfish husband, and what should you look at when you choose a friend?
Talk About It
- Old Mr. Fox plays dead to test his wife. Do you think a trick can ever test a true heart?
- Mrs. Fox will accept only a husband who looks exactly like the old one. Is choosing by a copy of the past a good way to choose?
- Only at the end do we learn that old Mr. Fox was selfish, eating every fat mouse himself. Knowing that, do you still feel sorry for him?
- The suitors' tails grow from one to nine, yet none wins her. If you were Mrs. Fox, what would you look for in a friend or a partner?
- The story reads a little like a song. What other funny rhymes or chants do you know?
