What is the moral of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

Tell the truth. Each time the boy lied, the villagers trusted him a little less, so when the wolf really came and he begged for help, nobody came. People stop believing someone who lies again and again.

Who wrote The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

It is one of Aesop’s fables, number 210 in the Perry Index, said to come from a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. It is not a Chinese folktale, though it is well known in China as 狼来了 (láng lái le), “The wolf is coming!”

What does “cry wolf” mean?

To cry wolf is to raise a false alarm, so that people stop listening when there is real danger. The phrase comes from this fable.

How does The Boy Who Cried Wolf end?

In Aesop’s original, the wolf really comes and destroys the whole flock. In our gentler bedtime version, the wolf scatters the sheep and chases them into the woods, the boy stays safe on a big rock, and his father comes to find him. Some sheep are never found, and the boy promises never to lie again.

Is there a Chinese version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

Yes. This page has our Chinese retelling, 狼来了 (láng lái le), with Mandarin narration, next to the English version.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf Story

Ages 3–7
English audio 2 min
Mandarin audio 4 min

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a classic story from Aesop's Fables for Kids, for children aged 3–7. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 4 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

A bored shepherd boy shouts “Wolf!” twice as a joke. When a real wolf comes, nobody believes him. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.

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Read The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once there was a boy who looked after sheep. Every morning, he took them up a hill near his village.

The hill was very quiet. The sheep ate grass. The clouds moved slowly across the sky. The boy sat on a big rock and felt bored. "I wish something exciting would happen," he thought.

Then he had an idea. He stood up and shouted, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is coming!" The people in the village heard him. They ran up the hill with sticks. But there was no wolf, only sheep eating grass. The boy laughed and laughed. "I tricked you!" he said.

A few days later, he did it again. "Wolf! Wolf!" The people ran up the hill again. Again, there was no wolf. This time they were angry. "Stop telling lies!" they said.

Then one evening, a real wolf came out of the trees. It walked slowly toward the sheep. The boy was very scared. "Wolf! Wolf!" he shouted. "This time it's true! Please help!"

The people heard him, but nobody came. "It's that boy again," they said. "He is telling another lie."

The wolf ran at the sheep. The sheep ran away in all directions. The boy climbed onto a big rock and stayed very still. Soon the wolf ran off into the trees after the sheep.

That night, the boy's father came to find him. "There really was a wolf," the boy cried, "but nobody believed me." Some of the sheep were never found. "I will never tell a lie again," said the boy quietly.

The Chinese version: 狼来了

从前，山脚下有个小村子。村里有个放羊的男孩，每天一早，他就赶着一群羊，到村外的山坡上吃草。

山坡上静悄悄的。羊低着头吃草，白云慢慢地飘。男孩坐在大石头上，看看羊，看看云，觉得没意思极了。他想：“要是有点儿热闹事就好了。”

他眼珠一转，站起来，朝着村子大喊：“狼来了！狼来了！快来救救我的羊！”村里的人听见了，有的扛着锄头，有的拿着木棍，气喘吁吁地跑上山坡。可是山坡上哪有狼呢？只有羊在安安静静地吃草。男孩看着大家满头大汗的样子，笑得直不起腰：“哈哈，我是逗你们玩的！”大家摇摇头，回村去了。

过了几天，男孩又觉得没意思了。他又扯着嗓子喊：“狼来了！狼来了！”村里的人又放下手里的活儿，急急忙忙跑上来。山坡上还是没有狼，男孩又哈哈大笑。这一回，大家都生气了：“这孩子，怎么老是说谎！”

又过了些日子，一个傍晚，树林里真的钻出来一只大灰狼。它瞪着眼睛，一步一步朝羊群走过来。男孩吓坏了，拼命地喊：“狼来了！狼来了！这回是真的！快来呀！”

村里的人听见了，可是谁也没有动。“又是那个爱说谎的孩子，”他们说，“我们才不上当呢。”

大灰狼冲进羊群，羊吓得咩咩直叫，四处乱跑，一下子散得满山都是。男孩爬上一块高高的大石头，紧紧抱着膝盖，一动也不敢动。大灰狼追着羊群，跑进了远处的树林。

天黑了，男孩的爸爸见他还没回家，举着火把上山来找。男孩扑进爸爸怀里，哭着说：“狼真的来了，可是没有人相信我。”那天晚上，大家帮着找了很久，还是有好几只羊再也没有找回来。男孩低着头，小声说：“以后我再也不说谎了。”

The Boy Who Cried Wolf Story: the moral of the story

Tell the truth. If you lie again and again, people stop believing you, even when you really need their help.

Chinese words in The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

狼来了láng lái le
the wolf is coming
狼láng
wolf
羊yáng
sheep
放羊fàng yáng
look after sheep
村子cūn zi
village
山坡shān pō
hillside
说谎shuō huǎng
tell a lie
相信xiāng xìn
believe

Bedtime storytelling tips

Read the boy’s first two shouts in a cheeky, laughing voice and the third in a truly frightened one, so your child hears the difference between a joke and a real call for help.
When nobody comes the third time, pause and ask, “Why didn’t the villagers come?” Let your child answer before you read on.
Act it out: your child plays the boy shouting “Wolf! Wolf!” and you play the villagers saying “Stop telling lies!” Then swap. In the Chinese version, the boy shouts 狼来了！(láng lái le), “The wolf is coming!”

Things to talk about afterwards

What did the villagers do the first two times the boy shouted?
When the wolf really came, why did nobody help?
If you told a lie, what could you do so people trust you again?

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf Story: common questions

What is the moral of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?: Tell the truth. Each time the boy lied, the villagers trusted him a little less, so when the wolf really came and he begged for help, nobody came. People stop believing someone who lies again and again.
Who wrote The Boy Who Cried Wolf?: It is one of Aesop’s fables, number 210 in the Perry Index, said to come from a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. It is not a Chinese folktale, though it is well known in China as 狼来了 (láng lái le), “The wolf is coming!”
What does “cry wolf” mean?: To cry wolf is to raise a false alarm, so that people stop listening when there is real danger. The phrase comes from this fable.
How does The Boy Who Cried Wolf end?: In Aesop’s original, the wolf really comes and destroys the whole flock. In our gentler bedtime version, the wolf scatters the sheep and chases them into the woods, the boy stays safe on a big rock, and his father comes to find him. Some sheep are never found, and the boy promises never to lie again.
Is there a Chinese version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?: Yes. This page has our Chinese retelling, 狼来了 (láng lái le), with Mandarin narration, next to the English version.

Source and how we retold it

Aesop’s fables, number 210 in the Perry Index. Aesop is said to have been a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. His fables were first passed on by word of mouth and collected by later writers, and they have long been in the public domain. Our retelling follows the original plot with a gentler ending. In the original, the wolf really comes and destroys the whole flock. Here the wolf scatters the sheep and chases them into the woods, several sheep are never found, and the boy, hiding on a big rock, is not hurt. His father coming up the hill to find him and the boy’s last words are our additions.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Boy Who Cried Wolf Story, there are more stories in Aesop's Fables for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.