Story Voice

The Spear and the Shield (自相矛盾)

The Spear and the Shield is a classic story from Chinese Idiom Stories for Kids, for children aged 4–8. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 3 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

A seller boasts that nothing can pierce his shield and that his spear pierces anything. Then someone asks what happens when the two meet. The idiom story 自相矛盾 in English and Chinese, with narration.

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Read The Spear and the Shield

Long ago, in the land of Chu, there was a busy market. People sold vegetables, cloth and sweets.

In the middle of the market, a man sold two things. One was a shield. It was round and thick, and it kept you safe. The other was a spear. It had a long stick with a sharp point at the end.

The man held up a shield and knocked on it. Knock, knock! "Come and see!" he shouted. "My shield is very strong. Nothing can go through it!" People touched the shield. "Yes, it looks strong," they said.

Then he held up a spear. "And look at my spear!" he shouted. "It is very sharp. It can go through anything!" People looked at the shiny point. "Yes, it looks sharp," they said.

Then an old man in the crowd asked a question. "What if I use your spear to hit your shield? What will happen?"

The man opened his mouth. Then he closed it. If the spear went through the shield, his shield was not so strong. If it did not, his spear was not so sharp.

He looked at the spear. He looked at the shield. He could not say a word. Everyone laughed. A little boy clapped his hands. "His spear and his shield are having a fight!"

The man's face turned as red as an apple. He picked up his things and went home.

The next day, he came back to the market. This time he only said, "My shield is strong, and my spear is sharp." People nodded, and someone bought a shield.

The Chinese version: 自相矛盾

很久很久以前，楚国有一个热闹的集市。卖菜的、卖布的、卖糖人的，一个摊子挨着一个摊子，吆喝声此起彼伏。

集市中间，有个人摆了一个小摊，卖两样东西。一样是盾，圆圆的，厚厚的，打仗的时候挡在身前，用来护住自己。另一样是矛，杆子长长的，头上有一个尖尖的矛头，用来往前刺。

为了让大家买他的东西，这个人先举起一面盾，用手敲得咚咚响，扯着嗓子吆喝：“快来看，快来瞧！我的盾结实极了，不管什么东西，都刺不穿它！”大家围过来，摸摸盾，点点头：“嗯，看着是挺结实。”

他放下盾，又举起一根矛，在空中晃了晃，吆喝得更响了：“再看看我的矛！它锋利极了，不管什么东西，它都能一下子刺穿！”大家又凑过去，看看亮闪闪的矛头，也点点头：“嗯，看着是挺锋利。”

这时候，人群里有一位老爷爷，捋着白胡子，慢悠悠地问：“那我问问你——要是拿你的矛，去刺你的盾，会怎么样呢？”

卖东西的人张开嘴，刚想说“刺得穿”，又赶紧闭上了。要是刺穿了，他的盾就不是什么都刺不穿了。他又想说“刺不穿”，又闭上了。要是刺不穿，他的矛就不是什么都能刺穿了。

他一会儿看看手里的矛，一会儿看看地上的盾，憋了半天，一句话也答不上来。围观的人哈哈大笑。一个小男孩拍着手说：“他的矛和他的盾，吵起架来啦！”

卖东西的人脸红得像个大苹果。他挠挠头，收起矛和盾，低着头回家去了。

第二天，他又来集市摆摊了。这回他只说：“我的盾挺结实，我的矛挺锋利。”大家听了，都点点头，还有人买走了一面盾呢。

The Spear and the Shield (自相矛盾): the moral of the story

Say what is true, and don’t boast beyond it. When what you say one moment clashes with what you say the next, people stop believing you.

What does The Spear and the Shield mean?
Literally “one’s own spear against one’s own shield”: 自相 (zì xiāng) against oneself, 矛 (máo) spear, 盾 (dùn) shield. It describes saying or doing things that contradict each other. The everyday Chinese word for “contradiction,” 矛盾 (máo dùn), literally “spear-shield,” comes from this story.
Example sentence
One minute my little brother says he isn’t sleepy at all; the next he says he’s too tired to keep his eyes open. That’s 自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn)!

The original Chinese text of The Spear and the Shield

楚人有鬻盾与矛者，誉之曰：“吾盾之坚，物莫能陷也。”又誉其矛曰：“吾矛之利，于物无不陷也。”或曰：“以子之矛，陷子之盾，何如？”其人弗能应也。夫不可陷之盾与无不陷之矛，不可同世而立。

— 《韩非子·难一》

Our translation

A man of Chu was selling shields and spears. Praising his shields, he said, “My shields are so strong that nothing can pierce them.” Then he praised his spears, saying, “My spears are so sharp that there is nothing they cannot pierce.” Someone asked, “What if you used your spear to pierce your shield?” The man could not answer. A shield that nothing can pierce and a spear that can pierce anything cannot exist in the same world.

— Han Feizi, “Objections, Part One” (3rd century BC)

Chinese words in The Spear and the Shield

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

  • 自相矛盾zì xiāng máo dùn

    contradict yourself

  • 集市jí shì

    market

  • 盾dùn

    shield

  • 矛máo

    spear

  • 结实jiē shi

    strong, sturdy

  • 锋利fēng lì

    sharp

  • 刺穿cì chuān

    pierce

  • 老爷爷lǎo yé ye

    old man, grandpa

Bedtime storytelling tips

  • Find two props, a pot lid for the shield and a chopstick for the spear, and hold them up proudly when the seller is shouting.
  • When the old man asks his question, stop and let your child answer: “What happens if his spear hits his shield?” See if they can spot what’s wrong.
  • “Strong” and “sharp” come up again and again. Play a game: say “strong” and your child holds up an arm like a shield; say “sharp” and they point a finger like a spear. In the Chinese version the words are 结实 (jiē shi) and 锋利 (fēng lì).

Things to talk about afterwards

  • How did the seller praise his shield and his spear?
  • What did the old man ask? Why couldn’t the seller answer?
  • If you were the seller, how would you describe your spear and shield?

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The Spear and the Shield (自相矛盾): common questions

What does the Chinese idiom 自相矛盾 mean?
自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn) means “to contradict yourself,” literally to set your own spear against your own shield. It describes words or actions that don’t fit together.
What is the moral of The Spear and the Shield?
Be honest and don’t overstate things. The seller boasted that his shield could stop anything and his spear could pierce anything, and both claims couldn’t be true at once. When our words clash with each other, people stop trusting them.
Where does 自相矛盾 come from?
It comes from the Han Feizi, chapter “Objections, Part One,” by the philosopher Han Fei at the end of the Warring States period (3rd century BC). The man selling the spear and shield is from the state of Chu.
Why does 矛盾 mean contradiction in Chinese?
Because of this story. 矛 (máo) is a spear and 盾 (dùn) is a shield, and since the seller’s unbeatable spear and unbreakable shield couldn’t both exist, 矛盾 (máo dùn) became the everyday Chinese word for a contradiction.
What is 自相矛盾 in English?
The closest English is “to contradict yourself,” or the adjective “self-contradictory.” This page’s English story is called The Spear and the Shield.

Source and how we retold it

From the Han Feizi, chapter “Objections, Part One” (难一), by Han Fei at the end of the Warring States period; the original is in the public domain. Old texts write the character for shield, 盾, as 楯; they are the same thing. We expanded the original into a story for children. The busy market, the old man who asks the question and the little boy clapping are our details. The original ends when the seller can’t answer; the ending where he goes home red-faced and comes back the next day describing his goods honestly is also ours.

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 Spear and the Shield (自相矛盾), there are more stories in Chinese Idiom Stories for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.

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