有屠人貨肉歸，日已暮。歘一狼來，瞰擔中肉，似甚涎垂；步亦步，尾行數里。屠懼，示之以刃，則稍卻；既走，又從之。屠無計，默念狼所欲者肉，不如姑懸諸樹而蚤取之。遂鉤肉，翹足挂樹間，示以空空。狼乃止。屠即逕歸。昧爽往取肉，遙望樹上懸巨物，似人縊死狀，大駭。逡巡近之，則死狼也。仰首審視，見口中含肉，肉鉤刺狼腭，如魚吞餌。時狼革價昂，直十餘金，屠小裕焉。緣木求魚，狼則罹之，亦可笑已！
有屠人货肉归，日已暮。歘一狼来，瞰担中肉，似甚涎垂；步亦步，尾行数里。屠惧，示之以刃，则稍却；既走，又从之。屠无计，默念狼所欲者肉，不如姑悬诸树而蚤取之。遂钩肉，翘足挂树间，示以空空。狼乃止。屠即径归。昧爽往取肉，遥望树上悬巨物，似人缢死状，大骇。逡巡近之，则死狼也。仰首审视，见口中含肉，肉钩刺狼腭，如鱼吞饵。时狼革价昂，直十余金，屠小裕焉。缘木求鱼，狼则罹之，亦可笑已！
A butcher was on his way home after selling his meat, and the day was already growing dark. Suddenly a wolf appeared. It eyed the meat in his load and seemed to be slavering for it. When he walked, it walked, and it followed at his heels for several li. The butcher was frightened and showed it his knife, and it drew back a little; but as soon as he went on, it followed again. The butcher could think of nothing to do. He said to himself that what the wolf wanted was the meat, and he had better hang it up in a tree for now and fetch it early in the morning. So he put the meat on a hook, stood on tiptoe and hung it in the branches, and showed the wolf that his load was empty. The wolf stopped. The butcher went straight home. At first light he went to fetch the meat. From a distance he saw something big hanging in the tree, like a man who had hanged himself, and he was horrified. He edged closer: it was a dead wolf. He looked up carefully and saw that it had the meat in its mouth, and the hook had gone through the wolf’s palate, like a fish that has swallowed the bait. Wolf pelts fetched a high price at the time, worth ten taels of silver and more, and the butcher was a little better off. Climbing a tree to look for fish — and the wolf came to grief by it. Laughable, too!