44. Learn English Through A Great Lesson: The Blind Fortune Tellers and the Elephant

 

The Blind Fortune Tellers and the Elephant

One day, five blind fortune tellers heard that a strange creature had appeared in the village. It was called an elephant. Curious, they decided to touch it and find out what it was like.

The first man touched the elephant’s trunk. “An elephant is like a giant snake!” he declared.

The second man touched its ear. “No, no! It’s like a big fan,” he argued.

The third man felt the elephant’s leg. “You’re both wrong! It’s like a pillar,” he said confidently.

The fourth man grabbed its tail. “Nonsense! It’s just like a rope,” he insisted.

The fifth man placed his hands on the elephant’s belly. “You’re all mistaken! The elephant is round like a huge pot,” he concluded.

Soon, they started arguing, each believing that only his answer was correct. The shouting got louder and louder. Then, a wise man walked by. He listened and laughed.

“My friends,” he said, “you are all right, but also all wrong. Each of you touched only one part of the elephant. To know the truth, you must see the whole picture.”

The five blind fortune tellers paused. They realized their mistake and nodded. From that day on, they learned to listen to different perspectives before making a decision.

Lesson Learned

Sometimes, what we see is only a small part of the truth. To understand the whole picture, we must be open to different viewpoints.

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(You can use Google Translate or ChatGPT to translate the article into your language, making learning English easier.)

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1	The Blind Fortune Tellers and the Elephant	/ðə ˈblaɪnd ˈfɔrtʃən ˈtɛlɚz ənd ði ˈɛləfənt/
2	One day, five blind fortune tellers heard that a strange creature had appeared in the village.	/wʌn deɪ, faɪv blaɪnd ˈfɔrtʃən ˈtɛlɚz hɝd ðæt ə streɪndʒ ˈkriːtʃɚ hæd əˈpɪɚd ɪn ðə ˈvɪlɪdʒ/
3	It was called an elephant.	/ɪt wəz kɔld ən ˈɛləfənt/
4	Curious, they decided to touch it and find out what it was like.	/ˈkjʊriəs ðeɪ dɪˈsaɪdəd tə tʌtʃ ɪt ənd faɪnd aʊt wət ɪt wəz laɪk/
5	The first man touched the elephant’s trunk.	/ðə fɝst mæn tʌtʃt ði ˈɛləfənts trʌŋk/
6	“An elephant is like a giant snake!” he declared.	/æn ˈɛləfənt ɪz laɪk ə ˈdʒaɪənt sneɪk hi dɪˈklɛrd/
7	The second man touched its ear.	/ðə ˈsɛkənd mæn tʌtʃt ɪts ɪr/
8	“No, no! It’s like a big fan,” he argued.	/noʊ noʊ ɪts laɪk ə bɪɡ fæn hi ˈɑrɡjud/
9	The third man felt the elephant’s leg.	/ðə θɝd mæn fɛlt ði ˈɛləfənts lɛɡ/
10	“You’re both wrong! It’s like a pillar,” he said confidently.	/jʊr boʊθ rɔŋ ɪts laɪk ə ˈpɪlər hi sɛd ˈkɑnfədəntli/
11	The fourth man grabbed its tail.	/ðə fɔrθ mæn ɡræbd ɪts teɪl/
12	“Nonsense! It’s just like a rope,” he insisted.	/ˈnɑn.səns ɪts dʒʌst laɪk ə roʊp hi ɪnˈsɪstəd/
13	The fifth man placed his hands on the elephant’s belly.	/ðə fɪfθ mæn pleɪst hɪz hændz ɑn ði ˈɛl.ə.fənts ˈbɛli/
14	“You’re all mistaken! The elephant is round like a huge pot,” he concluded.	/jʊr ɔl mɪˈsteɪ.kən ði ˈɛl.ə.fənt ɪz raʊnd laɪk ə hjudʒ pɑt hi kənˈklu.dɪd/
15	Soon, they started arguing, each believing that only his answer was correct.	/sun ðeɪ ˈstɑr.t̬ɪd ˈɑr.gju.ɪŋ, itʃ bəˈli.vɪŋ ðæt ˈoʊn.li hɪz ˈæn.sɚ wəz kəˈrekt/
16	The shouting got louder and louder.	/ðə ˈʃaʊ.t̬ɪŋ ɡɑt ˈlaʊ.dɚ ənd ˈlaʊ.dɚ/
17	Then, a wise man walked by.	/ðen ə waɪz mæn wɔkt baɪ/
18	He listened and laughed.	/hi ˈlɪs.ənd ənd læft/
19	“My friends,” he said, “you are all right, but also all wrong.	/maɪ frɛndz hi sɛd ju ɑr ɔl raɪt bət ˈɔl.soʊ ɔl rɔŋ/
20	Each of you touched only one part of the elephant.	/iʧ əv ju tʌʧt ˈoʊn.li wʌn pɑrt əv ði ˈɛl.ə.fənt/
21	To know the truth, you must see the whole picture.”	/tə noʊ ðə truθ, ju məst si ðə hoʊl ˈpɪk.tʃɚ/
22	The five blind fortune tellers paused.	/ðə faɪv blaɪnd ˈfɔr.tʃən ˈtɛl.ɚz pɔzd/
23	They realized their mistake and nodded.	/ðeɪ ˈri.əˌlaɪzd ðɛr mɪˈsteɪk ənd ˈnɑ.dɪd/
24	From that day on, they learned to listen to different perspectives before making a decision.	/frəm ðæt deɪ ɑn, ðeɪ lɝnd tə ˈlɪs.ən tə ˈdɪf.rənt pɚˈspɛk.tɪvz bɪˈfɔr ˈmeɪ.kɪŋ ə dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/
25	Lesson Learned	/ˈlɛs.ən lɝnd/
26	Sometimes, what we see is only a small part of the truth.	/ˈsʌm.taɪmz wʌt wi si ɪz ˈoʊn.li ə smɔl pɑrt əv ðə truθ/
27	To understand the whole picture, we must be open to different viewpoints.	/tu ˌʌn.dɚˈstænd ðə hoʊl ˈpɪk.tʃɚ wi məst bi ˈoʊ.pən tu ˈdɪf.rənt ˈvjuˌpɔɪnts/

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The video below helps you practice English listening, speaking, and reflex skills:

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