fable
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fable
A short, instructive story in which animals with human traits often appear and which conveys a moral.
In der Fabel vom Hasen und dem Igel siegt die List über die Schnelligkeit.
In the fable of the hare and the hedgehog, cunning wins over speed.
To distinguish the meanings: when the text refers to animals with human traits and a moral, it means the instructive story (m01). In everyday language, 'eine Fabel' (a fable/tall tale) often negatively refers to an unbelievable story or excuse (m02).
Kinder lieben es, Fabeln über sprechende Tiere zu hören.
Children love hearing fables about talking animals.
In the context of an instructive story, typical features are 'sprechende Tiere' (talking animals), 'menschliche Eigenschaften' (human traits), and the fact that the story 'eine Moral hat' (has a moral).
Die Fabel vom Löwen und der Maus lehrt, dass auch die Kleinen helfen können.
The fable of the lion and the mouse teaches that even the small can help.
In the meaning of 'lie', the plural form is often used in the expression 'Fabeln erzählen' (to tell tall tales) to express that someone is lying or exaggerating.
Hör auf, Fabeln zu erzählen, und sag mir die Wahrheit!
Stop telling tall tales and tell me the truth!
The meaning 'Handlung eines Werks' (plot/action of a work) is technical language from literary studies. In normal usage, you almost never encounter this use.
In der Analyse untersuchten wir die Fabel des Dramas.
In the analysis, we examined the plot of the drama.
plot / action
'die Handlung' and 'die Fabel' can both refer to the sequence of events in a literary story. In this technical sense, 'Fabel' is similar to the word 'Handlung'. In everyday language, however, 'Handlung' is much more general and fits films, books, and plays. 'Fabel' usually means a short instructive story, often with animals that behave like humans. This can lead to confusion: if you are talking about the plot of a novel, you usually use 'Handlung'. If you mean a short story with a moral, you say 'Fabel'.
In der Schule lesen die Kinder eine Fabel über einen Fuchs und einen Raben.
At school, the children read a fable about a fox and a raven.
Nach dem ersten Kapitel kann Lisa die Handlung des Buches gut nacherzählen.
After the first chapter, Lisa can retell the plot of the book well.