It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"
Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea. "Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls.
The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."
After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.
它对从东海中来的大鳖说：“我多么快乐啊！出去玩玩，就在井口的栏杆上蹦蹦跳跳，回来休息就蹲在残破井壁的砖窟窿里休息休息；跳进水里，水刚好托着我的胳肢窝和面颊；踩泥巴时，泥深只能淹没我的两脚，漫到我的脚背上。回头看一看那些赤虫、螃蟹与蝌蚪一类的小虫吧，哪个能同我相比哪一天！并且，我独占一坑水，在井上想跳就跳，想停就停，真是快乐极了！您为什么不常来我这里参观参观呢？”
海鳖左脚还没踏进井里，右腿已被井壁卡住了。于是，它在井边徘徊了一阵就退回来了，把大海的景像告诉青蛙，说道：“千里的确很远，可是它不能够形容海的辽阔；千仞的确很高，可是它不能够控明海的深度。夏禹的时候，10年有9年水灾，可是海水并不显得增多；商汤时，8年有7年天旱，可是海水也不显得减少。永恒的大海啊，不随时间的长短而改变，也不因为雨量的多少而涨落。这才是住在东海里最大快乐啊！”
浅井的青蛙听了这一番话，惶恐不安，两眼圆睁睁地好像失了神。深深感到自己的渺小。