五代畫虎名家歷歸真從小喜歡畫畫，尤其喜歡畫虎，但是由於沒有見過真的老虎，總把老虎畫成病貓，於是他決心進入深山老林，探訪真的老虎，經歷了千辛萬苦，在獵戶伯伯的幫助下，終於見到了真的老虎，通過大量的寫生臨摹，其的畫虎技法突飛猛進，筆下的老虎栩栩如生，幾可亂真。從此以後，他又用大半生的時間遊歷了許多名山大川，見識了更多的飛禽猛獸，終於成為一代繪畫大師。
“Whee!! “ said all of the children as they ran outside when class was over.厉归真stopped midway when he saw that his teacher finished drawing a bird. He went over to look at it more closely. Then he suddenly imagined flying around.” It’s so cute teacher! Can you draw me one?”
The teacher replied,” Sure I will draw a cuter one for you.” as he reached for his brush and paper,” Okay I’m done”
“Thank you!” said 归真 delighted ,” It looks so pretty! It looks so real!”
His teacher walked outside and he followed,”归真,” said his teacher,” Put the drawing on the stone table.”
“ Yes teacher!” the excited boy replied,” I know!” He placed the picture on the table
Then a bird flew by and saw the drawing, it offered “the bird” a caterpillar
Nothing happened and it flew away.
“ Great! Even a real bird thinks its alive!” exclaimed 归真,” Teacher how come you can draw so good!?”
“ When you were studying, I carefully examined it and the ways it looks and acts.” he said simply
“ Teacher, I like to draw too but then I just can’t get anything right!” said 归真
“ Oh really?!” said his teacher surprised,”What can you draw?”
“ Uh I can draw a cow and a …tiger!” said 归真
“ You seen a tiger before!?” asked his teacher excited
归真 shook his head
“ You can’t just draw what you imagine. You have to see what it really is.” said his teacher,” I have been looking at the birds for so long that I know what it does and its shape.”
“ But I still like tigers! Have you seen one?” asked 归真
“ No but I’ve seen their master”
“ Tigers have a master?”
“ Yeah! The cat is a tigers master.” said his teacher,” It passes on what it does to the tigers except climbing”
Back at home, 归真 looked at his cat and drew many pictures of it doing different actions. While he was trying to draw a tiger, his mother came in and said,” 归真 its time to eat” as she handed a bowl of rice to him. He replied with a grunt and got back to his work.
Then suddenly, his friends came in and asked,”Now what are you drawing?” as they studied his picture,” Is it a tiger?”
“ Duh! What else could it be?” answered 归真, proud of himself
“ I don’t know it doesn’t look like one.”
“ How?!”
“ Well you don’t draw it like other artists”
These comments went like forever. ‘Is your tiger sick?’ ‘It looks like a cat ‘ ‘It looks like a cat trying to catch a mouse!’
归真 replied to the last comment,” It’s a tiger jumping on a rock!” as he imagined the teacher saying how that you have to see a thing in real life in able to draw it.
The next day he set off to the forest to find at tiger. Then suddenly a tiger walked out of the grass and growled. 归真 Scrambled up a tree and swung on a vine to the other side.
Then, the tiger got up a revealed a man.” Who are you?” said 归真 obviously scared.
“ I am the hunter of this forest! Why is a little dolly like you doing here?” said the man
“ To learn how to draw a tiger” answered 归真
“ What? We hunters track tigers by looking at their foot prints and tracks. If we do what you’re doing, we can’t find anything and it would be very dangerous!”
归真 begged and begged until the hunter said yes,” Meet me at my camp and get ready tomorrow!”
And so he did. He drew and drew. He showed his classmates and teacher and got their encouragement .With hard work , he so became a well know artist in china.
