During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a nine-year-old boy named Yang Bao was playing north of Huayin Mountain when he spotted a yellow sparrow that had been clawed by an owl and fallen from a tree, its feathers scattered and body crawling with ants, barely alive. Yang Bao murmured to himself, "What a pitiful little sparrow! I must find a way to save it."
He brought the oriole home, placed it in a small box, and fed it daily with yellow flowers and water. After over a hundred days, the bird's wound healed, its feathers grew back, and it could fly again. At dawn, it would fly out of the box, and by dusk, it would return—remarkably well-behaved.
One night, nearing the third watch, Yang Bao was still awake, diligently reading. Just then, a boy in yellow appeared before him, bowed twice, and said:
"I am an envoy of the Queen Mother of the West, sent to the Penglai Immortal Isle. On the way, I was careless and injured by an owl. Fortunately, your kind heart saved me, and I did not lose my life. I am endlessly grateful for your great kindness and virtue."
The yellow-clad boy, having spoken thus, took out four crystal-clear white jade rings and presented them to Yang Bao, saying:
"Before I depart, I wish your descendants pure and noble conduct, holding the highest offices of Grand Commandant, Minister of Masses, and Minister of Works for four generations—just like these four jade rings." Yang Bao tried to decline the gift, but the boy in yellow had already transformed into an oriole and flown out the window. Rushing to look, Yang Bao found the bird had vanished without a trace. Years later, Yang Bao's descendants indeed served as high ministers of the Eastern Han for four consecutive generations. Today, the idiom "The Oriole's Ring" expresses gratitude for a kindness received and the desire to repay it.
Source: *In Search of the Supernatural*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "黄雀衔环" came to describe gratitude for a kindness received and the desire to repay it.