中國神話內容瑰麗豐富，其中不乏諸多活潑生動之神話要角。在有關治水的神話中，「鯀偷息壤」的故事常為人津津樂道，而這個故事也分別出現在《楚辭》與《山海經》這兩部先秦典籍中。 雖然同樣在記錄「鯀」的治水神話，然而當中所呈現有關「鯀」的形象卻截然不同。出現在《楚辭》中的「鯀」是悲劇英雄；出現在《山海經》裡的「鯀」卻是違抗帝命的逆臣，兩者的形象、個性落差甚大。 藉由對《楚辭》與《山海經》中有關「鯀」的記載加以比較之後可以發現，對於事件的解讀，會隨著時代、地域及作者本身的觀點而有所不同，因而造就了讀者在兩部經典中所看見的，不同面貌的「鯀」形象。

Chinese mythology is appealing and there are many vivid characters. In mythology related to water regulation, the story “kun stole the heavenly soil” was popular, and it was mentioned in two Pre-Chin books: Tsu Tzu and Shan Hai Ching. In the water regulation myths which recorded “kun”, the images of “kun” were very different. “Kun” in Tsu Tzu was a tragic hero and that in Shan Hai Ching was a rebellious courtier. The images and characters were extremely different. After comparing the records about “kun” in Tsu Tzu and Shan Hai Ching, this paper finds that the interpretation of the event differs according to times, regions and the authors’ views. Thus, the readers recognize different images of “kun” in two classics.