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Dōnɡhàn mònián, Liúbèi yǔ Cáocāo dàzhàn, Cáocāo shībài, yúshì Cáocāo biàn pài dàjiànɡ Pánɡdé lǐnɡbīnɡ qù jiùyuán.
东汉末年，刘备与曹操大战，曹操失败，于是曹操便派大将庞德领兵去救援。Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao in battle. Cao Cao then assigned General Pang De to lead his troops.
Pánɡdé dào zhànchǎnɡ yǐhòu, rànɡ shìbīnɡmen táizhe yìkǒu ɡuāncɑi, zǒuzài duìwude qiánmiɑn, fāshì yǔ Liúbèide jūnduì juéyìsǐzhàn. Liǎnɡjūn dàzhàn bǎiyú huíhé, bù fēn shènɡfù. Liúbèide dàjiànɡ Xiànɡshànɡ Sīɡuānpínɡ bàoɡào shuō:“Pánɡdéde dāofǎ fēichánɡ xiánshú, zhēn búkuì shì Cáocāode yǒnɡjiānɡ. ” Guānpínɡ shuō:“súhuàshuō ‘ānɡ shēnɡxiàláide xiǎoniúdú lián láohǔ dōu bú hàipà.’ wǒmen juéduì bùnénɡ qīnɡshì tā ā.”
庞德到战场以后，让士兵们抬着一口棺材，走在队伍的前面，发誓与刘备的军队决一死战。两军大战百余回合，不分胜负。刘备的大将向上司关平报告说：“庞德的刀法非常娴熟，真不愧是曹操的勇将。”关平说：“俗话说‘刚生下来的小牛犊连老虎都不害怕。’我们绝对不能轻视他啊！”When Pang De reached the battlefield, he ordered his soldiers to carry a coffin in front of the troops as a sign of his oath to burn his bridges with Liu Bei’s troops. Both armies fought many times and came out even. The Liu Bei's general reported to his commander Guan Ping, “Pang De is very skilled and valiant; he deserves to be Cao Cao’s general.” Guan Ping replied, “There is a saying that goes ‘Newborn calves are not afraid of the tiger’. We definitely should not look down on him.”

Dōnɡhàn mònián, qúnxiónɡbìnɡqǐ, tiānxià dàluàn, huánɡdì hūnyōnɡ, cháozhōnɡ dàchén Dǒnɡzhuó shǒuwò zhònɡquán, jiāohènɡ bùkěyíshì. Yúshì Sītúwánɡyǔn dǎsuɑn chúdiào Dǒnɡzhuó. Wánɡyǔn yǒu yìxiǎoqiè, jiàoDiāochán, zhǎnɡdé tèbié piàoliɑnɡ. Wánɡyǔn ɡùyì rànɡ diāochán yǔ dǒnɡzhuóde yǎnɡzǐ Lǚbù xiānɡài, Wánɡyǔn rànɡ Diāochán péi Lǚbù hē jiǔ, jiǔjiān Diāochán duì Lǚbù “qiūbōsònɡqínɡ”, nònɡdé Lǚbù húnbùshǒushě. Ránhòu Wánɡyǔn yòu bǎ Diāochán sònɡɡěi le Dǒnɡzhuó. Jiéɡuǒ Lǚbù yīnwèi diāochán yǔ Dǒnɡzhuó jiéxià yuānchóu, hòulái jiùbǎ Dǒnɡzhuó shāle.
东汉末年，群雄并起，天下大乱，皇帝昏庸，朝中大臣董卓手握重权，骄横不可一世。于是司徒王允打算除掉董卓。王允有一小妾，叫貂蝉，长得特别漂亮。王允故意让貂蝉与董卓的养子吕布相爱，王允让貂蝉陪吕布喝酒，酒间貂蝉对吕布“秋波送情”，弄得吕布魂不守舍。然后王允又把貂蝉送给了董卓。结果吕布因为貂蝉与董卓结下冤仇，后来就把董卓杀了。
Towards the end of East Han Dynasty, the land was in chaos due to warring amongst independent warlords. The king was a fool and Dong Zhuo, a minister who possessed important authority, was very arrogant. Situ Wang Yun attempted to assassinate Dong Zhou. His plan involved asking his beautiful concubine, Diao Chao, to seduce Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo's adopted son.He asked Diao Chao to accompany Lu Bu for drinks. During the banquet Diao Chao made eyes at Lu Bu and drove the man out of his mind. Then Wang Yun sent Diao Chan to Dong Zhuo. These machinations led to a feud between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo involving Diao Chan that resulted in Dong Zhou's murder.

Tánɡcháo yǒu yíwèi zhùmínɡde huàjiā jiào Zhānɡzào. Tā shànchánɡ huà shānshuǐ, sōnɡshí. Zhānɡzào zuòhuàde shíhou, zuǒyòushǒu ɡèwò yìzhībǐ, kéyǐ tónɡshí zài zhǐshànɡ zuòhuà. Yìzhībǐ huà cānɡcuìde sōnɡzhī, lìnɡyìzhībǐ huà kūɡānqiúzhī, huàchūde sōnɡshù wéimiàowéixiāo, rénmen dōushuō tāshì shénbǐ.
唐朝有一位著名的画家叫张燥，他擅长画山水、松石。张燥作画的时候，左右手各握一支笔，可以同时在纸上作画。一支笔画苍翠的松枝，另一支笔画枯干虬枝，画出的松树惟妙惟肖，人们都说他是神笔。
During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a famous artist named Zhang Zao who was a master painter of landscapes, pine trees and stones. He could paint with a brush in each hand, one brush portraying dark green pine branches while the other illustrated dried up branches. His paintings were very vivid and many praised him for possessing a magic pen.

三顾茅庐(Sān gù máolú)
Sānguó shí, Liú Bèi tīngshuō Zhūgě Liàng hěn yǒu cáishí, jiù xīwàng Zhūgě Liànɡ chūshān fǔzuǒ tā. Yī tiān, tā dàizhe lǐwù dào Lónɡzhōnɡ( Zhūɡěliànɡ de jūsuǒ) qù qǐng Zhūgě Liànɡ. Dàole yǐhòu, púrén què ɡàosù tā Zhūɡě Liànɡ bú zài, Liú Bèi shīwàng de huíqùle.
三国时，刘备听说诸葛亮很有才识，就希望诸葛亮出山辅佐他。一天，他带着礼物到隆中（诸葛亮的居所）去请诸葛亮。到了以后，仆人却告诉他诸葛亮不在，刘备失望地回去了。During the Three Kingdoms Period, Liu Bei heard Zhuge Liang was very talented. He hoped Zhuge Liang would come and work for him, so one day, he took gifts to Longzhong (the house of Zhuge Liang) to invite the talented man to the court. When he got there, the servant told Liubei that Zhuge Liang was not home. Liubei had no choice but to return home in disappointment.
Bù jiǔ, Liú Bèi yòu hé Guān Yǔ( GuānYǔ) Zhānɡ Fēi( Zhāng Fēi) màozhe dà fēng xuě qù, jiéguǒ púrén yòu gàosù tāmen Zhūgě Liànɡ bù zài. Guānyǔ hé Zhānɡfēi fēichánɡ shēnɡqì, tāmen fēnfēn quànshuō Liúbèi búyào zài qùle, kěshì Liúbèi háishì jiānchí yào qù.
不久，刘备又和关羽（Guān Yǔ）、张飞（Zhāng Fēi）冒着大风雪去，结果仆人又告诉他们诸葛亮不在。关羽和张飞非常生气，他们纷纷劝说刘备不要再去了，可是刘备还是坚持要去。Later, this time with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei went back to Zhuge Liang’s home, braving the strong wind and snow. But the servant again told him that Zhuge Liang was not in. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became very angry. They persuaded Liu Bei to never return, but Liu Bei was insistent.
Dì-sān cì qù de shíhou Zhūɡěliànɡ zhènɡ zài shuìjiào, Liúbèi bù ɡǎn dǎrǎo tā, yīzhí děnɡ dào Zhūɡěliànɡ xǐnɡlái. Zhūɡěliànɡ kàndàole Liúbèi de juéxīn hé chénɡyì, biàn dāyìnɡ Liúbèi chūshān fǔzuǒ tā. Jiéɡuǒ Zhūɡěliànɡ chénɡwéi lìshǐshànɡ yī wèi zhùmínɡ de chénɡxiànɡ. 
第三次去的时候诸葛亮正在睡觉，刘备不敢打扰他，一直等到诸葛亮醒来。诸葛亮看到了刘备的决心和诚意，便答应刘备出山辅佐他。结果诸葛亮成为历史上一位著名的丞相。When they arrived the third time, Zhuge Liang was sleeping. Liu Bei didn’t want to disturb him, and so waited until he woke up. Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei’s determination and sincerity, and agreed to assist Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang would eventually become one of the most famous prime ministers in history.
Words：
才识(cáishí)： Ability and insight n.
辅佐(fǔzuǒ)： Assist a ruler in governing a country v.
仆人(púrén)： flunky n.
失望(shīwàng)： disappointed adj.
纷纷(fēnfēn)： in succession adv.
劝说(quànshuō)： to advise v.
打扰(dárăo)： to disturb v.
决心(juéxīn)： determination n.
诚意(chéngyì)： sincerity n.
丞相(chéngxiàng)： minister prime
Meanings：
“三顾茅庐” 本来是指刘备一连三次请求诸葛亮出山辅佐他的故事。现比喻真心诚意地一再邀请某人做什么事情。The original meaning of “三顾茅庐” refers to Liu Bei asking Zhuge Liang to help him three times. Now, it’s often used as a metaphor to describe when a person sincerely invites somebody to do something repeatedly.
Sentences：
1. Tā sān ɡù máolú, cái qǐnɡ dàole zhèwèi jiàoshòu wèi wǒmen kāi jiǎnɡzuò.
他三顾茅庐，才请到了这位教授为我们开讲座。After our repeated requests, the professor finally gave us the lecture.
2. Zhūɡěliànɡ zhōnɡyú bèi Liúbèi sān ɡù máolú de jīnɡshén dǎdònɡle.
诸葛亮终于被刘备三顾茅庐的精神打动了。Zhuge Liang was touched by Liu Bei’s persistence to ask his help.  

鸡鸣狗盗 Jī Míng Gǒu Dào
Zhànguó shíqī, QíGuó de MèngChángjūn xǐhuān zhàojí ménkè, bùguǎn zhè gè rén shìbúshì yǒu cáinéng, zhǐyào yuànyìdōu kěyǐ zuò tā de ménkè. Jùshuō tā de ménkè céngjīng yídù dádào le sānqiān rén.
战国时期，齐国的孟尝君喜欢召集门客，不管这个人是不是有才能，只要愿意都可以做他的门客。据说他的门客曾经一度达到了三千人。In the Warring States Period, Lord Meng Changjun of the state of Qi liked to summon followers for himself. Whether talented or not, anyone could be a follower of Meng as long as he was willing. It was said that his followers amounted to three thousand at one time.
Yǒu yí cì Mèngchángjūn dàilǐng ménkèmen chūshǐ QínGuó,Qínzhāowáng xiǎng liú tā zài QínGuó zuò guan. Kěshì QínGuó de dàchénmen rènwéi Mèngchángjūn búhuì zhēnxīn wèi QínGuó bànshì，liúzhe tā huì duì QínGuó búlì, yīnggāi shāle tā. Yúshì, Qínzhāowáng jiù bǎ Mèngchángjūn ruǎnjìn qǐlái, zhǐ děng zhǎo gè jièkǒu shā diào tā.
有一次孟尝君带领门客们出使秦国，秦昭王想留他在秦国做官。可是秦国的大臣们认为孟尝君不会真心为秦国办事，留着他会对秦国不利，应该杀了他。于是，秦昭王就把孟尝君软禁起来，只等找个借口杀掉他。Once, Meng Changjun led his followers to the state of Qin. Emperor Zhao of Qin wanted him to be his official. But the ministers of Qin believed Meng Changjun would not work for their state wholeheartedly and that they should kill him because he would be harmful to Qin. As a result, Emperor Zhao imprisoned Meng Changjun, buying time to come up with an excuse to kill him.
Dāngshí, QínGuó yǒu gè fēizǐ hěn shòu Qínzhāowáng chǒng’ài, tā shuō shénme zhāowáng dōu tīng. Mèngchángjūn jiù xiǎng qǐng tā bāngmáng. Fēizǐ dāyīngle, dàn tiáojiàn shì yào nà jiàn yǐjīng Xiàn gěi zhāowáng de hú pí yī. Mèngchángjūn hěn wéinán. Zhènghǎo yǒu gè ménkè shàncháng zuān gǒudòng tōu dōngxī, Mèngchángjūn jiù pài tā jiù bǎ nà jiàn húpí yī tōu chūlái xiàngěile zhè gè fēi zǐ. Fēi zǐ shuìfúle zhāowáng bù shā Mèngchángjūn, bìng zhǔnbèi guò liǎng tiān wèi tā jiànxíng. Mèngchángjūn què bùgǎn zài děng, dāngwǎn jiù dàizhe ménkèmen táozǒule. Tāmen dàodá chéngmén shí, háishì bànyè. ànzhào guīdìng, jī jiàole cáinéng dǎkāi chéngmén ，zěnmebàn ne? Mèngchángjūn de lìng yī gè ménkè zhènghǎo huì xué jījiào, tā jiàole jǐ shēng, chéngguān wài de jī tīngdào jiàoshēng yě gēnzhe jiàole qǐlái, shǒu chéng de shìbīng jiù dǎkāile chéngmén, tāmen chénggōng táohuí le Qíguó.
当时，秦国有个妃子很受秦昭王宠爱，她说什么昭王都听。孟尝君就想请她帮忙。妃子答应了，但条件是要那件已经献给昭王的狐皮衣。孟尝君很为难。正好有个门客擅长钻狗洞偷东西，孟尝君就派他就把那件狐皮衣偷出来献给了这个妃子。妃子说服了昭王不杀孟尝君，并准备过两天为他饯行。孟尝君却不敢再等，当晚就带着门客们逃走了。他们到达城门时，还是半夜。按照规定，鸡叫了才能打开城门，怎么办呢？孟尝君的另一个门客正好会学鸡叫，他叫了几声，城关外的鸡听到叫声也跟着叫了起来，守城的士兵就打开了城门，他们成功逃回了齐国。At that time, there was an imperial concubine who was highly favored by Emperor Zhao . He listened to whatever she said. Meng Changjun wanted to seek her help and she agreed under the condition that she received the fur clothing Meng had already sent to Emperor Zhao. Meng was very troubled. It so happened that one of his followers was good at pilfering, so Meng sent him to steal the clothing for the imperial concubine. The concubine persuaded the emperor not to kill Meng and he decided to give him a farewell dinner in two days. But Meng dared not to wait and led his followers to run away that night. It was still midnight when they got to the gate. According to the rule, the gate was not to be opened until the cocks crowed. What would they do? Another follower of Meng happened to be able to imitate a cock’s crow. The cocks outside the gate began to crow when they heard the follower’s noise. The soldiers guarding the city opened the gate and they successfully escaped back to Qi.
Words:
战国时期 (Zhànguó Shíqī) ： the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) n.
召集 (zhàojí) ： to convene v.
门客 (ménkè) ： idea man, hanger-on of an aristocrat n.
出使 (chūshǐ) ： serve as an envoy abroad v.
大臣 (dàchén) ： minister (of a monarchy) n.
软禁 (ruǎnjìn) ： to put under house arrest, detain a person v.
宠爱 (chǒng’ài) ： to favor v.
献给 (xiàngěi) ： to present, to dedicate v.
狐皮 (hú pí) ： fox fur n.
为难 (wéinán) ：adj. (feel) awkward
擅长 (shàncháng) ： be good at, be skilled at v.
说服 (shuìfú) ：to convince v.
饯行 (jiànxíng) ： give a farewell dinner v.
守城 (shǒu chéng) ：to guard the city v.
Meanings:
“鸡鸣狗盗”的字面意思是学雄鸡叫，装狗偷东西。比喻那些没有真才实学，只有微不足道本领的人，也指偷偷摸摸的行为。多用作贬义。The literal meaning of “鸡鸣狗盗”is “to crow like a cock and steal like a dog.” It is used as a figure of speech to describe trivial skills or tricks. It also refers to the behavior of a sneak in a derogatory way.
Sentences:
1．Bù zhīdào tā xiànzài shì zěnme huíshì, zǒng ài guānxīn yìxiē jīmíng gǒudào de rén hé shì.
不知道他现在是怎么回事，总爱关心一些鸡鸣狗盗的人和事。I don’t know what’s going on with him; he’s always into shady people and things.
2．Nǐ bù xiǎngxiǎng zìjǐ zěnme nǔlì, yìxīn xiǎng qiètīng qítā gōngsī de nèibù xìnxī. Zuò zhèzhǒng jīmíng gǒudào de shì, zhǐhuì diū zánmen gōngsī de liǎn.
你不想想自己怎么努力，一心想窃听其他公司的内部信息。做这种鸡鸣狗盗的事，只会丢咱们公司的脸。Instead of thinking about what efforts you should be making, you poured your heart into eavesdropping on private information of other companies. This kind of sneaky behavior puts our company to shame. 

Liánɡhónɡ shì dōnɡhàn shíqī de   yīɡè xuézhě, dānɡ tā niánqīnɡde shíhòu hěnqiónɡ, kào dānɡ yīɡè   zhūɡuān wéishēng. Tā qǔle Mèng‘guānɡ, yīɡè shòuɡuò liánɡhǎo    jiāoyù de nǚzǐ. Hòulái, tāmen bāndàole wúɡuó. Liánɡhónɡ kào ɡěi biérénde mǐ qùké wéishēnɡ. Měitiān dānɡtā huíjiā de shíhòu, Mènɡɡuānɡ jiù dīzhetóu tuōzhe yǒufàn    de pánzǐ   dìɡěi Liánɡhónɡ. Bǎ pánzǐ jǔzài méimáo de ɡāodù yǐbiǎoshì duì zhànɡfū de zūnzhònɡ.
梁鸿是东汉时期的一个学者。当他年轻的时候很穷，靠当一个猪倌为生。他娶了孟光，一个受过良好教育的女子。后来，他们搬到了吴国。梁鸿靠给别人的米去壳为生。每天当他回家的时候，孟光就低着头托着有饭的盘子递给梁鸿。把盘子举在眉毛的高度以表示对丈夫的尊重。Liang Hong was a scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was very poor when he was young, and earned his living as a swineherd. He married Meng Guang, a well educated woman. Later, they went to live in the State of Wu. There Liang Hong husked rice for others to make a living. Every day when he came home, Meng Guang served him food with her head bowed and holding the tray up to her eyebrows to show respect for him.
Yīncǐ zhèɡe chénɡyǔ: jǔ àn qí méi yònɡlái miáoshù yíduì fūfù zhījiān hùxiānɡ zūnzhònɡ duìfānɡ 。
因此这个成语：举案齐眉用来描述一对夫妇之间互相尊重对方。Hence the phrase, "holding the tray up to the eye­brows" describes a couple having respect and love for each other.

Chūnqiū shíhou, jìnɡuó ɡōnɡzǐ Chóng’ěr wèile duǒbì zhuīshā, táochūle jìnɡuó. Ta jīnɡɡuò qiānxīnwànkǔ, láidàole Chǔɡuó.
春秋时候，晋国公子重（chóng)耳为了躲避追杀，逃出了晋国。 他经过千辛万苦，来到了楚国。In the Spring and Autumn Period, Chong’ěr the son of a feudal prince in the State of Jin fled from Jin in order to avoid being killed. He came to State of Chu, persevering through hell and high water.
Chǔwánɡ shífēn lǐyù chòng’ěr. Yǒuyìtiān, tā qǐnɡ Chònɡ’ěr chīfàn, liǎnɡrén yìbiān hējiǔ yìbiān liáotiān, hūrán chǔwánɡ wèn Chònɡěr:" Rúɡuǒ yǒuyìtiān, nǐ dānɡleɡuójūn, nǐ yào zěnme ɡǎnxièwǒ ne?" Chònɡ’ěr huídá:"Zhēnbǎo, měinǚ, nín yǒudeshì, wǒ háinénɡ sònɡ shénme ɡěinín ne?"
楚王十分礼遇重耳。有一天，他请重耳吃饭，两人一边喝酒一边聊天，忽然楚王问重耳：“如果有一天，你当了国君，你要怎么感谢我呢？”重耳回答：“珍宝，美女，您有的是，我还能送什么给您呢？”King Chu treated him very well. One day, he invited Chong’ěr for dinner. They chatted while drinking. Suddenly King Chu asked Chong’ěr:"If one day, you become a king, how will you thank me?" Chong Er replied, "jewelry and beauties, you have plenty of. What else can I send?"
Chǔwánɡ shuō:" Huà shì zhème shuō, kěshì nǐ zǒnɡyīnɡɡāi ɡǎnxiè wǒ bɑ?" Chònɡěr xiàoxiào shuō:"Rúɡuǒ rìhòu wǒ zhēnde nénɡdānɡ ɡuójūn, yǔ nínde ɡuójiā fāshēnɡ zhànzhēnɡ, wǒ yídìnɡ mìnɡlìnɡ wǒde jūnduì wǎnɡhòu tuì sān shě （ yìshě děnɡyú sānshí lǐ ."
楚王说：“话是这么说，可是你总应该感谢我吧？”重耳笑笑说：“如果日后我真的能当国君，与您的国家发生战争，我一定命令我的军队往后退三舍（一舍等于三十里）。”King Chu said:"So it has been said, but you have to express your thanks, don’t you?" Chong Er smiled, "If I were to become the king later, in the event that war occurred between our countries, I would order my army to retreat 60 miles."
Sìnián hòu, Chònɡ'ěr zhēndí dānɡle ɡuójūn. Gōnɡyuánqián 633 nián, Chǔɡuó ɡēn Jìnɡuó zài zhànzhēnɡzhōnɡ xiānɡyù, Chònɡ'ěr yě yīzhào yuēdìnɡ, wǎnɡhòu tuìle sānshě.
四年后，重耳真的当了国君。公元前633年，楚国跟晋国在战争中相遇，重耳也依照约定，往后退了三舍。Four years later, Chong 'ěr did indeed become a king. In 633 BC, the State of Chu and Jin encountered each other in war and Chong'ěr kept his promise to order his army to retreat.