Blog

Cóngqián, yǒu gè rén yǎng le yì qún yáng. Yì tiān zǎochén, tā fāxiàn shǎo le yì zhī, zǐxì yí kàn, yuánlái yángquān pò le gè kūlóng, yè lǐ láng zuàn jìn lái bǎ yáng diāo zǒu le yì zhī. Línjū quàn tā shuō:” gǎnkuài bǎ yángquān xiū yì xiū, dǔ shàng kūlóng ba!” Nà gè rén bù kěn jiē shòu quàngào, huídá shuō:” yáng yǐ jīng diū le, hái xiū yángquān gàn shénme? ” Dì èr tiān zǎoshàng, tā fāxiàn yáng yòu shǎo le yì zhī. Yuánlái, láng yòu cóng kūlóng zuàn jìnlái, diāo zǒu le yì zhī yang. Tā hěn hòuhuǐ zìjǐ méi tīng cóng línjū de quàngào, biàn gǎnkuài dǔ shàng kūlóng, xiū hǎo le yángquān. Cóngc, láng zài yě bù néng zuàn jìn yángquān diāo yáng le.
从前，有个人养了一群羊。一天早晨，他发现少了一只，仔细一看，原来羊圈破了个窟窿，夜里狼钻进来把羊叼走了一只。邻居劝他说：“赶快把羊圈修一修，堵上窟窿吧！”那个人不肯接受劝告，回答说：“羊已经丢了，还修羊圈干什么？”第二天早上，他发现羊又少了一只。原来，狼又从窟窿钻进来，叼走了一只羊。他很后悔自己没听从邻居的劝告，便赶快堵上窟窿，修好了羊圈。从此，狼再也不能钻进羊圈叼羊了。Once there was a man who raised a flock of sheep and kept them in a sheepfold. One morning, he went to the sheepfold and found that one of the sheep was missing. He examined the sheepfold and found a hole in it. A wolf must have sneaked in from the hole and carried off the sheep. His neighbor advised him to mend the hole as soon as possible. The man ignored his advice and said, “ Since the sheep is already lost, it is no use mending the hole”. The next morning, another sheep was lost. The wolf had come again and got one more sheep. He regretted very much for not listening to his neighbor’s advice. He mended the hole immediately and from then on the wolf came for his sheep no more.
Words：
 群qún： a flock of, herd (m.w.)
 羊圈yáng juàn： sheepfold(n.)
 窟窿kūlong： hole(n.)
 钻zuān： to get into, to enter (a hole) (v.)
 叼diāo： to hold in the mouth(v.)
 劝quàn： to persuade, to advise(v.)
 堵dǔ： to block(v.)
 后悔hòuhuǐ： regretful (adj.)

Cóngqián, Chǔguó yǒu gè qióng shūshēng, zhěng tiān xiǎng de shì zěnme yàng cái néng fācái.
从前，楚国有个穷书生，整天想的是怎么样才能发财。Once upon a time there was a poor scholar who was obsessed with how to get rich.
Yǒu yì tiān, tā kàn dào yì běn shū shàng shuō:” rúguǒ néng zhǎodào tangling- bǔchán de shíhòu yòng lái zhēdǎng zìjǐ de nà piàn yèzǐ, ránhòu yòng tā zhē zhù yǎnjīng, biérén jiù kàn bú jiàn nǐ le.” Yúshì tā měitiān dōu qù shùlín lǐ zhǎo, guǒrán zhǎo dào yí piàn zhè yàng de yèzǐ.
有一天，他看到一本书上说：“如果能找到螳螂捕蝉的时候用来遮挡自己的那片叶子，然后用它遮住眼睛，别人就看不见你了。”于是他每天都去树林里找，果然找到一片这样的叶子。One day he read in a book that if one could find the leaf which was used as a screen by a mantis to catch cicada, and blocked his view with that leaf, he would be invisible to others. So he went to the woods everyday and finally found such a leaf as described.
Kě shì yí bù xiǎoxīn, zhè piàn yèzǐ luò dào le yì duī yèzǐ lǐ, tā zhī hǎo bǎ suǒyǒu de yèzǐ dōu dài huí le jiā. Tā bǎ shùyè yí piàn yí piàn dì fàng zài yǎnjīng qián, wèn qīzǐ:” nǐ kàn dé jiàn wǒ ma?” Kāi shǐ de shíhòu, qīzǐ zǒngshì shuō:” kàn dé jiàn . ” Hòu lái, qīzǐ bú nàifán le, jiù shuō “kàn bú jiàn le!”
可是一不小心，这片叶子落到了一堆叶子里，他只好把所有的叶子都带回了家。他把树叶一片一片地放在眼睛前，问妻子：“你看得见我吗？”开始的时候，妻子总是说：“看得见。”后来，妻子不耐烦了，就说“看不见了！”But by accident he dropped it into a heap of leaves, so he had to take home all of them. He held the leave over his eyes and kept asking his wife: "Can you see me?" At first his wife replied with “yes”, but in the end she got annoyed and lost her patience, saying:" No, I can't see you now!"
Shūshēng tīng le yǐhòu fēicháng xìngfèn, mǎshàng lái dào jíshì shàng, bǎ yèzǐ fàng zài yǎnjīng qiánmiàn, qù ná biérén diàn lǐ de dōngxī. Diànzhǔ zhuā zhù tā, sòng dào le guānfǔ lǐ. Xiànguān tīng tā shuō wán zhěng jiàn shì qíng hòu, fěngcì de shuō:” nǐ zhēn shì yíyè-zhàngmù, bú jiàn tàishān ā!”
书生听了以后非常兴奋，马上来到集市上，把叶子放在眼睛前面，去拿别人店里的东西。店主抓住他，送到了官府里。县官听他说完整件事情后，讽刺地说：“你真是一叶障目，不见泰山啊！”The scholar got excited and hurried to the market. Confident that he was lost to people's sight with the leaf over his eyes, and began to grab things from the shops. Of course he was caught by the shopkeepers and was sent to the local authority. When the official had listened to the ins and outs of the story, he said sardonically to the scholar:" A leaf before the eye makes you shut out the mountain Tai!"
Words：
书生shūshēng： intellectual; scholar（n.）
发财fācái： make a fortune （ v.）
螳螂tángláng： mantis（n.）
蝉chán： cicada （n.）
遮zhē： hide from view（v.）
耐烦nàifán：patient （adj.）
官府guānfǔ： local authority（n.）
县官xiànguān： feudal official （n. ）
讽刺fěngcì： satirize（v.）

Máosuì zài Zhào Guó dài le sān nián, yìzhí bú bèi zhòngyòng. Yí cì, Zhào Guó bèi Qín Guó jūnduì wéigōng dūchéng, xūyào Píngyuán Jūn（Zhào Wáng de dìdì）xuǎn 20 gè rén qù Chǔ Guó qiújiù. Píngyuán Jūn guówáng tiāo le 19 gè rén, zuì hòu hái quē yí gè rén.
毛遂（Máosuì）在赵国待了三年，一直不被重用。一次，赵国被秦国军队围攻都城，需要平原君（赵王的弟弟）选20个人去楚国求救。平原君国王挑了19个人，最后还缺一个人。Maosui had been living in the State of Zhao for three years, but never received an important position. Then, one day, the State of Zhao was besieged by the Army of Qin. Twenty people were sent by Prince Pingyuan (the brother of Emperor Zhao) to ask for help from the State of Chu. Prince Pingyuan had already picked nineteen people, but one was still needed.
Yúshì Máo Suí duì Píngyuán Jūn shuō:” wǒ jiù xiàng shì cáng zài dàizǐ lǐ de zhuīzǐ, ná chūlái yīdìng néng fā chū guāngmáng.” Píngyuán Jūn suīrán yǒu xiē huáiyí, dàn háishì dāyīng le dài shàng tā.
于是毛遂对平原君说：“我就像是藏在袋子里的锥子，拿出来一定能发出光芒。”平原君虽然有些怀疑，但还是答应了带上他。Maosui told Prince Pingyuan, “I’m like a tool hidden in a bag; I will only be useful when I am taken out.” So with great reservations, Prince Pingyuan agreed to take him.
Dào le Chǔ Guó, Píngyuán Jūn yǔ Chǔ Wáng shāngliàng chūbīng jiù Zhào de shì, kěshì shǐzhōng tán bù chū jiéguǒ. Máo Suí kàn shíjiān bù děng rén, yì shǒu tí jiàn jiù chōng dào le Chǔ Wáng miànqián. Tā bǎ chūbīng jiù Zhào duì Chǔ Guó yǒulì de dàolǐ xiáng xì dì fèn xī gěi chǔ wáng tīng. Jiéguǒ Chǔ Wáng dāyīng mǎshàng chūbīng, Qín jūn hòu lái jiù chètuì le.
到了楚国，平原君与楚王商量出兵救赵的事，可是始终谈不出结果。毛遂看时间不等人，一手提剑就冲到了楚王面前。他把出兵救赵对楚国有利的道理详细地分析给楚王听。结果楚王答应马上出兵，秦军后来就撤退了。When they arrived in the State of Chu, Prince Pingyuan and Emperor Chu began to discuss dispatching troops to help the State of Zhao, but the discussion was futile. Maosui realized there was no time to waste, so he rushed to Emperor Chu’s side and began to argue his point. His detailed analysis of the benefits helping the State of Zhao would bring the country persuaded Emperor Chu to dispatch troops immediately. In the end, the Qin army was forced to retreat.
Words：
重用：(zhòngyòng) v. put sb. in an important position
求救:(qiújiù) v. seek help
锥子:(zhuīzi )n. awl
光芒:(guāngmáng) n. rays of light
冲:( chōng) v. to crash
详细:(xiángxì) adj.detail

Guǎn Zhòng dàilǐng Qí Guó jūn duì qù gōng dǎ Gūzhú, zuìzhōng qǔ dé le shèn l, kěshì tāmen zài huí Qí Guó de tú zhōng què mílù le. Yuánlái tāmen shì chūntiān chūfā de, ér huílái shí yǐjīng shì dōngtiān le, zhōuwéi de jǐngwù dōu fāshēng le biànhuà. Suīrán pài le hěn duō rén qù tànlù, dànshì dōu shībài le. Dāngshí qíngkuàng fēicháng wēixiǎn, rúguǒ zài zhǎo bú dào huíqù de lù, dàjiā jiù huì è sǐ zài shān lǐ. Zhè shí Guǎn Zhòng xiǎng chū le yī gè zhǔyì, tā tiāo chū jǐ pǐ lǎomǎ, ràng tāmen zài qiánmiàn zìyóu xíngzǒu, ji guǒ zhè xiē lǎomǎ yī diǎn ér dōu bù yóuyù, dōu wǎng yī gè fāngxiàng zǒu, zhèyàng dàjiā gēn zhe lǎomǎ zhǎo dào le huí Qí Guó de lù.
管仲带领齐国军队去攻打孤竹，最终取得了胜利，可是他们在回齐国的途中却迷路了。原来他们是春天出发的，而回来时已经是冬天了，周围的景物都发生了变化。虽然派了很多人去探路，但是都失败了。当时情况非常危险，如果再找不到回去的路，大家就会饿死在山里。这时管仲想出了一个主意，他挑出几匹老马，让他们在前面自由行走，结果这些老马一点儿都不犹豫，都往一个方向走，这样大家跟着老马找到了回齐国的路。Kuan Chung led the troops of Qi to attack Guzhu. They won the battle but lost their way when returning to their country. Since they departed in spring and returned in winter, the landscape had changed a lot with the changes of seasons. Although many soldiers were sent to find the road, they all failed at last, and if they could not find the right way back they would starve to death. Right at this moment Kuan Chung got an idea. He selected several old horses and let them wander around freely. The horses walked in the same direction involuntarily, and, by following these old horses, they found the way back to Qi in the end.
Words：
带领dàilǐng ： lead (v.)
攻打gōngdǎ： attack (v.)
胜利shènglì： success (n.)
派pài： send (v.)
失败shībài： fail (v.)
危险wēixiǎn： dangerous (adj.)
挑tiāo： choose (v.)
自由zìyóu： freely (adv.)
犹豫yóuyù： hesitate (v.)

Cóngqián, yǒu sì gè mángrén hěn xiǎng zhī dào dàxiàng shì shénme yàngzǐ, kě tāmen kàn bú jiàn, zhī hǎo yòng shǒu mō. Pàng mángrén xiān mō dào le dàxiàng de yáchǐ. Tā jiù shuō:”wǒ zhīdào le, dàxiàng jiù xiàng yí gè yòu dà, yòu cū, yòu guānghuá de dà luóbo.” Gāo gèzǐ mángrén mō dào de shì dàxiàng de ěrduǒ.” bú duì, bú duì, dàxiàng míng míng shì yì bǎ dà shànzǐ!” Tā dà jiào qǐ lái.” Dàxiàng zhī shì gēn dà zhùzǐ.” ǎi gèzǐ mángrén mō zhe dàxiàng de tuǐ shuō dào. Nà wèi niánlǎo de mángrén què shuō:” āi, dàxiàng nǎ yǒu nà me dà ，tā zhī bú guò shì yì gēn shéngzǐ.” Sì gè mángrén búduàn zhēngchǎo, dōu shuō zìjǐ mō dào de cái shì zhēnzhèng dàxiàng de yàngzǐ. ér shíjì shàng ne? Tāmen yí gè yě méi shuō duì.
从前，有四个盲人很想知道大象是什么样子，可他们看不见，只好用手摸。胖盲人先摸到了大象的牙齿。他就说：“我知道了，大象就像一个又大、又粗、又光滑的大萝卜。”高个子盲人摸到的是大象的耳朵。“不对，不对，大象明明是一把大扇子！”他大叫起来。“大象只是根大柱子。”矮个子盲人摸着大象的腿说道。那位年老的盲人却说：“唉，大象哪有那么大，它只不过是一根绳子。”四个盲人不断争吵，都说自己摸到的才是真正大象的样子。而实际上呢？他们一个也没说对。Once upon a time, there were four blind men who very much wished to know what an elephant looked like, but, being blind, could do nothing but feel it with their hands. The fat blind man, reaching out with his hand, first felt the elephant's tusk, and said, "I got it, the elephant is like a great, thick, smooth radish." The tall blind man's hand first touched the elephant's ear, and he shouted, "No, no, the elephant is clearly like a great fan!" "The elephant is just a big pillar," said the short blind man, as he felt the elephant's leg. But the old blind man said, "Huh? The elephant is not so big, because, it's nothing more than a length of rope." The four blind men quarreled without end, all insisting that the part they had felt was the true shape of an elephant. But in reality ? None of them were right.
Words：
盲人：(mángrén) n.: blind person
大象：(dàxiàng) n.: elephant
摸：(mō) v.: touch; feel out
扇子：(shànzi) n.: fan
不断：(búduàn) adv.: ceaselessly
争吵：(zhēngchǎo) v.: quarrel
柱子：(zhùzi) n.: pillar
绳子：(shéngzi) n.: rope

Hàndài chūqī, Xiàguī（guī ）xiàn de Zhái Gōng céng shuō guò, tā kāishǐ zuò tíngwèi （gǔdài de yì zhǒng guānzhí）shí, jiā zhōng yǒu hěn duō kèrén lái bàifǎng; děng hòu lái guānzhí méi le, jiā mén wài jiù biàn dé fēicháng lěngqīng, dōu kěyǐ nòng yì yī zhāng wǎng bǔ què le （luó ：zhāng kāi wǎng bǔ zhuō ）. Zài dào hòulái, Zhái Gōng huīfù le guānzhí, hěn duō rén yòu xiǎng lái tā jiā bàifǎng. Zhái Gōng jiù zài dà mén shàng xiě le yí jù huà, yìsī shì: zhī yǒu shēngsǐ huànnán shí, yǒu pínfù hé guìjiàn de chājù shí, cái néng xiǎnchū yǒuqíng de zhēn wěi.
汉代初期，下邽（龟）县的翟公曾说过，他开始做廷尉（古代的一种官职）时，家中有很多客人来拜访；等后来官职没了，家门外就变得非常冷清，都可以弄一张网捕雀了（罗：张开网捕捉）。再到后来，翟公恢复了官职，很多人又想来他家拜访。翟公就在大门上写了一句话，意思是：只有生死患难时，有贫富和贵贱的差距时，才能显出友情的真伪。In the early Han Dynasty, Zhaigong of the Xia Gui town once said when he started to take the official position as a Tingwei, there were numerous visitors in his house; the time he lost his job, nobody came to visit him and even one was able to catch birds by a net at the door. Later, he was reinstated so many people remembered him again and wanted to visit him. Thus, Zhaigong wrote a sentence on his door to the effect that only through death and adversity, through poverty and humble status, one could tell true friendship from untrue.
Words：
拜访bàifǎng： visit, call on(v.)
官职guānzhí： official position(n.)
冷清lěng qing： quiet(a.)
恢复huīfù： recover(v.)
患难huànnàn： misfortune, sorrows, woe(n.)
差距chājù： gap, difference(n.)
真伪zhēnwěi： true or false(n.)