Tag: Chinese Idiom

Zhànguó shí, yǒu yí wèi jiào Gōngmíng Yí de yīnyuè jiā, tā tán de qǔzǐ yōuměi dòngtīng, hěn duō rén dōu xǐhuān tīng tā tánqín.
战国时，有一位叫公明仪的音乐家，他弹的曲子优美动听，很多人都喜欢听他弹琴。During the Warring States period, there was a musician named GongmingYi. The music he played was exquisite and pleasant to listen to. Many people loved to hear him play.
Yǒu yì tiān, Gōngmíng Yí lái dào jiāowài, kàn dào chūnfēng xúxú de chuīdòng zhe yángliǔ, yì tóu huángniú zhèng zài cǎodì shàng dītóu chīcǎo, tā lái le xìngzhì, lìkè bǎi shàng qín, bō dòng qínxián, gěi zhè tóu niú tán qǐ le yuèqǔ. Kěshì lǎo huángniú què méi shénme fǎnyìng, réngrán dītóu chīcǎo. Gōngmíng Yí xiǎng, zhè zhī qǔzǐ kěnéng tài gāoyǎ le, yúshì jiù huàn le jǐ shǒu tōngsú qǔzǐ, dànshì lǎo huángniú shǐzhōng háo wú fǎnyìng. Gōngmíng Yí hěn shīwàng.
有一天，公明仪来到郊外，看到春风徐徐地吹动着杨柳，一头黄牛正在草地上低头吃草，他来了兴致，立刻摆上琴，拨动琴弦，给这头牛弹起了乐曲。可是老黄牛却没什么反应，仍然低头吃草。公明仪想，这支曲子可能太高雅了，于是就换了几首通俗曲子，但是老黄牛始终毫无反应。公明仪很失望。One day, GongmingYi went out of town and saw the spring breeze gently blowing the willows as a yellow cow was busy eating grass in the field. He was very interested and immediately took up his instrument and began plucking the strings, playing his music for the cow. The cow, however, took no notice, but continued calmly eating the grass. GongmingYi thought, maybe this music was too refined, so he switched to some more popular tunes, but the cow still paid no attention to him whatsoever. Gongming Yi was very disappointed.
Zhèshí, yǒu rén duì tā shuō:” nǐ bú yào shēngqì le, bú shì nǐ dàn de qǔzǐ bù hǎotīng, érshì nǐ tán de qǔzǐ niú xīnshǎng bù le ā!”
这时，有人对他说：“你不要生气了，不是你弹的曲子不好听，而是你弹的曲子牛欣赏不了啊！”At this time, someone said to him: "Don't be upset. It's not that your music is not beautiful, but just that the cows can't appreciate it!"
Words:
优美yōuměi： graceful; exquisite (adj.)
动听dòngtīng： interesting or pleasant to the ear (adj.)
徐徐xúxú： slowly and gently (adv.)
兴致xīngzhì： interest;gusto (n.)
高雅gāoyǎ： elegant; refined (adj.)
始终shǐzhōng： from beginning to end(adv.)

Yǒu yì tiān, tiānqì hěn hǎo. Yì zhī hébàng jiù zhāng kāi liǎng piàn yìngké, zài hétān shàng shūfú de shài tàiyáng. Yì zhī yù niǎo kàn jiàn hébàng, jiù xiǎng měicān yídùn. Yú shì tā fēikuài de bǎ zuǐ shēn jìn bàngké lǐ, hěn hěn de zhuó bàngròu. Hébàng wèi le bǎo mìng, gǎn jǐn jiāng yìngké hé shàng, jǐn jǐn jiá zhù le yù de zuǐ.
有一天，天气很好。一只河蚌就张开两片硬壳，在河滩上舒服地晒太阳。一只鹬鸟看见河蚌，就想美餐一顿。，于是它飞快地把嘴伸进蚌壳里，狠狠地啄蚌肉。河蚌为了保命，赶紧将硬壳合上，紧紧夹住了鹬的嘴。One day, the weather was fine. A clam opened his two shells, basking in the beach. A snipe saw the clam and wanted to enjoy it. So he quickly put his beak into the shell. The clam immediately closed his shells and tightly clamped the snipe’s beak.
Yù méi chī dào ròu ，fǎndào bèi jiá zhù le zuǐ, zěnme yě bá bú chūlái. Hébàng yě bù néng huí dào hé lǐ. Tāmen jiù zhēngchǎo qǐlái, yù shuō:” yì tiān, liǎng tiān bú xià yǔ, nǐ huí bú dào hé lǐ, chízǎo huì gān sǐ de.” Hébàng bù fúqì, shuō dào:” yì tiān, liǎng tiān bá bú chū zuǐ, nǐ bù néng chī dōngxī, zǎowǎn yě dé è sǐ.”
鹬没吃到肉，反倒被夹住了嘴，怎么也拔不出来。河蚌也不能回到河里。它们就争吵起来，鹬说：“一天、两天不下雨，你回不到河里，迟早会干死的。”河蚌不服气，说道：“一天、两天拔不出嘴，你不能吃东西，早晚也得饿死。”The snipe did not have the clam meat, but to be clamped. And the clam could not go back to the river. They began to quarrel. The snipe said, “Today does not rain and tomorrow won’t either. You’ll be dry to death if you do not return to the river”. The clam said, “You will starve to death if you do not pull out your mouth and eat”.
Yù hé hébàng zài shātān shàng jiāngchí le hěn cháng shíjiān, tāmen dōu hěn lèi le, kě shuí yě bù kěn ràngbù. Zhè shí yǒu gè yúwēng zhèng hǎo lùguò zhèlǐ, kànjiàn tāmen jiá zài yìqǐ bù néng dòng, jiù hāhā dàxiào qǐlái, bǎ tāmen yìqǐ zhuō huí jiā le.
鹬和河蚌在沙滩上僵持了很长时间，它们都很累了，可谁也不肯让步。这时有个渔翁正好路过这里，看见它们夹在一起不能动，就哈哈大笑起来，把它们一起捉回家了。The snipe and clam refused to budge in the beach for a long time. They both were tired, but neither of them wanted to give in. There was a fisherman walking by at the same time. When he saw the snip and clam could not move, he laughed and caught them back home.

Gǔ shíhòu yǒu sì dà měinǚ, qí zhōng yí gè shì Yuè guó de Xī Shī, tā zhù zài xiǎo xī biān. Xī Shī de yǎnjīng bízǐ dōu hěn měi, shēncái yě fēicháng hǎo. Tā měitiān dōu qù xiǎoxī biān xǐ yīfú, shēnyǐng dǎoyìng zài xī shuǐ lǐ. Shuǐ lǐ de yú ér dōu kàn dāi le, wàngjì le yóuyǒng, jūrán chén dào le shuǐ dǐ.
古时候有四大美女，其中一个是越国的西施，她住在小溪边。西施的眼睛鼻子都很美，身材也非常好。她每天都去小溪边洗衣服，身影倒映在溪水里。水里的鱼儿都看呆了，忘记了游泳，居然沉到了水底。In Ancient China there were the Four Beauties. One of these beauties was named Xishi. She lived in the state of Yue by a small stream. Xishi was slender and lithe with beautiful eyes and a perfect nose. Every day she would go to the nearby stream to wash her clothes. Upon seeing her reflection in the water, fish often became so lost in her beauty they would forget to swim, and sink down to the stream’s floor.
Lìngwài yí wèi měinǚ shì Hàn dài de Wáng Zhāojūn, tā xiàng xiānnǚ yí yàng měi, hěn huì dànqín. Huángdì bǎ tā jià gěi le Běifāng xiōngnú guó de guówáng. Zài chūjià de lù shàng, Wáng Zhāojūn dàn qǐ le pípá. Zhè shí yǒu yì qún dàyàn fēi guò, yīnwèi tā de qínshēng tài dòngtīng le, dàyàn jìng rán wàngjì dǒudòng chìbǎng ér diào dào le dì shàng.
另外一位美女是汉代的王昭君，她像仙女一样美，很会弹琴。皇帝把她嫁给了北方匈奴国的国王。在出嫁的路上，王昭君弹起了琵琶。这时有一群大雁飞过，因为她的琴声太动听了，大雁竟然忘记抖动翅膀而掉到了地上。Another one of the “Four Beauties,” Wang Zhaojun, lived during the Han Dynasty. She was as beautiful as an angel and very gifted musically. The Emperor ordered her to marry a king in the Northern Hunnu State. On the way to the wedding, she began to play a four-stringed Chinese lute. At that very moment, a flock of wild geese flew by. The sound of her lute was so beautiful the geese quickly forgot how to flap their wings and fell to earth.
Words：
小溪xiăoxī： creek (n.)
倒映dàoyìng: to reflect (the image) (v.)
仙女xiānnǚ: fairy, angel(n.)
琵琶pípa: a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard(n.)
大雁dàyàn: wild goose(n.)
动听dòngtīng: pleasant to the ears(adj.)
抖动dǒudòn g: to shake(v.)

Jìn cháo de shíhòu, yǒu yí gè jiào Yuè Guǎng de rén hěn xǐhuān qǐng péngyǒu hējiǔ. Yǒu yì tiān, tā fāxiàn yí wèi hǎo péngyǒu hěn jiǔ méi lái kàn tā le. Yuè Guǎng juédé qíguài jiù qù bàifǎng tā, jiéguǒ fāxiàn péngyǒu shēng le zhǒng bìng. Yuè Guǎng xúnwèn yuányīn, péngyǒu shuō:” shàng huí wǒ qù nǐ jiā hējiǔ shí, fāxiàn jiǔbēi lǐ yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo shé de yǐngzǐ, wǒ dāng shí xīn lǐ fēicháng yànwù tā, dàn hái shì bǎ jiǔ hē le. Huí lái yǐhòu wǒ yìzhí jué dé hěn nánshòu, jiéguǒ jiù shēng le zhè chǎng dàbìng.” Yuè Guǎng xiǎng le xiǎng, tā de tīngtáng guà le yì bǎ gōng, péngyǒu kàn dào de xiǎo shé kǒngpà shì gōng de yǐngzǐ. Yúshì Yuè Guǎng qǐng péngyǒu zài cì lái dào jiā zhōng, jiù zuò zài yuánlái de wèizhì shàng, ràng péngyǒu kàn bēi zhōng shì fǒu hái yǒu xiǎo shé. péngyǒu shuō,” hé shàng cì de yí yang”. Yuè Guǎng bǎ gōng qǔ xià lái, xiǎo shé de yǐngzǐ jiù xiāoshī le. Péngyǒu huǎngrándàwù, yì zhí zhì bú hǎo de zhòngbìng yí xià zǐ jiù hǎo le.
晋朝的时候，有一个叫乐广的人很喜欢请朋友喝酒。有一天，他发现一位好朋友很久没来看他了。乐广觉得奇怪就去拜访他，结果发现朋友生了重病。乐广询问原因，朋友说：“上回我去你家喝酒时，发现酒杯里有一条小蛇的影子，我当时心里非常厌恶它，但还是把酒喝了。回来以后我一直觉得很难受，结果就生了这场大病。”乐广想了想，他的厅堂挂了一把弓，朋友看到的小蛇恐怕是弓的影子。于是乐广请朋友再次来到家中，就坐在原来的位置上，让朋友看杯中是否还有小蛇。朋友说，“和上次的一样”。乐广把弓取下来，小蛇的影子就消失了。朋友恍然大悟，一直治不好的重病一下子就好了。Mistake the Shadow of a Bow in One's Cup as a Snake
In Jin Dynasty, there was a person named Yue Guang, who always entertained his guests with wine. One day, he realized one of his good friends hadn't visited him for long time. Out of curiosity, he paid a visit to his house and found the friend was seriously ill. Yue Guang asked about the reason, and the friend replied:"Last time when you invited me to drink in your home, I saw a little snake in my cup. It disgusted me very much but I still drank up the wine. After returning home, I felt badly and got sick soon." Yue Guang thought it over and remembered he had a bow hung on the wall. It was possible that his friend had mistaken the shadow of the bow as a snake in his wine cup. Yue Guang then invited this friend to his house again and arranged him to sit where he was last time and asked whether there was still a snake in his cup. The friend said:"Yes, the same snake appears again." Yue Guang then removed the bow from the wall and the snake disappeared immediately. His friend suddenly saw the light and then his illness was cured right off.
Words：
询问xúnwèn: enquire(v.)
厌恶yànwù： disgust(v.)
难受nánshòu： feel ill(adj.)
恐怕kǒngpà： perhaps(adv.)
位置wèizhì： place; location(n.)
消失 xiāoshī: vanish(v.)
恍然大悟 huǎngrán dàwù: see light suddenly

Hěnjiǔ hěnjiǔ yǐ qián, Chǔ guó yǒu yí gè shāngrén, yì tiān tā dào shìchǎng shàng qù mài zìjǐ zhìzào de máo hé dùn. Tā dà shēng de jiào mài, yǒu hěn duō rén wéiguò lái kàn, tā jǔ qǐ dùn shuō:” wǒ de dùn shì shìjiè shàng zuì jiāngù de, wúlùn zěnyàng fēnglì de dōngxī yě bù néng cìchuān tā!” Jiē zhe, tā yòu ná qǐ yí zhī máo, dé yì dì shuō:” wǒ de máo shì shìjiè shàng zuìfēng lì de, wúlùn zěnyàng jiāngù de dōngxī yě néng cìchuān!” Zhè shí yí wèi wéiguān de rén shàng qián ná qǐ tā de yì zhī máo hé yí miàn dùn wèn dào:” rúguǒ yòng zhè zhī máo qù cì zhè miàn dùn, jiéguǒ huì zěnyàng ne?” Zhè gè rén yí xià zǐ huídá bù chūlái, zuìhòu zhī hǎo huīliūliū de káng zhe máo hé dùn zǒu le.
很久很久以前，楚国有一个商人，一天他到市场上去卖自己制造的矛和盾。 他大声的叫卖，有很多人围过来看，他举起盾说：“我的盾是世界上最坚固的，无论怎样锋利的东西也不能刺穿它!” 接着，他又拿起一支矛，得意地说：“我的矛是世界上最锋利的，无论怎样坚固的东西也能刺穿!”这时一位围观的人上前拿起他的一支矛和一面盾问道：“如果用这支矛去刺这面盾，结果会怎样呢?” 这个人一下子回答不出来，最后只好灰溜溜地扛着矛和盾走了。Once upon a time, there was a businessman in Chu State. One day, he sold his spear and shield in the market. He told people, "My spear is the sharpest spear in the world. It can pierce everything. And my shield is the solidest in the world. Nothing can destroy it." Then somebody asked him, "If we use your spear to pierce your shield, what will happen?" The businessman didn't know how to reply.
Words：
楚国chǔguó： Chu state (n.)
商人shāngrén： businessman; merchant; dealer (n. )
矛máo： lancer; spear (n. )
盾dùn： shield (n.)
坚固jiāngù：firm; solid (adj.)
锋利fēnglì：sharp(adj.)
刺穿cìchuān：cut through; pierce (v.)
得意déyì: complacent (adj. )
围观wéiguān：to be an onlooker (v.)
扛káng：lift with hands; carry on the shoulder (v.)

Zhàn guó shíqī yǒu yí gè Zhào guó rén jiào Zhào Kuò, tā de fùqīn shì dāng shí yǒumíng de jiāngjūn Zhào Shē. Zhào Kuò niánqīng de shíhòu hěn xǐhuān xuéxí bīngfǎ, tánlùn qǐ yòngbīng dǎzhàng de shìqíng lái, jiù tāotāo-bùjué, yǒu shíhòu tā fùqīn yě hěn nán bódǎo tā.
战国时期有一个赵国人叫赵括，他的父亲是当时有名的将军赵奢。赵括年轻的时候很喜欢学习兵法，谈论起用兵打仗的事情来，就滔滔不绝，有时候他父亲也很难驳倒他。In the period of the Warring States, in the State of Zhao, there was a man named Zhao Kuo whose father was the famous general Zhao She. In his youth Zhao Kuo was obsessed with military strategy and tactics and read many related books. He could talk with great eloquence about military strategies and sometimes even his father couldn’t argue with him.
Gōngyuán qián 262 nián, Zhào guó hé Qín guó zài Chángpíng juézhàn, Qín guó cǎiqǔ le fǎnjiànjì, Zhào wáng zhōngjì, ràng Zhào Kuò dàitì Lián Pō qù gēn Qín guó dǎzhàng. Zhào Kuò zhī zhīdào gēnjù bīngshū shàng de fāngfǎ zuòzhàn, bù zhīdào biàntōng. ér Qín guó de jiānglǐng què chūqí-búyì, jiǎzhuāng zhàn bài táozǒu. Zhào Kuò bù zhīdào zhǒng le jì, màorán jìngōng, jiéguǒ bèi Qín jūn bāowéi, hái bèi jiéduàn le yùnsòng liángshí de dàolù.
公元前262年，赵国和秦国在长平决战，秦国采取了反间计，赵王中计，让赵括代替廉颇去跟秦国打仗。赵括只知道根据兵书上的方法作战，不知道变通。而秦国的将领却出其不意，假装战败逃走。赵括不知道中了计，贸然进攻，结果被秦军包围，还被截断了运送粮食的道路。In 262 B.C., a war broke out between the Zhao kingdom and the Qin kingdom in Changping. The Qin managed to sow discord between the king of Zhao and Lian Po, the most capable and distinguished general of Zhao. Instead of appointing Lian Po as the commander of its army, the king of Zhao sent Zhao Kuo in his place. Unfortunately, Zhao Kuo was just a bookworm who knew a lot about military theories but little about practical maneuvers when leading a real army. Much to Zhao Kuo’s surprise, the leader of the Qin army pretended to retreat from the battlefield.. Unaware that he had been deceived, Zhao Kuo recklessly led his army to pursue the enemies. In the end, Zhao Kuo’s army was besieged by Qin, and all their means of getting provisions were cut off.
Hòulá, Zhào Kuò, bèi qínjūn shè sǐ. Zhàojūn shìbīng jī’è píláo, yòu shīqù le zhǔjiāng, jūnxīn dà luàn. Zhào guó jǐ shí wàn de shìbīng dōu tóujiàng le Qín guó.
后来，赵括，被秦军射死。赵军士兵饥饿疲劳，又失去了主将，军心大乱。赵国几十万 的士兵都投降了秦国。Later, Zhao Kuo was killed by arrows from the army of Qin. After his death, the soldiers of Zhao, hungry and tired, became desperate and surrendered to the Qin.
Words：
将军jiāngjūn： general (n.)
兵法bīng fǎ： military strategy and tactics (n.)
滔滔不绝tāotāo bù jué： talking fluently and endlessly (ph.)
驳倒bódǎo： refute (v.)
公元前gōngyuán qián： B.C. (before Christ) (adv.)
反间计fǎnjiàn jì： stratagem of sowing distrust or discord among one's enemies (n.)
根据gēnjù： on the basis of, according to (prep.)
将领jiànglǐng： military officer (n.)
出其不意chū qí bú yì： to take sb. by surprise (ph.)
贸然màorán： rashly, without careful consideration (adv.)
截断jié duàn： to cut off (v.)
射shè： shoot (v.)
投降tóuxiáng： to surrender (v.)
Proper noun：
战国Zhànguó：the period of the Warring States (475 B.C. – 221B.C)
赵国Zhào guó：one of the seven kingdoms during the Warring Sates period
赵括Zhào Kuò：a general in the state of Zhao
赵奢Zhào Shē：a famous general in Zhao guo, father of Zhao Kuo
秦国Qín guó：one of the seven kingdoms during the Warring Sates period.
廉颇Lián Pō：a famous general in the late Zhao guo.
长平Chángpíng：a place located in Shanxi province.
Meanings：
“纸上谈兵”指在纸面上谈论打仗。比喻没有实际经验，只会照着书本空谈，不能成为现实。“纸上谈兵(Zhǐ Shàng Tán Bīng )” literally means talk about strategy on paper. It refers to those who have no practical experience and are only good at empty talk.
Senteces：
1. Rúguǒ quèdìng le yuǎndà de mùbiāo, jiù yào fùzhū shíjiàn xíngdòng, qiānwàn bú yào zhǐshàngtánbīng.
如果确定了远大的目标，就要付诸实践行动，千万不要纸上谈兵。If you have set a goal, you’d better put it into practice. Don’t let your goals become纸上谈兵.
2．Tā zhè gè rén jiù huì zhǐshàng tán bīng, zhēn yào ràng tā gàn diǎn shénme jiù bù xíng le.
他这个人就会纸上谈兵，真要让他干点什么就不行了。He knows nothing but 纸上谈兵, so you can never trust him with real work.

Yǒu gè Zhèngguó rén xiǎng yào mǎi yì shuāng xiézǐ. Tā zài chūfā qián xiān liàng hǎo zìjǐ jiǎo de chǐmǎ, ránhòu bǎ chǐmǎ fàng dào le zuòwèi shàng. Tā líkāi jiā qù jíshì, què wàng le dài chǐmǎ, xuǎn hǎo xié yǐ hòu cái xiǎng qǐ. Yúshì, tā duì lǎobǎn shuō:”wǒ wàng le dài liàng hǎo de chǐmǎ.” Ránhòu gǎnjǐn huíjiā qùqǔ. Děng tā huí lái de shíhòu jíshì yǐjīng guānmén le, yě jiù méiyǒu mǎi dào xié. Yǒu rén wèn tā:” nǐ wèi shénme bú yòng zìjǐ de jiǎo lái shìshì xiézǐ ne?” Tā huídá shuō:” wǒ níngyuàn xiàngxìn chǐmǎ, yě bù xiàngxìn zìjǐ de jiǎo.”
有个郑国人想要买一双鞋子。他在出发前先量好自己脚的尺码，然后把尺码放到了座位上。他离开家去集市，却忘了带尺码，选好鞋以后才想起。于是，他对老板说：“我忘了带量好的尺码。”然后赶紧回家去取。等他回来的时候集市已经关门了，也就没有买到鞋。有人问他：“你为什么不用自己的脚来试试鞋子呢？”他回答说：“我宁愿相信尺码，也不相信自己的脚。”There was a man from the state of Zheng who wanted to buy a pair of shoes. Before he set off, he measured the size of his feet, then putting the measures on the seat. He left the house to go to the market, but forgot to take the measures. He didn't notice this until he have chosen his shoes. He said to the seller:" I have forgotten to bring my measures.", and hurried back to fetch them. When he returned, the market had already closed and he could not buy the shoes. People asked him:" Why didn't you use your own feet to try on the shoes?" He replied:" I would rather trust the measures than my own feet."
Words：
量liáng: measure（v. ）
尺码chǐmǎ: size; measures（n.）
集市jíshì: bazaar（n.）
带dài: take（v.）
取qǔ: fetch（v.）
试shì：try （v.）
宁愿nìngyuàn：would rather
也不yěbù： nor
Meanings：
这个故事讽刺了有些人做事只相信刻板的教条，不懂得根据实际情况灵活变通。This story satirizes those who follow certain inflexible rules too strictly, and do not know how to adapt to the circumstances.
Sentences：
1. Yù dào wèntí shí wǒmen yīnggāi suíjī- yìngbiàn, bù néng fàn zhèngrénmǎilǚ de cuòwù.
遇到问题时我们应该随机应变，不能犯郑人买履的错误。When we come across a problem, we should adapt to the situation. We must not make the same mistake as Zhèngrénmǎilǚ.
2. Zuò shì shí dōu yào gēnjù shíjì qíngkuàng, línghuó chùlǐ, fǒuzé jiù huì nào zhèngrénmǎilǚ de xiàohuà.
做事时都要根据实际情况，灵活处理，否则就会闹郑人买履的笑话。Dealing with matters, one must act flexibly according to the real situation; otherwise one may get laughed at like Zhèngrénmǎilǚ.

Kuāng Héng niánqīng de shíhòu shífēn hàoxué, dànshì tā jiā lǐ hěn qióng, mǎi bù qǐ làzhú. Kuāng Héng wǎnshàng xiǎng dúshū de shíhòu, chángcháng yīnwèi méiyǒu dēngguāng ér fā chóu. Línjū jiā yǒu làzhú, wǎnshàng huì yǒu liàngguāng, dànshì liàngguāng què zhào bú dào tā de jiā lǐ. Hòulái, tā xiǎng le yí gè bànfǎ, jiù zài qiángbì shàng qiāoqiāo de záo le yí gè xiǎokǒng, ràng gébì rénjiā de zhúguāng tòu guòlái, měitiān jiè zhe xiǎokǒng zhōng wēiruò de guāngxiàn dúshū. Jiù zhèyang, tā jīngcháng xué dào shēnyè, hòu lái chéng le Xīhàn zhùmíng de xuézhě.
匡衡年轻的时候十分好学，但是他家里很穷，买不起蜡烛。匡衡晚上想读书的时候，常常因为没有灯光而发愁。邻居家有蜡烛，晚上会有亮光，但是亮光却照不到他的家里。后来，他想了一个办法，就在墙壁上悄悄地凿了一个小孔，让隔壁人家的烛光透过来，每天借着小孔中微弱的光线读书。就这样，他经常学到深夜，后来成了西汉著名的学者。In the Western Han Dynasty there was a Chinese man named Kuang Heng. Kuang Heng was born in a poor family, but he was diligent in his study. As his family was too poor to afford a candle for him, he often felt sad as he could not study at night. Every evening he could see the candle light from his neighbor, but the light could not reach his house through the wall. Later, an idea came to him. He secretly make a small hole in the wall and let a glimmer of light come in through the hole. This light stolen from the neighbor allowed him to study until late at night. When he grew up he became a very famous scholar at his time.
Words:
蜡烛làzhú: candle (n.)
邻居línjū: neighbor (n.)
凿záo: to cut a hole; chisel; dig (v.)
微弱wēiruò: faint; feeble; thin; weak; slim ( adj.)
Meanings:
凿壁借光: 本义是凿开墙壁，偷借邻居家的灯光读书。后来指在艰苦的条件下坚持刻苦学习。 The original meaning of " Záobì-jièguāng " is to make a hole in the wall and read a book by stealing the light from a neighbor. Later it came to refer to studying under very hard conditions.
Sentences:
Xuéxí shì hěn jiānkǔ de shìqing, xūyào yǒu záobì-jièguāng de jīngshen.
学习是很艰苦的事情，需要有凿壁借光的精神。 Studying is very hard so the spirit of Záobì-jièguāng is necessary.

Nánsòng zhùmíng àiguó círén Xīn Qìjí （1140－1207）yí guàn zhìxiàng yuǎn dà. Jīnrén nán qīn hòu, Xīn Qìjí céng zǔzhī liǎng qiān duō rén de duì wǔ zài gùxiāng qǐyì, dàn yóuyú huàirén de páijǐ hé dǎjī, tā hòulái chángqī xián jū zài Jiāngxī Shàngráo yí dài.
南宋著名爱国词人辛弃疾（1140－1207）一贯志向远大。金人南侵后，辛弃疾曾组织两千多人的队伍在故乡起义，但由于坏人的排挤和打击，他后来长期闲居在江西上饶一带。
A famous poet Xin Qiji(1140-1207 A.D.) who lived in Southern Song Dynasty was always full of ambition . After Jin army started the southward invasion, Xin Qiji organized a troop of more than 2000 people to fight against the enemies in his hometown. Because of the attack and pushing of villains, he had to live in Shangrao area of Jiangxi Province without doing any work for a long time.
Xīn Qìjí yǔ shīrén Lù Yóu shì hǎo péngyǒu. Lù yóu hěn xīnshǎng tā de cáihuá, céng wèi Xīn Qìjí xiě le yì shǒu shī chángshī, zài shī zhōng, Lù Yóu bǎ Xīn Qìjí kàn zuò shì hé gǔdài de dà zhèngzhì jiā, jūnshì jiā Guǎn Zhòng, Xiāo Hé yí yàng de rénwù, ràng tā zhī shì zài Zhèjiāng shěng dāng le yí gè Dōnglù ān fǔ shǐ, shí zài shì bǎ dà de cáiliào yòng zài le xiǎochù.
辛弃疾与诗人陆游是好朋友。陆游很欣赏他的才华，曾为辛弃疾写了一首诗长诗，在诗中，陆游把辛弃疾看作是和古代的大政治家、军事家管仲、萧何一样的人物，让他只是在浙江省当了一个东路安抚使，实在是把大的材料用在了小处。Xin Qiji and Lu You, another famous poet, were good friends. Lu You appreciated Xin Qiji's talent. He once wrote a long poem for Xin Qiji. In this poem, Lu You compared Xin Qiji to the great statesmen and militarists like Guan Zhong and Xiao He. In his mind, working as a small official in Zhejiang Province was a total waste of Xin Qiji's talent.
Words：
组织zǔzhī： organize (v.)
排挤páijǐ： supplant；push aside (v.)
打击dǎjī： hit; strike; attack (v.)
欣赏xīnshǎng： appreciate (v.)
Meanings：
大材小用：“大材小用”指将很大的材料用在微小的地方，比喻对人才的使用不当。 "大材小用" means to put a great material for a petty use. It is a metaphor for misusing people's talents.
Sentences:
1. Zhe yàng Běijīng Dàxué bìyè de gāocái shēng, zài zhè gè xiǎo gōngsī lǐ dāng gè xiǎo mìshū, zhēn shì dàcái-xiǎoyòng le.
这样北京大学毕业的高材生，在这个小公司里当个小秘书，真是大材小用了。It is totally Dacao-xiaoyong to have a top graduate from Peking University like you to work as a secretary in such a small company.
2.Bìxū shàn yú yòng rén, yào rén jìn qí cái, bú yào dàcái-xiǎoyòng.
必须善于用人，要人尽其才，不要大材小用。A leader should know how to use people's talents, assign people the right jobs according to their talents, and should notDacao-xiaoyong.

Sān guó shí, Zhōu Yú jídù Zhūgě Liàng de cáinéng, yào tā zài sān tiān zhī nèi zào shíwàn zhī jiàn, bìng pài Lǔ Sù qù liáojiě Zhūgě Liàng zào jiàn de qíngkuàng.
三国时，周瑜嫉妒诸葛亮的才能，要他在三天之内造十万支箭，并派鲁肃去了解诸葛亮造箭的情况。In the period of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu was very jealous of Zhuge Liang's talent, so he troubled him by demanding 100,000 arrows within only three days. He sent Lu Su as a supervisor and find out how Zhuge would finish the task.
Zhūgě Liàng duì Lǔ Sù shuō, xīwàng néng jiè gěi tā èr shí zhī chuán, měi tiáo chuán shàng sān shí gè shìbīng, chuán yào yòng qīngsè de bù zhē qǐlái, hái yào yì qiān duō gè cǎorén, pái zài chuán de liǎngcè.
诸葛亮对鲁肃说，希望能借给他二十只船，每条船上三十个士兵，船要用青色的布遮起来，还要一千多个草人，排在船的两侧。Zhuge Liang told Lu Su that he needed twenty ships, each with thirty soldiers on it. All the ships must be covered with black cloth, and more than one thousand straw men with soldiers' clothes on should be arranged along both sides of the ships.
Lǔ Sù bǎ zhè xiē dōngxī dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le, kě shì dì yī tiān hé dì èr tiān Zhūgě Liàng shénme dōu méi zuò. Zhí dào dì sān tiān yè lǐ, Zhūgě Liàng cái jiào Lǔ Sù gēn tā yì qǐ qù qǔ jiàn.
鲁肃把这些东西都准备好了，可是第一天和第二天诸葛亮什么都没做。直到第三天夜里，诸葛亮才叫鲁肃跟他一起去取箭。Lu Su prepared everything as Zhuge Liang required. But in the following two days Zhuge Liang did nothing until the night of the third day when he invited Lu Su to come along and get the arrows.
Dāng wǎn jiāng shàng qǐ le dàwù, Zhūgě Liàng ràng chuán pái chéng yì pái, mìnglìng shìbīng jiǎzhuāng jìn’gōng. Cáo Cāo gǎn máng mìnglìng shìbīng xiàng chuán shàng shèjiàn, děng dào yí miàn cǎorén shàng chā mǎn le jiàn, Zhūgě Liàng yòu ràng chuán duì diàotóu. Zuìhòu suǒyǒu de cǎo rén shàng dōu chā mǎn le jiàn, zǒnggòng chāoguò le shí wàn zhī.
当晚江上起了大雾，诸葛亮让船排成一排，命令士兵假装进攻。曹操赶忙命令士兵向船上射箭，等到一面草人上插满了箭，诸葛亮又让船队掉头。最后所有的草人上都插满了箭，总共超过了十万支。That night there was a thick fog enveloping the river. Zhuge Liang had his ships formed into a line and ordered the soldiers to pretend an attack against Cao Cao's troops. Cao Cao was taken in by the feint and hastily ordered his soldiers to shoot arrows towards Zhuge Liang's ships. Zhuge Liang waited until the straw men at one side were thrust thickly with arrows, and then he commanded the fleet to turn around and exposed the other side to the rain of arrows. Back in the base they counted the arrows on the straw men– there were more than 100,000 in total.
Zhōu Yú chú diào Zhūgě Liàng de jì cè shībài le.
周瑜除掉诸葛亮的计策失败了。In the end, Zhuge Liang fulfilled the mission of impossible and Zhou Yu's scheme against him failed.
Words：
嫉妒jídù： be jealous of（v. ）
情况qíngkuàng: situation; condition( n.)
遮zhē: cover ( v.)
雾wù: fog ( n.)
假装jiǎzhuānɡ: pretend ( v.)
射shè: shoot ( v.)
插chā: thrust ( v.)
掉头diàotóu: turn around ( v.)
除掉chúdiào： dispose of; get rid of（v.）
Meanings：
“草船借箭”比喻凭借智慧，借助别人的人力或财力来达到自己的目的。"草船借箭(cǎochuánjièjiàn)" means achieving one's goal by wisely making use of others' manpower or financial resources.
Sentences：
1.Běnlái méiyǒu qián zuò zhè bǐ shēngyi ，dàn tā cǎochuánjièjiàn ，cóng qīnqi péngyou nàr còule èrshí wàn ，zuìhòu zhuànle hěndà yì bǐ qián.
本来没有钱做这笔生意，但他草船借箭，从亲戚朋友那凑了二十万，最后赚了很大一笔钱。He was short of money to do this business, but he 草船借箭 and managed to raise 200,000 from his relatives and friends. In the end he made a good fortune.
2.Suīrán wǒmen xiànzài kě lìyòng de zīyuán bù duō ，dàn kéyǐ cǎochuánjièjiàn ，cóng hézuòfāng qǔdé wǒmen xūyào de nèiróng.
虽然我们现在可利用的资源不多，但可以草船借箭，从合作方取得我们需要的内容。We are currently short of accessible resources, but we can 草船借箭 and draw support from our partners to get what we need.
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