翻译工作坊

翻译工作坊
之
中国典故选介与英译
Historical Chinese Tales, etc. and Their English Translation
Section 1 Chinese Historical Tales
1. Fish the Same Way as Jiang Taigong Did, Who Cast a
Hookless and Baitless Line for the Fish That Wanted to Be
Caught
(The Way Jiang Taigong fishes --- to Catch Only Those
Who Are Willing to Be Caught)
Jiang Taigong is a popular name for Jiang Ziya, statesman and strategist. As an adviser of King Wen of the Zhou State in ancient China, he, at the age of 80, helped the young King Wu overthrow the Shang Dynasty and establish the Zhou Dynasty.
Jiang was a senior official during the reign of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Since the king was
muddleheaded and atrocious, and the masses had no means to live,
Jiang resigned and lived in seclusion on the shore of the Wei River. The State Zhou was strong and prosperous. There Ji Chang (King Wen of the Zhou State)
was courteous to the wise and condescendent to the scholarly, ruling the state with benevolence and uprighteousness. He had long been in search of a virtuous assistant. One day Ji Chang went to hunt on the
northern shore of the Wei River. He saw an old man fishing by the shore who, oblivious of so many people passing by, continued to fish quietly. That was Jiang. It was said he was over 70 then. Ji Chang felt curious
so he stepped down from the chariot and walked to the old man, only to find the man‘s fishhook was not bent, impossible to get any fish. Realizing this man was not a common one, Ji Chang began to chat with him. He found this was the right man he was in quest of, so he said, ―Before he died, my grandfather had anticipated that Zhou would become prosperous when a sage came to us. You are the sage I‘ve been looking for. My grandfather had long expected your arrival!‖ So he calle d him Taigong. He returned with Taigong, sharing his carriage with him, and treated him as his mentor(导师;顾问;国师). Taigong assisted Ji Chang.
The Western Zhou became more flourishing, so the people of other states came over and pledged allegiance one after another. After Ji Chang passed away, his son Ji
Fa (King Wu) succeeded to the throne. With Jiang Shang‘s assistance, Ji Fa met the sovereigns of the other states in Mengjin and then they together sent an army to crusade against Zhou. As a result, King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty burned himself to death. After the downfall of the Shang Dynasty, Ji Fa established the Zhou Dynasty. Known as King Wu in history, he honored his father with the posthumous title of King Wen.
**Chinese Version:
1.姜太公钓鱼
民间有句俗话，叫做“姜太公钓鱼——愿者上钩”。

这句话来自
于一段历史故事。

据史料记载:姜太公名叫姜尚，字子牙，东海(今
山东省日照市东)人。

因其始封于吕，故以封地为姓，又称吕尚。

商
纣王时，姜尚曾任朝廷大夫。

因目睹纣王昏庸残暴，百姓民不聊生，
遂辞官隐居于渭水之滨。

当时位于西部的诸侯国周国国力强盛，西伯
姬昌(即周文王)礼贤下士，仁义治国，老百姓安居乐业。

但长期以来，姬昌一直未能遇到一位贤德的辅佐。

一天，姬昌乘车去渭水北岸打猎。

在渭水边上，姬昌看见一个老者在岸边垂钓，大队人马走过，老者充
耳不闻，仍然是静静地钓鱼。

这位老者正是姜尚，传说当时已经70
岁了。

姬昌觉得奇怪，就下车来到老者跟前，却发现老者钓鱼的鱼钩
是直的，根本就钓不上鱼来。

姬昌知道老者是一位奇人，就跟他聊了
起来。

经过一番谈话，姬昌发现这位老者正是自己要找的人，于是高
兴地说:“我祖父在世的时候曾对我说过:‘将来会有一奇人帮助你
把周族兴盛起来。

’您正是我要找的人。

我的祖父盼望您已经很久了。

”因此古代文献中又称姜尚为“太公望”或“姜太公”。

于是，姜尚跟
随姬昌来到西周，被封为国师。

他辅佐西伯推行新政，西周愈加强盛，周边诸侯国的人民也都纷纷归顺西周。

西伯去世后，其子姬发(即周
武王)继位。

在姜尚的辅助下，姬发在盟津大会诸侯，随后兴兵伐纣，
商纣王自焚而死，商朝灭亡。

姬发建立了周朝，史称周武王，追封其
父西伯姬昌为周文王。

周朝建立以后，姜尚被封到齐地，建都营丘(今
山东省淄博市临淄区齐陵镇附近)，齐国后来成为诸侯国中的强国。

***Concepts of Translation Theory:
Accuracy
Accuracy refers to preserving the meaning of the original text. The term accuracy is essentially synonymous with the term faithfulness, but some
translation theoreticians differentiate between the two terms. A translation which is accurate is faithful to the intended meaning of the original author.
Audience
Audience refers to those who hear or read something. Translators must be well aware of who their audience is,
to be most effective in translation. They must translate for their audience, using vocabulary and grammatical patterns which are well understood by that audience.
Clarity
clear, easy to understand, lucid, The quality of being
free from unnatural forms or expressions which hinder understanding. Clarity is one of the three most important qualities required of a good translation, the other two
accuracy and naturalness. being
****Translate the Underlined Parts into English:
*2. Xiangru Returned the Jade Intact to the Zhao
State
When King Huiwen was ruling the State of Zhao, he was fortunate enough to acquire a piece of jade discovered by Bian He of the State of Chu. Hearing this, King Zhao of the State of Qin sent a letter to the
King of Zhao, offering fifteen cities in exchange for the treasure. The King immediately sought counsel with General Lian Po and his ministers, confessing that he was worried he might thus lose the jade for nothing if the ruler of Qin
broke his word and refused to give him the cities, and on the other hand, if he did not let the jade go, Qin might come to attack Zhao. Much discussion went on, but the matter was not settled. At that time, Lin Xiangru was recommended to the King. He told the King he was willing to be the messenger and escort the jade to Qin. The King of Zhao dispatched Xiangru to Qin with the jade. On arrival, Xiangru was received by the King of Qin in Changtai Palace. Xiangru offered the jade to the ruler of Qin who was greatly pleased. He showed it round among his palace maids and attendants. The courtiers hailed and applauded. Seeing that the King of Qin had no intention of giving the promised cities to Zhao, Xiangru steppe d forward and said, ―The jade has flaws. Please let me show it to Your Highness.‖ The King of Qin handed the jade over to Xiangru, who, with the stone in hand, retreated a few steps to lean on a column, and
in great fury rebuked the King‘s perfidy(背信)and a ddressed him, ―If Your
Highness chooses to put pressure on me to submit it, I will immediately knock both the stone and my head against this column, and break both.‖ Afraid that he was going to smash the jade, the King of Qin made an apology
and entreated Xiangru not to do so. Then, he summoned the official concerned to read the map of Qin to Xiangru and mark off fifteen cities to be given over to Zhao. Being a cautious man, Xiangru had a notion
that the King of Qin was only playing a trick, pretending to make Zhao a gift of the cities, but not intending that Zhao should actually obtain them. So he said to the King of Qin seriously, ―Heshi Jade is known by all to be a treasure. That Zhao has offered it to Qin is out of fear. Since our King, when he sent the jade to you, fasted for five days, it
is only proper that Your Highness should do likewise and, later, perform a solemn ceremony of reception in the main palace. Only then dare I
offer the jade to you.‖ Realizing
that after all he could rob it from Xiangru by force, the King of
Qin promised to fast and ordered Xiangru to be lodged in the guesthouse. Considering again that the King of Qin, although he had promised to fast and might actually do so, was any minute ready to go back on his words and refuse to give the cities, Xiangru asked his attendant to disguise himself as a commoner by putting on a coarse hemp coat and to return to Zhao with the jade by a short-cut.
**Chinese Version:
2. 完璧归赵
据《史记》卷八十一《廉颇蔺相如列传》记载:蔺相如是赵国人，是赵国宦者
令缪贤的门客。

赵惠文王得到了一件宝贝——和氏璧，秦昭王听说后，派人送给赵王一封信，称愿意以15座城池交换和氏璧。

当时秦国强大，赵国弱小。

赵王既怕上当受骗，又怕秦兵来攻。

这时，有人向赵王推荐了蔺相如。

于是，赵王就派遣蔺
相如带着和氏璧前往秦国。

秦王在章台接见了蔺相如。

蔺相如将和氏璧敬献给秦王，秦王非常高兴，并将璧传给侍列左右的美人和大臣观看。

蔺相如见秦王丝毫没有给赵国城池的意思，便机智地走向前去对秦王说:“璧上有处瑕疵，请指给大王看。

”秦王信以为真，便将璧交给了蔺相如。

蔺相如拿到璧后，后退了一步站在一根柱子旁边，怒斥秦王不讲信义，并警告秦王:“如果你一定要来抢璧的话，那
么，我的头和这块璧，今天就都撞碎在这根柱子上。

”并拿着璧瞅着柱子，做出要击碎璧的样子。

秦王怕和氏璧被摔碎，只好让有司拿过地图来，指着地图说从这里到这里15座城池都给赵国。

蔺相如估计秦王只是做个样子而已，赵国其实得不到
城池。

于是又对秦王说:“赵王献璧的时候，曾经斋戒5日。

现在大王也应该斋戒
5日，我才敢把璧献给你。

”秦王无可奈何，只好答应斋戒5日，并安排蔺相如住
进了迎宾馆。

当天晚上，蔺相如让随从换上百姓的衣服，将和氏璧藏在怀里，从小路逃回赵国。

秦王斋戒结束后，不见玉璧，大怒，欲杀蔺相如，但最后还是放了他。

蔺相如回到赵国后，赵王以其不辱使命，加封他为上大夫。

长期以来，
人们一直把这个故事作为爱国主义教材。

***Concept of Translation Theory:
Context
Context refers to the environment or setting in which an utterance occurs. There are various contexts which are crucial for a translator to be aware of. The immediate linguistic context consists of words, phrases, and sentences which surround the utterance in question. This is
discourse or textual context. The linguistic context also includes the situational context, that is, the social context in which the utterance was made. This includes the identity of speaker and addressee, their
relationship, and the purpose of the utterance in the mind of the speaker. This social context is the concern of pragmatics.
Ultimately, the pragmatic context also includes the time,
place, and culture in which the utterance was made. So a translator must be aware of the historical,
anthropological, and sociological environment in which the utterance he is translating was made.
****Translate the Underlined Parts into English:
*3. To Tie one's Hair on the House Beam and Jab One's Side with an Awl to Keep Oneself Awake — Take
Great Pains with One's Study
(Tying One‘s Hair on the House Beam and Jabing One‘s Side with
an Awl)
The allusion comes from Tai Ping Yu Lan and
Strategie s of the Warring States. In ―Biographies of
Virtuous Persons of the Chu State” in the book Tai Ping
Yu Lan, Zhang Fang records: In the early Han Dynasty, a man named Sun Jing who was eager to learn often studied late at night. When he
felt sleepy, he tied his hair to the roof beam, so, when he dozed he would feel pain and woke up when his hair was pulled upward by the rope. Then he would go on with his study. In Volume One of Anecdotes of the Qin State in Strategies of the
Warring States there is another story as follows: Su Qin felt sleepy when he was reading, so he took an awl and stabbed it into his own legs.
The blood flew to his feet. Now people often praise with this allusion those who grind away at their studies.
**Chinese Version:
3. 悬梁刺股
据《太平御览》卷六一一晋张方《楚国先贤传》记载:汉代的孙
敬勤奋好学，有时晚上看书打瞌睡，他就将头发悬挂在屋梁上，强迫
自己学习。

又据《战国策?秦策一》记载:苏秦也是一位好学之士，
有时读书时间长了，难免昏昏欲睡，他就拿锥子刺自己的大腿，以至
于血都流到脚上。

后世用“悬梁刺股”一词来比喻勤学苦读。

***Concepts of Translation Theory:
Cultural clash
A cultural clash occurs when something in culture of the source language has a distinctly different cultural value from the same thing
in the culture of the target language. In such cases, the translator should keep the original meaning by adjusting the form of the cultural symbol or adding enough background information to indicate to the target language users what the original cultural value was. Otherwise, the users of the translation will get the wrong meaning, and preservation of original meaning is the highest priority for a translator.
Equivalent
Equivalent refers to having the same meaning and
function. Theoretically, absolute equivalence between forms in the same language or between different languages may never be possible, but equivalence for all
practical purposes is often possible and is a foundational concept
for translation theory. Equivalence of translated forms to those of the source language is analogous to synonymy within a single language.
****Translate the Underlined Parts into English:
*4. Composing a Poem Within Seven Paces
In New Accounts of Old Episodes, Cao Cao, the first
emperor of Wei, specially favored Cao Zhi, his third son, because of his great talents. Cao Zhi‘s eldest brother Cao Pi was, therefore, very jealous of him. One day he asked his younger brother to compose a poem impromptu, to test whether he was really talented or not. One requirement Cao Pi imposed on his brother was that the poem should be finished at the end of the seventh pace, not later. Under such pressure Cao Zhi could not but try, yet he finished a poem before he took the seventh pace. Literally, it carries the following meaning: The beans are boiled by burning stalks, and
The beans are crying for the terrible suffering——
Having grown out of the same root, why should
My brother boil me, all means so fiercely trying?
[Original version:
To fry beans is to burn beanstalks.
Thus beans are crying when fried;
Grown out of the same root,
Why are we burned together? ]
**Chinese Version:
4. 七步成诗
故事出自《世说新语?文学》，大意是说:魏文帝曹丕忌妒其弟
东阿王曹植的才能，曾令曹植在走7步路的时间内写成一首诗，写不
出来就要杀掉他。

曹植应声吟出一首诗:“煮豆燃豆萁，豆在釜中泣。

本是同根生，相煎何太急?”后人便用“七步成诗”比喻才思敏捷，
又以“煮豆燃萁”比喻骨肉相残。

***Concept of Translation Theory:
Faithfulness
Faithfulness refers to how closely a translation preserves the meaning of the original. It is synonymous
with fidelity, and essentially synonymous with accuracy,
but translation theory sometimes differentiates slightly between faithfulness and accuracy. Faithfulness can, and should, also refer to how closely a translation honors the natural lexical and grammatical patterns of the target language. Faithfulness should look both directions, toward the source and toward the target.
****Translate the Underlined Part into English:
*5. Sima Guang Smashed the Vat
Sima Guang was a statesman and historian of the Northern Song Dynasty. At the age of seven, he once played hide and seek with other children in the garden. One child wanted to hide in a big vat, which was unexpectedly full of water. Barely had he climbed on the edge of the vat, when he slipped into it. Right away he was submerged. The other children were frightened and broke up in a hubbub, whereas Sima Guang remained
there. He found a rock and broke the vat. The water flushed out. Thus
the child in the vat was saved. When this story became known extensively, people drew a
picture for it, which was spread out in Kaifeng and Luoyang.
**Chinese Version:
5. 司马光砸缸
据《宋史?司马光列传》记载:司马光是陕州夏县(今山西省闻
喜县)涑水乡人。

他7岁那年，有一次跟几个小孩在花园里玩捉迷藏
的游戏。

有个小孩想藏到一只大缸中，没想到缸中盛满了水。

当这个
小孩费力地爬上大缸的时候，失足跌进了水缸。

其他小孩吓得一哄而
散，只有司马光没跑。

他找来一块石头，用力砸破水缸。

水缸里的水
哗哗地流了出来，掉进水缸里的小孩得救了。

这件事传开以后，人们
将司马光砸缸救人的故事画成了一幅画，在开封、洛阳一带广为流传。

***Concept of Translation Theory:
Free translation
A free translation is one which preserves the meaning of the
original but uses natural forms of the target language, including normal word order and syntax, so that the translation can be naturally understood. Free translation is a kind of idiomatic translation.
****Translate the Underlined Parts into English:
Section 2 Myths
*1. The Creation of the Earth
According to Classified Anthology of Literary Works,
the sky and the earth were, at the initial stage, one blurred entity like an egg. The separation of the sky and the earth took eighteen thousand years — the yang which
was light and pure rose to become the sky, and the yin
which was heavy and murky sank to form the earth. Between them was Pangu, the earliest ancestor of humanity, who went through nine changes every day. Every day the sky rose ten feet higher, the earth became ten feet thicker, and Pangu grew ten feet taller. Another eighteen thousand years passed, and there was an extremely high sky, an extremely thick earth, and an extremely tall Pangu. So the sky was ninety thousand li from the earth. Nobody knows how many years passed and then Pangu finally fell down. Just before his death, the earth underwent a miraculous change: Pangu‘s
breath turned into wind and cloud, his sound thunderbolt, his left eye the sun, his right eye the moon, his four limbs the four corners of the sky, his five body constituents the Five Famous Mountains in China, his blood the rivers, his
veins the roads, his muscles the fields, his hair and moustache the stars, his skin and hair the grass and trees, his teeth and bones the metals and stones, his marrow the pearls and jades, and his sweat the rain. The vitality in Pangu, touched by the wind, turned into the common people. Thus came the dawn of the vigorous earth.
**Chinese Version:
1. 开天辟地
据《艺文类聚》卷一引徐整《三五历纪》及清马《绎史》卷一引
《五运历年纪》记载:在天地还没有开辟之前，天和地是合在一起的，
就像个浑浑沌沌的鸡蛋一样，漆黑一团，没有星星，更没有人类。

人
类的始祖盘古就在这一片浑沌之中沉睡着。

就这样过了18 000年，
盘古醒来了，他站起身来，浑沌的世界也随之裂成了两半:阳清者上
升为天，阴浊者下沉为地。

天地从此开辟了。

盘古在天地之间，随着
天地的变化而变化。

天日高一丈，地日厚一丈，盘古也日长一丈。

如
此又过了18 000年，天变得极高，地变得极厚，盘古也变得极长，
天地之间的距离有90 000里。

从此有了高高的天空和厚厚的大地。

又不知过了多少年，盘古终于倒下了。

就在盘古临死的时候，世界突
然发生了奇异的变化:他呼出的气变成了风云，声音变成了雷霆，左
眼变成了太阳，右眼变成了月亮，四肢五体变成了四极五岳，血液变
成了江河，筋脉变成了道路，肌肉变成了田土，发髭变成了星辰，皮
毛变成了草木，齿骨变成了金石，精髓变成了珠玉，汗水变成了雨泽。

而盘古身体中的生命体，因风所感，变成了老百姓。

世界从此充满了
活力。

***Concepts of Translation Theory:
Literal translation
Literal translation is where the forms of the original are retained as much as possible, even if those forms are not the most natural forms to preserve the original meaning. Literal translation is sometimes called word-for-word translation (as opposed to thought-for- thought translation). A more accurate, but less well
known, label for this approach is formal equivalence
translation. Because literal translation focuses on forms of language, it sometimes misses some of the meaning of those forms, since meaning is found not only in the forms of individual words, but also in relationships among words, phrases, idiomatic uses of words, and influences of speaker-hearer, cultural, and historical contexts. Words often have different meanings in different contexts, but a literal translation often does not account
for these differences. So literal translation often is not the most accurate form of translation.
****Translate the underlined parts into English:
*2. Nüwa Made Man
In Taiping Anthologies for the Emperor, the record
goes like this. It is said that there were no men when the sky and the earth were separat ed. It was Nüwa who made men by molding yellow clay on her own shape. Those made in this way were rich and noble, while those made when the mud dropped down to the ground were poor and low.
*3. Nüwa Mended the Sky
According to Huai Nan Zi (Writings of Prince Huai
Nan), in ancient times, Gong Gong, the water God, fought with Zhu Rong, the fire God. In his rage he knocked his head against Buzhou Mountain, breaking this pillar of the sky and causing one corner of the earth to collapse. The northwestern part of the sky collapsed and the southeastern part of the land sank. The sky could not
cover all the things under it, nor could the earth carry all the things on it. A great fire raged, which would not die out; a fierce flood raced about, which could not be checked. Savage beasts devoured innocent people; vicious birds preyed on the weak and old. Then Nüwa melted rocks of five colors and used them to mend the cracks in the sky. She supported the four corners of the sky with the legs she had cut off from a giant turtle. She killed the black dragon to save the people, and blocked the flood with the ashes of reeds. Thus the sky was mended, its four corners lifted, the flood tamed, the land pacified, and the harmful birds and beasts killed, and the innocent people were able to live on the square earth under the dome of the sky. However, the sky and land were not patched up perfectly. The sky tilted towards the northwest; therefore the sun, the moon and the stars moved in that direction. As the earth sank in the southeast, all the waters and muddy contents of the rivers flowed southeastwards.
**Chinese Translation:
2. 女娲造人
据《太平御览》卷七八引《风俗通义》记载:女娲是一位人身龙尾的女神，是
人类共同的母亲。

传说天地刚刚开辟的时候，还没有人类，只有女娲独自一人生活在世界上，她觉得非常寂寞。

于是，女娲就根据自己的形象，将黄土捏做人形。

这些小泥人一放到地上，就变成了能言会走、聪明灵巧的小精灵，女娲就管他们叫―人‖。

后来，因为工作劳累，力气不够，女娲就把草绳蘸在黄泥中，甩在地上的泥浆也变成了人。

就这样，女娲创造了人类，给大地带来了生命和活力。

为了让人类
能够自然地繁衍下去，女娲又区别了男人和女人，并为人类建立了婚姻制度，让男女互相配合，生儿育女。

从此以后，人类便繁衍到了今天。

3. 女祸补天
据《淮南子?览冥训》等记载:很久很久以前，水神共工和火神祝融之间发生了一场战斗。

打了败仗的共工恼羞成怒，一头撞向西方的不周山。

没想到，不周山却是一根撑天的柱子。

结果，天空的西北方塌了下来，大地的东南方也陷了下去。

天空不能再覆盖大地，大地也不能再负载万物。

大火熊熊而不灭，洪水浩浩而不止。

许多猛兽鸷鸟也趁乱出来攫食人民。

于是，女娲首先锻炼了一种五色石头来修补天空。

等天空修复以后，女娲为了安全起见，又砍下一只巨鳌的脚当作四极，立在大地的四角撑住天空。

然后，女娲又杀死黑龙等猛兽，堆积了许多芦灰来阻止大地上的洪水。

苍天补好了，四极立正了，洪水消退了，大地平整了，鸷禽恶兽杀死了，老百姓得以休养生息。

然
而，天空和大地毕竟没有补得跟起初一样平整。

所以，时至今日，天
上的星辰还总是往西北方向落，地上的河流也总是往东南方向流。

****Translate the underlined parts into English:
*4. Chang'e Flew to the Moon
Yi got some elixir (不死之药) from the Queen of the
West, but his wife Chang E stole it and flew away with it to the moon. Thereafter she lived on the moon in the form of a toad, and was called the Moon Spirit and suffered great loneliness there.
5. Hou Yi Shot Down the Suns
When Yao was the leader of the confederation of tribes, ten suns appeared in the sky. The crops were scorched and the grass and trees were destroyed. The common people were starved to death. At the same
time, the monsters and demons ran wild and did great harm to the people. Yao sent Hou Yi to kill them. Hou Yi killed the sharp teeth monster in the wilderness, slew the cruel
dragon in the turbulent river, captured the storm demon in the
valley of Qingqiu Mountains. After destroying all the monsters, he shot down the nine blazing suns and killed the huge rat deep under the ground. Finally, he cut the longest snake in Dong Ting Lake and captured the largest beast in the mulberry forest. People were all greatly pleased
and they supported Yao as the Son of the Heaven. Yi became the hero eulogized by the later generations.
**Chinese Versions:
4. 嫦娥奔月
传说嫦娥是古代的月神，是大神后羿的妻子，本来叫娥。

汉文帝
刘恒时，因为避讳皇帝的名字，改―‖为‖嫦‖。

据《淮南子?览冥训》
记载:后羿历尽千难万险从西王母那里求来了不死之药，还没来得及
服食，就被妻子嫦娥偷偷吃掉了。

于是，嫦娥得道成仙，飞到了月亮
上，成了月亮女神。

但月宫中孤寂冷清，嫦娥虽然成了神仙，却备受
寂寞的煎熬，过得也非常无聊。

5. 后羿射日
据《淮南子?本经训》记载:唐尧为帝王的时候，天空中同时出
现了10个太阳，庄稼被烤焦，草木被晒死，老百姓因为没有粮食而
被饿死。

同时，凿齿、九婴、大风、封、修蛇等怪兽，也出来为害人
民。

于是，尧就派遣大神后羿在畴华之野杀死了凿齿，在凶水之上杀
死了九婴，在青丘之泽降服了大风，在洞庭湖畔斩杀了修蛇，在桑林
擒住了封。

消灭这些怪兽之后，后羿又把天上的太阳射下来了9个，
只留下了一个。

老百姓重新又过上了安定的日子。

****Translate the underlined parts into English:
*6. When the Eight Genii Crossed the Sea, Each of Them
Displayed His / Her Prowess
(While Crossing the Sea, the Eight Immortals Display
His or Her Own Magic Power)
This allusion is from a folk legend concerning the Eight (Taoist) Immortals crossing the sea at the same time. The legend has many versions. Wu Yuantai, the author of Birthplaces of the Eight Immortals and Their Eastward Tour of the Ming Dynasty, defined the eight as Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, Li Tieguai, Cao Guojiu, Lü Dongbin, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu. It is said when they crossed the sea at the same time, each
displayed his/her own supernatural prowess. Later this idiom has been used to refer to those who have their respective means or skills to vie with each other.
**Chinese Version:
6. 八仙过海
八仙是传说中的八位道家仙人。

有关八仙的传说，历来不尽统一。

明吴元泰《八仙出处东游记》中所说的八仙是汉钟离、张果老、韩湘
子、铁拐李、曹国舅、吕洞宾、蓝采和、何仙姑八人。

传说八仙去昆
仑山参加蟠桃大会，为王母娘娘祝寿，在返回蓬莱仙岛的时候，途经
东海。

吕洞宾提议说:―乘云过海不算本事，我们八人各以一物投在
水面上，各显神通，踏之而过，如何?‖于是，八仙各显其能:铁拐
李将铁拐投于水中，踏之而过，汉钟离踏拂尘而过，张果老踏纸驴而
过，吕洞宾踏箫管以过，韩湘子踏花篮以过，何仙姑踏竹簟以过，蓝
采和踏拍板以过，曹国舅踏玉版以过。

后以―八仙过海‖比喻处理问题
各自有一套办法，或各自显示本领、互相竞赛。

***Concept of Translation Theory:
Natural
A translation is natural if its wordings and grammatical patterns
are those which occur in the everyday speech and/or writing of its
fluent speakers. Many language
criteria should be checked to determine how closely a translation follows natural language patterns, including sentence length, word usage, normal idioms, figures of speech, understandability, complexity of clausal embeddings, and word order. The translator must always be a
fluent speaker of the language into which he is translating. He should also be sensitive to what is considered good style within his language group. A
translation should not sound like a translation, but, rather, should sound like a normal discourse of the target language. Many English versions of the Bible are not in natural English, but, rather, force English words to appear in language forms which are like those of the original Biblical languages, instead of the target language. It is possible to preserve original meaning and express it naturally and
clearly in a target language. This is translation in the truest, fullest sense.
****Translate the underlined part into English:
*****Read the following (7 – 8) for appreciation:
*7. Da Yu Led People in Curbing Floods
Legend in Book of Mountains and Seas and Huai Nan
Zi has it that four or five thousand years ago there came a flood in the Yellow River Valley which rose as high as the sky, washing away
whole villages with their houses and inundating large areas of cropland. Many people lost their lives in the flood and those who were fortunate enough to survive were forced to abandon their homes and go and live on hillsides or migrate to places far away. To stop the flood Gun stole some of the growing earth possessed by the Heavenly Emperor without asking for permission. For this the emperor ordered Zhu Rong to execute him near Yushan Mountain. Nevertheless, out of Gun‘s belly Yu was born. Yu carried on the work of
fighting the flood. It was barely four days after he got married
when Yu received Shun‘s order. Determined to have the flood under
control and remove the menace to the people, he left his wife behind and set off for the worksite. Before, under Gun‘s leadership, the people spent nine long years building dams and dykes to stop the flow of the rivers. All the efforts had however ended only in more disastrous floods. Yu first made a study of the causes that had led to his father‘s failure. Then he made a
careful survey of the afflicted areas and asked for advice from experienced workers. Knowing that water tends to flow from higher to lower regions, he aba ndoned Gun‘s method of building dams and dykes to stop the flow of waters. Instead he led his men in digging ditches and canals to divert the flood and also in dredging the river channels so as to provide outlets for the flood into the sea. In those days there was a high mountain in the upper reaches of the Yellow River that blocked the way of the river. In order to cut a canal into the mountain, Yu turned himself into a bear and stole into the mountains to do the digging. Rain or shine, Yu worked in the midst of his men, digging and taking earth away all through the four seasons of a year. He was so dedicated that it was said that he had three times refrained from entering the door of his home when he was passing by. Missing Da Yu so much, his wife visited the worksite. In the shape of a bear, Da Yu was dredging the watercourse. His wife was greatly frightened so she ran away. Da Yu chased his wife, forgetting to convert himself back into a human being. The wife saw no chance to escape and turned herself into a stone. Da Yu was greatly depressed. He said to the stone,
―Give back my son!‖ The stone split and revealed a child — the
son of Da Yu, named Qi. After thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers, big and small, and in doing away with the evil of flood. After the death of Shun, Yu became the head of the tribal confederation.
7. 大禹治水
据《山海经》、《淮南子》等文献记载:尧舜时期，黄河流域发
生了特大水灾，庄稼被淹没，房子被冲毁，老百姓流离失所。

有位叫
鲧的大神很同情百姓的遭遇，就偷窃了天帝的宝物“息壤”，一种生生
不息、能不断生长的土壤，来到大地上掩堵洪水。

天帝知道以后非常
生气，就命令火神祝融在羽郊这个地方把鲧杀死了。

鲧死之后，他的
精神复生为他的儿子大禹，他的肉体则变成一头黄熊隐入山中。

大禹
继承父志，重新开始治理洪水。

他吸取了父亲掩堵洪水失败的教训，
变掩堵为疏导，取得了良好的效果。

然而由于工作繁忙，大禹30岁
还没有结婚。

这时有位自称涂山氏的姑娘，她本来是一位九尾白狐，
来向大禹表示爱情，大禹就和她结了婚。

婚后的大禹仍然忙于治理洪
水，很少能够回家与妻子团聚，甚至三过家门而不入。

美丽的妻子想
念丈夫，就到治水工地去看望大禹。

没想到大禹当时正变成一头熊在
疏通水道。

涂山氏没有看到丈夫，却看见一头熊在那里挖山洞，吓得
转身就跑。

大禹发现以后，急忙去追，匆忙之间忘了变回人形。

涂山
氏见大熊越追越近，就变成了一块石头。

大禹很伤心，对着石头说:
“还我儿子～”石头就裂开了一条缝，露出了一个小孩，这就是大禹的
儿子，名字叫启。

大禹治水成功后，大舜就把帝位禅让给了大禹。

老
百姓重新过上了太平的日子。

8. Jing Wei Tries to Fill Up the Sea with Pebbles —
Dogged Determination to Achieve One's Purpose
In Book of Mountains and Seas, on Fa Jiu Hill grew a
lot of mulberry trees. Among them lived a bird, which looked like a crow, but had a colorful head, a white bill and two red claws. Its calls sounded like its name: Jing Wei. The bird was said to be Emperor。