最新中国传统文化经典哲理故事(英汉对照)

Harmony of Human and Nature
天人合一
〖Zhuangzhou Dreamed a Butterfly〗
One day at sunset，Zhuangzi dozed off and dreamed that he turned into a butterfly．He flapped his wings and made sure enough he was a butterfly．He had such a joyful feeling as he fluttered about that he completely forgot that he was Zhuangzi．Soon though，he realized that proud butterfly was really Zhuangzi who dreamed he was a butterfly．Or was it a butterfly who dreamed he was Zhuangzi?
Maybe Zhuangzi was the butterfly，and maybe the butterfly was Zhungzi? This is what is meant by the“transformation of things．”
庄周梦蝶
一天，落日时分，庄子梦见自己变成一只蝴蝶。

他扑打扑打翅膀，确信自己已经变成一只蝴蝶。

这时他十分惬意，飘飘然竟完全忘记了
自己是庄子。

一会儿醒来，他明白了，那只骄傲的蝴蝶正是梦见自己
变成蝴蝶的庄子。

或许是蝴蝶做梦自己变成了庄子也未可知。

庄子是蝴蝶?亦或蝴蝶是庄子?这正是所谓的“事物转换”的道理
啊!
〖A Fond Dream of Nanke〗
In the Tang Dynasty，there lived a person called Chun Yufen．One day，his friends came to celebrate his birthday，and Chun Yufen was drinking under an old pagoda tree．When he became drunk，he fell
asleep．Suddenly，Chun Yufen met with two atomies who took him into a giant hole in the tree，having a ride to the great Kingdom of Pagoda．Chun Yufen found himself in a fairy world with many red gates，magnificent palaces，luxuriant pavilions and beautiful gardens．
南柯一梦
在中国唐朝，有个人叫淳于棼。

一天他过生日，在门前大槐树下
摆下宴席和朋友饮酒作乐，好不快活。

喝醉了之后，他便睡着了。

迷
迷糊糊之中，他突然感觉有两个使者请他上车，马车朝大槐树下一个树洞驶去，驶向“槐安国”。

他发现树洞里另有一番仙境。

有许多
朱红色的大门，大门里面是华丽的宫殿，周围是亭台楼阁和美丽的花园。

The king appreciated him very much so that he was named the mayor of Nanke，a small town in the Kingdom．Soon after，he married the king’s beautiful daughter．Chun Yufen was so happy with the life there that he totally forgot his hometown．Twenty years passed，and Chun Yufen stayed as the very successful mayor of Nanke and raised a big family of five sons and two daughters．
国王非常欣赏淳于棼，封他为“南柯郡太守”。

后来，国王还将公主许配给他。

淳于棼与公主过得非常幸福以致完全忘了自己的家
乡。

淳于棼上任南柯郡太守后，前后二十年的时间，把南柯郡治理得
井井有条，还和公主生了五个儿子，两个女儿。

However, the kingdom was invaded by another country and Chun
Yufen had to lead the troops to hold out the enemies．Unfortunately，his troops were defeated and his wife died．Chun Yufen decided to leave the Kingdom of Pagoda．He was sent home by the 2 atomies. As soon as he arrived home，he woke up to realize what had happened was just a dream. It was only a short nap，even though in his dream he had experienced a whole 20 years of life．
Chun Yufen’s friends were interested in his dream. They looked down the tree and found an ant nest connected to a smaller nest in the south direction. Obviously，these nests explained what“Pagoda Kingdom”and“Nanke”really were!
不料，有个国家突然入侵，淳于棼不得不率兵迎击，不过他还是
打了败仗。

这时公主又不幸去世了。

淳于棼决定离开“槐安国”，仍
是由
两名使者送行。

淳于棼回到家中，突然惊醒过来，原来是一场梦。

不
过是小睡一会儿，而梦中经历却整整二十年。

淳于棼把梦境告诉朋友，大家感到十分有趣，一齐找到大槐树下，
挖出一个很大的蚂蚁洞，旁边有孔，通向南边树枝，那里有一个小蚂
蚁洞。

很显然，这就是所谓的“南柯郡”、“槐安国”！
〖The Penumbras and the Shadow〗
The penumbras asked the shadow，“A moment ago you were looking down and now you are looking up；a moment ago your hair was tied up and now it is hanging loose；a moment ago you were sitting and now you
are standing；a moment ago you were walking and now you are standing still．How is all this?”
罔两问影
虚影问影子说：“你先前低着头现在仰起头，先前束着发髻现在
披着头发，先前坐着现在站起，先前行走现在停下来，这是什么原因呢?”
The shadow said，“Gentlemen，why do you bother asking me such trifling questions? I do these things but I don’t know why．Am I like the shell of a cicada or am I like the slough of a snake? I look like the real thing，but I am not the real thing．I appear with the flame or the sun，but fade with the shade or the night．
影子同答：“你为什么拿这样微不足道的事情烦我呢?我就是这样地随意运动，我自己也不知道为什么会是这样。

我，就如同寒蝉蜕下来
的壳、蛇蜕下来的皮，跟那本体事物相似却又不是那事物本身。

火光
与阳光使我显现，阴暗与黑夜使我隐形。

Do I depend on the real thing? But the real thing itself has to depend on something else! when the real thing comes，I come with it; when the real thing goes, I go with it; when the real thing moves to and fro，I move to and fro with it. What is there to ask a bout?”
我依赖有形的事物吗?而有形的事物又依赖什么呢?有形的物体
到来我便随之而来，有形的物体离去我也随之而去，有形的物体俳徊
不定我就随之不停地运动。

这有什么可问的呢?”
〖Lips Gone，Teeth Cold〗
The King of Jin was going to attack Guo，a state on the other side of Jin’s neighbor country Yu．The Jin troops had to have Y u’s permission to go through its territory，which，most likely，the King of Yu would refuse．The King of Jin could not work out a plan．One day，Xun Xi，one of his ministers，put forward a suggestion，“Your Majesty，if you send your most precious gifts to the King of Yu，he will probably be bribed into giving consent．”
唇亡齿寒
晋国的国君想要攻打虢国，但隔着一个虞国，讨伐虢国必须经过
虞地。

对此，虞国的国君可能会拒绝。

晋君一直没能想出个好办法。

一天，大臣荀息献计说：“大王，如果您能将珍宝献给虞国，他不会
不答应借道的。

”
The King of Jin looked reluctant，so Xun Xi said，“Even if he accepts the gifts，it doesn’t mean that he possesses them，as they will soon be taken back by us．Then what is there to be worried about?”Thus the King of Jin took up his plan．
晋献公一听有点舍不得，荀息就说：“即使他接受了礼物，也不
意味着他就会拥有它们，很快，我们还会把它们拿回来的。

您担心什
么呢?”晋献公采纳了荀息的计策。

The King of Yu agreed at once as soon as he saw the gifts. But Gong Zhiqi，a minister of Yu，took objection to it，saying，“Guo is our neighbor
country，our reliable friend, and the relationship between us is just like
‘when the lips are gone，that between lips and teeth. As an old saying goes,
the teeth will feel cold’，so will our country be in danger when Guo is conquered．If we let the Jin troops pass，the gap between Guo's destruction and ours is only a period of morning to evening．”But Gong’s advice was rejected. What happened thereafter just proved what Gong had said.
虞国国君见到礼物，当时就满口答应下来。

虞国大夫宫之奇听说后，赶快阻止道：“虢国是虞国的近邻，有事可以彼此帮助，我们之
间就好像嘴唇和牙齿之间的关系。

俗话说：‘唇亡齿亡’，万一虢国灭了，我们虞国也就难保了。

如果我们借道给晋国，那么虢国和虞国的
灭亡就是旦夕之间的事了。

”但虞国国君没有听从宫之奇的劝说，结
果不久晋国就灭掉了虢国和虞国。

〖Perfectly Impartial〗
King Jin Pinggong once asked his minister Qi Huangyang，“I am going to appoint a magistrate and send him to govern Nanyang County．Who do you think will fit the of-fice?”
Qi answered without hesitation，“Xie Hu may be the choice．”
The King feit surprised and said，“Isn’t Xie Hu your personal enemy?”
大公无私
晋平公有一次问大臣祁黄羊说：“南阳县缺个县长，你看，应该
派谁去当比较合适呢?”
祁黄羊毫不迟疑地同答说：“解狐。

”
平公惊奇地问：“解狐不是你的仇人吗?”
“Yes，”Qi replied，“but Your Majesty，you ask me who will fit the post，not who is my enemy．”
So Xie Hu took office，and he did do a lot of good things for common people in：Nanyang County．
Some time later when the King inquired who could take command of the army，Qi responded readily，“Qi Wu is most suited．”
The King was puzzled again，said，“Well，I wonder if Qi Wu is your son．”
祁黄羊回答说：“是的，但陛下问我谁合适，并没有问谁是我的
仇人呀!”
于是，解狐就被派到南阳县上任了。

到任后，他确实为百姓办了
许多好事。

过了一些日子，当平公需要一个人去指挥军队的时候，祁黄羊说：“祁午能够胜任。

”
平公又奇怪起来了，问道：“祁午不是你的儿子吗?”
“Yes，he is，”Qi answered，“but what has that to do with the point at this issue? Your Majesty，you just ask who is competent as a general，and I aired my opinion．”
So Qi Wu was appointed a general，which later proved one of the
wisest appoint-ments．
Hearing about this，Confucius spoke highly of Qi for his recommendation in consid-eration of one’s virtue and talent，brushing aside any thought of whether one was his en-emy or relative．He said that it was really perfectly impartial．
祁黄羊说：“是的，但这和推荐有什么关系呢?您只问我谁可以胜任，我就表达了我的想法。

”
平公就派了祁午去做指挥官，他的表现，证明了这是一个最明智的选择。

孔子听到这两件事，十分赞赏祁黄羊“内举不避亲，外举不避仇”的荐才标准，并且说：“这才够得上‘大公无私’呀!”
〖Every Word Counts〗
During the Warring States Period，the troops of the State of Qin surrounded Han Dan city，the capital of the State of Zhao，and the situation was very critical．So the King of Zhao sent Lord Ping Yuan to the State of Chu for help．Lord Ping Yuan intended to lead twenty assistants to accomplish this mission．Nineteen qualified people were select-ed，and one more was needed．At this time，Mao Sui volunteered to forward a plea to go with Lord Ping Yuan．Although Lord Ping Yuan was dubious about his capability，he still asked Mao Sui to go with them in the end．
一言九鼎
战国时，秦国的军队团团包围了赵国的都城邯郸，形势十分危急，赵国国君派平原君到楚国去求援。

平原君打算带领二十名门客前去完
成这项使命。

已挑了十九名，尚少一个定不下来。

这时，毛遂自告奋
勇提出要去，平原君虽然对他的能力有所怀疑，但最终还是带着他一
起前往了楚国。

As soon as Lord Ping Yuan arrived in the State of Chu，he started to lobby for Chu’s support，but made no progress．Accordingly，Mao Sui said to the King of Chu，“We come here to ask you to send relief forces，but you did not utter a word．Please d on’t for-get，although you are stronger than us，you have lost many battles and even your capital. From my point of view，uniting Zhao against Qin is more urgent for you．”Mao Sui’s comments made the King of Chu State sincerely convinced，and promised to send refief forces immediately．
平原君到了楚国后，立即与楚王谈及“援赵”之事，谈了半天也
毫无结果。

这时，毛遂对楚王说：“我们来请你派兵援助，你却一言
不发。

别忘了，虽然楚国比赵国强大，却连连吃败仗，连国都也丢掉
了，依我看，楚国比赵国更需要联合起来抗秦呀!”毛遂的一席话说
得楚王心服口服，立即答应出兵援赵。

After Lord Ping Yuan came back to the State of Zhao，he said with emotion：“Mao Sui’s words are more important than nine huge tripods．”
平原君回到赵国后感慨地说：“毛遂的一席话真是重于九鼎大吕。

”
〖Cast a Brick to Attract Jade〗
In the Tang Dynasty，there were two poets．One was called Chang Jian and the oth-er，s name was Zhao Gu．Zhao Gu’s poems were much appreciated by Chang Jian.Once Zhao Gu was going to Suzhou．When hearing Zhao Gu would visit Lingyan Temple，
抛砖引玉
唐代有两个诗人，一个叫常健，一个叫赵嘏。

常健很仰慕赵暇的诗才。

一次，赵嘏要去苏州。

当常健听说他会去灵岩寺时，使先赶
到灵岩，
Chang Jian went there．first and wrote two lines of a poem on a conspeincus wall in hope of Zhao’s completion.Soon after,Zhao Gu arrived at hte temple.He noticed the incom-plete poem on the wall immediately and completed the poem．Chang Jian’s first two sen-
在一面显眼的墙上题写了两行诗，希望赵嘏看到后能续成一首。

不久赵嘏到了灵岩寺，他一眼就看到了墙上不完整的诗，便续上一两行，tences were not as good as Zhao Gu’s，but he stimulated Zhao to write down excellent ones．People call it an action of“to casting a brick to attract jade”，which refers to putting forth one’s superficial suggestion or article in order to draw out others’better views or works．
将诗补充完整。

常健的诗没有赵嘏写得好，却能引出赵嘏的佳句。

后
来的人，就把这种做法叫作“抛砖引玉”，以此比喻用粗浅的意见或
文章引发别人发表更高明的见解或作品。

〖A Sigh of River〗
At the time of autumn floods when hundreds of streams poured into the Yellow Riv-er．the torrents were so violent that it was impossible to distinguish an ox from a horse from the other side of the river．Then the River God was overwhelmed with joy，feeling that all the beauty under the heaven belonged to him alone．Down the river he traveled east until he reached the North Sea．Looking eastwards at the boundless expanse of
，saying，wa-ter，he changed his countenance and sighed to the Sea God
“As the popular say-ing goes，‘There are men who have heard a little about Tao but still think that no one can surpass them．’I am one of such men．”
望洋兴叹
秋汛的季节到了，无数条溪流汇入黄河，河水猛涨，河面宽得连
对岸的牛马都辨不清。

这样一来，河伯就洋洋自得起来了，以为世界
上
所有壮丽的景色都集中在自己身上了。

他顺看河水向东行，一直来到
北海，向东一望，一片辽阔的大海，看不见水的边际。

这时，河伯才
改变了他骄傲的神态，望着海洋感慨地说：“俗话说‘有人的只学到
分之一的道理，就以为谁也比不上自己’，我正是这样的人啊！”Nature of Doctrine and law
道法自然
〖Make Dresses according to Measurements〗
It’s said that in the past days there was a tailor in Beijing City.When he made dresses for people，apart from asking their size，he also would like to ask the customers’disposition，age，the time when they passed the imperial examination and so on．The
量体裁衣
传说以前北京城里有个裁缝，在替人做衣服时，除了量身材尺寸外，还要询问对方的性情、年纪以及中举时间等等。

人们感到奇怪，
folks felt strange and asked him why．He said，“If a man passed the imperial examination at a young age，he must become arrogant，and hold his head high when he walks，so I need to make the front of clothes longer than the back；on the contrary，a man who passed the imperial examination at an old age will not feel so excited．He always be
问他为什么要这样。

他说：如果是青年中举，必定性情骄傲，走起路
来抬头挺胸，因此衣服要做得前长后短；如果是老年中举，大都没那
his back when walking,so the front of his clothes should be made a little bit shorter.The quick temper prefers shorter clothes；whereas the slow temper prefers longer clothes.”Later，this idiom describes somebody who can deal with different problems according to different situations.
么兴奋，走路不免弯腰曲背，衣服就要做得前短后长；性情急躁的，
衣服要做得短；性子慢的，衣服应做得长些。

后来“量体裁衣”这个
成语泛指人们根据具体的情况处理问题。

〖Duke Lu Raised a Seabird〗
A seabird was once seen perching on the city gate of the capital of Lu．Nobody had seen such a bird before，so they called it the“holy bird．”
鲁侯养鸟
从前有只海鸟，在鲁国城门上栖息。

因为从来没有人见过这种鸟，所以人们都叫它“神鸟”。

Duke Lu ordered his men to capture the seabird alive．They kept it in a golden cage and brought it to the Imperial Ancestral Temple．Duke Lu treated the seabird as though it were his guest of honor．Each day there would be banquets where dainties and delicacies of every kind would be offered to the seabird．Even the Duke Lu’s musicians had to per-form for the seabird’s sole amusement．
鲁侯命侍从活捉海鸟。

侍从将海鸟关在金笼内，并放在太庙里供养。

鲁侯视海鸟如国宾。

每天都有各式各样的珍馐百味供海鸟
品尝，甚至鲁侯的乐师，也要为海鸟演奏。

But the seabird was terrified by all this grandness.It became so frightened and sad that it dared not eat or drink．After three days,it died.Duke Lu thought that he had beena good host to his guest．Why not? He was treating the seabird the same way he treated himself.
可是，海鸟却被这些豪华排场所吓倒，心里既惊慌又悲痛，不敢
饮食，过了三天，终于死去。

鲁侯以为他款待海鸟已十分周到。

可不
是
吗？他是用对待自己的方法去对待海鸟的。

〖Grappling between a Snipe and a Clam〗
A clam was lying on the edge of the water with her shell open to enjoy the sun. The sweet flesh Of the clam attracted a snipe strolling along the river bank.
鹬蚌相争
一只河蚌躺在河滩上张开壳儿晒太阳。

河蚌鲜美的肉吸引了一只
沿着河岸散步的鹬鸟。

．Swiftly The snipe at once pounced on the clam and pecked her flesh
the clam folded her shell and clamped down on the snipe’s bill tightly．Then each one was handicapped by the other，and neither could move an inch．The snipe sneered，“If it doesn’t rain for a couple of days，let’s wait to see what will become of you!”The clam retort,“Surely in the same time you will either starve to death or thirst to death．”
鹬鸟立刻扑过来啄河蚌的肉，蚌灵敏地合拢了自己坚硬的壳，把
鹬鸟尖尖的长嘴紧紧夹住。

现在，他们都被对方钳制住了，动弹不得。

鹬
对蚌说：“今天不下雨，明天不下雨，你就会晒死。

”蚌也对鹬说：“你
的嘴今天拔不出，明天拔不出，你就要渴死饿死!”
So they argued and abused each other for quite a long time，neither ready to give in．Just then，a fisherman happened to pass by. He saw the snipe and the clam，and to his delight，he caught them both with the
greatest ease．
鹬和蚌就这样争吵咒骂了半天，谁也不肯让步。

这时，一个渔翁
碰巧打这儿经过，看到这一情景，十分高兴，跑过去毫不费力地把他
们都捉住了。

〖Ready Images of Bamboo in Bosom〗
Wen Tong who styled himself Yuke was an artist in the Song Dynasty. He enjoyed widespread renown for his bamboo painting．Every day many people always called at his home to ask for his paintings．What was his knack of painting bamboos? Actually，wen Tong had grown various bamboos everywhere around his house. No matter what season it was and no matter whether it was sunny or rainy，he often went to observe how they
胸有成竹
宋代画家文同，字与可。

他画的竹子远近闻名，每天总有许多人
登门求画。

文同画竹的妙诀在哪里呢?原来，文同在自己家的房前屋
后
种上了各种竹子。

无论春夏秋冬，阴晴风雨，他都经常去观察竹子
were growing. He pondered over the length and breadth of the bamboo poles as well as the shapes and colors of the leaves．Whenever he had gained a new understanding, he went back to his study and drew what was in his mind on the paper．Over a long period of time，the images of bamboos in different seasons，under different weather conditions and at
different moments were deeply imprinted in his mind．So whenever he stood before the paper and picked up a painting brush with concentrated attention，the various forms of the bamboos which he had observed at ordinary days at once rose before his eyes．Therefore every time he was painting bamboos he appeared confident and at ease, and all the bamboos he had painted were very vivid and true to life．
的生长变化情况，琢磨竹枝的长短粗细，叶子的形态、颜色。

每当有
新的感受就回到书房，把心中的印象画在纸上。

日积月累，竹子在不
同季节、不同天气、不同时辰的形象都深深地印在他的心中，只要凝
神提笔，在画纸前一站，平日观察到的各种形态的竹子立刻浮现在眼
前。

所以每次画竹，他都很从容自信，画出的竹子，无不逼真传神。

The poet Chao Buzhi who had made a profound study of Wen Tong’
s art of paintings wrote：“When Yuke was painting bamboos，he had their images ready in his bosom.”
The idiom indicates having ready plans or designs in one’s mind before doing a certain job so that its success is guaranteed.
诗人晁补之对文同的画很有研究，曾写下诗句：“与可画竹，胸
中有成竹。

”
“胸有成竹”比喻做事之前已作好充分准备，对成功十分有把握。

〖Old Horse Knows the Way〗
During the Spring and Autumn Period，King Huan of Qi invaded the State of Guzhu．
The army was stuck in Guzhu for a whole year．Spring passed and winter came．When Qi’s soldiers finally conquered Guzhu，they got lost and couldn’t find their way back to the State of Qi．
Qi’s minister Guan Zhong came up with an idea．He let the soldiers take out sever-al old horses to lead the way．The army followed the horses closely，and finally made their way out of Guzhu and back to their homeland．
老马识途
春秋时期，齐国国王齐桓公带兵攻打孤竹国。

齐国大军在孤竹国困了整整一年的时间。

春去冬来，当齐军终于打败了孤竹国的时候，却发现他们迷失了方向，找不到回齐国的路了。

这时候，大臣管仲想出了个办法。

他让士兵牵出几匹老马在前面
带路。

大军紧紧地跟在后面，就这样终于走出了孤竹国，回到了故乡。

〖Impossible to Carve in Rotten Wood〗
Confucius is a great educationist during the Spring and Autumn Period．One of his students appeared impressive in every word he said which was closely reasoned and well argued．Confucius thought that this student would make great achievements in the future．But before long the student exposed his laziness．
朽木难雕
孔子是春秋时期一位伟大的教育家。

他有一个学生，说起话来头头是道，很有自己的理论和见解。

孔子以为这个学生日后会有很大的
成就。

可不久后，这个学生就暴露出懒惰的毛病。

One day he was sleeping soundly in his room as Confucius was
giving lessons．Con-fucius felt very sorry at it and said：“It is impossible
to carve in rotten wood．The same goes for painting walls made of dung
and dirt．What he says doesn’t aword with what he does．He has taught
me a lesson that I should value a student through his practical con-duct
instead of his words．”
有一天，孔子在给学生讲课，这个学生却在房间里睡大觉。

孔子
知道后很难过，他说：“朽烂的木头是不能雕刻的，粪土一样的墙壁
是
粉刷不了的。

那是一个说话与行为不一致的学生。

他给了我一个教训：
我应该以实际行为而不是言谈来评价学生”。

Later,people use this phrase “Xiu Mu Nan Diao”(impossible to carve in rotten wood)to describe a hopeless person who is not likely to be
improved by education.
后来，人们用这个成语“朽木难雕”比喻那难以教化、不能造就
成才的人。

immense image without Shape
大象无形
〖Never Trust Appearance〗
In the State of Zhao，there was once a scholar by the name of
Gongsun Long．“I don’t keep company with people who have no talents，”
he told his disciples.One day a man dressed in rags came up to him saying，“Please take me as your disciple.”After looking the man up and down，Gongsun Long said，“Tell me about your talents.”
不可貌相
赵国有个学者名字叫公孙龙。

他曾对弟子说：“我不会和没有本
领的人交往。

”一天，有个衣衫褴褛的人，走上前对他说：“请您收我
做
徒弟吧! ”公孙龙打量了那人一番，问道：“你有何本领?”
“Well,”said the man，“I have a loud voice which can travel very far．”Is there any-one among you who has a loud voice?”Gongsun Long asked his disciples．“No，sir!”they replied.Gongsun Long took the man as his disciple．His other disciples were laugh-ing．“What is the use of a loud voice?”they sneered．
那人回答说：“我有一个洪亮的嗓音，它能传得很远。

”公孙龙问
弟子道：“你们当中有没有声音洪亮的?”弟子回答说：“没
有。

”于是公孙龙收那人做徒弟。

其他弟子窃窃私语，还嘲笑道：“声音洪亮有什么用?”
A few days later，Gongsun Long and his disciples had to make a trip to the State of Yan．They had to cross a wide river．However，there was only one boat lying on the dis-tant shore．Gongsun Long told his new disciple to prove his talent.The man gladly heed-ed the request and yelled loudly．Very soon the boat was rowed over to ferry them all.
过了几天，公孙龙和弟子们要到燕国去。

他们来到一条大河前，
可是岸边却没有渡船，只有一艘船停泊在远远的对岸。

公孙龙就令新
弟
了施展其技。

新弟子欣然答允，便大喊一声。

很快，那艘渡船就划了
过求，载他们渡河去。

〖Two Concubines〗
Yangzi went to the State of Song and spent the night in an inn．The innkeeper had two concubines．One was very beautiful；the other was very ugly．The ugly one was fa-vored；the beautiful one，on the contrary，was not favored．Yangzi asked why this was．The innkeeper replied，“The beautiful concubine considers herself very beautiful，but I certainly do not think she is beautiful．The ugly concubine considers herself very ugly but I certainly do not think she is ugly．”Yangzi said，“Disciples，remember these words，if a person can do virtuous deeds while ridding himself of any feelings of conceit，then where could he go without being welcomed?”
逆旅二妾
阳子到宋国去，住在旅馆里。

旅馆的主人有两个姨太太，一个很
美丽，另一个很丑陋。

丑的受宠，美的反倒不受宠。

阳子问店主为什
么会是这样，店主回答说：“那个美的觉得她自己很美，可是我并不
感到她美；那个丑的觉得她自己很丑，可是我并不感到她丑。

”阳子说：
“徒弟们记住这句话，要是一个人做高尚的事，又没有觉得自己很高
尚的心理，那么他到哪儿都会受到欢迎的。

”
〖The Frog in the Shallow Well〗
A frog who lived in a shallow well met a turtle who lived in the sea．The Frog said，“I am so happy!When I go out．I jump about on the railing beside the well．When I come home，I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well．If I jump into the water，it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks．If I walk in the mud，it cover up my feet．I look around at the wriggly worms，crabs and tadpoles，and none of them can compare with
井底之蛙
一只青蛙住在井里。

有一天，青蛙在井边遇上了一只从海里来的
大龟。

青蛙就对大龟夸口说：“你看，我住在这里多么快乐啊!高兴的时
候，可以在井栏边跳跃玩耍；疲倦的时候，就回到井里睡在砖洞里。

如果我跳入水中，水流穿过我的腋窝，支撑我的头部。

如果我在泥地
上走，泥浆便盖过我的脚面。

我看看周围的蚯蚓啦、螃蟹啦、还有蝌
蚪
me．Moreover，I am the lord of this trough of water and I stand tall in this shallow well．My happiness is full．My dear turtle，why don’t you come often and take a look around my place?”
Before the turtle from the sea could get its left foot in the well，its right knee got stuck．It hesitated and retreated．The turtle told the frog：
等，他们哪里能跟我比呢? 我是这个井里的主人，自由自在的好不
逍遥快乐! 亲爱的海龟，你常到我的井里来游玩吧!”
大龟试着把它的左脚伸进井里去，但是右腿已经被绊住了。

它踟躇着退却下来，对青蛙说：
“Have you seen the sea before?Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea’s width；even a height of a thousand zhang cannot give you an idea of its depth．In the time of the Xia Dynasty，there were floods nine years out of ten，but the wa-ters in the sea did not increase much．In the time of the Shang Dynasty there were droughts seven Years out of eight，but the waters in the sea did not decrease much.The real happiness is to live in the sea．”
Hearing these words．the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realizing his own insignificance．
“你见过大海吗?海的广大，何止千里；海的深度，何止千丈。

夏朝的时候，每十年中有九年发大水，但是海里的水并不涨；到后来
商
朝，每八年中有七年大旱，海里的水，也没有少了多少。

住在大海里，
才是真正的快乐呢!”
青蛙听了海龟的话，吃惊不小，开始认识到自己的浅薄和无知。

〖Yu Gong Removed the Mountains〗
Taihang and Wangwu are two mountains，with an area of seven hundred square li and a great height of thousands of zhang.
North of the mountains lived an old man called Yugong who was nearly ninety vears old．Since his home faced the two mountains，he was troubled by the fact that they blocked the way of the inhabitants who had to take a roundabout route.He gathered his families together to discuss the matter．“Let us do everything in our power to flatten these forbidding mountains so that there is a direct route to the south of Yuzhou reaching the southem bank of the Han River．What do you say?”Everyone applauded his suggestion.
愚公移山
太行、王屋两座山，方圆七百里，高数万丈。

北山住着一个名叫愚公的老人，年纪将近九十岁了。

他的家门正
面对着这两座大山。

愚公苦于道路阻塞，出去进来都要绕远路，便召
集全家人商量说：“我和你们尽力挖平两座大山，直通到豫州南部，
到达汉水南岸，好吗?”大家纷纷表示赞同。

Therefore，Yugong took three sons and grandsons who could carry a load on their shoulders．They broke up rocks and dug up mounds of earth
．
which were transported to the edge of the Bo Sea in baskets
An old man called Zhisou who lived in Hequ，near a bank of a branch of the Yellow River，was amused and dissuaded Yugong，“How can you be so foolish?With your ad-vanced years and the little strength that you have left，you cannot even destroy a blade of grass on the mountain，not to speak of its earth and stone．”。