翻译工作坊

翻译 阿房宫赋翻译下载德汉翻译pdf阿房宫赋翻译下载阿房宫赋翻译下载翻译理论.doc 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 called 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 滥竽充数故事班主任管理故事5分钟二年级语文看图讲故事传统美德小故事50字120个国学经典故事ppt 。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 stepped 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 addressed 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 Strategies 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 关于书的成语关于读书的排比句社区图书漂流公约怎么写关于读书的小报汉书pdf 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 separated. 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 abandoned 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 Yandi‘s youngest daughter, Nü Wa, who, while playing on the East Sea, had been drowned and never returned. She had turned into Jing Wei, and the bird would often carry bits of twigs and stones all the way from the west mountains to the East Sea — to fill it up. 8. 精卫填海 精卫是古代神话传说中的鸟名，俗称“帝雀鸟”。据《山海经?北 山经》记载:发鸠山上有很多柘木，上面生长着一种鸟。这种鸟的形 状有些像乌鸦，头上长有彩色花纹，长着白色的嘴巴、红色的脚，名 字就叫“精卫”。这种鸟的鸣叫声就像自己叫自己。传说此鸟是炎帝的 小女儿，名叫女娃。女娃曾到东海游玩，不幸淹死了。她发誓要填平 东海报仇。于是，她的灵魂就变成了精卫鸟，不停地衔着西山上的小 树枝和小石子，扔到东海里面。虽然一直到现在还没能把东海填平， 可精卫鸟这种坚韧不拔的精神却一直鼓舞着后人。 Section 3 Fables *1.To Go South by Driving the Chariot Northward — To Act in a Way That Defeats One‘s Purpose Strategies of the Warring States?Anecdotes of Wei State: On my way home, at the foot of Taihang Mountain I saw a man preparing to drive his chariot north but he told me that he was going to the State of Chu, situated in the south. Then I said to him, ―So you‘re going to Chu, I see. But why take the road north?‖ His answer was that his horses were good enough for the journey. I said, ―Good or not, the road you‘re taking does not lead to Chu.‖ Then the man answered that he could afford the traveling expenses. I said, ―You may have plenty of money, but your direction is wrong!‖ Again the man insisted that he had excellent drivers to make the journey. I retorted, ―With good horses, skilful drivers and plenty of money, you‘ll be further away from Chu.‖ Now it is used to mean being poles apart or acting in a way that defeats one‘s purpose. **Chinese Version: 1. 南辕北辙 故事出自《战国策》卷二十四《魏策》，大意是说:魏王为了称霸天下，打算攻打赵国的都城邯郸。大夫季梁急忙进宫劝说。为了说服魏王，季梁举了一个例子说:―今天我来的时候，看见有人要出远门，他的车辕朝着北方，却告诉我说:?我要到楚国去。‘我说:?你要到楚国去，为什么马车却朝着北方,‘那人说:?我的马很好。‘我说:?马虽然好，却不是去楚国的路。‘那人又说:?我的旅费很多。‘我说:?旅费虽多，这也不是去楚国的路啊。‘那人又说:?给我驾车的人技术很好。‘只不过，这几个条件越好，那人就会离楚国越远～‖魏王听了季梁的故事，觉得很好笑，就问季梁:―天底下难道真有这么糊涂的人吗,‖季梁说:―有，不光赵国有，我们魏国也有。‖魏王不以为然地说:―什么,我们魏国也有,‖季梁直言道:―是的，比如魏王您吧，您的志向是建立霸业，当诸侯的首领。为了这一目的，您倚仗国家的强大和军队的精良，想通过攻打赵国来扩大地盘和抬高威望。可您这样做，别的国家会怎样想呢,我觉得，您攻打别国的次数越多，离您实现霸业的目标就越远。这不正像那个人想去楚国而不朝南走，反而 朝北走一样吗,‖听了季梁的话，魏王遂打消了攻打赵国的念头。后 人常用―南辕北辙‖一词来比喻行动和目的相反。 ***Concept of Translation Theory: Readability Readability refers to how naturally and easily a translation can be read. The more natural are the vocabulary and forms used in a translation the higher it will rank in readability. There is not a direct correlation between accuracy and readability. One translation may be accurate but not very readable. Another translation may be very readable but not very accurate. Of course it is most desired for a translation to be both accurate and highly readable. Readability is related to Reading level since it is assumed that older and more educated readers can better understand material written in more complicated forms (which, in themselves, can lower readability). ****Translate the underlined part into English: *2. Dong Shi, an Ugly Woman, Knitting Her Brows in Imitation of the Famous Beauty Xi Shi, Only to Make Herself All the Uglier The Movement of Nature in Zhuangzi said, Xi Shi, known for her peerless beauty, was beset by some sort of heart trouble, so she was often seen knitting her brows and walking with hand on her chest. Now there was an ugly woman in the neighborhood who one day saw Xi Shi in the village street. In admiration she returned home determined to imitate Xi Shi‘s way of walking and mannerisms. But this only increased her ugliness. So much so that every time she walked out the rich would shut their doors tight and disdain to come out, while the poor with their wives and children would avoid her and quickly turn their steps away. Alas, that woman mistook frowning for something invariably beautiful, and was unaware that it only adds beauty to a real beauty. Now the allusion is used to satirize the blind imitation with ludicrous effect. **Chinese Version: 2. 东施效颦 故事出自《庄子?天运》，大意是说:有一次美女西施因为心口 疼而皱着眉头，邻居家的丑女东施看到后以为西施是因为这样才显得 美，回去后也学西施的样子，捂着心口，皱着眉头，结果，反而使自 己更丑了。邻居们看到后，要么闭门不出，要么带着妻子走开。后人 便用―东施效颦‖一词来比喻拙劣地模仿别人，反而得到了更坏的效 果。 ***Concept of Translation Theory: Thought-for-thought translation One way of referring to idiomatic translation. The New Living Translation promotes itself as a thought-for- thought translation. In such a translation the meaning of the original Biblical text is expressed in equivalent thoughts, that is, meanings. Thought-for-thought translation is typically contrasted with word-for-word translation. ****Translate the underlined part into English: *3. When the Snipe and the Clam Grappled, It Was the Fisherman Who Stood to Benefit This allusion comes from Volume 2 of Anecdotes of Yan State in Strategies of the Warring States: A clam just came out to take the sun on the shore. A snipe came along to peck at its flesh, and the clam shut its shell on the bird‘s beak tightly. The snipe said, ―If it doesn‘t rain today and doesn‘t rain tomorrow, there will be a dead clam.‖ ―If you can‘t get out today and can‘t get out tomorrow, there will be a dead snipe,‖ riposted the clam. Neither of the two was willing to let go, when a fisherman came up and caught them both. Now this allusion is used to mean that when two sides are locked in fight with neither side making concession, the third party profits. **Chinese Version: 故事出自《战国策》卷三十《燕策二》，大意是说:赵国要攻打 燕国，苏代替燕王前去游说赵惠王。他对赵惠王说:―今天我来的时 候，路过易水，看到一只蚌刚张开蚌壳晒太阳，一只鹬鸟发现了，就 去啄它的肉，蚌合上蚌壳夹住了鹬鸟的嘴。鹬鸟说:?今天不下雨， 明天不下雨，就会有一个死蚌。‘蚌也对鹬鸟说:?今天拿不出嘴来， 明天拿不出嘴来，就会有一只死鹬。‘两个各不相让，结果被渔人双 双擒获。现在赵国要攻打燕国，而燕国和赵国长期以来一直是互相支 持的。如果燕、赵之间发生战争，我恐怕强大的秦国会成为渔父啊。 希望大王您三思而后行。‖赵惠王听了苏代的话以后，就取消了攻打 燕国的行动。后世便用―鹬蚌相争‖一词来比喻双方因不必要的矛盾争 执不下、互不相让，结果两败俱伤，反而让第三者占了便宜。 ***Translate the underlined part into English: 4. When the Man on the Frontier Lost His Mare, He Guessed It Was a Blessing in Disguise — Misfortune May Be an Actual Blessing The allusion comes from Huai Nan Zi, a work of eclectic learning compiled by Prince Huai Nan and others of the Western Han Dynasty. There was a man at a frontier fort who was skilled in divination. One day he lost his horse, which wandered into the land of the Hu tribes. His neighbors came to console him, but he remarked, ―How do you know that this may not be a blessing?‖ Several months later, the horse returned, not alone but with some fine horses of the Hu breed, and the people congratulated him, but again he observed, ―How do you know that this won‘t be a misfortune?‖ Now that there were fine steeds in the stable, the son, fond of riding, mounted a newcomer. During the ride he fell from the horse and broke his hipbone. All the people came to console him again, but he as usual passed the matter off with the same remark, ―How do you know that this won‘t be a blessing?‖ A year went by. The Hu tribes invaded the frontier fort. The able-bodied fought with arrows to defend it, and nine out of ten of them were killed. Because his son was a cripple, both father and son escaped unharmed. Therefore, a blessing may turn out a misfortune and a misfortune, a blessing. The workings of events are beyond comprehension. Now it is figuratively used to mean that the loss at one time does not necessarily equate a bad thing and bad things can turn into good ones under certain circumstances. **Chinese Version: 4. 塞翁失马，安知非福 故事出自《淮南子?人间训》，大意是说:靠近长城的地方，有 一位善于术数的人，他家的马无缘无故地跑到胡地去了。人们都来安 慰他，他说:―这为什么就不能是好事呢,‖几个月以后，他家的马带 着一匹胡地的骏马重新回到了家中。人们又来祝贺他，他又说:―这 为什么就不能是坏事呢,‖他儿子喜欢骑马，看到这匹骏马，便去骑 着玩，结果掉下马来摔折了腿。人们又来安慰他，他又说:―这为什 么就不能是好事呢,‖过了一年，胡人大规模进攻中原，打过了长城， 青壮年都被征去打仗，居住在长城边上的人，九成都在战场上牺牲了。 而此人却因为脚跛的缘故，父子都活了下来。后人就用―塞翁失马‖ 一词来比喻一时的损失，并不一定就是坏事;坏事在一定条件下也可 能变成好事。 ***Translate the underlined part into English: *****Read the following (5 – 8) for appreciation: 5. Golden Millet Dream – Pipe Dream It is from The Dream on the Pillow by Shen Jiji of the Tang Dynasty. The story says: A discontented poor scholar named Lu Sheng yearned all day long for an official position and a distinguished career. He met at an inn in Handan a Taoist monk who gave him a porcelain pillow. At this time the inn host just started cooking a pan of millet. Lu fell asleep while waiting for his lunch and dreamed that he married the daughter of a rich man, succeeded in the highest imperial examinations, became a high-ranking official, had sons, and enjoyed a life of wealth and comfort, only to wake up to find that the pot of millet was still cooking on the fire. Now the story is meant to satirize the nullity of fantasies and unfeasible hope. Another phrase is ―golden dreams on the porcelain pillow‖. 5. 黄粱美梦 故事出自唐代沈既济的传奇小说《枕中记》，大意是说:卢生少 年家贫，一直希望有朝一日能够建功树名，出将入相。有一次，卢生 偶然在邯郸的一家客店中遇见道士吕翁，吕翁给了他一只青瓷枕。当 时，客店的主人正在蒸黄粱米饭，卢生一挨着枕头就进入了梦乡。在 梦中，卢生娶崔氏女为妻，考中了进士，当上了宰相，子孙满堂，享 尽荣华富贵。一觉醒来之后，却发现客店主人的黄粱米饭尚未蒸熟。 ―粱‖是稷(谷子)的良种，黄粱又是粱中的上品，产量极低，极为难得。 后人便用―黄粱美梦‖一词来比喻虚幻的好事或欲望的破灭。 6. To Bring the Painted Dragon to Life by Putting in the Pupils of Its Eyes — To Add the Touch That Brings a Work of Art to Life It is from Volume 7 of Famous Paintings in the Past Dynasties by Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty. Legend goes like this: Zhang Sengyao, a famous painter, once completed four dragons on a wall of the Anle Temple in Jinling, but he left them without pupils in their eyes. When asked the reason for the omission, he said that he was afraid the dragons would fly away once they were given their pupils. Dismissing this as nonsense, disbelievers asked him to try. No sooner had he finished the dotting than thunder and lightning fell into a rage, and the walls quaked and collapsed. The two dragons rode the clouds and ascended into the sky. The two without pupils remained. Now it is used to mean adding the finishing touch, or a word or two to clinch the point while writing an article or delivering a speech. 6. 画龙点睛 故事出自唐代张彦远的《历代名画记》卷七，大意是说:张僧繇 是唐代著名的画家，相传他在金陵的安乐寺画了4条白龙，却没有 画龙的眼睛。人们问张僧繇，他说:―如果点了龙的眼睛，龙就会飞 走。‖人们认为他说得不可信，就坚持请他给龙点上眼睛。张僧繇刚 刚给龙画上眼睛，就听得电闪雷鸣，雷电击毁了寺庙的墙壁，两条白 龙乘云驾雾飞上天去。而那两条尚未画上眼睛的龙就一直留在寺内。 后人便用―画龙点睛‖一词来比喻写文章或说话时在关键之处加上精 辟的语句，更加生动传神。 7. To Stand by a Tree Trunk Waiting for More Hares to Dash Themselves Against It — Wait for a Windfall Writings of Hanfeizi?Five Bookworms: A farmer of the State of Song was ploughing in the fields when a hare came dashing past and ran into a tree stump in its way. It broke its neck and fell down dead. Seeing this, the farmer put aside his plough and went up to stand by the stump, hoping to get some more hares this way. Naturally, no more hares came and for this the farmer became a laughing stock all over the state. Now the phrase is used to satirize those who rigidly adhere to limited experience and refuse to adapt themselves to the changing situation, or those who trust foolishly to chance and luck. 7. 守株待兔 故事出自《韩非子?五蠹》，大意是说:宋国有个耕地的人，地 里有棵树桩。有一次，一只飞跑的兔子碰在树桩上，结果碰折脖子死 了。那人便放下手中的农具，专门守在这棵树桩旁边，希望还能捡到 在这棵树桩上碰死的兔子。当然，一直等到地里的庄稼都荒了，那人 再也没捡到碰死的兔子。后人就用“守株待兔”一词来比喻拘泥于狭隘 的 经验 班主任工作经验交流宣传工作经验交流材料优秀班主任经验交流小学课改经验典型材料房地产总经理管理经验 、不知变通，或妄想不劳而获、坐享其成。 8. The Guizhou Donkey Has Used Up All Its Tricks This allusion is from a fable entitled ―The Donkey in Guizhou‖ in Three Disciplines by Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty. Once there were no donkeys in Guizhou. A man full of fancy ideas shipped one there but when it arrived he found it was not of much use. Therefore, he took it to the mountain area and left it there. Then a tiger saw it and, impressed by its size, took it to be a mysterious creature. So, he hid himself in the woods to steal a good look at it. By and by he came out and tried to approach it with great caution, though still not sure what it was. One day, the donkey brayed. Shocked, the tiger fled far away in extreme fear, thinking it was going to bite him. While keeping at a distance, he paced to and fro and watched, only to find that it had no special powers. Gradually used to its bray, the tiger got nearer and walked around the donkey. Nevertheless, he still dared not attack it. Then, going still nearer, he tried flirtation with it, and even went as far as touching it, leaning on it, bumping at it and provoking it. The donkey could not withhold its anger and gave the tiger a kick. At this the tiger rejoiced, saying, ―That was all it could do!‖ Then he leaped on it, roaring, and gnawed at its throat. Having eaten the donkey up, the tiger went off contented. Now it is used to mean that one is at the end of his / her tether and his / her weak nature comes to light. 8. 黔驴技穷 故事出自唐代柳宗元的《三戒?黔之驴》，大意是说:贵州古称 黔，当地自古无驴，有人用船运来一头驴，运到贵州以后又没有什么 用处，就把驴放养在山下。老虎看到驴是一个庞然大物，以为是神灵， 就躲在树林里窥视。有一天，驴大叫起来，老虎大惊失色，以为驴要 吃自己，就远远地跑开了。后来，老虎慢慢地发现驴并没有什么特别 的技能，便靠近戏弄它;驴子大怒，奋力抬起蹄子来踢老虎。老虎心 中暗喜:“估计也就这么多本事了!”于是就跳起来把驴子吃掉了。后 人用“黔驴技穷”一词来比喻有限的一点本领已经用完，最终露出虚弱 的本质。 Section 4 Folklores *1. The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver The Cowherd was brought up by his brother and sister-in-law and was often maltreated by them. Later they broke up the family and lived apart from him. As a result, he only got an old cow. The Girl Weaver, the granddaughter of the God of Heaven, often descended with the other fairies from on high and took a bath in the secular world. Once the Cowherd, following the advice of the old cow, stole her heavenly dress. Unable to return to the heaven, the Girl Weaver married the Cowherd and had a son and a daughter. They led a happy life with husband tilling the land and wife weaving. When the God of Heaven learned it, he was outraged, and he sent heavenly troops to catch the Girl Weaver. The Cowherd could do nothing but weep with his children. At that time, the cow, who was dying, told the Cowherd that after his death his skin could help the Cowherd rise up to the heaven. Wrapping the skin around him, the Cowherd went to the heaven with his children shouldered in two baskets. Just as he almost caught up with the Girl Weaver, the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens drew a line in the Heaven with her gold hair clasp. Immediately appeared a temptuous heavenly river (the Milky Way). The couple were separated. Later, the affection between the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver moved the God of Heaven, who allowed the Girl Weaver to join her husband only once a year. According to legend, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Cowherd and the Weaver met on the east bank of the river on that evening, and magpies were made to form a bridge for them. **Chinese Version: 1. 牛郎织女 传说牛郎从小跟着哥嫂长大，常受兄嫂的虐待。后来，哥嫂与他分家，只分给他一头老牛。牛郎就与老牛相依为命。织女是天帝的孙女，常在纺织之余与诸仙女到凡间洗澡。有一次，牛郎根据老牛的吩咐，等仙女们下凡洗澡的时候，偷走了织女的天衣。织女没有了天衣，就飞不回天上去了，于是就和牛郎结为夫妻。牛郎与织女男耕女织，日子过得非常幸福。几年后，二人生下了一儿一女。老牛要死的时候，叮嘱牛郎要把它的皮留下来，到急难时披上就可以得到帮助。后来，天帝知道了织女与凡人结婚的事情非常生气，派天兵天将下凡捉拿织女，织女被带回天上。牛郎不能上天，只能与儿女仰天号哭。紧急之时，牛郎想起了老牛临死时说的话，于是他披上牛皮，挑着一双儿女飞上天去。眼看就要追上织女了，王母娘娘却用头上的金簪凭空一划，顿时划出了一条波涛滚滚的天河，牛郎飞不过天河，只能与织女隔河相望。后来，牛郎、织女的爱情终于感动了天帝，天帝准许他们每年相会一次。每年农历7月7日，由喜鹊为他们搭桥，牛郎和织女才能见上一面。 ***Translate the underlined parts into English *2. Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy In the Han Dynasty lived a man by the name of Dong Yong. His family was poor when he was a small child. When his father died, he was willing to sell himself into slavery for a little money for the funeral. Moved by his filial piety, the youngest daughter of the Emperor of Heaven secretly came to the secular world. With the soil as their matchmaker, they held a wedding under an old locust tree. In order to repay the debt, the couple returned to the master to work as slaves. Since the fairy could weave ten bolts of fine silk overnight, the master cut down Dong Yong‘s hire period from three years to one hundred days. On the expiration, the couple were returning home when the God of Heaven made an edict that the fairy should go back to the heavenly palace. Shedding tears, the fairy had to part with Dong Yong under the old locust tree. She flew into the sky and vanished. **Chinese Version: 2. 董永和七仙女 董永自幼家贫，父亲死后无钱下葬，只好到富户傅员外家为奴， 卖身葬父。玉皇大帝的小女儿七仙女爱董永诚实孝顺，私自来到凡间， 请土地为媒，在老槐树下与董永结为夫妻，两人一同到傅员外家为奴 偿债。因七仙女一夜之间织锦10匹，所以傅员外将董永的3年佣期 改为百日。百日期满，夫妻双双正要回家，不料，七仙女私自下凡一 事被玉皇大帝获悉，就派天庭神将敕令七仙女返回天宫。七仙女担心 董永受害，只得与董永在老槐树下洒泪相别，随天将归天而去。 ***Translate the passage into English: ****Read the following (from 3-the end) for appreciation: 3. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers, Leon and Jo) Zhu Yingtai, the daughter of a ministry councilor, disguised herself as a male and left her hometown to study. During the three years of study, she fell in love with Liang Shanbo, who was unaware of her real identity. At departing, Zhu invited Liang to visit ―his‖ family, and told him ―he‖ would ask parents to marry ―his‖ sister to Liang. But since Liang was short of money, he delayed the visit. Councilor Zhu betrothed Zhu Yingtai to childe Ma. Two years later, Liang Shanbo went to visit Zhu. Only then did he realize that the ―sister‖ was actually Zhu Yingtai herself. Liang was in deep remorse. He fell ill and failed to recover. He succumbed to the disease soon. On the day of wedding, childe Ma sent a flower boat to Zhu‘s home to bring her over. When the flower boat for the bride passed Liang‘s tomb, there came a fresh gale, which caused the wave to surge so that the boat could not go any further. Informed that Liang‘s tomb was on the shore, Zhu ran there and knelt down in front of the tomb wailing bitterly. Suddenly the skies fell and the earth cracked. Liang‘s tomb split open. Seizing this opportunity, Zhu jumped into the tomb and soon the tomb closed, burying Zhu inside. Then the rain passed off and the sky cleared up; the wind abated and waves calmed down. A couple of butterflies danced gracefully among the wild flowers. 3. 梁山伯与祝英台 祝英台是浙江上虞县祝家庄祝员外的女儿，她女扮男装到外地去 求学，与会稽的梁山伯同窗肄业。3年的同窗生涯，祝英台爱上了梁 山伯，梁山伯却不知道祝英台是女儿身。临别之际，祝英台邀请梁山 伯到祝家庄去，并说要告诉父母把自己的妹妹嫁给梁山伯为妻。可梁 山伯因为囊中羞涩，迟迟未能成行。而祝员外已将祝英台许配给马公 子。两年后，梁山伯去祝家庄拜访祝英台，才知道所谓的―妹妹‖就是 祝英台自己。梁山伯后悔不迭，从此一病不起，不久便病死了。到了 成亲的日子，马公子派花舟来接祝英台。当新娘的花舟经过梁山伯的 墓地时，突然刮起了大风，直吹得波浪滔天，船不能行。祝英台一问 才知道，梁山伯的墓地就在岸边。祝英台跑到岸上，跪在梁山伯的墓 前放声大哭。突然一声天崩地裂，梁山伯的坟墓裂开了，祝英台趁机 跳进了坟墓。坟墓很快又合了起来，将祝英台也埋在了里面。这时， 早已经雨过天晴，风平浪静，只见一对美丽的蝴蝶在坟墓前的野花丛 中翩翩起舞。 4. Three Legends of Lu Ban Lu Ban was a legendary master carpenter of the Spring and Autumn Period. Legends about him were known extensively among the people. It was said that Lu Ban made the magnolia boat on the Xunyang River of the Qili Islet and the wood crane on the southern summit of the Tianmu Mountain is also said to be his product. Tradition has it that Lu Ban once carved a crane out of the wood, which could take a flight as far as 700 li each time. Later it was put on the western summit of the North Mountain. Once Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty sent for it, which then flew to the southern summit of the Tianmu Mountain. Often when it was about to rain, the wood crane would flutter its wings as if it would soar high. Lu Ban was ingenious in craftsmanship. When he was building a pagoda in Liangzhou, which was far away from his home, he made a wood kite in order to return home. Each time all he needed to do was just knock on the wedge of the wood kite thrice. Then he could go home by riding on the wood kite. Soon his wife got pregnant, for which his parents became quite suspicious of her chastity because they thought their son was always away from home. So she told them all the details. Later, Lu Ban‘s father secretly knocked on the wedge a dozen times, which took him to the territory under the Wu people‘s control. The people there took him for a monster and killed him. Lu Ban made another wood kite and found the corpse of his father by it. With a grudge against the Wu people, Lu Ban created a wood celestial being, whose hand pointed southeastwards. As a result, the territory of the Wu people was stricken by a three-year drought. Through divination, the Wu people learned it was due to Lu Ban. They presented generous gifts to apologize for the offence. Lu Ban cut off a hand of that wood immortal. On that day, a pouring rain fell in the central Wu territory. There are two stone bridges over the Xiao River in Zhaozhou, one in the south and one in the west. Legend goes like this. The big one in the south of the town was built by Lu Ban, while the small one in the west, by Lu Jiang, who was Lu Ban‘s younger sister. Once, Lu Jiang wanted to compete in craft with her brother. They agreed that each should build a bridge overnight before the cock‘s crow. Lu Jiang hurriedly went to the west of the town to prepare the material. She finished setting it up at midnight. Quite contented, she went to inspect the work of her brother. She found Lu Ban herding a flock of sheep towards the riverbank. As she gazed, she found out that they were not sheep but white rocks, fine and glossy. She realized that her bridge could not be compared with that of her brother. She hastened back and began to carve on her bridge with great care. She carved on the bridge rails the designs of the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver and of the red phoenix illuminated by the sun. Finishing this, she returned. The bridge of Lu Ban was almost finished, only short of two rocks. Lu Jiang could not wait any longer so she imitated the cock‘s crow, which caused the cocks far and near to follow suit. Hearing the crow, Lu Ban put the two rocks down in a hurry, his construction finished. Two bridges rose on the Xiao River overnight, which caused a sensation for miles around the next day. Even the Eight Genii got the news as well. Zhang Guolao, one of them, rode on his donkey, with the sun and the moon in his bag. Furthermore, he invited the Lord of Firewood to come with his one-wheel cart, carrying the four famous mountains. The two arrived in Zhaozhou. As soon as the donkey and cart were on the bridge it began to shake. Lu Ban ran to support underneath it with his two hands. With the herculean pressure, the bridge, instead of collapsing, was even more solid. Up to the present, there still remained the footprints of Zhang Guolao‘s donkey and the tracks left by the cart of the Lord Firewood. Beneath the bridge, Lu Ban‘s two big palm prints were still distinct. 4. 鲁班的传说(三则) 鲁班，也写作鲁般，或谓公输般，春秋战国时期鲁国人。有关鲁班的传说，在民间流传很广。 据《述异记》卷下记载:在浔阳江七里洲中有木兰舟，传说是鲁班刻木兰造成的。天姥山的南峰上有仙鹤，传说也是鲁班制作的。相传鲁班曾刻木为鹤，木鹤一下能飞700里，后来放在了北山的西峰上。汉武帝派人去捉取木鹤，木鹤遂飞到了天姥山南峰上。往往天将下雨的时候，木鹤就振翅摇动，好像要飞上天去的样子。 又据《酉阳杂俎续集》卷四记载:鲁班手艺精巧，造化天工，曾在凉州建造佛塔。凉州距鲁班的家很远，鲁班又作了一只木鸢，每次将木鸢身上的楔子敲3下，就可以乘木鸢回家。没过多久，鲁班的妻子怀孕了，父母觉得奇怪，便问她，她详细地向父母说明了事情的原委。后来，鲁班的父亲看到木鸢后，偷偷地将木鸢身上的楔子敲了十余下，结果乘着木鸢一直飞到了吴地。吴人以为鲁班的父亲是妖怪，就把他杀了。鲁班又制作了一只木鸢，乘着它找到了父亲的尸首。鲁班心中怨恨吴人杀死了自己的父亲，就在肃州城南，用木头制作了一个仙人，仙人举手指向东南，结果吴地大旱3年。吴人占卜后得到信息:―此乃鲁班所为。‖于是，吴人准备了许多礼物，向鲁班谢罪。鲁班就砍断了木仙人的一只手。当天，吴中便下了一场大雨。 赵州的河上有两座石桥，一座在城南，一座在城西。传说城南的大石桥是鲁班修的，城西的小石桥是鲁班的妹妹鲁姜修的。有一次，鲁姜要与哥哥比赛技艺，两人约好从初更到鸡叫，要各修一座石桥。 鲁姜急忙到城西去准备材料，刚到半夜，她就把石桥修好了。鲁姜很 得意，忙跑到城南去看哥哥修桥。只见鲁班正赶着一大群绵羊朝河边 走来，再仔细一看，鲁班赶的并不是绵羊，而是一块块洁白细润的石 头。鲁姜自知造的桥肯定比不上哥哥的，便急忙回到城西，在自己已 经造好的桥上精雕细刻起来。她在桥栏杆上刻了牛郎织女、丹凤朝阳 等图案，刻完后又回到城南看哥哥的进展。这时，鲁班还差两块石头 没有铺好。鲁姜一急之下，就学起公鸡叫来，结果惹得四里五村的鸡 也都叫了起来。鲁班听见鸡叫，急忙把两块石头放下，桥也就修成了。 一夜之间，河上架起了两座石桥，第二天这事就轰动了远近州县，连 八洞神仙也知道了。于是，张果老就骑上他的毛驴，驴背上的褡裢里 左边装着太阳，右边装着月亮;又邀请柴王推上他的独轮车，车上载 着四大名山，两个人就来到了赵州。驴和车刚走上桥，桥身就摇晃起 来。鲁班一看不好，急忙跑到桥下用双手把桥托住，这才把桥保住。 桥身、桥基经这么一压，不但没有损坏，反而更牢固了。至今桥面上 还留下了七八个张果老的驴蹄印子和一道柴王爷的车辙印子，桥底下 还有鲁班的两只大手印。 5. The Legend of Lady White There are many versions about the legend of Lady White and a handsome young man named Xu Xian. Lady White and Xiaoqing, two spirits in fact, came down to earth to seek the little boy who had saved the life of Lady White when she was small and stayed in her heart ever since. It turned out that Xu Xian was the very man they had been looking for. Lady White and Xu Xian fell in love with each other and later with the help of Xiaoqing they got married. At the time of Dragon Boat Festival, it was the custom for every household to fasten plants such as calamus and Chinese mugwort on the ground to drive away spirits, which were surely dangerous to Lady White and Xiaoqing. On that day, Lady White took a sip of realgar prepared by Xu Xian which caused her to lose her superior magic skills and become a large white snake. Xu Xian was greatly shocked when he saw the snake on the bed. He fell to the floor and died. When the power of realgar faded away, Lady White resumed her human form. She was heartbroken to find Xu Xian lying dead beside the bed. To restore Xu Xian to life, Lady White flew to the Kunlun Mountain to steal ganoderma, a celestial herb. There after a battle between Lady White and the heavenly guards, the Immortal of the Southern End appeared, who was impressed by Lady White‘s sincerity and perseverance, finally granted her the glossy ganoderma. Xu Xian came back to life and his suspicions were allayed by a story made up by Lady White and Xiaoqing. Later, in order to save her husband, Lady White summoned up surging flood to Jinshan Temple where lived Monk Fa Hai. But finally she failed in the fight and was suppressed by Fa Hai under the Leifeng Pagoda by West Lake. 5. 白娘子的传说 在很久很久以前，雁荡山有两条千年蛇精，白蛇和青蛇。她们很 羡慕人间的生活，于是，就变成两个美女，白素贞和丫环小青，来到 了天下胜地杭州。在杭州西湖，她们遇到了青年商人许仙。白娘子爱 许仙的诚实勤劳，与他结为夫妻。后来，因为法海和尚的阻挠，他们 的爱情遇到种种挫折。白娘子为了救许仙，去峨眉山盗灵芝草，并且 水漫金山寺，与法海展开了一连串的斗争。最后，白娘子还是没有斗 过法海，被法海镇压在西湖的雷峰塔之下。 6. Meng Jiang Girl In the Qin Dynasty, there lived a family Meng and a family Jiang, who were next-door neighbors. When Family Meng planted a melon, the seedling crawled across the wall between the two houses and bore a melon there. The ripe melon was cut open and revealed the girl within, who was named Meng Jiang Girl. As she grew up, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty began to draft people for the construction of the Great Wall. A fellow named Fan Xiliang escaped from his family. He ran into the back yard of Meng Jiang Girl‘s family to take refuge from the drafting. The two fell in love and prepared to get married. Unexpectedly, one servant of family Meng informed against them. Fan was caught and sent to build the Great Wall. He died there and his body was buried under the wall. When the winter came, Meng Jiang Girl went to send cotton-padded clothes for her husband. She went through misery and hardships, and finally arrived there, only to be told that her husband was already dead and was buried underneath the wall. She was shocked. When she could utter her first cry, the wall began to shed bricks; on her second cry, the wall began to rock; and on her third, the Great Wall collapsed for dozens of zhang. Bones of the dead appeared. Not knowing where her husband was, she bit her finger, and dripped blood on the bones, saying, ―If it is Fan Xiliang, let the blood seep in.‖ Finally, she found her husband‘s remains, which she hugged and cried over for three days, turning everything around in a state of chaos and darkness. Soon, the Emperor learned this and took her to the palace. At the sight of her beauty, the Emperor‘s mood to kill her turned into joy. He wanted to make her an imperial concubine. Meng Jiang Girl first refused, and then she made three requests. First, the Emperor should be dressed in deep mourning for Fan Xiliang and cried for him as his father thrice. Second, all the ministers and generals of the court should hold a funeral procession for Fan Xiliang. Third, the Emperor should accompany her to visit the East China Sea. The emperor complied with all of them. Nevertheless, Meng Jiang Girl plunged herself into the ocean while visiting the East China Sea. 6. 孟姜女 在长城附近，住着一个姜家，一个孟家，两家隔着一道墙。孟家 栽了一棵瓜，瓜秧却爬到姜家那边结了一个瓜。瓜熟了，切开一看， 里面是个小姑娘，两家就给她起名叫孟姜女。孟姜女长大了，正碰上 秦始皇到处抓人修长城。有个小伙子叫范喜良，怕当劳工，从家里跑 了出来，正跑在孟姜女家的后园里。孟姜女看见后爱上了他，于是两 人在孟家成亲。不料，孟家的一个家人告了密，县官又把范喜良抓去 修长城，范喜良死在城墙下，尸体被筑在城墙里面。冬天到了，孟姜 女去给丈夫送棉衣。她历尽千辛万苦，好不容易才来到长城边，可找来找去也找不到自己的丈夫范喜良。后来有人告诉她:范喜良已经死了，并被埋在了城墙底下。孟姜女听罢号啕大哭，她哭了第一声，城墙开始往下掉砖瓦;她哭了第二声，整个长城开始乱摇晃;她哭了第三声，竟把长城哭塌了几十丈。城墙底下露出了白花花的死人骨头，可孟姜女不知道哪个是范喜良。她咬破自己的手指，一边往骨头上滴血，一边说:“要是范喜良，血就渗进去～”最后总算找到了自己的丈夫。她抱起丈夫的尸骨大哭3天，直哭得天昏地暗，日月无光。很快，孟姜女哭塌长城的事让秦始皇知道了，秦始皇就把她抓到了皇宫里。在金銮殿上，秦始皇见孟姜女貌美，杀人之心变成了欢喜之情，想霸占她为妃子。孟姜女先是拒绝，后来提出了3个条件:一要秦始皇为范喜良披麻带戴，哭三声爹;二要全朝的文武百官为范喜良发丧;三要秦始皇陪同自己游一次东海。秦始皇都答应了。可孟姜女在游东海的时候，却投海自尽了。