英語短篇勵志哲理小故事

　　讓孩子們多看一些總是好的，那麼都有哪些呢?一起來看看吧。

　　：萬事俱備 只欠東風

　　Everything is Ready Except the East Wind

　　China has been divided into three kingdoms historically: Wei in the north, Shu in the southwest and Wu in the southeast.

　　Once Cao Cao from Wei led a 200，000 strong army down to the south to wipe out the kingdoms of Wu and Shu. Therefore, Wu and Shu united to defend his attack. Cao ordered his men to link up the boats by iron chains to form a bridge for the Cao's passing from the north bank of Yangtze River to the south bank. The General Commander of the allied army was Zhou Yu. He analyzed the situation carefully. Then he got a good idea. He decided to attack the enemy with fire. So he began to prepare for the coming battle. Suddenly he thought of the direction of wind. He needed the east wind to blow strongly in order to accomplish his scheme. However, the wind did not come for days. Thus Zhou Yu was worried about it. At that time, he got a note from Zhuge Liang, the military adviser of the State of Shu, which reads:

　　"To fight Cao Cao

　　Fire will help you win

　　Everything is ready

　　Except the east wind"

　　Quickly he turned to Zhuge Liang for help. Zhuge told him not to worry and there would be an east wind in a couple of days. Two days later, the east wind helped Zhou accomplish his scheme. At last, the allied army won the war.

　　Later, people use it to say "All is ready except what is crucial".

　　萬事俱備，只欠東風

　　歷史上，中國曾被分為三大國：北邊是魏國，西南是蜀國，東南是吳國。

　　有一次，魏國的曹操帶了20萬精兵南下攻打吳國和蜀國，準備消滅它們。為了應敵，吳國和蜀國結成同盟國。曹軍駐紮在長江北岸。曹操讓手下用鐵鏈將戰船連在一起，好讓曹軍渡江攻打南岸的盟軍。盟軍由吳國將領周瑜帶領，他仔細分析了形勢，最後決定用火燒掉敵人的船。於是，他開始準備一切，當他將一切準備好時，發現還需要東風。可連續幾天都沒有東風，周瑜急得病倒了。這時，蜀國的軍師諸葛亮叫人送了一張紙條給他，上面寫著："要贏曹操，須用火攻。萬事俱備，只欠東風。"周瑜收到後，立刻向諸葛亮求助。諸葛亮叫周瑜不要著急，兩天後，將有東風。果然，兩天後，颳起東風。周瑜趁這個機會將曹軍的戰船燒燬，最後，曹操被打敗了。

　　後來，人們用這個成語來比喻樣樣都準備好了，只差最後一個重要條件。

　　：半途而廢

　　Give up halfway

　　During the Warring States Period 475-221BC, there was a man called Yue Yangzi in State Yue. One day he saw a piece of gold on the road and picked it up. He took it home and gave it to his wife. But his wife was not happy. The virtuous woman said, "I hear that a man of morality doesn't drink a thief's water and a man of probity refuses to accept alms. What do you think of the action of picking up another's lost valuable and possessing it for one's own?"

　　Yue Yangzi, feeling ashamed, sent the gold back to where he found it.

　　the next year, Yue Yangzi felt that he should go out and visit scholars to enrich his knowledge. So he set off.

　　A year later, he came back home suddenly.

　　"Why have you returned?" asked his wife in surprise, "You've only spent one year studying with scholars."

　　"I come back because I missed you very much."

　　Without saying anything, his wife took a pair of scissors and went to the loom at which she had worked. Pointing at the half done brocade, she proclaimed : "This brocade is woven from the finest silk. I wove one strand after another to produce the brocade. Now if I cut it, all my previous work will be wasted. It's the same with your studies. You can acquire knowledge only through diligence. Now, you've stopped halfway. Isn't it the same as cutting the brocade on the loom?"

　　Yue Yangzi was moved by what she said. He again left home to visit scholars. Several years later he became a learned man.

　　半途而廢

　　戰國時期，魏國有個叫樂羊子的人。有一天，樂羊子在路上看到一塊金子，他就撿起金子，帶回了家並把它拿給妻子看。可他妻子一點兒也不高興。這個賢惠的女人對他說："我聽人說'壯士不飲盜泉之水;廉潔的人不食嗟來之食'。把別人遺失的貴重之物撿起來據為己有，你怎麼看待這種行為呢?"

　　樂羊子聽了妻子的話，覺得很慚愧，就把那塊金子又扔到原來的地方。

　　第二年，樂羊子離開家到了一個很遠的地方，去拜師求學。

　　一年後，樂羊子突然回到家中，他的妻子很驚訝地問："你怎麼回來了?你才和那些學者學了一年呀。"樂羊子說："我太想你了，所以回來看看。"

　　他的妻子聽了以後，二話不說，拿起把剪刀走到她的織布機前。她指著那塊已經完成了一半的錦緞說："這塊錦緞用的是最好的絲。我一絲絲的累積來織成這錦緞。如果我現在把它剪斷，就等於前功盡棄。你求學也是這樣。如果現在停止，和剪斷織布機上的錦緞有什麼區別?"

　　樂羊子被妻子的話所感動，於是立刻離開家，繼續拜師求學。

　　幾年後，樂羊子終於完成學業，成為一個博學的人。

　　：濫竽充數

　　Be there just to make up the number

　　During the Warring States Period 475-221BC, the King of the State of Qi was very fond of listening to yu ensembles. He often got together 300 yu players to form a grand music. The king treated his musician very well. A man named Nanguo heard about that and he managed to become a member of the band, even though he wan not good at playing the instrument at all. Whenever the band played for the king, Nanguo just stood in the line and pretended to play. Nobody realized he was making no sound at all. As a result, he enjoyed his treatment just as the other musician did. When the king died, his son became the new ruler who also liked the music played on the yu. However, he preferred solos so that he ordered the musicians to play the yu one by one. Therefore, Nanguo had to run out of the palace.

　　the idiom "Be there just to make up the number" is used to mock someone who passes for a specialist. You can also hear people saying it about themselves to show their modesty.

　　濫竽充數

　　戰國時，齊宣王喜歡聽竽，通常是三百人的大合奏。因為他給予樂師非常優厚的待遇，所以一個叫南郭的人儘管並不擅長吹竽，也設法混進樂隊。當樂隊演奏時，他就站在隊伍裡假裝也在吹。沒有人注意到其實他連一點聲音也沒吹出來，所以南郭也享受到和其他樂師一樣的待遇。宣王死後，他的兒子繼承了王位。他也喜歡聽竽，可是他喜歡聽獨奏，讓樂師一個個吹給他聽，於是南郭不得不逃跑了。

　　"濫竽充數"這個成語用來嘲笑那些沒有真正才幹，混在行家裡的人。 人們有時也用"濫竽充數"來表示自謙。