中國經典成語故事中英雙語

　　想要學好英語，一定要懂得學習方法。有趣的學習方法能讓你的英語水平提升得更快，小編在此獻上英語故事，希望對你有所幫助。

　　成語寓言故事:Ludicrous Conceit of the King of Yelang夜郎自大

　　Once, the Han Dynasty dispatched an emissary to the State of Dian ***now Yunnan Province*** and the State of Yelang ***now Guizhou Province***.

　　一次，漢朝派遣使者出使滇國***今雲南***和夜郎國***今貴州***。

　　The King of Dian asked the emissary from the Han Dynasty:

　　滇國的國王問漢朝的使者:

　　"The Han Dynasty and the State of Dian, which is bigger?"

　　“漢朝和滇國，哪一個大?”

　　The King of Yelang also asked the emissary in the same way:

　　夜郎國的國王也這樣問漢朝的使者:

　　"The Han Dynasty and the State of Yelang, which is bigger?"

　　“漢朝和夜郎國，哪一個人?”

　　As a matter of fact, the territories of the State of Dian and the State of Yelang were only as big as a prefecture of the Han Dynasty, but they closed their states to the external contact, shut their eyes and stopped their ears, and didn't understand the conditions of the outside world. Naturally, they didn't know how vast the Han Dynasty was.

　　其實，滇國和夜郎國的疆土，只有漢朝的一個州那麼大，可是他們閉關自守，閉目塞聽，不瞭解外界的情況，自然也就不知道漢朝的廣大了。

　　成語寓言故事:No Opportunity to Be an Official仕數不遇

　　There was a scholar in the Zhou Dynasty who had tried several times in his life to seek for an official post, but failed again and again till his temples turned white.

　　周朝有個讀書人，一生中幾次謀求做官，可是直到兩鬢斑白仍然沒有做成。

　　One day, as he was walking on the road, he looked back upon the past and shed tears of sorrow. Someone asked him:

　　一天，他走在路上，回首往事，傷心地掉下了眼淚。有人問道:

　　"Why are you weeping?"

　　“您為什麼哭泣呢?”

　　He replied:

　　他回答說:

　　"Several times I have failed to win recognition. Now I am old and no longer have any opportunity. That is why I am weeping."

　　“我幾次都得不到賞識。現在年紀大了，再也沒有機會了，因此哭泣。”

　　The man asked again:

　　那人又問:

　　"Then how is it that you have never won recognition?"

　　“那您怎麼一次都得不到賞識呢?”

　　He replied:

　　他回答說:

　　"When I was young, I studied the classics hard and had all the literary qualifications. When I sought for an official post, unexpectedly the king liked to appoint old men. After the king died, his successor liked to appoint warriors. I made a determined effort to learn martial arts, but when I had learned the military skills, the king who liked martial arts passed away. Now the new king likes to appoint young men, but I am already old. Thus I have never won recognition in my whole life and have never held an official post."

　　“我少年時苦讀經書，文才兼備，去求官，不料君王喜歡任用老年人。君王死後，繼位的君王又喜歡任用武士，我發憤改學武藝，誰知武功剛學成，好武的君王又死去了。現在新立的君王卻喜歡任用年輕人，而我已經老了。就這樣，我終生不曾得到一次賞識，也沒有做過一次官。”

　　成語寓言故事:Handout Food磋來之食

　　One year, there was a great famine in the State of Qi.

　　有一年，齊國發生了特大的饑荒。

　　A rich man named Qian Ao set up a stall by the roadside with lots of food, waiting for hungry people to come to give it in charity.

　　有個富人，名叫黔敖。他在大路旁邊設攤，擺了許多食物，等飢餓的人來了，就施捨給他們。

　　After a short while, an awfully hungry man walked over, with his head covered by his sleeve and his shoes tied up with strings. When Qian Ao saw this, he held food in his left hand and tea in his right, shouting:

　　不一會兒，一個餓得發慌的人，用衣袖蒙著頭，用繩子綁著鞋，昏昏沉沉地走了過來。黔敖見了，左手捧著食物，右手拿著茶水，吃喝道:

　　"Hey, come and eat your fill."

　　“喂!來吃個飽吧!”

　　The man raised his head suddenly, opening his eyes wide and said angrily:

　　那個人猛地抬起頭來，雙眼圓睜，生氣地說:

　　"It is exactly because I don't want to take this kind of hand-out food given by people shouting charity that I have starved to such an extent!"

　　“我就是因為不吃這種人家吃喝著施捨的食物，才餓到這種地步的啊!”

　　As soon as Qian Ao heard this, he quickly apologized to the man.

　　黔敖一聽，連忙向他表示歉意。

　　But eventually the man starved to death because he was unwilling to take the food.

　　但那人終因不肯吃他的東西而餓死了。