成語故事中英文

　　 破鏡重圓

　　In the Northern and Southern Dynasties when the State of Chen ***A.D. 557-589*** was facing its demise***死亡，終止*** , Xu Deyan, husband of the princess, broke a bronze mirror into halves. Each of them kept a half as tokens******，符號*** in case they were separated. Soon afterwards, they did lose touch with each other, but the two halves of the mirror enabled them to be reunited.

　　This idiom is used to refer to the reunion of a couple after they lose touch or break up.

　　“鏡子”是中國傳統文學中是一個廣泛使用的文學意象。文學家把滿月比作鏡子，也用鏡子來形容一個人的品德無暇疵，還有的時候說某某人的心裡明鏡似的，形容他對事情的明晰洞察。成語“破鏡重圓”是借鏡子比喻離散夫妻重新團聚的。

　　故事發生在公元九世紀，當時中國北方是強盛的隋政權，南方則並存著好幾個小國家，國都在建康***今南京***的陳國就是其中的一個。隋政權對南方的小國家虎視耽耽，隨時準備統一整個中國。

　　徐德言是陳國的皇帝陳叔寶的侍從官，他娶了皇帝的妹妹樂昌公主為妻，兩人非常恩愛。但當時陳國朝政腐敗，徐德言預料到，總有一天國家會遭受滅亡之禍，因此非常憂慮。

　　一天，他愁容滿面地對妻子說：“天下大亂的事可能不久就會發生，到時我要保護皇帝，我們夫妻將被迫拆散。但只要我們活著，總會有再次見面的機會。我們應該先留下一件東西，作為將來重見的憑證。”

　　樂昌公主同意丈夫的看法和建議。於是徐德言取來一面圓形的銅鏡，把它一破為二，一半自己留下，一半交給妻子，告訴她好好儲存，並對她說：“如果離散後，就在每年正月十五日那天，託人將這半面鏡子送到市場上去叫賣。只要我還活著，我一定前去探聽，以我的半面鏡子為憑，與你團聚。”

　　不久，已經統一中國北方的隋文帝楊堅，果然發兵攻打陳國的都城建康，小小的陳國被消滅，陳國國王被殺，徐德言被迫逃亡。隋文帝獎賞攻打陳國有功的人，被俘獲的樂昌公主則被賞給了大臣楊素為妾。

　　流亡的徐德言打聽到妻子已到了隋的京都大興***今陝西西安***，便長途跋涉趕到那裡，打聽妻子的具體下落。每當夜深人靜，他總是取出半面鏡子，懷念與妻子在一起的美好時光。而他的妻子樂昌公主，雖然在楊素的官府中過著非常奢侈的生活，但內心一直惦記著丈夫，也經常撫摸半面鏡子，回憶往事。

　　正月十五日終於來到了。徐德言趕到熱鬧的市場，看見一個老人以高價出賣半面銅鏡，自然沒有人願意出高價買半面鏡子，所以老人就來回在市場上走動。徐德言假裝要買老人的鏡子，細細察看，果然是妻子的那半塊。原來他是楊府的僕人，受樂昌公主委託來賣鏡尋夫的。於是徐德言寫了一首詩，交給僕人帶回。詩寫道：“鏡與人俱去，鏡歸人未歸。無復嫦娥影，空留明月輝。”意思是鏡子與人都去了，但如今鏡子歸來而人卻沒有歸來。正好比月中沒有嫦娥的身影，只空留明月的光輝。

　　樂昌公主見到丈夫儲存的半面銅鏡和詩後，終日哭泣，茶飯不思。楊素知道實情後，受到感動，把徐德言叫來，讓他把樂昌公主帶回自己的故鄉去，還賜給了他許多東西。夫妻終於重新團聚。

　　後世文學中用“破鏡重圓”指離散夫妻的團聚，用“破鏡難圓”表示因為客觀的原因夫妻被迫分離。

　　 草木皆兵

　　During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Fu Jian, king of the State of Qin, controlled northern China. In the year 383, Fu Jian led 900,000 infantry***步兵*** and cavalry***騎兵*** troops to assault the State of Jin which was south of the Yangtze River. Xie Shi and Xie Xuan, senior generals of the Jin army, led 80,000 troops to offer resistance. Knowing that the Jin army was short of men, Fu Jian wanted to seize this opportunity of being much more numerous in armed forces to stage a quick attack.

　　Unexpectedly, the van***先鋒*** of Fu Jian's army of 250,000 troops was defeated in the Shouchun area by an ingenious***機靈的，精緻的*** military move of the Jin army and suffered heavy losses. The senior general of the van of Fu Jian's army was killed, and there were heavy casualties of more than 10,000 soldiers. Fu Jian's army was dispirited and its morale was shaken. Many soldiers were in such a great panic that they waited for opportunities to run away. Standing on the city wall of the Shouchun City, Fu Jian and his brother Fu Rong saw that the ranks of the Jin army were in good order and that the morale of the Jin army was high. Turning to his brother, Fu Jian said, "What a powerful enemy this is! Why did people say that the Jin army was short of men?" He deeply regretted that he had taken the enemy too lightly.

　　Overshadowed by the disastrous defeat, Fu Jian ordered his troops to be deployed in battle formation on the north side of the Feishui River, in an attempt to regain the initiative by relying on the superior geographical conditions. Then Xie Shi and Xie Xuan, the senior generals of the Jin army, suggested that Fu Jian's army retreat a little bit, leaving some space, so that the Jin army could cross the river to conduct ooperations. Fu Jian thought that his chance had come, believing that the senior generals of the Jin army did not have the elementary knowledge of warfare. It was his plan to stage a sudden attack while the troops of the Jin army was busy crossing the river, and he was sure that his plan would word. So he willingly accepted the suggestion of the Jin army.

　　Unexpectedly, the moment the order to retreat was given, Fu Jian's troops were utterly routed and could by no means***決不*** be controlled. Taking advantage of this favorable situation, the Jin army crossed the river, pursuing and attacking the enemy. The trooops of Fu Jian's army threw away everything in headlong flight, and the field was littered with the corpses of the soldiers of Fu Jian's army. Fu Rong was killed in the tangled***紊亂的*** fighting, and Fu Jian was hit by an arrow and ran away. The Jin army won a brilliant victory by defeating a big army with its limited armed forces.

　　This story comes from "The Life of Fu Jian" in the volume "Records" of The History of the Jin Dynasty. The set phrase "every bush and tree looks like an enemy" is subsequently used to refer to a state of extreme nervousness.

　　東晉時代，秦王苻堅控制了北部中國。公元383年，苻堅率領步兵、騎兵9O萬，攻打江南的晉朝。晉軍大將謝石、謝玄領兵8萬前去抵抗。苻堅得知晉軍兵力不足，就想以多勝少，抓住機會，迅速出擊。

　　誰料，苻堅的先鋒部隊25萬在壽春—帶被晉軍出奇擊敗，損失慘重，大將被殺，士兵死傷萬餘。秦軍的銳氣大挫，軍心動搖，士兵驚恐萬狀，紛紛逃跑。此時，苻堅在壽春城上望見晉軍隊伍嚴整，士氣高昂，再北望八公山，只見山上—草—木都像晉軍的士兵—樣。苻堅回過頭對弟弟說：“這是多麼強大的敵人啊!怎麼能說晉軍兵力不足呢?”他後悔自己過於輕敵了。

　　出師不利給苻堅心頭蒙上了不祥的陰影，他令部隊靠淝水北岸佈陣，企圖憑藉地理優勢扭轉戰局。這時晉軍將領謝玄提出要求，要秦軍稍往後退，讓出—點地方，以便渡河作戰。苻堅暗笑晉軍將領不懂作戰常識，想利用晉軍忙於渡河難於作戰之機，給它來個突然襲擊，於是欣然接受了晉軍的請求。

　　誰知，後退的軍令—下，秦軍如潮水—般潰不成軍，而晉軍則趁勢渡河追擊，把秦軍殺得丟盔棄甲，屍橫遍地。苻堅中箭而逃。

　　草木皆兵的故事出自“晉書苻堅載記”。成語“草木皆兵”，形容神經過敏、疑神疑鬼的驚恐心理。

　　 濫竽充數

　　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.

　　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。

　　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"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。