Classical Chinese stories with English translation (informal)

[ararat-tempest]

it's rare to find resources in Classical Chinese, so I decide to share some stories. the stories are translated by myself informally.

《世无良猫》
某恶鼠，破家求良猫。厌以腥膏，眠以毡罽。猫既饱且安，率不食鼠，甚者与鼠游戏，鼠以故益暴。某怒，遂不复蓄猫，以为天下无良猫也。

"There are no good cats in the world"
There was a person who hated mice. He spent much money on cats who were good at catching mice. He fed the cat with fish and let it sleep on the blanket. But when the cats were full and sleep well, they didn't catch mice at all. Some of them even played with the mice, so the mice were more rampant. The person got mad and didn't keep cats anymore. He thought there were no good cats in the world.

[ararat-tempest]

《兄弟争雁》
昔人有睹雁翔者，将援弓射之，曰：“获则烹。”其弟争曰：“宜燔。”竞斗而讼于社伯。社伯请剖雁，烹燔半焉。已而索雁，则凌空远矣。

"Brothers fought for the wild goose"
Once upon a time, there was a person who saw a wild goose flying, so he prepared to shoot it with his bow and arrows. "If I got it, I'll boil the goose." He said. But his younger brother said "the wild goose should be roasted." They quarreled and let shè head decide. The shè head suggested that they could cut the wild goose into halves. One half got boiled, the other half got roasted. But after they went back, the wild goose had already flown away.

*shè head
in ancient times of China, a shè head usually administrates 25 households, which means a shè head's status is lower than a village head, most of the time.

[Corinnebelle]

@ararat-tempest Wise goose!

[ararat-tempest]

@ararat-tempest Wise goose!

this is an unexpected reaction lol.

[Corinnebelle]

@ararat-tempest Wise goose!

this is an unexpected reaction lol.

Stories can be looked at from many directions!

[ararat-tempest]

《臭味相投》
人有大臭者，其亲戚、兄弟、妻妾、知识，无能与居者。自苦而居于海上。海上人有说其臭者，昼夜随之而弗能去。

"To share vile habits"
there was person who stank. his parents, brothers, wives and friends couldn't stand his body smell and they weren't able to live with him. He felt upset and moved his own house to the seaside. But there was another person who was a fan of stink smell. This guy followed him day and night and couldn't leave.

[ararat-tempest]

《楚人涉江》
楚人有涉江者，其剑自舟中坠于水。遽契其舟，曰：“是吾剑之所从坠。”舟止，从其所契者入水求之。

"A Chu person crossed the river"
There was a Chu person who was crossing the river by boat. His sword fell into the water incautiously, so he carved a sign on the boat. "This is where my sword fell." he said. When the boat stopped, he jumped from where the sign was into the water and tried to find the sword.

Chu is a state back in the Warring State Period era of ancient China.
https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-at ... period.htm

[ararat-tempest]

btw, the most interesting historical period is Spring and Autumn Period.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Spring ... umn-Period
activities of hundreds of states at the same time, means there were many stories and interesting stuffs going on!
but in other words, war was just like "a sort of sports" at the time... and Chu state is one of the survivors.

[Corinnebelle]

@ararat-tempest So basically this means he was an idiot? Why didn't he jump in right after his sword?

[ararat-tempest]

@ararat-tempest So basically this means he was an idiot? Why didn't he jump in right after his sword?

true. but originally the story meant to teach us that, we should have a changing perspective while solving a problem.

[Corinnebelle]

@ararat-tempest So basically this means he was an idiot? Why didn't he jump in right after his sword?

true. but originally the story meant to teach us that, we should have a changing perspective while solving a problem.

He should of stuck a stick in the riverbed!

[ararat-tempest]

@ararat-tempest So basically this means he was an idiot? Why didn't he jump in right after his sword?

true. but originally the story meant to teach us that, we should have a changing perspective while solving a problem.

He should of stuck a stick in the riverbed!

good idea! and this is also an idea of a boy who I taught English before, what a coincidence. lol

[McGonnagle]

@ ararat-tempest 　　
春日，某農夫惡多蚜，破家向高門求瓢蟲。瓢蟲食蚜卻之不厭，則飛歸高門。

[ararat-tempest]

@ ararat-tempest 　　
春日，某農夫惡多蚜，破家向高門求瓢蟲。瓢蟲食蚜卻之不厭，則飛歸高門。

I found this story a bit sarcastic.

[McGonnagle]

@ararat-tempest Wise goose!

this is an unexpected reaction lol.

Stories can be looked at from many directions!

　　
I think this story shows the typical Chinese values of ``If you don't make decisions quickly, you'll miss out on opportunities.'' It's interesting to know how people from different cultural backgrounds react to classical Chinese literature. If someone from a certain cultural background were to read this story, they might say, ``The person who caught the duck has the "right" to decide how the duck should be cooked.''　　

I wonder if the reason this story is still accepted is that in Chinese society, the family unit is extremely important, and even personal matters that do not affect those around them are decided by the family, and when problems cannot be resolved, it is decided by the elders.

[McGonnagle]

@ ararat-tempest 　　
春日，某農夫惡多蚜，破家向高門求瓢蟲。瓢蟲食蚜卻之不厭，則飛歸高門。

I found this story a bit sarcastic.

　　
It's a dilemma of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. 　

English translation: One spring day, a farmer was troubled by aphids and spent a lot of money to buy ladybugs from a rich man. The ladybugs couldn't get enough of the aphids, so returned to the rich man's house.

The beauty of ancient Chinese writing is that it can express things short and concisely. If you translate this sentence into modern language, it would be quite long like this.
一個春天的一天，一位農民受到蚜蟲的困擾，花了很多錢從富翁那裡買了瓢蟲。 瓢蟲吃蚜蟲還不夠，於是瓢蟲又回到了富人家。(Let me know if you see any mistakes.)

[Corinnebelle]

@McGonnagle I get the meaning about family and not quarreling, and seizing opportunities while you have them and leaving the discussion to afterwards. But there was another angle to the story as well!

[ararat-tempest]

@ ararat-tempest 　　
春日，某農夫惡多蚜，破家向高門求瓢蟲。瓢蟲食蚜卻之不厭，則飛歸高門。

I found this story a bit sarcastic.

　　
It's a dilemma of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. 　

English translation: One spring day, a farmer was troubled by aphids and spent a lot of money to buy ladybugs from a rich man. The ladybugs couldn't get enough of the aphids, so returned to the rich man's house.

The beauty of ancient Chinese writing is that it can express things short and concisely. If you translate this sentence into modern language, it would be quite long like this.
一個春天的一天，一位農民受到蚜蟲的困擾，花了很多錢從富翁那裡買了瓢蟲。 瓢蟲吃蚜蟲還不夠，於是瓢蟲又回到了富人家。(Let me know if you see any mistakes.)

让我润色一下你的译文：
在某个春天，一位农民受到了蚜虫的困扰，于是花了很多钱从富翁那里买了瓢虫。瓢虫吃蚜虫不够，于是就又回到了富翁那里。

[McGonnagle]

让我润色一下你的译文：
在某个春天，一位农民受到了蚜虫的困扰，于是花了很多钱从富翁那里买了瓢虫。瓢虫吃蚜虫不够，于是就又回到了富翁那里。

That sounds very nice and crisp！ 感恩！

[ararat-tempest]

让我润色一下你的译文：
在某个春天，一位农民受到了蚜虫的困扰，于是花了很多钱从富翁那里买了瓢虫。瓢虫吃蚜虫不够，于是就又回到了富翁那里。

That sounds very nice and crisp！ 感恩！

anytime! I'm good at "refurbishing" Chinese sentences since I'm currently working as a worker of "cultural development of companies" and busying dealing with Chinese words and sentences all the time......

[McGonnagle]

Thanks!

[McGonnagle]

anytime! I'm good at "refurbishing" Chinese sentences since I'm currently working as a worker of "cultural development of companies" and busying dealing with Chinese words and sentences all the time......

　　
　　
You are so cool!!

[McGonnagle]

@ ararat-tempest 　　
春日，某農夫惡多蚜，破家向高門求瓢蟲。瓢蟲食蚜卻之不厭，則飛歸高門。

I found this story a bit sarcastic.

@ararat-tempest
這故事有點在暗酸社會不公平。不管窮農夫怎麼努力，他買來的幫手最後還是飛回有錢人那邊，錢越來越集中，窮人還是沒辦法翻身。
說真的，這其實是我開玩笑用古文風寫的。我本來以為你會笑噴的，結果你的反應完全出乎我意料，害我都沒機會跟你坦白這是我寫的。哈哈哈。沒想到，從我寫這篇到現在，已經過了一年多了！
那時候我家院子裡一棵樹上有一堆蚜蟲，為了對付它們，我去附近的家居中心買了一小袋瓢蟲。但我一放瓢蟲進院子，它們就飛走了。
那時候我看了你介紹的那些有名的古文，受到很大啟發，所以就嘗試寫了這麼段古文風的文字。　　　

今天我想再把那篇重新寫一次。　　

春日，農夫患蚜蟲之盛，破家而詣貴門，求瓢蟲以除之。瓢蟲食蚜無厭，既盡，乃振翅歸焉。　　

但是我不知道『瓢蟲』在古文裡應該怎麼說才對……