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用英语讲中国成语故事
成语故事之一
对牛弹琴
古时候，有一个人琴弹得很好。一次，他对着牛弹了一段曲子，希望牛也能欣赏他的技巧。曲子虽然很好听，但是牛却丝毫不理会，只顾埋头吃草。这个人只好叹了口气离开了。 “对牛弹琴”这个成语，比喻对不懂道理的人讲道理。也用来讥笑说话的人不看对象。
Playing the Lute to a Cow
In ancient times there was a man who played the
zither(古筝）very well.Once,he played a tune in front of a cow, hopping that the cow would appreciate it. The tune was melodious(悦耳的），but the cow showed no
reaction, and just kept on eating grass. The man signed
and went away.
This idiom is used to indicate(显示；象征）reasoning with stubben(顽固的；固执的）people or talking to the wrong audience.
成语故事之二
刻舟求剑
战国时期有个楚国的人，得到一把宝剑，非常珍爱。一天，他坐船过江，不小心把宝剑掉到江中去了。他急忙在剑掉下去的船舷上刻了一个记号。船靠岸后，他就从刻有记号的地方跳下水去找他的剑。
“刻舟求剑”这个成语讽刺那些办事迂腐，不知道变通情况的人。
Notching the Boat to Find the Sword
In the Warring States Period, a man in the State of Chu had a sword which he cherished(珍爱；珍惜）very much. One day, when he was crossing a river in a boat, the sword suddenly fell into the water. The man the made a mark on the side of the boat at the spot where the sword had fallen overboard. When the boat reached the shore, he jumped from the spot he marked into
the water to look for his sword.
This idiom satirizes(讽刺）those who stick to rigid rules instead of taking changed circumstances(情况）into account.
一箭双雕
南北朝时代，有个名叫长孙晟的人，聪明敏捷，特别善于射箭。一天他同朋友一起去打猎，忽然看见两支雕在空中争夺一块肉。他的朋友立即给了长孙晟两只箭，说：“你能把两只雕都射下来吗？”长孙晟不慌不忙拉开弓，只射了一箭，就把两只雕同时射下来了。朋友直夸他好箭法。 英语小故事尽在英语学习网
这个成语比喻用一种办法同时得到两种收获或效果。 英语小故事尽在英语学习网 Killing Two Birds with One Stone 英语文章尽在
In the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties(420-589) there was an expert archer named Zhan sun Shang. One day he went hunting together with a friend. Suddenly they saw two vultures fighting for a piece of meat high in the air. His friend handed him two arrows, and said, “Can you shoot down both vultures?” Zhangsun Sheng effortlessly killed both vultures with only one arrow. Mao Sui Recommending Himself
in the Warring States Period, the State of Qin besieged the capital of the State of Zhao. Duke
Pingyuan of Zhao planned to ask the ruler of the State of Chu personally for assistance. He wanted to select a capable man to go with him. A man called Mao Sui volunteered. When the negotiate-actions between the two states were stalled because the ruler of Chu hesitated to send troops, Mao Sui approached him, brandishing a sword. At that, the ruler of Chu agreed to help Zhao, against Qin.
毛遂自荐
战国时代，秦国军队攻打赵国的都城。赵国的平原君打算亲自到楚国去请救兵，想挑选一个精明能干的人一同前去。有一个名叫毛遂的人，自告奋勇愿意同去。平原君到楚国后，与楚王谈了半天，没有一点结果。毛遂怒气冲冲地拿着宝剑，逼近楚王，终于迫使楚王答应出兵，与赵国联合共同抵抗秦国。
“毛遂自荐”这个成语用来比喻自己推荐自己，不必别人介绍。
Amazing the World with a Single Feat
In the Warring States Period, Duke Wei of Qi neglected state affairs, for the first three years of his reign, giving himself over to dissipation. One of his ministers, Chun Yukun who had a good sense of humor, said to him:” There is a big bird which has neither taken wing nor sung for three years.” The duke answered, “Once that bird starts to fly and sing, it will astonish the world.” The duke thereupon devoted himself to his duties and built his state up into a powerful one.
This idiom is used to indicate that a person may rise from obscurity and achieve greatness. 不鸣则已一鸣惊人
战国时代，齐威王即位后作了三年国君，只顾享乐，不理政事。有个善于说笑话的人叫淳于髡，一天对齐威王说：“城里有一只大鸟，三年不飞也不叫，你知道这是什么道理？”齐威王说：“这鸟不飞则罢，一飞就冲天；不鸣则罢，一鸣就惊人。”在淳于髡的激发下，齐威王开始治理国家，取得很大成绩，齐国的声威一直保持了几十年
1、守株待兔：
相传在战国时代宋国，有一个农民，日出而作，日入而息．遇到好年景，也不过刚刚吃饱穿暖；一遇灾荒，可就要忍饥挨饿了．他想改善生活，但他太懒，胆子又特小，干什么都是又懒又怕，总想碰到送上门来的意外之财。
奇迹终于发生了。深秋的一天，他正在田里耕地，周围有人在打猎。吆喝之声四处起伏，受惊的小野兽没命的奔跑。突然， 有一只兔子，不偏不倚，一头撞死在他田边的树根上。 当天，他美美地饱餐了一顿。
从此，他便不再种地。一天到晚，守着那神奇的树根，等着奇迹的出现。 成语“守株待兔”，比喻亡想不劳而得，或死守狭隘的经验，不知变通。 staying by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it
this story took place more than 2,000 years ago,in the warring states period（475-221
b.c.）.tradition has it that in the state of song at that time there was a man who was famous for staying by a stump waiting for
more hares to come and dash themselves against it.
he was a yong farmer,and his family had been farmers for generations.year after year and generation after generation, farmers used to sow in spring and harvest in autumn,beginning to work at sunrise and retiring at sunset.in good harvest years,they could only have enough food to eat and enough clothing to wear.if there was a famine due to crop failure,they had to go hungry. this young farmer wanted to improve his life.but he was too lazy and too cowardly.being lazy and cowardly over everything,he often dreamed of having unexpected blessings.
a miracle took place at last. one day in late autumn,when he was ploughing in the field,two groups of people were hunting nearby.as shoutings were rising one after another,scared hares were running desperately.suddenly,a blind hare dashed itself headlong against the stump of a dead tree in his field and died.
that day,he ate his fill.
from that day on,he no longer went in for farming again.from morning till night,he stayed by that miraculous stump,waiting for miracles to take place again.
this story comes from"the five vermin"in the works of han feizi.later generations often use the set phrase"staying by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it"to
show grusting to chance and windfalls or dreaming to reap without sowing.it is also used to show adhering to narrow experiences and not being able to be flexible. try to help the Shoots grow by pulling them upward/spoil things by excessive enthusiasm
2、拔苗助长
There once was an impatient farmer who lived during the Song Dynasty.(sòng cháo,960-1279 AD).
春秋时代，宋国有个急性子的农夫。
Everyday the anxious farmer would measure the growth of the crops.
庄稼长出禾苗以后，他每天都去观看。
To his dismay, his crops were growing much slower than he expected。
令他沮丧的是，禾苗长得太慢。
The farmer racked his brains trying to find better ways of planting in order to get quicker results.
农夫绞尽脑汁想让禾苗长快些。
One day he finally came up with a solution.
一天他终于想出方法。
He started to physically pull the crops out of the ground, thus making them taller.
他跑到田里，把禾苗一颗颗往上拔，使它们长高。
The farmer worked very hard and at day’s end was physically exhausted but mentally happy as his plan had produced the desired results.
农夫虽然很累但他很高兴看到禾苗长高。
When the farmer went home, he told his son of his “brilliant” method.
当农夫回家时，把这个好办法告诉了他儿子。【英语成语故事】
His son went to the field only to discover that all of his crops were all dead. 他的儿子赶忙跑到田里去看，禾苗全都枯萎了。
3、井底之蛙：
成语井底之蛙的故事--中国成语故事英语版中英对照
Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle（海龟） that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing（栏杆，扶手） beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits（腋窝） and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly（蠕动地，回避地） worms, crabs and tadpoles（蝌蚪） , and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough（水槽） of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"
一口废井里住着一只青蛙。有一天，青蛙在井边碰上了一只从海里来的大龟。 青蛙就对海龟夸口说： “你看，我住在这里多快乐！有时高兴了，就在井栏边跳跃一阵；疲倦了，就回
到井里，睡在砖洞边一回。或者只留出头和嘴巴，安安静静地把全身泡在水里：或者在软绵绵的泥浆里散一回步，也很舒适。看看那些虾，谁也比不上我。而且，我是这个井里的主人，在这井里极自由自在，你为什么不常到井里来游赏呢！”
Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck.
那海龟听了青蛙的话，倒真想进去看看。但它的左脚还没有整个伸进去，右脚就已经绊住了。 It hesitated（踌躇，犹豫） and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea."Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's
width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts（干旱） seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."
它连忙后退了两步，把大海的情形告诉青蛙说： “你看过海吗？海的广大，哪止千里；海的深度，哪只千来丈。古时候，十年有九年大水，海里的水，并不涨了多少；后来，八年里有七年大早，海里的水，也不见得浅了多少。可见大海是不受旱涝影响的。住在那样的大海里，才是真的快乐呢！”
After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease（不安的，拘束的）. 井蛙听了海龟的一番话，吃惊地呆在那里，再没有话可说了。
惊弓之鸟
Birds Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bowstring
zhànguóshíqī
gōngyuánqián
niánzhōngguó
zhōngyuándìqūgèzhūhóuguólián
yītiān
tāduìguówáng
guó
战 国 时 期（公 元 前403―221年 中 国 中 原 地 区 各 诸 侯 国 连
niánzhēngzhàndeshídàishuō
wèiguóyǒugèmíngjiàogèngléiderén
kōngshèyīxià
年 争 战 的 时 代）魏 国 有 个 名 叫 更 羸 的 人。一 天，他 对 国 王
wǒzhīyàolākāigōng
jiùnéngbǎtiānshàngdeniǎoshèxiàlái
说：“我 只 要 拉 开 弓，空 射 一 下，就 能 把 天 上 的 鸟 射 下 来。”国
wángbùxiāngxìn
gèngléibiànduìzhǔntiānshàngfēiláideyīzhīyànshèqù
guǒzhēnnàzhī
王 不 相 信。更 羸 便 对 准 天 上飞 来 的 一 只 雁 射 去，果 真 那 只
yàntīngdàolāxiándeshēngyīnjiùdiàolexiàláiguówánggǎndàohěnqíguàigèngléishuō
雁 听 到 拉 弦 的 声 音 就 掉 了 下 来。国 王感 到 很 奇 怪。更 羸 说，
nàshìyīzhīshòuguòshāngdeyàntāhuāngdezhīchíbùzhù
yītīngdàowǒlākāigōngxiándeshēngxiǎngjiùjīng
“那 是 一 只 受 过 伤 的 雁。它 一 听 到 我 拉 开 弓 弦的 声 响，就 惊
zìrányàodiàoxiàláile
慌 得 支 持 不 住，自 然 要 掉 下 来 了。”
In the Warring States Period, there was a man in the State of Wei called Geng Lei. One day he said to the king: 'I can shoot down birds by simply plucking my bowstring.' When the king expressed doubt, Geng Lei pointed his bow at a wild goose flying in the sky, twanged the bowstring, and the goose fell to the ground. Geng Lei said, 'This goose has been hurt in the past. Hearing the twang of the bowstring, it assumed that it was doomed. So it simply gave up trying to live.'
jīnggōngzhīniǎotèbiéhàipà
zhègèchéngyǔbǐyùshòuguòjīngkǒngzhīhòu
yǒuyīdiǎndòngjìngjiù
“惊 弓 之 鸟”这 个 成 语 比 喻 受 过 惊 恐 之 后，有 一 点 动 静 就 特 别 害 怕。
This idiom means that if one has been frightened in the past one's will may become paralysed in a similar situation.
毛遂自荐
Mao Sui Recommending Himself
zhànguóshídài
qínguójūnduìgōngdǎzhàoguódedōuchéng
zhàoguódepíngyuánjūndǎ
战 国 时 代，秦 国 军 队 攻 打 赵 国 的 都 城。赵 国 的 平 原 君 打
suànqīnzìdàochǔguóqùqǐngjiùbīngqiánqù
xiǎngtiāoxuǎnyīgèjīngmíngnénggànderényītóng
zìgàofènyǒngyuànyìtóngqù
píngyuánjūndào
算 亲 自 到 楚 国 去 请救 兵，想 挑 选 一 个 精 明 能 干 的 人 一 同
yǒuyīgèmíngjiàomáosuìderén
yǔchǔwángtánlebàntiān
前 去。有 一 个 名 叫 毛 遂 的 人，自 告 奋 勇愿 意 同 去。平 原 君 到
chǔguóhòu
méiyǒuyīdiǎnjiéguǒ
máosuìnùqìchōngchōng
楚 国 后，与 楚 王 谈 了 半 天，没 有 一 点 结 果。毛 遂 怒 气 冲 冲
dìnázhebǎojiànbījìnchǔwángzhōngyúpòshǐchǔwángdáyìngchūbīngyǔzhàoguólián
地 拿 着 宝 剑，逼 近 楚 王，终 于 迫 使 楚 王 答 应 出 兵，与 赵 国 联
hégòngtóngdǐkàngqínguó
合 共 同 抵 抗 秦 国。
In the Warring States Period, the State of Qin besieged the capital of the State of Zhao. Duke Pingyuan of Zhao planned to ask the ruler of the State of Chu personally for assistance. He wanted to select a capable man to go with him. A man called Mao Sui volunteered. When the negoti-actions between the two states were stalled because the ruler of Chu hesitated to send troops, Mao Sui approached him, brandishing a sword. At that, the ruler of Chu agreed to help Zhao, against Qin.
máosuìzìjiànshào
zhègèchéngyǔyònglái
bǐyùzì
jǐ
tuījiànzì
jǐ
bùbìbiérénjiè
“毛 遂 自 荐”这 个 成 语 用 来 比 喻 自 己 推 荐 自 己，不 必 别 人 介 绍。
This idiom means to recommend oneself.
世外桃源
A Haven of Peace and Happiness
dōng
jìn
de
wén
xué
jiā
táo
yuān
míng
xiě
le
yī
piàn
zhù
míng
de
wén
zhāngjiào
东 晋 的 文 学 家 陶 渊 明 写 了 一 片 著 名 的 文 章 叫
táohuāyuánjìyuánzhègèdìfāng
xùshùyīgèyúrénchūwàibǔyúdeshíhòucóngzhèlǐtōngguòyīgèshāndòng
ǒuránláidàoletáohuā
zhèlǐ
《桃 花 源 记》。叙 述 一 个 渔 人 出外 捕 鱼 的 时 候，偶 然 来 到 了 桃 花
fāxiànleyīgècūnzǐ
源 这 个 地 方。从 这 里 通 过 一 个 山 洞，发 现 了一 个 村 子，这 里
dejūmínshìqíncháoshíbìnánréndehòudàihéyāpò
zhèshìyīgèyǔshìgéjuéméiyǒubāoxuē
yúréngàobiécūnmínhuíjiāyǐhòu
zài
的 居 民 是 秦 朝 时 避 难 人 的 后 代。这 是 一 个 与 世 隔 绝、没 有 剥 削
rénrénānjūlèyèdeměihǎoshèhuì
和 压 迫、人 人 安 居 乐 业 的 美 好 社 会。渔 人 告 别 村 民 回 家 以 后，再
yězhǎobùdàozhègèdìfāngle
也 找 不 到 这 个 地 方 了。
Tao Yuanming, a famous writer of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), wrote the well-known essay Peach-Blossom Spring. In it he tells a story which goes like this: A fisherman happened to come upon a place called Peach-Blossom Spring. Squeezing through a cave, he found a village, the residents of which were descendants of refugees from the Qin Dynasty. It was a paradise isolated from the outside world, without exploitation or oppression, and everybody living and working in peace and contentment. The fisherman left the villagers and went home. But he could never find the place again.
hòulái
yóuzhègègùshìchǎnshēngle
lǐxiǎngdeměihǎoshìjiè
shìwàitáoyuán
zhègèchéngyǔ
yòngláibǐyùyǔ
后 来，由 这 个 故 事 产 生 了“世 外 桃 源”这 个 成 语，用 来 比 喻 与
shìgéjuéde
世 隔 绝 的、理 想的 美 好 世 界。
This idiom is derived from the above story, and is used to mean an isolated, ideal world.
南辕北辙
Going South by Driving the Chariot North
cóngqiányǒugèrényàodàonánfāngqùrénshuō
nǐqùnánfāng
tāzuòdechēzǐquèxiàngběifānghángshǐ
tāhuídáshuō
guòlù
从 前 有 个 人 要 到 南 方 去，他 坐 的 车 子 却 向 北 方 行 驶。过 路
chēzǐzěnmexiàngběihángshǐne
wǒdemǎ
人 说：“你 去 南 方，车 子 怎 么 向 北 行 驶 呢？”他 回 答 说：“我 的 马
hěnnéngpǎolù
wǒdechēfūjiàchēde
jìshùyěhěngāomíng
jiāshàngwǒyòudàile
tādetiáojiànyuè
很 能 跑 路，我 的 车 夫 驾 车 的 技 术也 很 高 明，加 上 我 又 带 了
chōngzúdelùfèihǎo
zhègèrénméiyǒukǎolǜdào
fāngxiàngnòngfǎnle
充 足 的 路 费。”这 个 人 没 有 考 虑 到，方 向 弄 反 了，他的 条 件 越
lítāyàoqùdedìfāngjiùyuèyuǎn
好，离 他 要 去 的 地 方 就 越 远。
Once a man wanted to go to the south, but his carriage was heading north. A passer-by asked him: 'If you are going to the south, why is your chariot heading north? ' The man answered, 'My horse is good at running, my driver is highly skilled at driving a carriage, and I have enough money. ' The man didn't consider that the direction might be wrong; the better his conditions were, the further he was away from his destination.
hòuláirénmenjiùbǎzhègègùshìgàikuòwéiwéihétādemùdezhènghǎoxiāngfǎn
nányuánběizhé
bǐyùyīgèréndeháng
后 来 人 们 就 把 这 个 故 事 概 括 为“南 辕 北 辙”，比 喻 一 个 人 的 行 为 和 他 的 目 的正 好 相 反。
The idiom derived from this story indicates that one's action was the opposite effect to one's intention.
画龙点睛
Putting the Finishing Touch to the Picture of a Dragon
nánběicháogōngyuán
shíqī
yǒugèhuàjiājiàozhāngsēngyáoyǒuyīcì
tādàoyī
南 北 朝(公 元420--589)时 期，有 个 画 家 叫 张 僧 繇。有 一 次，他 到 一
gèsìmiàoqùyouwánzàiqiángbìshàngmiànhuàlesìtiáolóngkěshìdōuméiyǒuhuàchū
个 寺 庙 去 游 玩，在 墙 壁 上 面 画 了 四 条 龙，可 是 都 没 有 画 出
yǎnjīng
kànhuàderénjiàodéhěnqíguài
wèntāwéishénmebùhuàchūyǎnjīng
lóngjiùhuìfēizǒule
tāshuō
眼 睛。看 画 的 人 觉 得 很 奇 怪，问 他为 什 么 不 画 出 眼 睛。他 说：
yǎnjīngshìlóngdeguānjiàntāshuōdehuà【英语成语故事】
huàshàngyǎnjīng
dàjiābùxiāngxìn
lìkè
“眼 睛 是 龙 的 关 键，画 上 眼 睛，龙 就 会 飞 走 了。”大 家 不 相 信
zhāngsēngyáonáqǐbǐlái
gānggěiliǎngtiáolóngdiǎnshàngyǎnjīng
他 说 的 话。张 僧 繇 拿 起 笔 来，刚 给 两 条 龙 点 上 眼 睛，立 刻
diànshǎnléimíngliǎngtiáolóngfēixiàngtiānkōngqiángshàngzhīshèngxiàliǎngtiáoméiyǒuhuà
电 闪 雷 鸣，两 条 龙 飞 向 天 空，墙 上 只 剩 下 两 条 没 有 画
yǎnjīngdelóng
眼 睛 的 龙。
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (420-589), there was a painter called Zhang Sengyou. Once he visited a temple and painted on the wall four dragons, but gave none of them eyes. The onlookers felt that this was odd, and asked why he hadn't painted the eyes. He answered, 'Eyes are crucial for dragons. With the eyes painted on, the dragons would fly away.' Nobody believed this, so Zhang Sengyou took up his brush and added eyes to two of the dragons. No sooner had he finished than the two dragons flew into the sky amid a thunderstorm. The two without eyes stayed painted on the wall.
“画 龙 点 睛”这 个 成 语 用 来 比 喻 讲 话 或 写 文 章 时，在 关 键 地 方 加 一 两 句 重 要的 话，使 内 容 更 加 生 动 有 力。
This idiom is used to describe how, when writing or speaking, one or two key sentences will enhance the contents.
英语成语故事：
Putting the Finishing Touch to the Picture of a Dragon
（画龙点睛）
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (420-589), there was a painter called Zhang Sengyou. Once he visited a temple and painted on the wall four dragons, but gave none of them eyes. The onlookers felt that this was odd, and asked why he hadn't painted the eyes. He answered, 'Eyes are crucial for dragons. With the eyes painted on, the dragons would fly away.' Nobody believed this, so Zhang Sengyou took up his brush and added eyes to two of the dragons. No sooner had he finished than the two dragons flew into the sky amid a thunderstorm. The two without eyes stayed painted on the wall.
南北朝(公元420-589)时期，有个画家叫张僧繇。有一次，他到一个寺庙去游玩，在墙壁上面画了四条龙，可是都没有画出眼睛。看画的人觉得很奇怪，问他为什么不画出眼睛。他说：“眼睛是龙的关键，画上眼睛，龙就会飞走了。”大家不相信他说的话。张僧繇拿起笔来，刚给两条龙点上眼睛，立刻电闪雷鸣，两条龙飞向天空，墙上只剩下两条没有画眼睛的龙。
This idiom is used to describe how, when writing or speaking, one or two key sentences will enhance the contents.
“画龙点睛”这个成语用来比喻讲话或写文章时，在关键地方加一两句重要的话，使内容更加生动有力。
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儿童寓言故事及寓意
A child was careless Ramie stabbed, he rushed home and told his mother: "I only lightly Pengyi what, it was my painful thorns." Mom said: "Because of this, it will thorn you. if the next time you met Ramie, to a
courageous and seize it, it will be in your hands become soft as silk, you will no longer be stabbed. "
一个小孩不小心被苎麻刺了，他急忙跑回家，告诉妈妈说：“我只轻轻地碰它一下，它就刺得我很痛。”妈妈说：“正因为如此，它才会刺你。下次你如果再碰到苎麻，要勇敢地一把抓住它，它就会在你的手中变得柔软如丝，不再会刺伤你了。
A build Carpenter to come forward to advocate the use of bricks as a resist material; a carpenter decided to propose to the enemy using wood is the best method; a cobbler, stood up and said: "Gentlemen, I do not agree with your views and I think that as resist material, as no better than what Paper. " 这是说，人们都习惯于从自身角度考虑问题，总认为自己所熟悉的东西是最好的。
It is said that people are accustomed to from their own point of view, the view that they are familiar with what is the best. An old man was gathering
sticks in a forest.
At last he grew very tired and hopeless. He threw down all the sticks and cried out, "I cannot bear this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would come and take me!"
As he spoke, Death appeared, and said to him, "What would you do, old man? I heard you call me."
"Please, sir," replied the old man, "would you help me lift this bundle of sticks up to my shoulder?"
老人与死神
有个老人在森林中砍了不少柴，十分吃力地挑着走了很远的路。
一路上他累极了，实在挑不动了，便扔下柴担，叫喊起来：“这种日子我受不了了，死神啊，带我走吧。”
这时，死神来了，对他说：“老头，你想做什么，我听见你叫我?”
“先生”，老人说，“您能帮忙将那担子放在我的肩上吗?”
寓意
即使生活不幸，人们仍需爱惜生命。
In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 B.B., the qin army launched another attack upon the State of Wei with a momentum more vigorous than ever.
战国末期，秦国向魏国接连发动大规模的进攻，魏国无力抵抗，大片土地都被秦军占领了。到公元前273年，秦国又一次向魏国出兵，势头空前猛烈。
The king of the State of Wei summoned his officials,and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army. After years of chaos caused by the wars,the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak ofresistance. At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the offinials persuaded the king to sue for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain.
魏王把大臣们召来，愁眉苦脸地问大家有没有使秦国退兵的办法。大臣们由于经过多年的战乱，提起打仗就吓得哆嗦，谁也不敢谈“抵抗”二字。在这大兵压境的危急时刻，多数大臣都劝魏王，用黄河以北和太行山以南的大片土地为代价，向秦王求和。
However Su Dai, a counsellor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and said:"Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all.It is just because they are cowardly and afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country. Of course you can temperarily satisfy the ambition of the king of the State of Qin is insatiably greedy. It will never stop assaulting us until our land is totally given away.
谋士苏代听了这些话，很不以为然，忙上前对魏王说：“大王，他们是因为自己胆小怕死，才让您去卖国求和，根本不为国家着想。您想，把大片土地割让给秦国虽然暂时满足了秦王的野心，但秦国的欲望是无止境的，只要魏国的土地没割完，秦军就不会停止进攻我们。”
"Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. That was because he didn't know that,instead of putting out the fire, faggots could only make it burning
more vigorously. Isn't it equivalent to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?" 说到这里，苏代讲了一个故事：从前有一个人，他的房子起火了，别人劝他快用水去浇灭大火，但他不听，偏抱起一捆柴草去救火，是因为他不懂得柴草不但不能灭火反而能助长火势的道理。大王若同意拿着魏国土地去求和，不就等于抱着柴草救火吗?”
Though Su Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. For the king of the State of Wei was cowardly and only cared for peace at the moment.As might be expected,the Qin army assaulted the State of Wei on a large scale in 225 B.C.,surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes of the Huanghe River.The State of Wei was finally destroyed by the State of Qin.This story appears in the Historical Records Written by Sima Qian.
尽管苏代讲得头头是道，但是胆小的魏王只顾眼前的太平，还是依大臣们的意见把魏国大片土地割让给秦国。到公元225年，果然秦军又向魏国大举进攻，包围了国都大梁，掘开黄河大堤让洪水淹没了大梁城，魏国终于被秦国灭掉了。
寓 意
The set phrase"carrying faggots to put out a fire"is used to mean adopting a wrong method to save a situation and ending up by making it worse. 成语“抱薪救火”比喻用错误的方法去消灭祸害，结果反而使祸害扩大。
Once in the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the duke of the Wei, Cao Rui, planed to select a very capable man to work for him. He said to his ministers: 'When choosing a talented person, always beware of one with a false reputation. A false reputation is just like a picture of a cake; it can' t ease hunger.' 三国时代魏国的皇帝曹睿，准备选拔一个有才能的人到朝廷来做官。曹睿对他的大臣说：“选择人才，不能光找有虚名的人。虚名好像是画的一块饼，只能看，不能解决肚子饥饿的问题啊!”【英语成语故事】
寓意
后来人们就用“画饼充饥”这个成语比喻用空想安慰自己，不能解决实际问题。
Later, this idiom came to be used to mean comforting oneself with unrealistic thoughts, without solving practical problems.
Fisherman who dragnet, feel very heavy, they danced for joy, thinking that this suddenly catch a lot of fish.
渔夫们拉网时,觉得很沉重,他们高兴得手舞足蹈,以为这一下子捕到了许多的鱼。
the network pulled the shore, network full of stones and other things, not a fish.
哪知把网拉到岸边,网里却满是石头和别的东西,没有一条鱼。
They are very Yusang, did not catch fish inverted worth mentioning at all uncomfortable with the fact that they expected the opposite is true. 他们十分懊丧,没捕到鱼倒也罢,难受的是事实与他们所预想的正好相反。
One of them elderly fisherman said: "friends, not sadness, joy and pain together total, they like a sister. Advance happy we have, and now had to endure the pain a little bit."
他们中一个年老的渔夫说道:“朋友们,别难过,快乐总与痛苦在一起,她们如同一对姐妹。我们预先快乐过了,现在不得不忍受到一点点痛苦。”
寓 意
stand out like a camel amongst a group of sheep
鹤立鸡群
Ji Shao, an aide to Emperor Jin Hui during the Jin Dynasty, was handsome and talented. 晋朝时，有一个人叫嵇绍,担任晋惠帝的侍从官。他长得仪表堂堂，而且才能出众。
Once, when his country was being invaded, he accompanied Emperor Jin Hui in defending the country, but, unfortunately, they lost the war. Most of the soldiers died or deserted, but Ji Shao stayed with the emperor to protect him.
一次，有人侵犯京城。嵇绍跟随惠帝前去，征讨叛乱。不料打了败仗，随行的官员、将领以及侍卫死伤无数，还有很多人逃跑了，只有嵇绍保护着惠帝，始终不离左右。
Upon seeing this, the people were moved and said:"Ji Shao stand out like a camel amongst a group of sheep, preeminent and superior."
看到嵇绍奋勇杀敌的情景人们都很有感触，说：“嵇绍就像一只鹤站立在鸡群中一样，仪表出众，气度不凡。”
This idiom is currently used to describe prominent people with good looks and impressive abilities among a crowd.
这个成语如今用来形容一些相貌或者是才能特别出众的人。
【文化链接】
成语“鹤立鸡群”既可以表面上形容“一个人因身高高挑在众人中显得突出”，也可以形容“一个人因为相貌或者卓越才能，亦或是出挑的行为在众人中显得突出”，英文中相应表达可以用“stand out like a camel amongst a group of sheep”，本意就是“像一只在羊群中站立的骆驼”。
我们一起来看一个例句：
Because all the other people were waiting in line, I did not want to stand out like a camel amongst a group of sheep, and I decided to wait in line as well.
因为其他所有人都在排队，我可不想鹤立鸡群，所以我决定也去排队啦。
blessing or bane
塞翁失马
Near China's northern borders lived a man called Sai Weng. He raised a lot of horses. 战国时期，靠近北部边城，住着一个姓塞老人, 他养了许多马。
One day, he lost one of his horses. Everyone commiserated with him.
一天，他的一匹走失了，人们听说这件事，跑来安慰他。
"Perhaps this will soon turn out to be a blessing," said Sai Weng.
塞翁说：“没准会带来什么福气呢。”
After a few months, his horse came back, leading a fine horse from the north.
过了几个月，丢失的马不仅自己回了家，还带回一匹匈奴的骏马。
Everyone congratulated him.
所有人都来祝贺塞翁。
"Perhaps this may turn out to be a cause of misfortune," said Sai Weng.
本文来源：http://www.gbppp.com/jy/432796/
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