中國寓言故事雙語版 第10期:以羊易牛

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One day, seated in the ancestral hall, King Hui of Liang saw a man leading an ox pass by. He asked:

一天，梁惠王坐在廟堂上，看到堂下有一個人牽着一頭牛走過，便問道:

"Where are you taking the ox?"

“你把牛牽到哪兒去啊?”

The man leading the ox stopped and answered:

牽牛的人停下來回答說:

"I am taking it to be slaughtered and will use its blood to paint the bell."

“我要把這頭牛牽去殺掉，用它的血來塗鍾。”

As King Hui heard this, he felt pity for the ox and said:

惠王聽了，對牛十分憐憫，說:

"How can that be done? You are too cruel. Let it go at once.

“那怎麼行呢!你們太殘忍了，趕快把牛放掉。

It is not guilty. How can you kill it? I cannot bear to see it panic-stricken, shedding tears and trembling before its death."

它沒有罪，怎麼能把它殺掉呢?我不忍心看到牛臨死前驚恐、流淚、戰慄的樣子。”

The man leading the ox asked:

牽牛的人問道:

"Do you mean that I shall let the ox go and not paint the bell? Is that it?"

“您的意思是要我把牛放了，不必再塗鍾了，是嗎?”

King Hui answered:

惠王回答說:

"What are you saying? How can you not paint the bell! Let the ox go, but use a sheep instead."

“你在說什麼?鍾怎麼能不塗呢!把牛放了，就換隻羊吧!”