英语童话寓言故事

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一．刻舟求剑Making His Mark


A man from the state of Chu as crossing a river. In the boat, his sord fell into the ater. Immediately he made a mark on the boat.
This is here my sord fell off, he said.
When the boat sped moving, he ent into the ater to look for his sord at the place here he had marked the boat.
The boat had moved but the sord had not. Is this not a very foolish ay to look for a sord?

战国时，楚国有个人坐船渡江。船到江心，他一不小心。把随身携带的一把宝剑掉落江中。他马上掏出一把小刀，在船舷上刻上一个记号，说“这是我宝剑落水的地方，所以我要刻上一个记号。”

船靠岸后，那楚人立即从船上刻记号的地方跳下水去捞取掉落的宝剑。捞了半天，仍不见宝剑的影子。其实他又怎么找得到宝剑呢？船继续行驶，而宝剑却不会再移动。像他这样去找剑，真是太愚蠢可笑了。
二

守株待兔Staying by a Stump Waiting for More Hares To Come and Dash Themselves Against It

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 as a man ho as famous for staying by a stump aiting for more hares to e and dash themselves against it.

He as a yong farmer,and his family had been farmers for generations.Year after year and generation after generation, farmers used to so in spring and harvest in autumn,beginning to ork at sunrise and retiring at sunset.In good harvest years,they could only have enough food to eat and enough clothing to ear.If there as a famine due to crop failure,they had to go hungry.

This young farmer anted to improve his life.But he as too lazy and too coardly.Being lazy and coardly over everything,he often dreamed of having unexpected blessings.

A miracle took place at last. One day in late autumn,hen he as ploughing in the field,to groups of people ere hunting nearby.As shoutings ere rising one after another,scared hares ere 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 ent in for farming again.From morning till night,he stayed by that miraculous stump,aiting for miracles to take place again.

This story es fromThe Five Verminin The Works of Han Feizi.Later generations often use the set phrasestaying by a stump aiting for more hares to e and dash themselves against itto sho grusting to chance and indfalls or dreaming to reap ithout soing.It is also used to sho adhering to narro experiences and not being able to be flexible.

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。