Translation

Zhuge Liang cultivated the fields himself and loved singing "Liang Fu Yin". He was eight feet tall and often compared himself with Guan Zhong and Le Yi. No one at the time recognized this. Only Cui Zhouping of Boling and Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi of Yingchuan, had a good friendship with him, and it was said that this was indeed the case.

Liu Bei was stationed in Xinye at that time. Xu Shu paid a visit to Liu Bei. Liu Bei thought highly of him. Xu Shu said to Liu Bei, "Zhuge Kongming is Wolong. General, are you willing to see him?" Liu Bei said, "Come with him." Xu Shu said, "This man can only When you go to visit him, you can't wrong him by calling him to your door. You should bend your body and visit him."

So Liu Bei went to visit Zhuge Liang and visited him three times. Liu Bei then asked the people next to him to stay away, saying: "The world of the Han Dynasty collapsed, traitors stole the power, and the emperor fled. I did not evaluate my own virtue or my own strength. I want to uphold justice in the world, but my own ingenuity I was short-sighted and had few methods, and finally failed, resulting in today's situation. But my ambition has not given up. What strategy do you think should be adopted?"

Zhuge Liang replied: "Since Dong Zhuo usurped power. , heroes from all over the country raised armies and occupied countless states and counties. Compared with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao had a smaller reputation and fewer troops. However, Cao Cao was able to defeat Yuan Shao and turn from weak to strong. It was not only good timing, but also good planning. Now that Cao Cao has an army of one million, he can hold the emperor hostage and order the princes. He really cannot compete with him. Sun Quan has occupied Jiangdong for three generations. For foreign aid, you should not seek him. The north of Jingzhou controls the Han and Mian Rivers, and supplies can be obtained all the way to the South China Sea. The east is connected to Wu County and Kuaiji County, and the west is connected to Ba and Shu County. This is a must-have for military strategists. The place, but his master Liu Biao could not hold it. This place was probably used by God to support the general. Didn’t the general intend to occupy it? Yizhou has dangerous passes and vast and fertile land. It has superior natural conditions and abundant products. , a place with a dangerous situation, and it was because of this place that Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty achieved imperial success. Yizhou Shepherd Liu Ling was weak and cowardly, while Zhang Lu occupied Hanzhong in the north. The people were prosperous and the country was strong, but he did not know how to cherish the people. Everyone wants to get a virtuous monarch. General, since you are a descendant of the emperor of the Han Dynasty, your prestige and loyalty are famous all over the world, and you recruit heroes widely. You are thirsty for virtuous people. If you occupy Jingzhou and Yizhou, you can rely on these two states. It is a dangerous terrain. To the west, make peace with the various ethnic groups, to the south to pacify the various ethnic groups, to form an alliance with Sun Quan externally, and to improve the country's politics internally. If the situation in the world changes, send a superior general to lead Jingzhou's army to attack. When Nanyang and Luoyang march, General you personally lead the Yizhou army to attack Qinchuan. Who dares to welcome you without bringing food in bamboo baskets and wine in pots? "Revived."

Liu Bei said: "Okay!" From then on, the friendship with Zhuge Liang became deeper and deeper.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others were unhappy. Liu Bei persuaded them: "I have Kong Ming, just like a fish gets water. I hope you won't say anything more." Guan Yu and Zhang Fei calmed down. I read "Longzhong Dui" again a few days ago and compared it with some ancient Chinese translation books. I feel that there are some doubts in the translation, so I am posting it here for corrections from interested friends!

"Longzhong Dui" is also known as "Thatched Cottage Dui". It is an excerpt from a biography in "The Biography of Zhuge Liang". "Longzhong", the name of the mountain, is now located in Xiangyang County, Hubei Province. Wolonggang in Longzhong was originally the place where Zhuge Liang once lived. Zhuge Liang, (181-234), named Kongming, was originally from Yangdu County, Langya County (now Yishui County, Shandong Province). When he was young, he traveled around various places with his uncle Zhuge Xuan, and later settled in Longzhong. Carefully study history books and military books, and often analyze the world situation with knowledgeable people in Jing and Xiang.

"Yes", countermeasures. Refers to answering Liu Bei's "three visits to the thatched cottage" and asking Zhuge Liang about political, military and other strategic issues.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to political corruption, the massive Yellow Turban Uprising broke out. The rulers of the Eastern Han Dynasty used local powerful armed forces to suppress the peasant uprisings. During this process, although the peasant uprising was suppressed, local power gradually grew. They attacked each other and separated themselves from each other, forming a political situation of warlords fighting each other.

In 207 AD, Cao Cao and Sun Quan gradually became stronger in the melee, and initially formed a situation of dividing the world into two. In 209, after Liu Bei was defeated by Cao Cao in the north, he lived in Jiang Chu and relied on Liu Biao. However, he was not willing to rely on others. In order to establish his foundation, he actively recruited talents and expanded his power in order to achieve the goal of "restoring the Han Dynasty and unifying the world." Later, with Xu Shu's recommendation, he personally went to Longzhong to "visit the thatched cottage three times" and asked Zhuge Liang for advice. This article records the historical facts of Zhuge Liang's response to Liu Bei's plan in Longzhong. This is the foundation for the establishment of the Shu Han Dynasty and the final three-legged alliance with Cao and Wu. Zhuge Liang was only twenty-six years old at the time.

1. Doubts:

1. It is said to be true:

Textbook note: "It is said to be true." Other translation books generally say the same. This is only translated literally, and the meaning is correct, but the omitted parts are not filled in, so it is still unclear. "Junior High School Classical Chinese Commentary Translation and Interpretation" says: "Predicate: think, think. Xinran: sure. Believe, true. Ran, adjective ending." This is even more outrageous, and even the sentence structure is messed up.

In fact, this sentence should be: "It is said that (it) is Xinran." The subject is omitted, it is Cui Zhouping, Xu Shu and the others "saying". "Predicate" is a predicate, saying. "(Qi) is Xinran" is the object of reference. It turns out to be a sentence, and the subject "Qi" (Zhuge Liang) is omitted. "Wei", predicate, judgmental verb, is. "Xinran", that is indeed the case. "Ran" is a pronoun, which means "Every time I compare myself to Guan Zhong, Le Yi". "Faith" is the modifier of "ran", "certain", "true". "Shuowen": "Trust, sincerity." It is wrong to interpret "ran" as the end of an adjective.

2. The general should take care of the situation in vain:

"Wuji": Textbook note: "Wujia, wronged. Chai, refers to chariots and horses" is not appropriate. This "drive" is a borrowed pronoun for Liu Bei himself. An ancient customary way of expressing honorifics, which does not directly refer to the other person, but uses an indirect reference instead. For example, when we say "the great guests are coming", we definitely don't mean the large carriages and horses are coming, but rather the distinguished guests. Another example is "respected" and "in vain" refer to people. "Wujia" can also be said as "Huijia", which is a respectful speech when someone is visiting. "Nineteen Ancient Poems" contains: "A good man only enjoys the ancient times, and it is in vain to ride and benefit the former." Even "Wang Qi" and "Wang Gu" are similar words, referring to condescension to the other party. For example, "Historical Records: Biography of Mr. Wei": "I have a guest who is in the slaughterhouse, and I would like to ride by in vain." "Riding in vain" means that I condescend to be accompanied by the other party.

3. Then use rampant:

Textbook annotation: "It failed because of this. Use, therefore. Rampant, here is the meaning of failure." Other translations

Generally speaking, the same is said, such as "Junior High School Classical Chinese Commentary Translation and Interpretation": "Suiyong: the two words have the same meaning, therefore. Rampant, failure." It is not appropriate. In addition, some translations say: "It's just that their wisdom and strategy are not enough, so they acted recklessly and got into today's situation." This understanding is even more fallacious, referring to "rampant" as "they", that is, People other than Liu Bei think: "Rampant refers to the power of the warlords at that time." This is outside the original text.

First of all, historical facts prove that the object of this "rampant" is Liu Bei himself. The thirty-eightth chapter of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is written about the plot: "I am prepared beyond my capabilities, and I want to extend righteousness to the world, but my wisdom and skills are shallow, and I have achieved nothing so far." This "nothing has been accomplished so far" is the meaning of "rampant". . From the historical facts contained in "Three Kingdoms: The First Master", it is said that Liu Bei did suffer many setbacks before the Battle of Chibi: once was defeated by Dong Zhuo; twice was defeated by Lu Bu; once was defeated by Cao Cao. My wife's family was captured three times, and they were indeed in a terrible state. This is probably what "rampant" means. But "failure" is definitely not Liu Bei's term.

Secondly, let’s analyze the words.

"Rampant" is a polysemous word that can be used to describe rampant behavior and arbitrary rampage. It has the same meaning as "rampant"; it can also be used in terms of subversion and failure. The usage here is different from "rampant". It is a partial meaning, preferring the word "趶", while "rampant" is a modifier. "rampant": "Yupian": "crazy and frightened." "Kneel": "Guangyun": "stumble." That is, stumble and fall. Together they mean "terrible setback". That is to say, "nothing has been accomplished so far" as mentioned in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which is consistent with the meaning of Liu Bei's words.

From a sentence structure point of view, "rampan" is the object, "sui" is the adverb, cai. Modify "use". "Use" is a verb. The first meaning of "Cymology" is "use". "Guangyun": "to make." "Shuowen": "to implement." In fact, "yong" should be interpreted as "to cause" and "to cause". The whole sentence means: "It leads to terrible setbacks." This is the result of being "short in intelligence and skill", which is why he later learned how to recruit wise men.

4 This can be used for aid but not for gain:

Textbook note: "(Sun Quan) can use (him) as a foreign aid, but cannot seek him." Others The translation also says the same thing, but it is not adequate.

First of all, "can" is two words, not one. It should be "can be with (it)." "Yi" means "with". The object "zhi" that introduces the guest is omitted later, referring to the aspect of "Sun Wu". "Three Kingdoms·Shu Zhi, Zhuge Liang's Biography" (printed by the Chinese Library) writes: "This can be used for aid but not for gain." This can be one of the evidences; in addition, "Yi" and "Yu" are in ancient Chinese , which is common because homophones can be used interchangeably. For example, "Ximen Leopard Zhiye": "The people can succeed, but they cannot start with care." There is intertextuality between before and after, "with" is the same as "with". "Mencius King Hui of Liang": "Be happy with the world, worry with the world." In these two sentences, "yi" means "with". The sentence means "Be happy with the world, and worry with the world."

In "The Battle of Red Cliff" there is: "No one except Liu Yuzhou can be Cao Cao." "High School Classical Chinese Literature Commentary" Translation "Explanation" is translated as: "Except for Liu Yuzhou, no one in the world can resist Cao Cao." The mistake is that the past is judged by the present, and "can" is regarded as "can" in modern Chinese. In fact, this "can" means "can be with (it)". This sentence was said by Sun Quan. The meaning is: "If it weren't for Liu Bei, no one in the world would be with me (together) to resist Cao Cao." This example can also prove Zhuge Liang's words "this can be a reinforcement." Meaning: Sun Quan can only form an alliance with him.

Secondly: "Wei" should not be interpreted as "as foreign aid". "For aid" is an object-verb structure. "Wei" is a verb, making friends and forming relationships. "Aid", the object, should be "alliance". "Yuan", the first meaning of "Cymology" is interpreted as "climbing", that is, forming a relationship. From the following "befriending Sun Quan", it can be proved that "for aid" does not mean "for foreign aid", but to form an alliance. In fact, this is also true.

5. Use talents for their own purposes:

The textbook has no annotations. The translations of other translation books are different. Some said: "He appointed people with virtue and talent."

("Selected Translation of Ancient Prose"); some said: "Talents are appointed by him." ("Junior High School Classical Chinese Commentary Translation and Interpretation"). From these two examples, the understanding of "wei" is There are differences. The former is translated as "bei" and is regarded as a passive sentence; the latter is translated as "get" and is regarded as a verb.

In fact, from the perspective of sentence structure, "Xiangneng" is inappropriate. It is the subject, that is, a virtuous person. "Yong" is the predicate of the verb, which means to serve and contribute. "Shang Jun Shu·Jin Ling": "If there are six lice in groups, the people will not use them." "For it" is the guest. The structure is used as an adverb to modify "yong". "Wei" is pronounced as wèi, giving, and "zhi" refers to Sun Quan. This sentence is an active sentence, not a passive sentence. "Xianneng" should be voluntary. It should be forced. The whole sentence means: "All capable people are willing to work for him."

6. Liu Zhang is weak, Zhang Lu is in the north, the people are rich and the country is rich, but they don't know how to save money:

This long sentence is worth discussing both in terms of interpretation and translation.

First of all, there is the issue of translation.

This also shows that the reason for its "dark weakness" is ignorance, lack of political talent, and not knowing how to organize and govern the people, which leads to the weakening of national power.

7. The general led the people of Yizhou out of Qinchuan:

"Out of Qinchuan": The textbook only notes "Qinchuan: the hometown of Qin, now Shaanxi, Gansu North of the Qinling Mountains

Plain areas. But "out of" is not commented. However, some translations, such as "Junior High School Classical Chinese Commentary Translation and Interpretation": "The general himself personally led Yizhou's troops to attack from Qinchuan." Explanation: "Yu: preposition, since, from." "Selected Translation of Ancient Prose" The same goes for comments. It is inconsistent with the logic of the matter and inappropriate.

The problem lies in the word "yu". "Qinchuan" is located to the north of "Hanzhong" and is not even a territory belonging to Zhang Luguan. It refers to the area between Baoji City in western Shaanxi and Tianshui City in eastern Gansu, north of the Qinling Mountains, and the north and south areas of the upper reaches of the Wei River. It was called "Qinchuan" in ancient times. It is nearly a thousand miles away from Chengdu, Sichuan. And "Yizhou" was in what is now Sichuan at that time, with Nanchong City as the center, Chengdu as the administrative seat, Mianyang, and Jiange area. How could Liu Bei lead the troops of Yizhou to attack from "Qinchuan" all at once? Zhuge Liang planned to use Shu as his base, and then wait for the situation to change, then go north to Qinchuan and take the other route "to Wan and Luo" to capture the Central Plains.

In fact, the semantic meaning is that Qinchuan is the destination, not the starting point. "Yu": a preposition, which should mean "to". "Out of Qinchuan": "Yu Qinchuan" is the complement of "out". The translated sentence should be translated as an adverbial, that is, "set out for Qinchuan". It is synonymous with the "xiang" in the previous sentence "Yi Xiang Wan, Luo", so this is correct.

8. Who among the common people dares not to eat pots of pulp to welcome the general:

“Dare”: Not noted in the textbook. But the translated sentences in the translation books I have seen still contain the word "dare". For example: "Who among the common people dares to welcome the general without using a basket to hold rice and a pot to hold wine?" This is inappropriate. Is it a good thing that the people are forced to welcome you? This is of course not Zhuge Liang's original intention. Zhuge Liang meant that if a "benevolent" king like Liu Bei sent troops to Qinchuan, he would be heartily welcomed by the people.

Actually, "dare" is a polysemous word. It is used as an adverb here to express respect and does not need to be translated. "Ci Interpretation" classifies it as an "auxiliary verb of expression of respect" and says: "This is true only if the form is preserved but the meaning of the word 'dare' is lost." For example, "Zhongshan Wolf Biography": "Dare to beg is born with just one word." Dare" does not need to be translated. If you want to translate it, it can be translated as "please". "Mencius Gongsun Chou": "I dare to ask what is the awe-inspiring spirit?" This "dare to ask" means "ask" or "ask for advice". The "dare" in "who dares not" can only be translated as "willing, willing, able", etc., which only indicates the initiative of the behavior.