英语短文名人故事 哲学思想家 第19期:孔子

 1 Confucius 1 孔子

Zhuangzi once characterized Confucius as saying,  庄子曾经这样描述孔子：

"You may forget me as I once was, but there is something unforgettable about me that will still live on."  "虽忘乎故吾，吾有不忘者存。"

This prediction remains¹ accurate as Confucius' words still live on today and have been quoted by people down through the ages.  这个预言在今天得到证实，因为孔子的金玉良言世世代代流传，至今人们仍在不断引用。

Because of the writings and teachings he left behind,Confucius is considered one of history's wisest men. 他遗留下来的著作与学说，使其公认为史上最有智慧的人士之一。

When he was bom in 551 B.C. in Lu, China, the baby who would someday be called Kong Fuzi was named Kong Qiu.  公元前551年，孔子诞生于鲁国，这名未来的"孔夫子"被取名为"孔丘"。

Confucius' father, Kong Shulianghe, was a descendant of the royal family of Shang and had at one time been governor of the town of Zou.  孔子的父亲孔叔梁纥为商朝王室后裔，也曾治理过邹邑。

When Kong Qiu was three years old, his father died, leaving the child and his young mother in poverty.  孔丘3岁时，父亲去世，独留他与年纪尚轻的母亲贫苦度日。

As Kong Qiu grew older, their financial situation required him to take on menial jobs such as caring for livestock².  孔丘渐渐长大了，因为家中经济拮据，他不得不从事卑微的工作，如看牲畜。

He became known as a polite, smart and hard-working young man with an insatiable desire to learn.  后来他成为大家眼中有礼貌、聪明勤奋、好学上进的年轻人，而且有着永无止境的求知欲。

This thirst for knowledge would push him toward a life of learning and teaching others. 求知若渴促使孔子一生都在学习和教导他人。

Confucius married when he was 19，had a son and two daughters, and continued working assorted³ jobs, including several in his local government.  孔子19岁结婚，有一个儿子和两个女儿。他不断尝试各种工作，也曾在地方政府做过几件差事。

Around the age of 30， Confucius began his teaching career,  30岁左右，孔子开始以教学为业，

sometimes traveling from town to town while teaching a group of students who accompanied him.  有时遍访各邑，同时教导跟随他的一群学生。

As a result, it didn't take long for his principles to spread and for others to begin recognizing him for the wise sage⁴ that he was. 结果没过多久，他的信条就传布开来，世人开始把孔子视为智慧大师和圣人。

Confucius became increasingly distressed⁵ by the political corruption⁶ and disorder⁷ in society,  孔子对当时的政治腐败与社会动荡越来越感到痛心，

so he decided⁸ to get involved in politics, hoping to make a change.  于是决定涉足政治，以期改变现状。

But after tens of years of trying, he failed in persuading even one ruler to practice his moral doctrines⁹.  但是经过十几年的努力和尝试，没有一位君主接受劝服并采用他的道德学说。

Yet Confticius never faltered¹⁰ in his belief that the most important task of any ruler was to work for the welfare and happiness of his people. 然而孔子从不怀疑自己的信念：君主最重要的任务就是为人民谋福祉。

He spent the rest years of his life studying, writing and teaching his ever-expanding group of students.  孔子的余年致力于研究、写作，教导不断增加的学生。

It's been said that up to 3,000 men may have studied with Confucius. 据说有3, 000名学生曾受教于孔子。

Sadly, Confucius' last years were unhappy.  令人难过的是，孔子晚年并不幸福。

One morning in 479 B.C., the sage died in bed.  公元前479年的一天早晨，这位圣人在卧榻上辞世。

His followers¹¹ buried him with great ceremony, built huts close to his grave, and spent the next three years there in mournful respect. 他的追随者举行了仪式隆重的葬礼，并在他的墓旁搭建茅屋，为他守丧3年。

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

3 assorted   

adj.各种各样的，各色俱备的

参考例句：

• There's a bag of assorted sweets on the table.桌子上有一袋什锦糖果。
• He has always assorted with men of his age.他总是与和他年令相仿的人交往。

4 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

5 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 doctrines   

n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明

参考例句：

• To modern eyes, such doctrines appear harsh, even cruel. 从现代的角度看，这样的教义显得苛刻，甚至残酷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

11 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。