In ancient times, there was an old man named Yu Gong.
古时候,有一老人,名字叫愚公。
He was nearly 90 years old.
快九十岁了。
There were two mountains in front of his house.
他家的门口有两座大山。
One was the Taihang Mountain, the other the Wangwu Mountain.
一座叫太行山,一座叫王屋山。
It was very inconvenient for people to come and go.
人们进出非常不方便。
One day, Yu Gong said to the whole family: "These two mountains block the doorway of our house.
一天,愚公对全家人说:“这两座大山,挡在了咱们家的门口。
It is very inconvenient for us to come and go.
进出很不方便。
Let our whole family exert efforts to move away these two mountains. How about it?"
咱们全家出力,移走这两座大山,好不好?”
Upon hearing this, all his sons and grandsons said: "You are right. Let us start tomorrow!"
他的儿子、孙子一听,都说:“你说得对,咱们明天就开始干!”
But his wife felt it too difficult to move the mountains.
可是,他的妻子觉得搬山太难了。
She said: "Do you know how high these two mountains are?
她说:“你们知道,这两座山有多高吗?
How can you move such big mountains? Where can you put all the stones and earth?"
这么大的山,你们怎么把它移走呢?哪儿放得下这么多的石头和泥土呢?”
Everybody said: "So long as we work hard together, we can certainly move away these two mountains.
大家说:“只要我们一起努力干,就一定能够移走这两座大山。
We can carry the stones and earth of the mountains to the sea."
山上的石头和泥土,我们可以把它们填放到海里去。”
The following day, Yu Gong led the whole family and started to move the mountains.
第二天,愚公带着一家人开始搬山了。
His neighbour was a widow with a son, only 7 or 8 years old.
他的邻居是寡妇,她有一个孩子,才七八岁。
When he heard of this, he also came to help happily.
听说要搬山,也高高兴兴地来帮忙。
They worked nonstop every day, fearing neither heat in summer nor cold in winter, neither wind nor rain.
他们夏天不怕热,冬天不怕冷,不怕刮风,不怕下雨,每天不停地搬。
When a shrewd old man named Zhi Sou saw Yu Gong's family moving the mountains, he thought it ridiculous and said to Yu Gong:
有个老人叫智雯,很精明。看见愚公一家人在搬山,他觉得很可笑,就对愚公说:
"You are so old that you can hardly walk. Can you move the mountains?"
“你这么大岁数了,路也走不动了,能搬得动山吗?
Yu Gong replied: "You are not even as clever as a child.
愚公回答说:“你还没有小孩子聪明!
Though I am about to die, I have sons.
我虽然快要死了,但是我还有儿子。
When my sons die, there are still grandsons.
儿子死了,还有孙子。
Generation after generation, my offspring are endless.
子子孙孙,一直传下去,这是无穷无尽的。
But with more and more stones being removed, smaller and smaller will the mountains become.
山上的石头却是搬走一点儿就少一点儿。
Not a grain of earth or a piece of stone will grow on the mountains.
再也长不出一粒泥、一块石头来的。
If we work without stop every day, why can't we move away the mountains?"
我们每天这样不停地搬,为什么搬不走山呢?”
Zhi Sou, who thought himself clever, had nothing more to say.
自以为聪明的智史听了,再也没有话说了。
Yu Gong led his family digging the mountains continually from early morning till late night.
愚公带领一家人每天起早摸黑挖山不止。
They finally moved God, who sent two celestials to the world to move away these two mountains.
终于感动了上帝,上帝派了两个神仙下凡,把这两座大山搬走了。