发生在民间的英语故事

　　在民间发生过很多有趣的故事，可能这些都是你没有听过的故事哦，下面是小编精心整理的民间英语故事，欢迎大家阅读和学习。

　　民间故事：调琴如治国

　　Ping Gong of Jin ordered someone to make a stringed musical instrument. The strings of the instrument were of the same size, with no difference between the small strings and the large string. After the instrument was made. Ping Gong of Jin asked Shi Kuang, an official in charge of music, to tune the instrument. Shi Kuang spent a whole day doing it, but failed to tune out a melody.

　　Ping Gong blamed Shi Kuang for his incompetence. Shi Kuang explained: "The large string of a musical instrument is like the king of a state, and the small strings are like his subordinates. The large string and the small strings have their own functions. Only by coordinating with one another can they compose temperament, and only by being orderly can they play harmonious and pleasant music. Now there is no difference in size between the large string and the small strings. This ruins the system and regularity which they should have. How can I tune an instrument like this?"

　　晋平公令人制作了一张琴。琴上的弦，粗细一个样，大弦、小弦没有区别。琴制作好以后，晋平公让乐官师旷来调音。师旷调了一整天，也没调出个曲调来。

　　晋平公责怪师旷不会调琴。师旷解释说: “一张琴，大弦就好比国君，小弦就好比臣子。大弦小弦各有各的功能，它们彼此配合，才能合成音律。大弦小弦有条不紊，才能奏出和谐悦耳的音乐。您现在把琴弦做成大小不分，破坏了它们应有的系统性与规律性。这样的琴，您让我怎么调呀?”

　　民间故事：工之侨造琴

　　Gong Zhiqiao obtained a piece of fine Chinese tung wood and made a qin (stringed musical instrument) out of it. When installed with strings1 and plucked, it gave out a wonderful sound, harmonious2 and pleasing to the ear.

　　Gong Zhiqiao thought this was the finest instrument in the world, so he presented it to the Tai Chang Si Qing (a high official in charge of rites3 and protocol4 of the ancestral temple) who had it examined by an imperial musician, but the musician disdained5 to have a look at it. He only said "Not ancient!" and returned the instrument.

　　Gong Zhiqiao had to take it home and asked a lacquerer to paint many crackles on the instrument in imitation of an ancient qin, and asked a sculptor6 to carve on it some inscriptions7 of ancient scholars. Then he put it in a box and buried it underground.

　　After one year, Gong Zhiqiao took out the instrument from underground, and went to the market to sell it. It happened that an influential8 personage was passing by. He bought it with 100 pieces of gold and presented it to the imperial court. The imperial musicians vied with each other to look at it and praised in unison9:

　　"Ah! It is indeed a rare stringed musical instrument in the world!"

　　工之侨得到一块优质的桐木料，用它制作了一把琴，安上琴弦，一弹，发出金玉一般的声音，和谐悦耳。

　　工之侨自以为这是世界上最好的一把琴了。于是，他就拿去献给太常寺卿。太常让皇家的乐工检验，乐工却不屑一顾，说:“不古。”把琴还给了他。

　　工之侨只好把琴拿回家，让漆工仿古，在琴上漆出许多裂纹，又让雕匠在琴上刻了古人的题字，然后装进匣子，埋在地下。

　　一年之后，工之侨把琴从地下取出来，赶到集市上去卖。有位显贵之人正好路过，出百金买下了这把琴，并把它献给了朝廷。乐工们捧着这把琴，争相传看，竟然齐声称赞：

　　“啊，真是世上少有的珍琴!”

　　民间故事：才高八斗

　　Tsau Pi and Tsau Jr were sons of Tsau Tsau. Both were very gifted writers, and Tsau Jr was especially quick-witted.

　　After Tsau Tsau's death, Tsau Pi took over the throne of the kingdom of wei. Jealous of Tsau Jr's literary ability, and afraid that he might cause problems, Tsau Pi was always looking for a way to kill his brother.

　　One day, Tsau Pi called Tsau Jr into see him. He ordered his brother to make up a poem within the time it took to walk seven steps, adding that if he could not, his life would be in danger.

　　Greatly saddened, Tsau Jr began to walk and to think. Before he had taken the seven steps, he had already finished his poem, the meaning of which was: "Brothers are of the same family, so why should the oppress each other?"

　　Tsau Jr was very intelligent and loved to study. He wrote many outstanding articles which showed his artistic1 talent and earned him the admiration2 of many people. One scholar said of him: "Heaven gave the world ten decalitres of talent, and Tsau Jr alone has eight of them."

　　Today, to say that a person "has eight decalitres of talent" is to say that he has a great aptitude3 for writing.

　　曹丕与曹植都是曹操的儿子，二者均有才华，特别是曹植更具文采。

　　在曹操死后，曹丕继任大统，但他嫉妒曹植的才华，同时也惧怕曹植会谋反，所以一直在伺机杀害曹植。

　　有一天，曹丕要求接见曹植，他要求曹植在他七步之内作诗一首，如果做不到，就会有生命危险。

　　悲愤之下，曹植急中生智，作出七步诗，是的意思就是“本来就是亲兄弟，为什么要这样步步紧逼，伤及感情?”

　　曹植文采俱佳，热爱学习，他曾做过不少才华横溢的文赋，均令世人感叹不已。曾有一位学者说道：“如若天下文采共有十斗，曹植一人独占八斗。”

　　今天，如果我们说一个人“才高八斗”，就是指他“才华横溢，很有文采”。