酷兔英语

洗耳恭听 Xǐ ěr gōng tīng



洗耳恭听 Xǐ ěr gōng tīng


       古时候,皇帝尧(Yáo)听说许由(Xǔ Yóu)是个有才能的人,就想把帝位让给他。可是,许由拒绝了,还到山里隐居。尧再次派使者去请他做九州长,这个官职和皇帝差不多。可是,许由要做真正的隐士,又拒绝了。

In Ancient China, Emperor Yao heard Xu You was very talented, and so wished him to succeed to  the throne. However, Xu You refused, and instead retired to live on a mountain. Emperor Yao sent an envoy to ask him to be the governor of the nine states, a position almost identical to that of emperor. Yet, Xu You again refused the request and remained a hermit.


       使者走后,许由觉得使者的话太世俗,污染了自己的耳朵,就到山下的河边洗耳朵。巢父(Cháo Fù)也隐居在山里,他正在河边饮牛,看到许由,就问他在做什么。

After the envoy left, Xu You felt the words of the envoy were too profane, and had polluted his ears. He went down to the river at the base of the mountain to wash his ears. Chao Fu also lived on this isolated mountain. While he put his calf out to drink water, he saw Xu You, and asked him what he was doing.


       许由就把事情的经过告诉了巢父,并且说道:"我听了这样不干净的话,怎么能不赶快洗洗我清白的耳朵呢!"巢父听了,冷笑一声说:"谁让你那么张扬,还洗什么耳朵!算了吧,别脏了我小牛的嘴!"说完,牵着小牛向河上游走了。

Xu You told Chao Fu and said, "I have just heard such profane words, how could I not clean out my pure ears?" Chao Fu laughed grimly, "How are you so widely known and yet still washing your ears? Let it be. Stop polluting my calf's mouth." He then walked away and led his calf upstream.





词语注释:

隐居:(yǐnjū)v. live in seclusion

官职:(guānzhī)n. official position

隐士:(yǐnshì)n. hermit

世俗:(shìsū)a. vulgar

饮牛:(yìnniú)to give a cow water

张扬:(zhāngyáng)v. to show off

意义:

         "洗耳恭听"原意是把耳朵洗干净,恭恭敬敬地听别人讲话。现在也含有讽刺或开玩笑的意味。

Originally "洗耳恭听" meant to listen with all of one's ears.  Now it also has a sarcastic and joking tone.



例句:

1、我本来要洗耳恭听他的来意,谁知道,他说了一小时,我还没弄清楚。
I planned to listen to his purpose with respect. But I still couldn't figure out what he meant after listening for an hour.


2、这么无聊的讲座,还想让人洗耳恭听,怎么可能呢!
What a boring lecture. I intended to listen with respectful intention. But how can I?