【簡短版】
Plugging One’s Ears While Stealing a Bell
掩耳盜鈴
Once upon a time, there was a man who wanted to steal his neighbor’s doorbell. However, he knew clearly that the bell would ring and catch the other people’s attention as long as he touched the bell. So he thought hard and suddenly hit on a clever “idea”. He plugged his ears with something, thinking that everything would go well when he stole the bell. Unfortunately to his disappointment, the bell still rang loudly and he was caught on the spot as a thief.
從前,有一個人想偷鄰居門上的鈴,但是他知道一碰到鈴,鈴就會響起來,被人發(fā)現(xiàn)。他想啊想,終于他想出一個“妙極”,他把自己的耳朵用東西塞起來,就聽不見鈴聲了。但是當他去偷鈴時,鈴聲仍舊響起來,他被別人當場抓住。
【繪聲繪色版】
Covering One's Ears While Stealing a Bell
掩耳盜鈴
Mr. Wang thinks he is clever, but he always does foolish things.
王先生總以為自己很聰明,實際上他總干傻事。
One day he sees a beautiful bell at the top of a door. "Oh! How nice! I will take it home." He thinks, "What can I do?" After a while he has a "good" idea. "Aha! I have an idea now. I can plug my ears. Then I will not hear the ring when I take off the bell."
一天,他看見一戶人家的門頭有個很漂亮的鈴鐺。"啊,真漂亮啊!我要把它拿回家去。"他自言自語道:"我該怎么做呢?"過了一會兒他想到了一個"好"主意。"啊哈!我有辦法了!我把耳朵堵上,拿鈴鐺的時候就聽不見鈴聲了。"
Then he does so. But as soon as he takes off the bell, the owner opens the door. "What are you doing?" the owner says angrily.
于是他就這樣做了??墒撬麆偰孟骡忚K,屋子的主人就打開門,怒氣沖沖地說:"你在干什么?"
【刨根問底版】
Covering One's Ears While Stealing a Bell
掩耳盜鈴
At the time when Fan, a nobleman of the state of Jin, became a fugitive, a commoner found a bell and wanted to carry it off on his back.
春秋時侯,晉國貴族智伯滅掉了范氏。有人趁機跑到范氏家里想偷點東西,看見院子里吊著一口大鐘。鐘是用上等青銅鑄成的,造型和圖案都很精美。小偷心里高興極了,想把這口精美的大鐘背回自已家去。
But the bell was too big for him.
可是鐘又大又重,怎么也挪不動。
When he tried to knock it into pieces with a hammer there was a loud clanging sound.
他想來想去,只有一個辦法,那就是把鐘敲碎,然后再分別搬回家。小偷找來一把大錘,拼命朝鐘砸去,咣的一聲巨響,把他嚇了一大跳。
He was afraid that someone will hear the noise and take the bell from him, so he immediately stopped his own ears.
小偷著慌,心想這下糟了,這種聲不就等于是告訴人們我正在這里偷鐘嗎?他越聽越害怕,不同自由地抽回雙手,使勁捂住自已的耳朵。
To worry about other people hearing the noise is understandable, but to worry about himself hearing the noise (as if stopping his own ears would prevent other people from hearing) is absurd.
“咦,鐘聲變小了,聽不見了!”小偷高興起來,“妙極了!把耳朵捂住不住就聽不進鐘聲了嗎!”他立刻找來兩個布團,把耳朵塞住,心想,這下誰也聽不見鐘聲了。于是就放手砸起鐘來,一下一下,鐘聲響亮地傳到很遠的地方。人們聽到鐘聲蜂擁而至把小偷捉住了。
【知識小點心】
掩耳盜鈴的故事寓意:
鐘的響聲是客觀存在的,不管你掩不掩耳朵,它總是要響的。凡是要客觀存在的東西,都不依人的主觀意志為轉(zhuǎn)移。有的人對不喜歡的客觀存在,采取不承認的態(tài)度,以為如此,客觀就不存在了,這和?掩耳盜鈴?一樣,都是極端的主觀唯心主義??唯我論的表現(xiàn)。
寓言典故出處:《呂氏春秋·自知》:“百姓有得鐘者;欲負而走;則鐘大不可負;以椎毀之;鐘況然有音。恐人聞之而奪己也。遽揜(掩)其耳。惡人聞之;可也;惡己聞之;悖也。”
雙語例句:
1. The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream.
[諺]掩耳盜鈴;貓偷吃奶油的時候,總是閉著眼睛。
2. Some media said the Fed's action only in self - deception.
有媒體稱美聯(lián)儲的行動只是在掩耳盜鈴。