Click on the Chinese to show the corresponding English translation. Click the Chinese again to hide the English. Here’s a cool Chrome extension that translates individual Chinese characters if you mouse over them.

A note on translation style: I try to stick as close to the literal meaning of the Chinese and try to reflect the underlying Chinese grammatical structures (ie compound sentences stay compound and dependent clauses stay dependent clauses) while making the English sound natural to native English speakers.

Idioms

刻船求剑

楚国有个人乘船渡江。剑从船上掉进水里了。这个人便急忙在船边刻下一个记号，说：”这是我的剑掉下去的地方。” 然后就悠闲地等着船靠岸。船靠岸停下来以后，他就从刻记号的地方跳进水里去找剑，可是再也没有找到剑。

Marking a Boat to Retrieve a Sword

In the state of Chu there was a man who was traveling by boat across a river. his sword fell from the boat into the water. So this man hastily carved a mark into the boat’s side and said, “This is where my sword fell into the water.” Then he leisurely waited for the boat to reach shore. After the boat reached shore and stopped, he jumped into the water according to the carved mark looking for the sword, but he never found the sword.

idiomatic meaning: an action made pointless by changed circumstances

曹冲称象

曹冲的父亲曹操是个大官。一次孙权送给他一只大象，他很想知道这只大象有多重，就叫他手下的官员想办法把大象称一称。这可是一件难事。大象是陆地上最大的动物。怎么称法呢？

那时候没有那么大的秤，人也没有那么大的力气把大象抬起来。官员们都围着大象发愁，谁也想不出称象的办法。正在这个时候，跑出来一个小孩子，站到大人面前说：”我有办法，我有办法！”官员们一看，原来是曹操的小儿子曹冲，一个五、六岁的小孩子。他叫人牵了大象，跟着他到河边去。

他的父亲，还有那些官员们都想看看他到底怎么个称法，一起跟着来到河边。河边正好有只空着的大船，曹冲说：”把大象牵到船上去。”大象上了船，船就往下沉了一些。曹冲说：”齐水面在船帮上划一道记号。”记号划好了以后，曹冲又叫人把大象牵上岸来。这时候大船空着，大船就往上浮起一些来。

接下来曹冲叫人挑了石块，装到大船上去，挑了一担又一担，大船又慢慢地往下沉了。”行了，行了！”曹冲看见船帮上的记号齐了水面，就叫人把石块又一担一担地挑下船来。

这时候，大家明白了：石头装上船和大象装上船，那船下沉到同一记号上，可见，石头和大象是同样的重量；再把这些石块称一称，把所有石块的重量加起来，得到的总和不就是大象的重量了吗？大家都说，曹冲真聪明！

Cáo Chōng Weighs an Elephant

Cáo Chōng’s father Cáo Cāo was a senior government official. One time Sūn Quán sent him an elephant. He really wanted to know how much this elephant weighed so he told the officials under him to think of a way to weigh the elephant. But there was a problem. Elephants were the largest animals. How to weigh them then?

At that time there was no scale big enough, and people also didn’t have the strength to lift an elephant. The government officials all surrounded the elephant in worry. No one could think of a way to weigh the elephant. Just at this time, a child ran out, stood in front of the elephant, and said, “I have a way. I have a way!” The government officials saw he actually Cáo Cāo’s son Cáo Chōng, a five-, six-year-old child. He told them to lead the elephant and follow him to the river.

His father and those government officials all wanted to see just how he’d weigh it so they came to the river bank. It just so happens that there was a big, empty boat at the river bank. Cáo Chōng said, “Draw a mark on the boat’s side level with the water’s surface.” After the mark was drawn Cáo Chōng also told people to lead the elephant onto the shore. At this time the boat was empty and floated up a bit.

Next Cáo Chōng told people to carry over stones and put them in the boat. Bucket after bucket of stones were carried over, and the big boat slowly ank again. “Okay, okay!” Cáo Chōng saw the mark on the ship’s side was level with the water’s surface and told people to carry bucket after bucket of stones off the boat.

At this time, everyone understood. Loading the elephant and stones onto the boat until the boat sank to the same mark, it was clear that the stones and the elephant were the same weight. By weighing these stones and adding up all these stones’ weights, wasn’t the resulting sum the elephant’s weight? Everyone said Cáo Chōng was really smart!

黔驴技穷

黔中道这个地方原本没有驴子，有个喜好多事的人用船运载了一头驴进入黔地。运到后却没有什么用处，便把它放置在山下。老虎见到它，（一看）（原来）是个巨大的动物，把它当作神奇的东西。于是隐藏在树林中偷偷看它。老虎渐渐地走出来接近它，十分小心谨慎，不知道它是什么东西。

一天，驴子一声长鸣，老虎非常害怕，远远地逃走；认为驴子将要咬自己，非常恐惧。然而老虎来来往往地观察它，觉得驴子好像没有什么特殊的本领似的；渐渐地习惯了它的叫声，又靠近它前前后后地走动；但老虎始终不敢和驴子搏击。慢慢地，老虎又靠近了驴子，态度更为随便，碰擦倚靠、冲撞冒犯它。驴非常愤怒，用蹄子踢老虎。老虎因此而欣喜，盘算此事，心想到：”（驴子的）本领只不过如此罢了！”于是跳跃起来，大声吼叫，咬断驴的喉咙，吃完了它的肉，才离去。

后来，大家就把这只驴子在黔地被老虎吃掉的这个故事演变成”黔驴之技”这句成语，比喻人有限的一点本领已经用完。也说”黔驴技穷”

The Guizhou Donkey’s Exhausted Skill

There were originally no donkeys in Guizhou province’s roads. Some people who liked to be meddlesome used a ship to transport a donkey into Guizhou. They didn’t have a use for the donkey after they transported him, so they put him at the bottom of a mountain.

A tiger met the donkey, saw it was actually a huge animal, and treated it as a mystical object. Thus, he hid in the forest secretly looking at him. The tiger gradualy walked near him being extremely cautious and timid not knowing what he was.

One day the donkey gave a long cry. The tiger was very scared and ran far away. He thought the donkey was going to bite him and was very frightened. However, the tiger watched him from time to time and thought it seemed the donkey didn’t have any special abilities. He became used to the donkey’s cries and once again approached him and walked around back and forth. But the tiger didn’t dare to fight the donkey. The tiger slowly approached the donkey, his attitude became more casual, he bumped the donkey, and offended him. The donkey was extremely angry and used his hoofs to kick the tiger. As a result, the tiger was actually happy. He calculated these things and thought to himself, “That’s all the donkey’s abilities!” Thus the tiger leapt out, howled loudly, bit off the donkey’s throat, and left only after eating his flesh.

Afterwards, everyone made this story of the donkey being eaten by a tiger in Guizhou the “Guizhou’s donkey’s skill” idiom, a metaphor for someone’s limited ability having been used up. It’s also called “the Guizhou donkey’s exhausted skill.”

揠苗助长

　　宋国有个农夫，种了稻苗后，便希望能早早收成。每天他到稻田时，发觉那些稻苗长得非常慢。他等得不耐烦，心想：”怎么样才能使稻苗长得高，长很快呢?想了又想，他终了想到一个”最佳方法”，就是将稻苗拨高几分。经过一番辛劳后，他满意地扛锄头回家休息。然后回去对家里的人表白：”今天可把我累坏了，我帮助庄稼苗长高一大截！” 他儿子赶快跑到地里去一看，禾苗全都枯死了。

Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them

In the Song dynasty there was a farmer who planted rice seedlings and hoped to harvest them early. Everyday when he came to the rice paddy, he discovered that these rice seedlings grew extremely slowly. He felt impatient and thought to himself, “How can I cause the rice seedlings to grow tall and fast?” He thought and thought and finally thought of the best method which was to rake the rice seedlings up a bit. After going through a bout of labor, he satisfactorily carried his hoe home to rest. After that he returned home and told his family members, “Today tired me out. I helped the rice seedlings grow a big chunk!” His son quickly ran to the field to see. All the seedlings had withered.

守株待兔

　　宋国有个农民正在耕田。田边有棵大树桩，一只兔子飞奔过来，不小心撞在树桩上，折断脖子死了。这个农民无意中得到兔子，十分高兴。从此便放下农具，守在树桩旁边，希望再次得到撞死的兔子。结果，再也没有得到兔子，而他的这种行为却被当作笑话在宋国传开了。

Guarding a Tree Stump Waiting For Rabbits

In the Song dynasty there was a peasant in the process of plowing the field. There was a big tree stum on the side of the field. A rabbit darted across and accidentally hit the tree stump, snapped its neck, and died. This peasant unintentionally got a rabbit and was extremely happy. Since then he put down his farm tools and kept watch on the tree stump hopng to get a dead rabbit again. In the end, he never got another rabbit and his actions became a joke and spread throughout the Song state.

庄周梦蝶

庄周梦见自己变成一只蝴蝶，飘飘然，十分轻松惬意。这时全然忘记了自己是庄周。一会儿醒来，对自己还是庄周十分惊奇疑惑。认真想一想，不知是庄周做梦变成蝴蝶呢，还是蝴蝶做梦变成庄周？

解读：这个故事一般称作”庄周梦蝶”。在一般人看来，一个人在醒时的所见所感是真实的，梦境是幻觉，是不真实的。庄子却以为不然。虽然，醒是一种境界，梦是另一种境界，二者是不相同的；庄周是庄周，蝴蝶是蝴蝶，二者也是不相同的。但庄周看来，他们都只是一种现象，是道运动中的一种形态，一个阶段而已。

Zhuāng Zhōu Dreams of a Butterfly

Zhuāng Zhōu dreamt he became a butterfly. He was elated and completely relaxed and satisfied. At this time he completely forgot he was Zhuāng Zhōu. after a while he woke up and regarded his being Zhuāng Zhōu with complete wonder and doubt. he thought seriously for a bit and didin’t know whether Zhuāng Zhōu dream he was a butterfly or a buttefly dreamt it was Zhuāng Zhōu.

Meaning: this story is usually called “Zhuāng Zhōu Dreams of a Buttefly.” For most people, when a person is awake, everything he hears and feels is real while the dream is a fantasy. Zhuāng Zǐ nonetheless considers otherwise. Although being awake is a state, dreaming is another state; both a different. Zhuāng Zhōu is Zhuāng Zhōu. A buttefly is a butterfly. Both are also different. But Zhuāng Zhōu saw both as only a type of appearance, in truth a form in passing, a phase and nothing more.

愚公移山

太行、王屋两座大山，方圆达七百里，高达七八千丈。它们原来位于冀州的南部、黄河北岸。
北山有个叫愚公的人，年纪将近九十岁了，面对着山居住。愚公苦于山北面道路阻塞，进进出出都要绕远路。于是愚公召集全家人商量说：”我和你们用尽全力铲平两座大山，使它一直通到豫州南部，到达汉水南岸，好吗？”大家纷纷表示赞同他的意见。愚公的妻子提出疑问说：”凭您的力量，连魁父这座土山都削不平，又能把太行、王屋这两座山怎么样呢？况且把土石放到哪里去呢？”大家纷纷说：”把土石扔到渤海的边上，隐土的北面。”愚公于是带领子孙中能挑担子的三个人，凿石头，挖泥土，用箕畚运送到渤海的边上。邻居姓京城的寡妇有个孤儿，刚七八岁，蹦蹦跳跳去帮助他们。冬夏换季，才往返一次呢。

河曲的智叟笑着阻止愚公说：”你太不聪明了。凭你的余年剩下的力气，还不能毁掉山上的一根草，又能把泥土和石头怎么样？”北山愚公长叹一声说：”你思想顽固，顽固到不能改变的地步，还不如寡妇和弱小的孩子。即使我死了，还有儿子在呀；儿子又生孙子，孙子又生儿子；儿子又有儿子，儿子又有孙子；子子孙孙没有穷尽的，可是山不会增加高度，为什么愁挖不平？”河曲智叟没有话来回答。

握着蛇的山神听说了这件事，怕他不停地挖下去，向天帝报告了这件事。天帝被他的诚心感动，命令夸娥氏的两个儿子背走了两座山。一座放在朔方的东部，一座放在雍州的南面。从此，冀州的南部，汉水的北面，没有高山阻隔了。

Yú Gōng Moves Mountains

Tàiháng and Wángwū are two large mountains whose circumference reaches 700 Chinese miles and height reaches seven to eight thousand feet. They were originally situated in southern Jizhou north of the Yellow River.

In the Northern Mountains there was a man called Yú Gōng who was almost 90 years old and lived facing the mountain. Yú Gōng had a hard time from the north side of the mountain’s clogged road. Entering or exiting required winding through distant roads. As a result, Yú Gōng gathered his whole family for a discussion and said, “You and I will use all our strength to level these two mountains and create a road straight to southern Henan province that reaches the Han River’s southern shore, okay?” Everyone expressed their approving opinion one after another. Yú Gōng’s wife raised a question and said, “On the basis of your strength, not even Kuifu Mountain can be scraped flat. How are you going to level Tàiháng and Wángwū mountains? Besides, where will you put the dirt and rocks?” Everyone successively said, “Put the dirt and rocks on the bank of Bohai Sea.” Thus, Yú Gōng led the three among his children who could carry and chisel stones, excavate, and use baskets to carry stones to Bohai Sea’s banks. The widow of the neighbor with the surname of Jing had an orphan, just turned seven-, eight-years-old, who bounced along to help them. Winter and summer passed, and they only made one trip.

A wise man of Hequ county laughingly blocked Yú Gōng and said, “You really aren’t smart. With your remaining years and what’s left of your strength you can’t even destroy a blade of grass on the mountaintop. What can you do to soil and stones?” Yú Gōng of the Northern Mountain sighed and said, “Your thinking is stubborn. Stubborn to the condition of being unchangeable. You’re not even worth the widow and her puny child. Even if I die, my sons will still be here; my sons will bear grandsons, grandsons will bear great-grandchildren. One’s posterity doesn’t have an end, but the mountain won’t increase in height. Why do you worry it can’t be leveled? The wise man of Hequ didn’t have words for an answer.

The mountain spirit Wozhaoshe heard this matter and was afraid people wouldn’t stop digging so he reported this matter to the celestial emperor. The celestial emperor was moved by his sincerity and ordered Kuaeshi’s two sons to carry away the two mountains. One was put in eastern Shuo, one was put in southern Yong province. Since then, southern Hebei and the side north of the Han River didn’t have high mountains separating them.

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dporter/sampler/sampler.html#fps

http://www.utf8-chartable.de/unicode-utf8-table.pl?start=19968&number=1024&htmlent=1