(2017Translation) 諧謔

Original Script

昔劉伯龍歷位九卿。貧窶尤甚。將營什一之方。有鬼在傍大笑。又貧人辨得隻瓮。夜宿瓮中。心計曰此瓮賣之。可辦二瓮。自二瓮化而爲四。其利無窮。遂喜而舞。不覺瓮破云。以此觀之。凡人貧富得失。皆有定分。不可以妄求者也。

-昔有一將官畏妻者。以爲天下之貞男。莫我若也。欲試諸人。乃植靑白兩旗於庭。令曰。貞男者赴靑旗。非貞男者赴白旗。於是軍中或左或右。有一卒獨中立不動。怪而問之。對曰。卒妻甞戒卒曰。男子眾會。則必談及女色。愼無往云。故不敢違耳。將官乃下庭。挽而上座曰。今日之事。爾爲將矣。

-有士人畜一妻一妾而摘白鬚者。妾拔白唯謹。而妻惡其欲媚於妾也。去其黑者。一朝白黑俱盡。儼一老婆。經歲不敢出焉。 《芝峯類說.卷十六》

Translation

Student 1 : Sanghoon Na

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Formerly, Liu Bolong had served with the rank of nine excellencies [But] He was extremely poor. He planned to run a business which might bring him 10 percent of profit. There was a goblin beside [him] laughed out loud.

There was another poor man who managed to get a single jar and slept in it. Calculating in his mind, he said, "If I sell this jar [at high price], I would be able to get two jars. Then two jars will be four.... The profits will be limitless." Finally, he jumped for joy and unexpectedly the jar was broken. Judging by this, generally, as for people's poverty and wealth or gains and losses, each has his own lot. Do not be a person who pursues something in vain.

Student 2 : Younès M'Ghari

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Once upon a time, Liu Bolong (Chinese: _) had served posts in nine ministers¹. He was extremly poor and deprived. _______________. There was a ghost at his side laughing heartily. “A poor man also got a jar from nowhere. At night he slept in that jar. In his heart² _________ said: “If you sell this jar you can get two jars. From two jars it will change to four.” That profit was endless. After that, the man was happy and danced. He did not know his jar was broken.” Viewing it with this, for ordinary people, you are poor or rich, you gain or you lose; it is [actually] not something you can rashly pursue.

¹: In other words: "all the highest positions in the government". ²; "In his mind".

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Student 4 : (Write your name)

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Once upon a time, Liu Bolong¹ served nine ministerial posts [but was] extremely poor. He was going to engage in a business [with a] one-tenths margin. A ghost by [his] side gave a big laugh.

[There was] another poor man [who] managed to get a jar. [At] night [he] lodged inside the jar. Reckoning [his] inner thoughts², [he] said: "This jar, [I'll] sell it. [Then I] can manage to get two jars. From two jars [that] transforms and becomes four. This profit [means] no poverty."

Following that [he] was gladdened and therefore danced. [He] did not realize [that he had] smashed the jar.

Seeing it in this [way], ordinarily people gain and lose poverty and wealth. All is apportioned. [It's] not something one can foolishly desire [for].

¹ 劉白龍 – A personage in Tang dynasty poet Sun Yuanyan (孫元晏)'s poem 《宋•劉白龍》 (The State of Song: Liu Bolong), which discusses his poverty (in Volume 767 of the Qing dynasty collection 全唐詩 [The Complete Tang Poems]).

² 心 [K: sim; C: xin], encompassing the physical heart, emotions, and thoughts (see The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "1.1. The Heart-Mind and the Things-Events" for an introduction and Language Log, "Heart-mind" for a discussion of some approaches to translating 心).

Once there was a constable who feared his wife [and] believed [himself the most] loyal man of the world. [Saying] "There is none like me," [he] wished to test everyone. [He] then planted a blue-green and a white flag in [his] courtyard, and giving an order, said: "Those who have no loyalty, go toward the white flag."

To this, among the soldiers some [went] right and some [went] left. There was a lone soldier who stood [in place] and did not move. [The constable,] perplexed, asked him why.

[He] replied, saying, "My wife tested and warned me, saying, '[When] men gather and meet, then [they] have to talk too much about women and sex. Take care [that there is] no going.' [This is] why [I] dare not disobey and that is all."

The constable then came down [into] the courtyard. Rolling up his sleeves and sitting there, he said: "[After] today's affair, you'll be [the constable from now on]."

There was a scholar who kept a wife and a concubine and had a graying beard. The concubine pulled out only white hairs and the wife hated his wishing to curry favor with the concubine. [She] took out his black hairs. One morning [both] white and black hairs were completely gone.

Past [a certain] age, one does not dare deviate [from what is appropriate] from that [age].

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