Introduction to Literary Chinese - Lesson 2, Text 1
Adapted from the 1927 book by J. Brandt
不識字
Illiterateness.
山有虎害人畜。
There was a tiger in the mountains who devoured men and cattle.
獵人謀捕虎。設阱以伺之。
Hunters plotted to catch the tiger, and laid a pit-fall in order to way-lay him.
大書牆上曰。
In big characters they wrote upon a wall saying,
下有虎阱。
"Below lies a pit-fall for a tiger.
行人止步。
Let passers-by be careful."
鄉人不識字者。過牆下。
A villager who was an illiterate man was passing under that wall.
誤蹴之。墜阱傷足。
By mistake he trod on it, fell into the pitfall and hurt his leg.
大呼求援。
He shouted loudly for help.
既出。人指牆上書告之。
Once he was dragged out, somebody pointed to the writing and on the wall told him about it.
乃嘆曰。
Then the villager sighed, saying,
吾苟知書豈。至此哉。
"Oh if only I had been able to read, how could it have come to this?"