Listen to this article寓言是一种历史悠久而生命力强大的古老文体，虽多形制短小，却有丰厚的内涵。中国古代寓言大多数以人物故事为载体，说理深刻透辟，包含许多人生智慧。《大中华文库·中国古代寓言选(汉英对照)》从这些先秦著名典籍中编选了许多寓言，同时还收录了后世其他寓言佳作，共选取121篇作品。它们流传广，饱含智慧，对文学创作和语言的发展影响很大。《大中华文库·中国古代寓言选(汉英对照)》英译者为著名文学翻译家杨宪益、戴乃迭先生。
《古代寓言·铁甲》
田赞衣儒衣而见荆王，荆王曰：“先生之衣，何其恶也？”赞对曰：“衣又有恶此者。”荆王曰：“可得而闻耶？”对曰：“甲恶于此”。王曰：“何谓也？”对曰“冬日则寒，夏日则热，衣无恶于甲者矣；赞贫，故衣恶也。今大王万乘之主也，富厚无敌，而好衣人以甲，臣窃为大王不取也。意者为其义耶？甲兵之事折人之首，刳人之腹，堕人城郭，系人子女，其名尤甚不荣；意者为其贵耶？苟虑害人，人亦必虑害之，苟虑危人，人亦必虑危之，其贵人甚不安；之二者，为大王无取焉。”荆无以应也。
——《新序》
On Wearing Armour
One day Tian Zan into the presence of the Prince of Chu in rags.
“You are very shabbily dressed, sir,” remarked the prince.
“There are worse clothes than these,” replied Tian Zan.
“What may they be, pray?”
“Armour is worse.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It is cold in winter and hot in summer; so no clothes are worse than armour. Since I am a poor man, my clothes are naturally shabby; but you are a prince with ten thousand chariots and untold wealth, yet you like to dress men in armour. This is something I cannot understand. Perhaps you are bent on fame? But armour is used in war, when men’s heads are hacked off, their bodies pierced, their cities razed to the ground, and their parents and children tortured—the mere name is rather inglorious. Or perhaps you are bent on gain? But if you try to injure others, others will try to injure you; and if you endanger their lives, they will endanger yours. Thus you will gain nothing but trouble for your own men. If I were you, I would not wage war for either.”
The Prince of Chu had nothing to say to that.
New Discourses (Xin Xu)
（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
