经典英语成语故事:请君入瓮(中英对照)
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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

  Kindly1 Step into the Vat2--Try What You Have Devised against Others
  In order to suppress those who were against her, Wu Zetian, the empress of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), appointed a few merciless persons to be judges. Two of them were extremely brutal3; one was called Zhou Xing and the other was called Lai Junchen. They killed many upright civil and military officials as well as ordinary people by framing up cases against tham and by administering inhuman4 corporal punishment to them.
  Once, Wu Zetian received a letter which informed against Zhou Xing. The letter aside that Zhou Xing was plotting a rebellion in collaboration5 with others. Wu Zetian was furiously angry when she read the letter, and immediately ordered Lai Junchen to deal with the case severely6. Hearing the order, Lai Junchen had misgivings7 about it. He knew that Zhou Xing could not be forced to tell the truth merely by using a letter informing against him because he was very sly and crafty8. Lai Junchen also knew that he would not be for given if he should fail in dealing9 with the case, because the empress would certainly blame him and punish him. How could he solve the problem then? He turned the problem over and over in his mind, and finally thought out a "brilliant scheme".
  Lai Junchen had a sumptuous10 feast prepared, and invited Zhou Xing to his home. The two of them urged each other to drink, and they talked while drinking. After the wine had gone round three times, Lai Junchen pretended to sigh, "When Ihandle cases in ordinary times, I often com across prisoners who stubbournly refuse to admit they are guilty. I wonder if you have any effetive measures." Hearing this, he took a sip11 of the wine. Lai Junchen immediately pretended to be very earnest, saying, "Oh, please do tell me at once." Smiling insidiously12, Zhou Xing said, "Get a big vat, scorch13 it hot with charcoal14 fire all around, and then let the prisoner come into the vat. Will the prisoner fail to make a confession15 of his crime?" Hearing this. LaiJunchen nodded his head in approval repeatedly. He then ordered his subordinates to bring a big vat, and had a charcoal fire lit all around it as Zhou Xing had said. He then turned to Zhou Xing and said, "Someone in the imperial court has informed against you, saying that you are plotting a rebellion. The empress has ordered me to deal with the case severely. So I beg your pardon, but would you kindly step into the "Someone in the imperial court has informed against you, saying that you are plotting a rebellion. The empress has ordered me to deal with the case severely. So I beg your pardon, but would you kindly step into the vat?" Hearing this, Zhou Xing dropped his wine cup to the ground and the cup broke with a crash. Then he knelt down with a flop16, nodded repeatedly and said, "I am guilty. I confess I am guilty."
  This story appears in A General History as a Mirror of Past Events by Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty. From this story, people have derived17 the set phrase "kindly step into the vat -- try what you have devised against others".

唐朝女皇武则天,为了镇压反对她的人,任用了一批酷吏。其中两个最为狠毒,一个叫周兴,一个叫来俊臣。他们利用诬陷、控告和惨无人道的刑法,杀害了许多正直的文武官吏和平民百姓。
  有一回,一封告密信送到武则天手里,内容竟是告发周兴与人联络谋反。武则天大怒,责令来俊臣严查此事。来俊臣,心里直犯嘀咕,他想,周兴是个狡猾奸诈之徒,仅凭一封告密信,是无法让他说实话的;可万一查不出结果,太后怪罪下来,我来俊臣也担待不起呀。这可怎么办呢?苦苦思索半天,终于想出一条妙计。
  他准备了一桌丰盛的酒席,把周兴请到自己家里。两个人你劝我喝,边喝边聊。酒过三巡,来俊臣叹口气说:“兄弟我平日办案,常遇到一些犯人死不认罪,不知老兄有何办法?”周兴得意地说:“这还不好办!”说着端起酒杯抿了一口。来俊臣立刻装出很恳切的样子说:“哦,请快快指教。”周兴阴笑着说:“你找一个大瓮,四周用炭火烤热,再让犯人进到瓮里,你想想,还有什么犯人不招供呢?”来俊臣连连点头称是,随即命人抬来一口大瓮,按周兴说的那样,在四周点上炭火,然后回头对周兴说:“宫里有人密告你谋反,上边命我严查。对不起,现在就请老兄自己钻进瓮里吧。”周兴一听,手里的酒杯啪哒掉在地上,跟着又扑通一声跪倒在地,连连磕头说:“我有罪,我有罪,我招供。”
  故事见于《资治通鉴·唐则天皇后天授二年》。成语“请君入瓮”,比喻用某人整治他自己。



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1 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
2 vat sKszW     
n.(=value added tax)增值税,大桶
参考例句:
  • The office is asking for the vat papers.办事处要有关增值税的文件。
  • His father emptied sacks of stale rye bread into the vat.他父亲把一袋袋发霉的黑面包倒进大桶里。
3 brutal bSFyb     
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的
参考例句:
  • She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
  • They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼,骨子里却是野蛮残忍。
4 inhuman F7NxW     
adj.残忍的,不人道的,无人性的
参考例句:
  • We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
  • It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。
5 collaboration bW7yD     
n.合作,协作;勾结
参考例句:
  • The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
  • He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。
6 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
7 misgivings 0nIzyS     
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧
参考例句:
  • I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
  • Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后, 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧! 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
8 crafty qzWxC     
adj.狡猾的,诡诈的
参考例句:
  • He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
  • He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家,也是个狡黠的独裁者。
9 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
10 sumptuous Rqqyl     
adj.豪华的,奢侈的,华丽的
参考例句:
  • The guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns.客人们身着华丽的夜礼服出现了。
  • We were ushered into a sumptuous dining hall.我们被领进一个豪华的餐厅。
11 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量
参考例句:
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
12 insidiously 18d2325574dd39462e8a55469cb7ac61     
潜在地,隐伏地,阴险地
参考例句:
  • This disease may develop insidiously, with fever as the only clinical manifestation. 这种病可能隐袭发生,仅有发热为其唯一的临床表现。
  • Actinobacillosis develops insidiously in soft tissues. 放线杆菌病是在软组织中呈隐袭性发生的。
13 scorch YZhxa     
v.烧焦,烤焦;高速疾驶;n.烧焦处,焦痕
参考例句:
  • I could not wash away the mark of the scorch.我洗不掉这焦痕。
  • This material will scorch easily if it is too near the fire.这种材料如果太靠近炉火很容易烤焦。
14 charcoal prgzJ     
n.炭,木炭,生物炭
参考例句:
  • We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
  • Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。
15 confession 8Ygye     
n.自白,供认,承认
参考例句:
  • Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
  • The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。
16 flop sjsx2     
n.失败(者),扑通一声;vi.笨重地行动,沉重地落下
参考例句:
  • The fish gave a flop and landed back in the water.鱼扑通一声又跳回水里。
  • The marketing campaign was a flop.The product didn't sell.市场宣传彻底失败,产品卖不出去。
17 derived 6cddb7353e699051a384686b6b3ff1e2     
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取
参考例句:
  • Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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