Once in the land of Chu, there was a man who wanted to cross a river. As he got on the boat, he proudly showed a sword to everyone and said, "This sword was offered to the Dragon King Temple!" Then, he walked to a sharp rock nearby and, with a loud "bang," cut it into two pieces with his sword. Everyone cheered!
在楚地，有一个人想过河。上了船之后，他得意地向大家展示了一把剑，并说：“这把剑是供奉给龙王庙的!”然后，他走到附近一块锋利的岩石边，随着一声响亮的“砰”声，他用剑把它劈成了两半。大家都欢呼起来!
By this time, the wind was blowing and the river was rippling. The man at the front of the boat warned, "Be careful not to fall into the water!" But the man from Chu kept talking about his sword. Suddenly, the wind grew stronger, and his hand didn't hold the sword tightly. The sword fell into the water.
这时，风吹了起来，河面泛起了涟漪。船头的人警告说：“小心别掉到水里!”但这位楚国人仍在谈论他的剑。突然，风变得更大了，他的手没有握紧剑。剑掉进了水里。
The people on the boat were surprised. One said, "What a pity! I have a long stick. Let me see if I can reach the sword in the water and make a mark." Another agreed, "Yes, if the water is shallow, I'll help you get it!"
船上的人都很惊讶。一个人说：“真可惜!我有一根长棍子。让我看看能不能够到水里的剑，并做个记号。”另一个人也同意：“是的，如果水浅的话，我帮你把它捞上来!”
The man from Chu smiled and said, "Thank you, but I have a great idea." He picked up the rock he had cut and drew a line with the sharp edge of it on the side of the boat where the sword dropped. "My sword fell here!" he said proudly.
这位楚国人笑着说：“谢谢你们，但我有个好主意。”他拿起那块被他劈开的岩石，用它的锋利边缘在船舷上剑掉下去的地方划了一条线。“我的剑是从这里掉下去的!”他得意地说。
When the boat finally reached the shore, the man from Chu quickly went to the marked spot and jumped into the water to find his sword. An old lady on the boat shook her head and said, "Alas! This man doesn't understand change. The boat moves, but the sword stays. Things change, and methods must change too. What a silly man!"
当船终于到达岸边时，这位楚国人迅速走到做了记号的地方，跳进水里去找他的剑。船上的一位老太太摇了摇头，说：“唉!这个人不懂变通。船在移动，但剑却留在了原地。事情变了，方法也得变。真是个愚蠢的人啊!”
