《前倨后恭》成语英译与典故

五十四、前倨后恭

战国时洛阳城内有户人家，

这天门上大红灯笼高高挂，

酒宴上山珍海味摆齐全，

安排了几班乐手吹又打。

原来被迎接的那人叫苏秦，

他一年之前离开家。

这次他经过家乡到楚国去，

从赵国带来了许多随从和车马。

途中路过洛阳地，

他先把口信捎到家。

父母闻听儿子要回来，

带媳妇走出城门迎接他。

迎出城门三十里，

才见苏秦车与马。

苏秦妻只能从侧面看苏秦，

只能从侧面听苏秦话。

最可笑要算苏秦的老嫂子，

她跪在地上像蛇爬。

爬到了苏秦面前拜几拜，

连声说：“好兄弟，嫂嫂有罪最该打！”

苏秦他坐在车上慢开言：

“好嫂子，今天你这样像个啥？

以前你傲慢又无礼，

只差未把我饿杀。

今天你装出了这般低三下四样，

怎不怕路人见了要笑话？

请起，请起，快请起。

过去的事就让它过去吧！”

嫂嫂低头嗫嗫嚅嚅声不大：

“好兄弟，只因你已经大富贵，

有钱有势叫人怕！”

苏秦闻听此言感慨生，

心中想：势利二字作用大！

想当初，父母拿我当贱坯，

而今天，人人见我都害怕。

苏秦的感慨有原因，

一辈子也不会忘记它：

春秋战国那时候，

战乱频仍危害大。

苏秦曾亲赴秦国劝秦王，

派兵去把六国打，

秦王不听他建议，

他盘缠花光转回家。

脚蹬草鞋穿破袄，

活脱是个穷叫花，

穷困潦倒多难堪，

家里头，见状无人瞧起他。

进门时妻子正织布，

眼睛瞅都不瞅他。

父母见儿子回来了。

根本不与他搭话。

尤其是嫂子最凶恶，

吃饭的时候都不喊他。

只因为苏秦离家出走时，

曾对家人说大话，

他说到秦国见秦王，

帮助秦王平天下。

啥时候佩了相印乘高车，

富贵了再回家来见爹妈。

苏秦是卖了田产出门的，

如今落魄回到家，

家人对他就如此，

亲朋四邻更是差。

都说他是个无用人，

这话刺激实在大。

打那后苏秦丝毫不消沉，

决心反而更加大！

他苦读诗书下工夫，

细密思考看天下。

夜间疲累瞌睡时，

用锥子狠把大腿扎。

终于文章学满腹，

能把天下大事察。

胸中主意拿定后，

苏秦二次离开家。

他先到赵国劝赵王，

赵王非常赏识他。

他提出，六国必须团结紧，

紧密团结力量大。

不怕秦国来侵犯，

有机会可联合起来把秦国打。

赵王听罢很高兴，

就把相印给了他，

还封苏秦为武安君，

赠给他许多车与马，

还有绸缎千匹金万两，

白璧百双更无价，

让苏秦先把五国来联络，

齐心抗秦才威力大。

苏秦他这就是到楚国去，

途经洛阳要回趟家，

才使得家人个个慕又敬，

几十里外去迎接他。

到后来，“前倨后恭”作成语，

常把那势利的眼光来描画，

苏秦虽批评了嫂嫂势利相，

实际上势利思想也侵蚀了他。

他认为人生在世贵与贱，

地位钱财作用大。

这都是封建社会旧思想，

今天可要批判它。

First Supercilious and Then Deferential

During the Warring States Period（475—221B.C.）in the city of Luoyang there lived a household.One day a red lantern was hanging over the main gate and on the banquet table all kinds of costly foods were served，and all around it several music bands were lined up playing.And all this was due to welcome home the man called Su Qin，who was away a year before he was passing his home on his way to the State of Chu，bringing with him a train of servants and a lot of horses and wagons.That he would take the route of Luoyang，was the message he sent home in advance.Hearing that their son would be back home，his parents went to the gate of the city to wel⁃come him with their daughters⁃in⁃law.

They didn't meet Su Qin's carriage and horses，until they were 30 li outside the city gate.Only from one side could Qin's wife watch him and the most ri⁃diculous thing was that elder sister⁃in⁃law of Qin's，who knelt on the ground like a snake crawling.Craw⁃ling to the front of Su Qin and paid him courtesy，and was repeatedly saying：“My good brother，I was guilty and deserved a good beating.”“My good sister⁃in⁃law，see how you are behaving today？Formerly you were proud and impudent to me，and nearly starved me to death.But today you pretended to be deferen⁃tial.Fear not to be sneered at by the passers⁃by？Get up，get up，please get up.Let by⁃gones be by⁃gones.”

His sister⁃in⁃law however did not dare to raise her head.Just kneeling there she murmured，mur⁃mured and murmured：“My good brother⁃in⁃law be⁃cause you are now well off，you have money，you have power and are quite awesome.”

These words set Su Qin to thinking，and he saw how snobbery worked！“In the early days，my par⁃ents regarded me as a disgrace.But at present，eve⁃ryone is in awe at the sight of me.”What Su Qin thought was not without reason，which could be kept in his heart all his life.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods，wars frequently broke out and caused a great deal of hazard.Su Qin went in person to the State of Qin，and tried to persuade the King of Qin State to at⁃tack the other six states，only to find the King of Qin turned a deaf ear to him，and he had used up all his traveling expenses before he reached his home.Wear⁃ing straw sandals and worn⁃out cotton⁃padded coat，he was more like a poor beggar，totally down⁃and⁃out，he was looked down upon when he got home.

His wife was spinning cloth when he passed through the doorway，but to him his wife turned a blind eye.His parents saw him coming back，but kept their mouths shut toward him.As the worst luck would have it，his sister⁃in⁃law was by far the worst.She refused to call him to table at dinner time.It was because when he was leaving home，Su Qin had boas⁃ted to his family，that he would go to the State of Qin，and help the King of Qin to unite the whole country，and wouldn't come back to see his parents until he had received the prime minister's seal.

Su Qin had sold his farmland and properties，and returned home a wretch，and found all his family members turned their backs on him.His neighbours and acquaintances had contempt for him even more.They said that he was a good⁃for⁃nothing，which was quite like a dagger to his heart.

Su Qin was not at all discouraged，but became more determined than ever！He worked hard at the classic prose and poetry，and thought hard to have in⁃sight about the world.When he was tired and dozing at night，he would prick his thigh with an awl.At length he became a man of letters and had an overall idea about the world.

Now Su Qin made up his mind once more，and made his departure from his home for the second time.He now went to the State of Zhao and won over the King.The latter took delight in him.He proposed that the six states should unite，and only in unity did strength lie.The ally could stand firm against Qin State's intrusion and perhaps when time was ripe the ally could attack the State of Qin.The King of Zhao was so pleased to hear him that he offered Su Qin the prime minister's post.And also the King conferred him Duke of Wu'an and presented him with a great number of carriages and horses，plenty of silk and satin，and a big weight of gold and silver，and a hun⁃dred lumps of priceless white jades.

The King then asked Su Qin to liaise with the other five states，and form the alliance to resist the State of Qin.Su Qin would first go to the State of Chu，by way of Luoyang where his family dwelled.Such was the situ⁃ation when his family members awed and respected him，going out of the city a dozen li to greet him.

Later on“First Supercilious and then Deferen⁃tial”became an idiom，which satires those snobbish people.Though Su Qin had criticized his sister⁃in⁃law's snobbery，he himself was etched by the snob⁃bery too.He regarded it of great moment in a lifetime to gain wealth and money and high position instead of other things.These are all feudal ideas，which should be criticized nowadays.