以羊易牛
One day, seated in the ancestral hall, King Hui of Liang saw a man leading an ox pass by. He asked: "Where are you taking the ox?" The man leading the ox stopped and answered: "I am taking it to be slaughtered and will use its blood to paint the bell." As King Hui heard this, he felt pity for the ox and said: "How can that be done? You are too cruel. Let it go at once. It is not guilty. How can you kill it? I cannot bear to see it panic-stricken, shedding tears and trembling before its death." The man leading the ox asked: "Do you mean that I shall let the ox go and not paint the bell? Is that it?" King Hui answered: "What are you saying? How can you not paint the bell! Let the ox go, but use a sheep instead." 一天,梁惠王坐在庙堂上,看到堂下有一个人牵着一头牛走过,便问道:“你把牛牵到哪儿去啊?” 牵牛的人停下来回答说:“我要把这头牛牵去杀掉,用它的血来涂钟。” 惠王听了,对牛十分怜悯,说:“那怎么行呢!你们太残忍了,赶快把牛放掉。它没有罪,怎么能把它杀掉呢?我不忍心看到牛临死前惊恐、流泪、战栗的样子。” 牵牛的人问道:“您的意思是要我把牛放了,不必再涂钟了,是吗?” 惠王回答说:“你在说什么?钟怎么能不涂呢!把牛放了,就换只羊吧!” |