..續本文上一頁長)子良得了個兒子越椒，令尹子文就去看這新生兒，未到屋內，,聽見嬰兒的哭聲，他不由皺起了眉頭，等看過了嬰兒，令尹子文就對司馬子良說﹕「這孩子不可以把他養大！他生成一副熊虎的樣子，聲音又像豺狼嚎叫，這是心性殘忍的大凶之人；你如果把他養大了，他將會導至我們若敖氏這一家族覆滅。俗話說﹕『狼子野心。』這是一匹會吃人的狼啊！怎麼可以養他？」子良不同意這麼做，子文就起了很大的憂慮。到他老了快死的時候，他召集了族人來，說﹕「如果越椒當權主政時，你們一定要趕快搬離，以免惹上災。」一面忍不住哭了起來﹕「我們若敖氏的祖先恐怕要沒有子孫奉祀了哇！」
During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, Zi Wen, the prime minister of the State of Chu, was renowned for his virtue. When his younger brother, General Zi Liang, had his son Yue Jiao, Minister Ziwen went to visit the newborn baby. Before entering the room, he heard the baby cry, raised his brows, and after seeing the baby, said to General Zi Liang, "You must not raise this boy. He has the looks of a bear or tiger, and his voice sounds like a jackal”s howl. He is cruel and vicious. If you raise him, he will bring disgrace to our Ruo Ao clan. He has the wild, ambitious heart of a wolf. He”s a man-eating wolf. How can you raise him
" When Zi Liang did not agree with him, Zi Wen became very worried. When he was old and near death, he summoned his kinsmen and told them, "If Yue Jiao ever comes to power, you must quickly move away to avoid calamity." He couldn”t help but weep as he said, "The ancestors of Ruo Ao may not have any descendants left to worship them!"
子文死後，兒子鬥般繼任令尹，後來越椒也繼父位做了司馬，越椒就謀同他的部屬伯贏殺掉鬥般，自立爲令尹，並封伯贏做司馬；不久越椒又忌諱伯贏的勢力，索性發動若敖家族的兵力，圍殺伯贏，更一不做二不休地攻打起楚王。楚王要求講和，願意用叁個王子做人質，可是越椒並沒答應，楚王只好和若敖家開戰。越椒仗著藝高人膽大，兩次發箭射楚王，竟然都沒射中，軍隊就有了怯意。楚王利用這機會，鼓舞自己的部隊說﹕「先王當年征服息國時，獲得叁支神箭，被越椒偷去兩支，現在他已經沒有了，我們可以反攻了！」一時士氣大振，于是滅掉了若敖氏一家。
After Zi Wen died, his son Dou Ban inherited his position as minister. Later when Yue Jiao inherited his father”s position as general, he plotted with his subordinate, Bai Ying, to murder Dou Ban and usurp the minister”s position for himself, making Bai Ying the general. Shortly afterwards Yue Jiao became envious of Baiying”s power, so he dispatched the Ruo Ao clan”s troops to ambush and kill him. Then he went on and attacked the King of Chu. The King of Chu wanted to reach a settlement and offered three of his princes as hostage, but Yue Jiao did not agree, so he had no choice but to go to battle with the troops of Ruo Ao. Although Yue Jiao was bold and skilled in archery, when both of the arrows he shot at the King of Chu missed their target, his troops lost confidence. The King of Chu took advantage of their hesitation and urged his own troops on, saying, "When our ancestral king conquered the country, he obtained three pine arrows. Yue Jiao stole two of them, but now he”s lost them and we can counter-attack." In a burst of bravado, they annihilated the Ruoao clan.
幸好當時子文有個孫子正奉派出使齊國，在回程中聽見亂事，不顧他人好意勸阻，仍然回國交差，並且綁了自己，到司敗(大法官，相當于司法部長)那兒待罪。楚王想到子文治理楚國的功勞，便說﹕「假若讓子文這樣的賢人就此絕了後代，如何能鼓勵人向善呢？」于是乎赦免他的罪，又恢複他的官職，若敖一家才沒有完全絕種。
It just so happened that one of Zi Wen”s grandsons had been away in the State of Qi on a diplomatic mission. On his way home he heard about the fighting, and not listening to the friendly advice of others, he returned home to report on his mission, then tied himself up and went to the head judge to receive his punishment. The King of Chu, thinking of Zi Wen”s merit in governing the State of Chu, said, "If a person as worthy as Zi Wen had no descendants left, how could later generations be inspired to goodness
" Thereupon the King granted him amnesty and allowed him to retain his position. In that way, the Ruo Ao clan was not completely wiped out.
西漢末年，有個篡漢自立爲帝的王莽。在王莽還未竊國之前，他總是裝得很謙恭文雅，因此瞞過很多人。有一回，一個走江湖賣藝的人應召入宮表演；有人就問他王莽的相貌好不好？這走江湖的人就品論說﹕「他是個鸱枭眼、老虎嘴，又豺狼聲的人，所以不但會吃人，最後也終將被人所殺！」果然王莽在弒帝篡漢之後，終于又敗亡，由光武帝中興了漢朝，是爲東漢。
At the end of the Western Han dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the throne and made himself King. Before he became a traitor, he had always put on a pretense of humility and refinement, and he fooled many people. Once, a street hawker was invited into p…
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