中国故事23 The Spear and the Shield

中国故事23 The Spear and the Shield自相矛盾

In one town in old China, there lived a proud merchant. He owned a small store in the busy market. On one side of his store were beautiful, straight spears. On the other side, were hard, strong shields. At this  time, China was often at war with itself. The merchant knew soldiers needed spears for fighting and shields for protecting themselves. The market was filled with shops and shoppers. There were restaurants, fruit stands, clothing stores, and more. There was even another store that also sold spears and shields. The owner of that store was the proud merchant’s rival. Every week, the merchant sold a few spears and a few shields. But he was not happy. All the other stores were busier than his store. Even worse, his rival’s store had more customers. The merchant thought long and hard about how to get more customers to his store.Like a soldier, the merchant knew he had to be stronger than his rival. He stared at his spears and shields, thinking. Suddenly, he had an idea. He picked up a spear and a shield and marched out into the street. He held up the spear and danced around. “Look at this spear!” he yelled. “My spear is the best in China! It is made from the best wood in the world! The metal is so strong that it can pierce anything!” A crowd soon gathered around him. Even his rival came over to see what was happening. “Look at this shield!” the proud merchant continued. He lifted it up to catch the sunlight. “My shield is the best in China! It is made from the strongest metal in the world! It is so solid that nothing can pierce it!” The crowd grew bigger. “Ooh! Aah!” they said, admiring the merchant’s spear and shield. The merchant’s rival walked up to him. “You say that your spear can pierce anything,and that nothing can pierce your shield,” said his rival. “That is correct,” replied the merchant confidently. “What will happen if I stab your shield with your spear?” asked his rival. The question surprised the merchant. He stopped dancing. He lowered his spear. He lowered his shield. He knew that the claims were untrue. There could not be both a spear that can pierce anything and a shield that cannot be pierced by anything. The merchant didn’t know what to say. So, he hung his head in shame, closed his store, and went home.

The End

Question: Why did the merchant lie about his spears and shields?

核心词汇

merchant n. 商人spear n. 矛shield n.盾stand n. 摊rival n. 对手customer n. 顾客march v. （快步）行走pierce v. 刺穿，刺破crowd n. 人群solid adj. 坚固的admire v. 钦佩stab v. 刺，戳claim n. 声称，断言

以下翻译来自百度翻译：在旧中国的一个城镇里，住着一位骄傲的商人。他在繁忙的市场上开了一家小店。在他的商店的一边是漂亮的直矛。另一边是坚固的盾牌。在这个时候，中国经常与自己交战。商人知道士兵们需要长矛作战，需要盾牌保护自己。市场上挤满了商店和购物者。那里有餐馆、水果摊、服装店等等。甚至还有另外一家商店也出售长矛和盾牌。那家商店的老板是骄傲商人的对手。每个星期，商人都会卖几支矛和几块盾牌。但他并不快乐。其他所有的商店都比他的商店忙。更糟糕的是，他的竞争对手的商店有更多的顾客。这位商人花了很长时间和精力思考如何让更多的顾客进入他的商店。就像一名士兵一样，他知道他必须比他的对手更强大。他盯着自己的矛和盾思考。突然，他有了一个主意。他拿起长矛和盾牌，大步走到街上。他举起长矛，跳起舞来。“看这把矛！”他喊道。“我的矛是中国最好的！它是用世界上最好的木材制成的！这种金属非常坚固，可以穿透任何东西！”人群很快聚集在他周围。甚至他的对手也过来看看发生了什么。“看这个盾牌！”骄傲的商人继续说。他把它举起来晒太阳。“我的盾是中国最好的！它是由世界上最坚固的金属制成的！它是如此坚固，没有任何东西能穿透它！”人群越来越大。“哦！啊！”他们说，欣赏着商人的矛和盾。商人的对手向他走来。他的对手说：“你说你的矛可以刺穿任何东西，任何东西都不能刺穿你的盾牌。”。“没错，”商人自信地回答。“如果我用你的长矛刺穿你的盾牌会怎么样？”他的对手问道。这个问题使商人大吃一惊。他停止了跳舞。他放下长矛。他放下盾牌。他知道这些说法是不真实的。不可能既有能刺穿任何东西的矛，也有不能被任何东西刺穿的盾。商人不知道该说什么。于是，他羞愧地低下头，关了店，回家了。