一个美国人对“卧薪尝胆”的理解

》》》》》》》》一键领取入口《《《《《《《

The year 2020 has unleashed a tsunami of suffering that continues to engulf much of the world, undoubtedly reverberating throughout the lives of everyone across the globe. In my own personal sphere, I have seen loved ones get furloughed from their jobs under the threat of more permanent layoffs, known friends who contracted COVID-19 (including one hospitalized in serious condition), and watched a restaurant where I marked one of my most memorable evenings with friends close its doors for good. And given that experts have forecast a gloomy outlook for the rest of 2020, it would seem that the global misery wrought by the coronavirus has only just begun.
2020年是灾难的一年，影响了每一个人的生活。就我自身而言，我就亲眼见到身边的人因为工作烦恼。我还有朋友感染了新冠肺炎，其中一个情况还很严重。我和朋友们留下美好记忆的一个餐馆也倒闭了。然而根据专家们的预测，疫情带来的不幸才刚开始。
In trying times like this, I have sought spiritual refuge in stories of resilience amid adversity – such as the tale of Goujian, the king of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period who inspired the Chinese saying woxin changdan, or sleeping on sticks and tasting bile.
在这种艰难时刻， 我开始从故事中寻找精神支持，而其中一个故事就是《卧薪尝胆》。春秋时期越王勾践的故事成就了这个成语。
It all began when Goujian saw his nation defeated by the Kingdom of Wu, whose king, Fuchai, demanded that Goujian become his royal servant. So the Yue king not only lost his crown but also found himself thrust into the lowest rungs of the palace of his enemy, a prisoner to the whims of a man who had destroyed his country. The demeaning work required of Goujian included mucking out manure as well as acting as a kind of personal stable boy to the monarch, from feeding the king’s horses to leading them whenever Fuchai wanted a ride. 
越国被吴国打败，吴王夫差命令勾践做仆人。所以勾践不仅失去了王位，还成了敌人宫殿里最底层的仆人，为吴王养马驾车。
And if you really want to talk about taking crap from someone, consider Goujian's most legendary deed during his three years serving Fuchai: He tasted the Wu king’s excrement to diagnose illness in a move to gain the monarch’s trust. As repulsive as it sounds, it so deeply moved Fuchai, who saw the gesture as proof that Goujian had wholeheartedly submitted himself in service, that the king set him free.
勾践最有名的做法就是为夫差尝排泄物，判断夫差身体情况，赢取对方信任。三年后夫差相信勾践诚心归顺，放他回了越国。
When Goujian returned home, he resolved to rebuild his country and see the Kingdom of Yue rise again. To fuel his determination, he adhered to an ascetic lifestyle so he would never forget all of the humiliation and pain he had endured as a servant to Fuchai, best summed up in the words woxin changdan — sleeping on sticks and tasting bile. He preferred an uncomfortable bed on the floor made of sticks. And he hung a gall bladder in his room, so he could taste the bitter flavor of bile every day. Over 10 years of his leadership, the Kingdom of Yue emerged as a strong and prosperous nation — one that eventually struck back and ultimately conquered its adversary, the Kingdom of Wu.
勾践回国后着手重建越国。为了不忘记自己受过的屈辱，他卧薪尝胆，十年后越国强盛，打败了吴国。
Despite the indignities he experienced at the hands of Fuchai, from the crushing loss of his country to the mortifying years of serving the king, Goujian was never beaten down by hardship. After surviving and returning home, he harnessed that traumatic experience to ignite his determination to achieve his goals. 
尽管在吴国受尽屈辱，但勾践从未被打败。他回国后将这些经历转化为决心，并最终达到了目标。
In distressing times, I often whisper the phrase woxin changdan to remind myself that from great suffering can come great redemption, as long as I weather the storm and don’t let go of my own dreams.
我经常在消极的时候用卧薪尝胆这个故事提醒自己，不要放弃。
I’d like to think that Goujian would have approved of that acclaimed aphorism attributed to the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
我觉得勾践的故事和德国哲学家尼采的话有异曲同工之妙：杀不死我的，只会让我更强大。