The Original Text and Translation of Ma Shuo in Classical Chinese

Where there is Bole, there is a swift horse. A thousand miles away, there are not many boles. Therefore, although there is a famous horse, it is only humiliated by a slave, and it is not called a thousand miles to die in a trough.

A horse can travel thousands of miles, and a stone can eat it all. Horse eaters don't know that they can eat thousands of miles. This is a horse. Although it has the ability to travel thousands of miles, it looks beautiful only because of lack of food and physical strength, and it is impossible to wait with an ordinary horse. Why not ask it to travel thousands of miles?

If you don't follow the way, you can't make the best use of it, but if you sing it, you can't understand its meaning. If it is implemented, we must face it and say, "There are no horses in the world!" Oh! Is it really innocent? I really don't understand horses!

Translation:

Only when there is Bole in the world can there be a swift horse. There are often swift horses, but Bole is not often. Therefore, even if there is a swift horse, it can only be humiliated in the hands of servants and die side by side with ordinary horses in the stable. It cannot be called a swift horse.

A horse that travels thousands of miles a day can sometimes eat a stone at a meal. People who feed horses don't know how to feed them according to their appetite. Even if such a horse has the ability to travel thousands of miles a day, its food intake and physical strength are insufficient, and its talent and good quality cannot be shown. If you want to be like an ordinary horse, how can you ask it to walk thousands of miles a day?

Pushing it, but not feeding it in the right way, is not enough for it to exert its talents, but listening to its cry, it is impossible to understand its meaning. Instead, he walked up to it with a whip and said, "There is no swift horse in the world!" Alas! Is there really no maxima? I'm afraid they really don't know maxima!

Extended data:

First, the creative background

Ma Shuo was written in the 11th year of Zhenyuan (795) to the 16th year (800). At that time, Han Yuchu's career was unsuccessful. I wrote to the Prime Minister three times to ask for permission, and as a result, I was on standby for more than 40 days, but my ambition couldn't get through and I couldn't talk about it.

Despite this, Han Yu declared that he was "concerned about the country and the people" and would not hide in the mountains. Attached to the curtain of Dong Jin, the ambassador of Xuanwu, and Zhang Jian, the ambassador of Wuning, it was not adopted.

Later, they were attached to some scenes of our time. In addition, the traitors in the DPRK are in power and the politics is dark, so talents are ignored and frustrated.

Second, appreciate

Ma Shuo is an argumentative essay, which is like an allegory rather than an allegory. Using metaphor to debate can't clearly express opinions, nor can it impose personal opinions on readers.

The author describes the experience of Maxima with image thinking, presents facts, saves pen and ink to tell the truth, and uses function words (auxiliary words, exclamations and conjunctions) in ancient Chinese, which embodies the interest and artistic conception of singing and sighing.

Bole's allusions have been quoted by Han Yu many times (see Preface to Letter of Recommendation, Sending Wen He Yang), which shows that Han Yu's fate is bumpy.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Ma Shuo