一篇篇流传千年的传统故事，有如一朵朵盛开的奇葩，凝结古人智慧，魅力无穷。

捏土造人的女娲、开弓射日的后羿、身老志坚的愚公、代父从军的木兰、英勇救母的沉香、千里寻夫的孟姜女、迁居断杼的孟母、缺乏团结的三个和尚……

他们就像万花筒里倏忽闪现的缤纷图景，在孩童稚嫩的心灵上留下一片瑰丽与神奇。

中英双语《中国传统故事美绘本》精选了中国多个传统故事，根据流传的原貌提炼加工后编写而成。

开启孩子们的心灵，就是开启智慧的宝盒。小小孩童长大成人时，也许还会记起这些故事带给自己的生命智慧和生活哲理。

今天给大家讲述的是中英双语传统故事《孟母三迁》，精美绘图、生动活泼的文字、地道流畅的英文、引人入胜的故事，看孟母三迁都迁到了何处。

上
孟子是中国古代著名的大思想家、教育家。

Mencius was a great thinker and educator in ancient China.



他很小的时候，父亲就去世了，家中十分贫困，全靠母亲一人日夜纺纱织布，才得以维持生活。

His father died when he was still a small child, plunging his family into dire poverty. To support the family, his mother had to work round the clock, spinning yarn and weaving cloth.



孟母是一个勤劳而有见识的妇女，她十分重视对孟子的教育，希望孟子读书上进，将来能成为一个有学问、有德行的人。

Mencius' mother was hard working and knowledgeable. She attached great importance to his education. Good schooling would turn him into a man of great learning and virtue, she believed.

孟子小时候跟其他孩子一样，顽皮好动，经常跟左邻右舍的小伙伴们爬树捉鸟、下河摸鱼， 想着办法玩儿，就是不想刻苦学习。

Mencius was naughty and active during his childhood, just like other children. To catch birds in the trees, or fish in the rivers, with other children in the village was his greatest pleasure, while studying was the last of his concerns.

为了给孟子创造一个良好的成长环境，孟母曾经多次搬家。

To secure a better environment for his growth, his mother moved their house several times.
 


最初，孟子的家住在乡下，家附近有一大片墓地。经常会有身着白色麻衣的人们前来安葬亲人；

At the beginning, the Meng’ s lived in the countryside. Their house stood by a big graveyard, and every now and then people in white sackcloth would come to attend the funerals of their relatives.


   
也常常会有前来上坟扫墓的人在坟前跪拜祭祀。

Others might also come to visit the graves of their deceased and offer sacrifices.


 
年幼的孟子觉得很有趣，于是常常和小伙伴们玩筑坟墓或学别人哭拜的游戏。

Taking great interest in all these events, the young Mencius would often join other children to play, copying their games in the courtyard.

这天，孟子和小伙伴们又开始玩起了这个游戏。

One day, Mencius and several other children were playing such a game.



他们模仿大人，用土垒起了一个“小坟墓”, 插“花圈”, 摆“祭品”, 还像模像样地跪的跪，拜的拜，焚香燃烛，假装哭号。

Mimicking the grown-ups, they carried earth to build a “grave”. Apart from decorating it with “wreaths” and “sacrificial offerings” , they knelt down and kowtowed before the grave with an air of importance. They also burned joss sticks and candles, and wept, mimicking the adults.

孟母正在家织布，突然听到屋外一片孩子们的哭号声，吓了一跳， 跑出去一看，原来他们正在玩办丧事的游戏。

Mencius’ mother was weaving at home, when the weeping of the children startled her. Putting down her work, she ran out of the house, only to see the children amusing themselves with a fake funeral.



孟母皱起了眉头，心想： 孩子年幼无知，见什么学什么，我们可不能再住在这里了！

She frowned and pondered. “We should not live here any longer,” she concluded, believing that such a small child was being naive to copy whatever he saw.

于是，孟母带着孟子搬到集镇上。

So Mencius’ mother decided to move their house to a town.



集镇上有好多店铺，有各式各样的商品，人来人往，车水马龙，十分热闹。

It was a busy town bustling with activity. Shops and stalls dotted the roadsides, selling all kinds of things; and the streets were crowded with people and vehicles, hurrying to and fro.

孟子觉得兴奋又好奇。

All this excited Mencius, and aroused his curiosity.

日子久了，孟子耳濡目染，也和邻居的孩子们学着摆摊儿。

As time passed, Mencius began to copy what he frequently saw and heard.

有的扮成小商贩，叫卖吆喝；有的则扮成顾客，讨价还价。

He and other children in the neighborhood put up a stall and disguised themselves as peddlers and customers. The“peddlers” touted for business with the “customers” bargaining.

孟母见了，又皱起了眉头 ,“看来，这个地方也不适合我的孩子居住！”

Mencius’ mother saw it all. “Neither is this the place for us to live,” she concluded.

孟母又一次带着孟子搬家了。

The Meng’ s moved out of the town.
(To be continued.)

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