親賢臣,遠小人,此先漢所以興隆也;親小人,遠賢臣,此后漢所以傾頹也。
The emperors of the Western Han chose their courtiers wisely, and their dynasty flourished. The emperors of the Eastern Han chose poorly, and they doomed the empire to ruin.
(6) flourish 本意指“植物等茁壯成長”,后引申為“to develop well and be successful”“發展良好或取得成功”,也就是我們常說的“興盛,繁榮”。
The economy is booming and small businesses are flourishing.
經濟開始興盛,小企業也開始繁榮起來。
(7) doom,“to make someone or something certain to fail, die, be destroyed etc.”“使某人或某事注定失敗、死亡或被毀滅”。常用搭配為be doomed to do sth.“注定要做……”
We are all doomed to die in the end.
我們最終注定要死亡。
先帝在時,每與臣論此事,未嘗不嘆息痛恨于桓、靈也。
Whenever the late Emperor discussed this problem with me, he lamented the failings of Emperors Huan and Ling.
(8) lament “to express feelings of great sadness about something”,“對……感到悲痛”。
The nation lamented the death of its great leader.
整個國家都在為偉大領袖的逝世感到悲痛。
……
臣本布衣,躬耕于南陽,茍全性命于亂世,不求聞達于諸侯。
I began as a common man, farming in my fields in Nanyang, doing what I could to survive in an age of chaos. I never had any interest in making a name for myself as a noble.
(9)make a name,“If you make a name for yourself or make your name as something, you become well-known for that thing.”指“(因……)而出名”。
He made his name with several collections of short stories.
他因幾本短篇故事集而名聲大噪。
先帝不以臣卑鄙,猥自枉屈,三顧臣于草廬之中,咨臣以當世之事,由是感激,遂許先帝以驅馳。
The late Emperor was not ashamed to visit my cottage and seek my advice. Grateful for his regard, I responded to his appeal and threw myself into his service.
……
先帝知臣謹慎,故臨崩寄臣以大事也。
The late Emperor always appreciated my caution and, in his final days, entrusted me with his cause.
(10) entrust,“to make someone responsible for doing something important, or for taking care of someone”,“讓某人負責做某件重要的事或負責照顧某人”,即“把某人或某事托付給……”。
When managers entrust employees with important decisions, they signal their respect for those employees.
當經理讓員工負責做一些重要決定時,是在表達對他們的尊重。