张丑为质于燕
Zhang Chou Was Used as a Hostage in the State of Yan
【原文】
张丑为质于燕，燕王欲杀之。走，且出境，境吏得丑。丑曰燕王 所为将杀我者，人有言我有宝珠也，王欲得之。今我已亡之矣，而燕王 不我信。今子且致我，我且言子之夺我珠而吞之，燕王必当杀子，刳子腹及子之肠矣！夫欲得之君不可说以利。吾要且死，子肠亦且寸绝 境吏恐而赦之。
【今译】
张丑在燕国做人质，燕王想杀了他，他逃跑了。就在准备出境的时 候，守卫边境的官吏将他抓住了。张丑说燕王之所以想杀死我，是因 为有人告诉他说我有一顆宝贵的珍珠，大王想得到珍珠。如今我已经 把它丟了，但是燕王不相信我。今天你要是把我交到燕王那里去，我就说你夺了我的珍珠并把它呑到肚子里了.燕王一定会杀了你，剖开你的肚子和肠子。一个贪求宝物的君主，不可以说服他放弃这个利益。 我就要死了，你的肠子也要断了。”守卫边境的官吏很害怕，就把他放 了。
Once Zhang Chou was used as a hostage in the state of Yan. The king of Yan was going to kill him. He escaped* When he was about to cross the border, a border officer caught him. Zhang Chou said，“His Majesty wants to kill me because someone has told him that I have an extremely precious pearl. The king wants to obtain the pearl. However，I have lost it. But the king doesn’t believe me. Now if you take me to the king, I will tell him that you have seized the pearl and swallowed it. Then the king will kill you, cut your belly open and slice off your intestines to look for the pearl You will not persuade such a covetous sovereign to stop seeking such a precious pearl. I will die. And your intestines will be sliced off too. ” The border officer was terrified by his words,so he set him free.