中山君飨都士大夫
The Sovereign of Zhongshan Held a Banquet and Invited
【今译】
中山国的君主宴请国都里的士人，大夫司马子期也在场。分羊羹 的时候没有分给他，司马于期愤怒地出逃到了楚国，游说楚王攻打中 山。中山国的君主逃亡，有两个人提着戈跟随在他身后，中山国的君主 回过头对那两个人说你们干什么呢？”那两个人回答说广我们有个父 亲，曾经快要俄死了，您解下自己的饭盒给他吃东西。我们的父亲临死 的时候说：‘中山国如果有战事，你们一定要效死。，所以我们为您拼命 啊。”中山国的君主感慨地仰天长叹，说：“施恩不在多少，关键在于施在以一壶滄得士二人。”
【原文】
中山君飨都士大夫，司马子期在焉。羊羹不遍，司马子期怒而走于 楚，说楚王伐中山，中山君亡。有二人挈戈而随其后者，中山君顾谓二 人子奚为者也？”二人对曰臣有父，尝饿且死，君下壶冶饵之。臣父 且死，曰：‘中山有事，汝必死之！’故来死君也。”中山君喟然而仰叹曰： “与不期众少，其于当厄；怨不期深浅，其于伤心。吾以一杯羊羹亡国，对方最困难的时候；结怨不在深浅，关键在子是否伤了对方的心。我因为一杯养羹而亡了国，因为一盒饭而赢得了两位义士。”
The sovereign of the state of Zhongshan held a banquet and invited all the scholars in the capital to attend. Sima Ziqi， a high-ranking court official, was also invited. However， when the mutton soup was served, Sima Ziqi was overlooked. He was angry，so he fled to the state of Chu and persuaded the king of Chu to attack Zhongshan. The sovereign of Zhongshan fled. But there were two men carrying daggers in their hand following him. The sovereign turned round and asked them, “What are you doing here?” The two answered， “Well，once our father was starving, and you fed him，so he survived. When our father was dying，he said，‘If the state of Zhongshan is in trouble，you should devote your lives to it. So, we are here to fight to the death for your sake.” The sovereign of Zhongshan groaned，looked up towards the sky and said, “It doesn’t matter whether you do a big favour or a small one to others, but do it when others are really in need.