Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - unabridged translation - Part III

Part I - http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/11/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html
Part II - http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/12/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html

Part III - final

After they walked for a while, there were no pedestrians in sight. The wolf was very hungry, and he saw an old tree on the side of the road.  He said to Mr. Dong Guo, "You can ask this old tree." Mr. Dong Guo said, "Trees and plants are ignorant of things, what’s the use of asking them?" Said the wolf, "Just ask it, it will have something to say."

Mr. Dong Guo reluctantly bowed and asked this old tree. After giving the details of his account, he asked, "So, should the wolf eat me or not?" The old tree roared and said, "I am an apricot tree. The old farmer planted me with just a small seed in a nut. I started to flower in one year, and the next year I had my first fruit. In three years my trunk grew thick enough to be held with two palms. After 10 years, one had to encircle me with both arms. Today, I have lived more than 20 years.

“The farmer ate my fruit, his wife and children ate my fruit, his guests, even the servants, ate my fruit. They sold my fruit in the market to make money. I did great things for this old farmer. Now I am too old to flower and bear fruit, and the old farmer is angry with me. He is cutting my branches and pruning the leaves, and he is going to sell me to the carpenter for money. Sigh! I grew to become deadwood.  In my old age, I am not exempt from being chopped down for furniture. What have you done to the wolf to avoid your destiny? In this case you should be his meal."

Hearing this, the wolf opened his mouth with claws waving and was ready to devour Mr. Dong Guo. Mr. Dong Guo said, "Wolf, don’t forget our agreement to ask three old wise men.  We have only encountered one old apricot tree. Don’t be so fast!" And then both of them moved along together.

Now the wolf became anxious. He and Mr. Dong Guo saw an old cow sunbathing behind the broken walls of a farm house. The wolf told Mr. Dong Guo, "You can ask this cow." Mr. Dong Guo said, "That apricot tree was so ignorant that his nonsense almost cost me my life. This cow is a beast. What could she know and offer? " The wolf said, “Just ask her. If you don’t, I’ll eat you."

Mr. Dong Guo reluctantly bowed to the old cow and told his story again. The old cow frowned and stared at Mr. Dong Guo with her mouth wide open while licking her nose, and said, "The old apricot tree said it quite right. My old farmer sold his knife in exchange for me when my horns were the size of a chestnut and a silkworm cocoon, when I was a young but sturdy calf. He let me follow other cattle to work in the fields. When I grew up and became stronger, I took care of everything as the herd of cattle became old and weak. I took him to places on short notice. I carried the load of the farming work. I chose the short routes to get to places quickly. When my farmer would personally cultivate new fields, I would take off my yoke and work on the open fields to remove thorns and bushes for him.

“My farmer treated me like his right-hand man. He relied on me for food and clothing.  He relied on me to provide expenses for the marriages of his children.  He relied on me to work to pay the taxes. He relied on me to keep his barns and grain houses fully stocked. I was confident that I would be able to get a nice shelter like the horses and dogs in the household.

“There was not much wheat and grain surplus at all from year to year, so now the harvest I brought in had to be saved. Nobody in town ever noticed my farmer when he was poor. Now he raised  his head high walking through the village. In previous years, his drinking cups and wine jars were collecting dusts. His cups were never filled with wine, and he never tasted the wine then. Today he drinks the wine made from the grains with his spoiled wives and concubines. In previous years, he could only wear simple and coarse clothes. He was only able to have the rocks and trees as company. His rough hands could not hold much in them. He was not considered as a refined person at all.

“Now, he is carrying books, wearing a hat with a nice leather belt around his waist. His clothing is fit, refined, and flowing. I should be given credit for those tiny cotton threads and those small millet grains. Now that I am old and frail, I am sent to the countryside. The cold cutting wind is hurting my eyes. The sun is casting shadow on my thin and bony figure on this cold winter day. My tears can not stop flowing, and I am not able to stop my drooping, either. My foot cramps so badly that I cannot lift it, and I am so hungry. I am losing my fur fast, and my sores and wounds will not heal.

“The farmer's wife is jealous and brutal, she always mumbled and said, ‘Nothing from a cow goes to waste. Her meat can be made into jerky, her skin can be made into leather, her bones and horns can be made into useful utensils.’ Pointing to her oldest son, she said, ‘You have been an apprentice chef for a long time now. Why not grind your good butcher knife to get ready for it?’ It is very unfavorable for me. I do not know when and where I will die. Although the farmer and his family are indebted to me, I soon will suffer and meet my fate. What have you done to the wolf to escape from your destiny?”

Just then, the wolf opened his mouth and stretched out his claws again at Mr. Dong Guo. Mr. Dong Guo said,."Don’t be in such a hurry! "

Far away there was an elderly man with a wooden cane approaching. He had white eyebrows and beard, and was dressed elegantly. He was very much a gentleman. Mr. Dong Guo was quite pleased yet very nervous, leaving the wolf to meet this elderly man. He knelt down, crying, and said, "I beg you to have one good word to save my life!" The old man asked for the reason, and he replied, "This wolf was hunted down and asked me to save him. After I saved him, he wanted to eat me. My begging did not work, I would have had to die by his hands. I delayed this fate when the wolf agreed to decide the matter with three old wise men.

“First we encountered an old apricot tree. The wolf, forced me to ask it for advice.  This ignorant tree almost got me killed. Then we ran into an old cow. Again the wolf forced me to ask her. This ignorant beast almost got me killed as well. Now I see my hope in you, sir. The world has to have some grace and sensibility left to save my life! Your one word can save my life." Mr. Dong Guo was kowtowing unceasingly to the old man’s cane, and bent down to listen what the old man had to say.

The old man listened and sighed repeatedly. He used his cane to poke the wolf and said, "You're wrong to betray those who helped you. There is nothing worse than this. Confucius said, ‘A man who could not betray those who had helped him is for sure a filial son.’ It is also said that  even a tiger or a wolf knows that the son would return favor to his parents. Now you have betrayed so much to someone who saved you. This is a complete disgrace on your part that you don’t understand to be thankful." He snapped with anger and said to the wolf, "You get out of here right now. Otherwise, I will beat you to death with this cane! "

The wolf said, "Sir, you only know one part of the story, let me explain the whole thing to you. I hope that you have the patience to listen to my side of the story. Mr. Dong Guo saved me all right.  He tied my feet and put me in the bag. He piled his books on me that I could barely breathe. He was taking his time mumbling with Jianzi. I think he meant to let me die in the bag so that he could benefit from it afterwards. Why should I not eat this kind of disgusting person?”

The old man then looked at Mr. Dong Guo and said, "Sure enough, if this is indeed the case, you are guilty too and you deserve this.” Mr. Dong Guo thought that this was not fair at all and tried to explain his pity towards the wolf and the reason for hiding him in the bag. The wolf also argued unceasingly to convince the old man. The old man finally said, "I am not convinced either way. Why don’t we try to re-enact what happened, with you, wolf, going back into the bag again. It would give me the opportunity to assess the situation to see if the wolf was really in distress." The wolf was happy to comply, and he offered his feet to Mr. Dong Guo. Mr. Dong Guo tied him up to put him into the bag, and then threw the bag over donkey’s back. The wolf did not notice anything unusual.

The old man moved closer to Mr. Dong Guo and whispered in his ear and said, "You have a dagger?" Mr. Dong Guo replied, "Yes, I do." Then, he took out a dagger. The old man signaled Mr. Dong Guo to kill the wolf. Mr. Dong Guo said, "Isn’t this going to harm the wolf?" The old man laughed and said, "This betraying beast! You are still unwilling to kill him? You are indeed benevolent, although you are truly foolish and stupid. It would be truly altruistic of you if you were willing to jump into a well to save a person and willing to take off your coat to save a friend. But that is the equivalent of putting your own life in danger! Are you this type of benevolent but stupid person? Any gentleman would disapprove of this behavior." The old man laughed wildly and raised his hands so that he and Mr. Dong Guo could kill the wolf together.  They discarded the body and walked away.

[References]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_of_Zhongshan  A simple introduction with some background.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Mf6YUu1Do  A cartoon with Chinese narrative.

[3] https://jasonkim29.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/the-wolf-of-zhongshan/   A very much abreviated story in English.

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIb8aPvOzDY   A Chinese shadow puppetry show (with Spanish subtitle).

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtyRdVEmd4  A modern day storytelling of “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in English.

[6] http://www.slkj.org/wenyan/24650.html Among many other collections. “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in original Classical Chinese and the translated modern day vernacular Chinese.

[7] http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2016/02/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-chinese.html  Kept in this same blog space for archival and conveniences. “Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf” in original Classical Chinese and the translated modern day vernacular Chinese.

Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - unabridged translation - Part II

Part I - http://tpaullee.blogspot.com/2015/11/mr-dong-guo-and-wolf-unabridged.html

Part II

Soon Jianzi arrived and realized that the wolf was nowhere to be found. He became very angry. He drew his sword to cut the hood off the shaft of his cart, and shouted, "Whoever dares to conceal the whereabouts of the wolf would be like this hood!"

Mr. Dong Guo fell to the ground, crawling forward and said, “I am not very smart, but I am one of  those who want to contribute to this society, going to great efforts to accomplish that. But I lost my own way here. How can I possibly find traces of the wolf to show your hounds and hawks?  I have heard that ‘forks on the major roadway can be reasons for lost sheep.’ Even a small child can easily handle a sheep since it is tame.  But many forks can still cause many sheep to get lost. And a sheep is surely no comparison to a wolf. Since Zhong Mountain has many forks, and one can easily lose track of a wolf, there really is no comparison with losing sheep.

“If you only follow a simple path to look for the wolf, isn’t that a futile exercise? To me, it is as if you are waiting for a hare to return to the hole of the tree trunk where you saw him the last time. It is also as if you are following a tree trunk to find fish to eat. This is a hunting expedition. You should ask your skilled hunters to help.

“I am just an innocent passer-by. Although I am a little dull, I do know about wolves. They are inherently greedy and vicious, and they collaborate with the evil jackals. Without question, we should get rid of all of them.  I will do my utmost to help you on this. How could I even contemplate hiding any of them!"

Jianzi was speechless. He went back to his cart and continued on his journey. Mr. Dong Guo also rushed to continue his journey with the donkey, doubling the speed on his own way.

After a long time, the yak tail flag of the hunting party disappeared in the distance, and the noises of the expedition gradually abated. The wolf figured that Jianzi was gone for sure, so he said inside the bag, "Sir, please pull me out of this bag, untie my rope, and pull the arrow out of my arm. I want to leave now!” Mr. Dong Guo released the wolf accordingly. But the wolf growled and said, "I watched the hunters coming. They were fast, and fortunately you saved me. I am exhausted and very hungry without food, so I will eventually starve and die from hunger on the roadside.  I’ll be eaten by the beasts. It is better to die at the hands of the hunters and become food on a nobleman’s plate. You are a Mohist practitioner, and now you are tired from head to toe. Isn’t this your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others to make some contributions? Why don’t you give up your body for me to eat, so my life can be preserved?”  The wolf then opened his mouth wide and stretched his claws towards Mr. Dong Guo.

Mr. Dong Guo fought back hurriedly with his hands, retreating and dodging behind the donkey, and running in circles. The wolf could not harm him. Mr. Dong Guo resisted with all his strength. Both of them were exhausted, panting at each other across the donkey. Mr. Dong Guo said, "You, wolf, betrayed me, you betrayed me!" The wolf said, "I did not want to betray you, but people like you are born to be devoured by us."

This standoff lasted for a long time, the sundial is now showing its long shadow. Mr. Dong Guo thought in private, "It is getting late, and the other wolves will come soon. Then, I'll be dead for sure." So he tricked the wolf and said, "It is a common practice when things cannot be resolved with certainty, that we look for three old wise men for their opinions. If they were to agree that I should be eaten, then you can have me.  If not, then you don’t eat me." The wolf happily agreed to this plan, and they went forward to look for the old wise men.

 

Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf - unabridged translation - Part I

Part I

[This unabridged translation of the Mr. Dong Guo and Wolf fable was dated to be in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Chinese History (770 BC - 476 BC]

Zhao Jianzi undertook a massive hunting expedition in Zhong Mountain. The official of the mountain led the way, hawks and hounds were at the back. Inumerous agile birds and ferocious beasts fell at the sound of arrows.

There was a wolf on the road, standing like a man and howling. Jianzhi spat into his hands and jumped to cart, picking up a grand bow to fire off a splendid arrow. The arrow went in deep to the wolf, up to the feathers; the wolf escaped howling. Jianzhi was angry, driving the cart forward to catch the wolf.  Dust clouds rose up in the air amid thundering hooves of the horses. Nothing can be seen within ten steps of the cart.

Mr. Dong Guo, a Mohist scholar, happened to be traveling north to the Zhong Mountain area to seek a government post. In the early morning, he was leading a crippled donkey carrying bags filled with books, and lost his way. He was quite afraid when he saw the dust clouds and the commotion. The wolf suddenly came up and stretched out his head, looked at him and said, “Sir, you certainly have the desire to help and save living creatures, I am sure. You are certainly aware of the legend of Mao Bao.  He released a white turtle to the river, and he was saved by the same white turtle years later, when Mao Bao was defeated by his adversaries and needed to cross the river to safety. Surely you remember that the Nobleman Sui healed a big snake and received a precious pearl from that snake later on. The turtle and snake certainly has no more intelligence than I, a wolf. Under the circumstances, why not let me quickly hide in your bag. so that I might stay there and remain alive? If I were to survive this difficult time, it is as if you were to pull me away from death and grow flesh from my dry bones.  I would surely emulate the deeds of the turtle and the snake, and pay you a large tribute.”

Mr. Dong Guo said, "Hiding you definitely will offend the noblemen; this goes against the powerful, and this will bring me serious trouble. I dare not expect anything from you in return. However, Mohists believe in universal love, so I must help you get through this, even if there is risk in doing so. In any case,  I have no intention of avoiding this.” He then took the books out of the bag and emptied it slowly to allow the wolf to get in. Afraid of stepping on his chin at the front, and pressing down his tail at the other end, the wolf did not succeed, even after a few attempts. Slowly, the pursuing entourage grew closer.

The wolf pleaded, "This is quite urgent! Sir, you don’t really want to take time and care to put out a fire or to save a drowning man. This is like ringing a bell to avoid thieves. Please act quickly." The wolf curled up his limbs, and gave a rope to Mr. Dong Guo to tie the bag. He bowed his head to meet his tail, arching back to bury his chin. Like a curled-up hedgehog, like a moth pupa curled up in the cocoon, like a coiled snake, like a turtle holding its breath, the wolf was at Mr. Dong Guo’s disposal. Mr. Dong Guo followed the instructions, put the wolf in the bag, then sealed the bag tightly. After putting the bag over the donkey’s back and retreating to the roadside, Mr. Dong Guo waited for Zhao Jianzi’s expedition to pass.

 

English with an American Corporate Accent - 038

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* If we get to the nuts and bolts of this, it would be quite overwhelming to the management team. [If we get to the details of this, it would be quite overwhelming to the management team.]
* We should identify the signature for the core dump to see if we can match something in the repository. [We should identify the particulars of the core dump to see if we can match something in the repository.]
* The new requirement is not easy to satisfy.  The current feature set simply cannot cut it. [The new requirement is not easy to satisfy.  The current feature set simply cannot do the job.]
* If the problems show up, how do you assign the blame to other organizations? [If the problems show up, how do you assign faults to other organizations?]

* We have a bigger fish to fry. [We have more important things to do.]
* We need to be more discriminating on what we should do next quarter. [We need to be more selective on what we should do next quarter.]
* We would like to have your blessings on the code change before we file for integration. [We would like to have your approval on the code change before we file for integration.]
* That is a marketing presentation covering the top five customers.  It is about care and feeding in the nut shell. [That is a marketing presentation covering the top five customers.  It is about how to support them without a long explanation.]

* That piece of code needs to be beefed up to support this new feature. [That piece of code needs to be enhanced to support this new feature.]
* They try to add that feature to this release right now. That just does not compute really. [They try to add that feature to this release right now.  That just does not make sense really.]
* It is hard to do.  But, we might have to sign up for it anyway. [It is hard to do.  But, we might have to take it anyway.]
* That single issue is going to dictate the solution they'll come up with. [That single issue is going to determine the solution they'll come up with.]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 037

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* In fullness of time, Linux will add this feature. [Over time, Linux will add this feature.]
* The new OS release has some birthing pains, we'll have to wait it out. [The new OS release has some initial difficulties, we'll have to be patient.]
* That is a big step function for us to get used to. [That is a big adjustment for us to get used to.]
* They are swearing for its performance potentials. [They are affirming its performance potentials.]

* What are the secret sauces for this performance?  It is in the chip we designed. [What are the secret recipes for this performance?  It is in the chip we designed.]
* Security attack can paralyze a company in a significant way. [Security attack can render a company non-functional in a significant way.]
* This can be a door opener for this customer to try our systems. [This can be a good excuse for this customer to try our systems.]
* That is a good cadence for product delivery. [That is a good pace for product delivery.]

* Customers like this "one throat to choke" model. [Customers like this simple one contact point model to get their voice heard.]
* It is a difficult dichotomy for the engineering team. [It is a difficult dilemma for the engineering team.]
* I apologize for using storage speak for this presentation. Stop me when you cannot figure out what I mean. [I apologize for using storage jargon for this presentation. Stop me when you cannot figure out what I mean.]
* That story is getting better over time. Please be patient. [That story is gradually improving. Please be patient.]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 036

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* I took the liberty of logging on to your system to make sure my recommendations work. [Without your consent, I logged on to your system to make sure my recommendations work.]
* This is a great opportunity for Bob to get some air time with John. [This is a great opportunity for Bob to get some exposure with John.]
* When I looked at the actual signature of the problem, I suspected that this is a duplicate of a problem found by Mary last week. [When I looked at the actual evidence of the problem, I suspected that this is a duplicate of a problem found by Mary last week.]
* Using that syntax inside the kernel code is too heavy handed. [Using that syntax inside the kernel code is too complicated and unnecessary.]
* That would be out of the purview of most system administrators. [That would be beyond the scope of interest for most system administrators.]

* That type of analysis holds no water. [That type of analysis has no credibility.]
* Early adopters and visionaries will benefit from this. [Early users will benefit from this.]
* We have crossed the adoption chasm for this technology. [We have crossed the adoption threshold for this technology.]
* This chart is a bit of eye sore, I'll walk through it. [This chart is a bit of challenge to read. I'll go through it.]
* That is the holy grail if you can become a data-driven company. [That is the ultimate ideal if you can become a data-driven company.]

* It is a bit of a crap shoot since the client software has no idea how long it will have to wait for. [It is a bit of guess work since the client software has no idea how long it will have to wait for.]
* Once we get the system events defined, the rest of the implementation is a cookie cutter job. [Once we get the system events defined, the rest of the implementation is a straightforward job.]
* Don't mention those two use cases, they sound so icky. [Don't mention those two use cases, they sound so awful.]
* Why do we spend time horsing around this? [Why do we spend time playing with this?]
* We have to pick our poison, either to optimize one or the other, but not both. [We have to make a hard choice, either to optimize one or the other, but not both.]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 035

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* You can view that as a fork-lift upgrade. [You can view that as a heavy duty jumbo upgrade.]
* That performance number 540 is our baseline.  Anything beyond that is gravy to us. [That  performance number 540 is our baseline.  Anything beyond that is an extra bonus for us.]
* Any new bug report on the bubble here? [Any new bug report on the horizon here?]
* Rob can help out in a pinch here. [Rob can help out at a moment's notice here.]
* His father passed away last week.  He is pretty wrapped up now. [His father passed away last week.  He is pretty much emotionally occupied now.]
* Johnson seems to poopoo our suggestion.  He is not answering my calls. [Johnson seems to dismiss our suggestion.  He is not answering my calls.]
* That's a big hammer to resolve this simple problem. [There should be an easy way to resolve this simple problem.]
* We have not much left to do here.  Let's power through it. [We don't have much left to do here. Let's work extra hard to get through it.]
* I suspect that it's fait accompli. [I suspect that is an established fact now.]
* What happened was that Joe got wind that this feature was coming soon, and he turned around and sold it to the customers. [What happened was that Joe overheard that this feature was coming soon, and he turned around and sold it to the customers.]
* That is not the way we used to do software integration, but we aren't in Kansas anymore. [That is not the way we used to do software integration, but we aren't in that old world anymore.]
* Jerry felt that we are floundering in this project.  We need to do something to move it forward. [Jerry felt that we are struggling in this project.  We need to do something to move it forward.]
* It is not a moonshot.  There is something meaningful we can try. [It still has hope.  There is something meaningful we can try.]
* If you want to resurrect that project,  we better get buy-in from John. [If you want to restart that project, we better get agreement from John.]