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.]