The Nine-Coloured Deer
Level 5 · Idiom Stories · 成语故事 · 77 vocabulary words
Source: 敦煌壁画故事 · Dunhuang mural tale
山林里有一只九色鹿,毛色像彩虹一样美丽。
In the forest lived a nine-coloured deer with fur like a rainbow.
一个溺水的人快要淹死了,九色鹿跳进水里把他救上来。那人跪下说:我一定不告诉别人你住在这里。
A drowning man was saved by it; kneeling, he swore to never reveal where it lived.
国王的王后梦见九色鹿,要国王悬赏捉它。那个人看见赏金,忘了誓言,带人去抓九色鹿。
The queen dreamed of the deer and the king offered a bounty. The man forgot his oath and led hunters to it.
九色鹿对国王说:我救了他一命,他却带人来害我。国王听了很感动,下令谁也不许伤害九色鹿。那个人全身长疮,得到了报应。
The deer told the king: I saved his life, and he leads men to kill me. Moved, the king forbade any harm to the deer, and the betrayer broke out in sores, repaid.