含英咀華 經典英譯《河中石獸》
引導語：紀昀的《河中石獸》，大家學習了其中的哪些道理?下面是這篇文章的原文與英譯，與大家分享。
紀昀·《河中石獸》原文
滄州南一寺臨河干，山門圮於河，二石獸並沉焉。閱十餘歲，僧募金重修，求二石獸於水中，竟不可得。以為順流下矣，棹數小舟，曳鐵鈀，尋十餘里，無跡。 一講學家設賬寺中，聞之笑曰：“爾輩不能究物理，是非森柿，豈能為暴漲攜之去?乃石性堅重，沙性鬆浮，湮於沙上，漸沉漸深耳。沿河求之，不亦傎乎?”眾服為確論。
一老河兵聞之，又笑曰：“凡河中失石，當求之於上游。蓋石性堅重，沙性鬆浮，水不能衝石，其反激之力，必於石下迎水處齧沙為坎穴，漸激漸深，至石之半，石必倒擲坎穴中。如是再齧，石又再轉，再轉不已，遂反溯逆流而上矣。求之下流，固傎;求之地中，不更傎乎?”如其言，果得於數里外。然則天下之事，但知其一，不知其二者多矣，可據理臆斷歟?
紀昀·《河中石獸》英譯
Stone Animals in the River
Ji Yun
There was a temple in the south of Cangzhou Prefecture, located on the bank of a river. The gate of the temple collapsed and tumbled into the river, with the two stone animals sunken in the water. Some ten years afterwards, the monks solicited a sum of money, planning to restore the gate. They searched the river for the two stone animals, but to no avail, thinking that they must have flowed down the river. So they rowed a small boat, raking the river bed for them over a distance of ten-odd li, without finding a trace of them. A Confucian scholar teaching in the temple learned about it and said with a sneer, “You are not learned in physics They are not wood, how can they be washed away be floods? Stone is solid and heavy while sand is loose and soft. They are buried in the sand and sink deeper and deeper. Is it not ludicrous to search for them downstream?” Everybody was convinced and thought it a conclusive argument.
A veteran dyke-protection soldier heard this talk and also said with a sneer, “All stones fallen into the river must be looked for upstream. Because stone is solid and heavy while sand is loose and soft. Water cannot wash a stone away, but the force of its dashing against it can erode the sand and scoop a pit beneath it where it is exposed to the water, whose constant dashing and pounding keep it sinking deeper and deeper. When half of the stone is thus affected, it overturns into the sand pit. The water’s continuous scooping of the sand gives the stone one turn after another. Given the incessant overturning process, it is moved against the currents and travels up the river. To be sure, it is ludicrous to search for it downstream. But, is it not more so to look for it right on the river bed?” Acting upon his views, the stone animals were really found several li upstream. Similar cases in which one sees only one aspect and ignores other aspects of a phenomenon are too many to enumerate. Will it do to draw a conclusion from mere speculations?
作者簡介：
紀昀，字曉嵐。乾隆十九年(1754)進士。學問淵博，曾任翰林院編修、侍讀學士。因獲罪遣戍烏魯木齊。釋放回京後，任《四庫全書》總纂官，編定《四庫全書\總目提要》，在目錄學上貢獻很大。著有《閱微草堂筆記》等。
《閱微草堂筆記》是紀昀晚年所作的一部文言筆記小說，題材以妖怪鬼狐為主，但於人事異聞、名物典故等也有記述，內容相當廣泛。
尋找石獸與流水侵蝕作用
清代學者紀昀在《閱微草堂筆記》中記載，某土地廟前石獸因河岸崩塌掉入河中。十多年後重修山門，尋找石獸，它卻不在原落水處，也不在下游。一位老兵說，應該在上游尋找，依他的.話，果然撈出了石獸。石獸為什麼會向上遊“跑”呢?原因在於，石獸落水後對水流形成阻力，使周圍水速更快，沖刷能力更強，其下面迎水流一側的泥沙逐漸被水沖走，成為空穴。久之，石獸因重力作用朝著迎水流的方向傾倒，如此再三，便向上遊移動了一截。可見老兵的判斷是正確的，流水的侵蝕和搬運作用，使石獸能“逆水而行”。