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指鹿为马
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公元前209年，中国第一位皇帝秦始皇驾崩。他死后不久，一名奸诈的太监赵高，
诱使秦始皇的幼子胡亥杀了长兄――皇位的继承人，并帮助他成为了皇帝。不久，为了巩固他的皇位，在赵高的建议下，年轻的皇帝杀了他其他十二个兄弟和十个姐妹。然后，赵高耍阴谋杀死了宰相，夺走了他的官位。
年幼的皇帝胡亥是个头脑糊涂，没有才能的统治者。所以赵高能够为所欲为。他的野心越来越大，最后甚至密谋要篡夺皇位。但他唯恐其他大臣不会服从他。为了试探大臣们是否对他忠心，一天，赵高送给皇帝一头阉割过的公鹿，故意说这是匹马。
"你是在开玩笑吧？"，年幼的皇帝笑道，"你把鹿说成了马！"
赵高坚持说这是匹马。然后，他问其他大臣的看法。他用恐吓的语气问道："我说了这是匹马，你们说呢？"
有的大臣害怕遭到赵高的迫害，于是保持沉默。有的说是以讨好赵高。但也有说真话的正直的大臣。最终，所有说真话的大臣都遭到了赵高的迫害。
成语"指鹿为马"就是从这个故事来的。我们用它来形容那些故意颠倒是非的人。
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Point at a deer and call it a horse
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China's first emperor Qin Shihuang died
in 209 BC. Shortly after his death, a treacherous eunuch named Zhao
Gao enticed Huhai, the emperor's youngest son, to kill his oldest
brother, the successor to the throne, and helped him to become emperor.
Later the young emperor killed all his remaining 12 brothers and ten
sisters on the suggestion of Zhao Gao in order to consolidate his
position. After that, Zhao Gao, through intrigue killed the prime
minister and took over his post.
The young emperor Huhai was a muddle-headed and incompetent ruler.
Zhao Gao could do whatever he liked. He became so ambitious that he
finally plotted to usurp the throne. But he was afraid that the other
court officials wouldn't obey him. To test whether or not they were
loyal to him, Zhao Gao presented a stag to the young emperor one day
and deliberately said it was a horse.
"Are you kidding?" the young emperor laughed. "You're calling a stag
a horse!"
Zhao Gao insisted that it was a horse. He then asked the other officials
' opinion. He said, in a threatening tone, "I said it was a horse.
What would you say?"
Some officials kept silent because they were afraid of being persecuted
by Zhao Gao. Some said yes just to flatter him. But there were upright
officials who spoke the truth. In the end, none of these officials
could escape persecution by Zhao Gao.
This story later condensed into the idiom "Point at a deer and call
it a horse". We use it to describe someone who confuses right and
wrong deliberately. |
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| 皇帝 emperor |
奸诈 treacherous |
太监 eunuch |
| 继承人 successor |
巩固 consolidate |
篡夺 usurp |
| 迫害 persecute |
故意 deliberately |
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