Atlantis: The Antedeluvian World — Page 8

English → Chinese CHAPTER II. Level 7/10

And whatever happened either in your country or in ours, or in any other region of which we are informed--if any action which is noble or great, or in any other way remarkable has taken place, all that has been written down of old, and is preserved in our temples;

无论在你们的国度还是在我们的国度，或者在任何我们所知晓的其他地区所发生的事情——如果有任何高尚、伟大或以其他方式值得称颂的行动曾经发生，所有这些都已被古人记录下来，并保存在我们的神庙之中；

whereas you and other nations are just being provided with letters and the other things which States require;

而你们和其他民族则刚刚开始拥有文字以及国家所需的其他事物；

and then, at the usual period, the stream from heaven descends like a pestilence, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education;

然后，每隔一段时期，天降洪流如同瘟疫一般，只留下你们当中那些没有文字和教化的人；

and thus you have to begin all over again as children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves.

因此你们不得不像孩童一样重新开始，对古代所发生的事情一无所知，无论是关于我们的还是你们自己的。

As for those genealogies of yours which you have recounted to us, Solon, they are no better than the tales of children;

至于你向我们讲述的那些家谱，梭伦，它们不过是孩童的故事罢了；

for, in the first place, you remember one deluge only, whereas there were many of them;

首先，你们只记得一次大洪水，然而实际上曾有过许多次；

and, in the next place, you do not know that there dwelt in your land the fairest and noblest race of men which ever lived, of whom you and your whole city are but a seed or remnant.

其次，你们不知道曾有一个最美丽、最高贵的人类种族居住在你们的土地上，而你们和你们整个城邦不过是他们的一粒种子或残余。

And this was unknown to you, because for many generations the survivors of that destruction died and made no sign.

而这一切你们都不知晓，因为经历那场毁灭的幸存者在许多代人的时间里相继死去，未曾留下任何记录。

Vocabulary

无论: wúlùn — No matter what; regardless of the circumstances
在: zài — At; in; located at a place or time
你们: nǐmen — You (plural); referring to a group of people
的: de — Possessive or attributive particle; of
国度: guódù — Kingdom; country; realm or domain
还是: háishi — Or; still; used in questions or alternatives
我们: wǒmen — We; us; first-person plural pronoun
或者: huòzhě — Or; alternatively; used in statements
任何: rènhé — Any; whichever; without exception
所: suǒ — Particle indicating passive or nominalization
知晓: zhīxiǎo — To know; to be aware of something
其他: qítā — Other; the rest; remaining things or people
地区: dìqū — Region; area; geographic district
发生: fāshēng — To happen; to occur; to take place
事情: shìqing — Matter; affair; thing that happens
如果: rúguǒ — If; supposing that; conditional conjunction
有: yǒu — To have; there is; to exist
高尚: gāoshàng — Noble; lofty; morally elevated in character
伟大: wěidà — Great; magnificent; grand in scale or importance
或: huò — Or; either; used to connect alternatives
以: yǐ — With; by means of; using a method
方式: fāngshì — Way; manner; method of doing something
值得: zhídé — Worth; deserving of; meriting attention or praise
称颂: chēngsòng — To praise; to commend; to extol highly
行动: xíngdòng — Action; act; to take steps toward a goal
曾经: céngjīng — Once; formerly; at some past time
所有: suǒyǒu — All; every; everything that exists
这些: zhèxiē — These; referring to nearby items or matters
都: dōu — All; both; entirely without exception
已: yǐ — Already; indicates completion of an action
被: bèi — Passive marker; by; used in passive sentences
古人: gǔrén — Ancients; people who lived in ancient times
记录: jìlù — To record; to document; a written record
下来: xiàlái — Down; to preserve or retain for later
并: bìng — And; moreover; simultaneously connected actions
保存: bǎocún — To preserve; to keep; to store safely
神庙: shénmiào — Temple; shrine; sacred religious building
之中: zhīzhōng — Within; among; inside a place or group
而: ér — But; yet; and; connecting contrasting clauses
和: hé — And; with; connecting nouns or phrases
民族: mínzú — Nation; ethnic group; people sharing culture
则: zé — Then; however; contrastive or sequential connector
刚刚: gānggāng — Just now; just recently; a moment ago
开始: kāishǐ — To begin; to start; commencement of something
拥有: yōngyǒu — To possess; to own; to have something
文字: wénzì — Written language; script; characters used in writing
以及: yǐjí — As well as; and; used to add items
国家: guójiā — Country; nation; state as a political entity
所需: suǒxū — What is needed; required necessities
事物: shìwù — Things; objects; matters in the world
然后: ránhòu — Then; after that; subsequently in sequence
每隔: měi gé — Every; at intervals of a set period
一段: yī duàn — A period; a section; a stretch of time
时期: shíqī — Period; era; a span of historical time
天降: tiān jiàng — Sent from heaven; descending from the sky
洪流: hóngliú — Flood; torrential current; overwhelming flow
如同: rútóng — Just like; as if; similar to something
瘟疫: wēnyì — Plague; epidemic; deadly infectious disease
一般: yībān — Like; ordinary; as in a comparison
只: zhǐ — Only; merely; just one thing or person
留下: liúxià — To leave behind; to remain; to keep
当中: dāngzhōng — Among; in the middle of a group
那些: nàxiē — Those; referring to distant or mentioned items
没有: méiyǒu — Don't have; there is not; without
教化: jiàohuà — Civilization; moral education; cultural enlightenment
人: rén — Person; people; human being
因此: yīncǐ — Therefore; as a result; consequently
不得不: bùdébù — Have no choice but to; must inevitably do
像: xiàng — Like; to resemble; similar to something
孩童: háitóng — Child; young children; kids collectively
一样: yīyàng — The same; alike; just like another thing
重新: chóngxīn — Again; anew; starting over from scratch
对: duì — Toward; regarding; with respect to something
古代: gǔdài — Ancient times; antiquity; historical past era
一无所知: yīwúsuǒzhī — Know nothing at all; completely ignorant
是: shì — To be; is; am; are; linking verb
关于: guānyú — About; regarding; concerning a topic
自己: zìjǐ — Oneself; self; one's own person
至于: zhìyú — As for; regarding; turning to another topic
你: nǐ — You; second-person singular pronoun
向: xiàng — Toward; to; in the direction of
讲述: jiǎngshù — To narrate; to tell; to recount a story
家谱: jiāpǔ — Family tree; genealogy; ancestral record
它们: tāmen — They; them; third-person plural for objects
不过: búguò — However; merely; only; but
故事: gùshi — Story; tale; narrative account of events
罢了: bàle — That's all; merely; nothing more than
首先: shǒuxiān — First of all; firstly; to begin with
记得: jìde — To remember; to recall; to keep in memory
一次: yī cì — Once; one time; a single occurrence
大洪水: dà hóngshuǐ — Great flood; a catastrophic deluge event
然而: rán'ér — However; yet; nevertheless; contrasting conjunction
实际上: shíjìshang — In fact; actually; in reality
曾: céng — Once; ever; indicating past experience
有过: yǒuguò — Have had; there have been occurrences before
许多次: xǔduō cì — Many times; numerous occasions; repeatedly
其次: qícì — Secondly; next; in the second place
不: bù — Not; no; negation of verbs or adjectives
知道: zhīdào — To know; to be aware of a fact
一个: yī gè — One; a single; general measure word
最: zuì — Most; -est; superlative degree marker
美丽: měilì — Beautiful; lovely; pleasing to the senses
高贵: gāoguì — Noble; distinguished; of high social standing
人类: rénlèi — Humanity; humankind; the human race
种族: zhǒngzú — Race; ethnic group; breed of people
居住: jūzhù — To live; to reside; to dwell in a place
土地: tǔdì — Land; soil; territory; ground on which one lives
上: shàng — On; above; upon a surface or place
整个: zhěnggè — Entire; whole; the complete entity
城邦: chéngbāng — City-state; autonomous urban political community
他们: tāmen — They; them; third-person plural for people
一粒: yī lì — One grain; a single small particle
种子: zhǒngzi — Seed; a plant seed; origin of something
残余: cányú — Remnant; remains; what is left after destruction
这一切: zhè yīqiè — All of this; everything mentioned above
因为: yīnwèi — Because; since; for the reason that
经历: jīnglì — To experience; to go through; an experience
那场: nà cháng — That (event); used for disasters or events
毁灭: huǐmiè — Destruction; annihilation; to wipe out completely
幸存者: xìngcúnzhě — Survivor; one who remains alive after disaster
许多: xǔduō — Many; a lot; a large number of
代人: dài rén — Generations of people; successive human generations
时间: shíjiān — Time; a period or duration of time
里: lǐ — Inside; within; in a period or space
相继: xiāngjì — One after another; in succession; sequentially
死去: sǐqù — To die; to pass away; to perish
未曾: wèicéng — Never; have not ever; did not at all

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