On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 3
One day, walking near a little wood, he saw, hastening that way, one of the Queen's chief eunuchs, followed by a troop of officials, who appeared to be in the greatest anxiety, running hither and thither like men distraught, in search of some lost treasure.
一天，他在一片小树林附近散步，看见女王的一位首席太监匆匆赶来，身后跟着一群官员，这些人像发了疯似的东奔西跑，神情极度焦虑，正在四处寻找某件失去的宝物。
'Young man,' cried the eunuch, 'have you seen the Queen's dog?'
「年轻人，」太监喊道，「你看见女王的狗了吗？」
Zadig answered modestly, 'A bitch, I think, not a dog.'
扎迪格谦逊地回答道：「我想应该是一只母狗，而不是公狗。」
'Quite right,' replied the eunuch; and Zadig continued, 'A very small spaniel who has lately had puppies; she limps with the left foreleg, and has very long ears.'
「完全正确，」太监回答道；扎迪格接着说：「一只非常小的长耳猎犬，最近刚生过幼崽；她的左前腿有些跛，耳朵很长。」
'Ah! you have seen her then,' said the breathless eunuch.
「啊！那你见过她了，」气喘吁吁的太监说道。
'No,' answered Zadig, 'I have not seen her; and I really was not aware that the Queen possessed a spaniel.'
「没有，」扎迪格回答道，「我没有见过她；我确实不知道女王养了一只长耳猎犬。」
By an odd coincidence, at the very same time, the handsomest horse in the King's stables broke away from his groom in the Babylonian plain.
碰巧，就在同一时间，国王马厩中最俊美的那匹马在巴比伦平原上挣脱了马夫的看管，逃跑了。
The grand huntsman and all his staff were seeking the horse with as much anxiety as the eunuch and his people the spaniel; and the grand huntsman asked Zadig if he had not seen the King's horse go that way.
大猎手和他所有的随从寻找那匹马，就像太监和他的手下寻找那只长耳猎犬一样焦急；大猎手问扎迪格是否看见国王的马从那个方向经过。
'A first-rate galloper, small-hoofed, five feet high; tail three feet and a half long; cheek pieces of the bit of twenty-three carat gold; shoes silver?' said Zadig.
「一匹一流的骏马，蹄子小巧，身高五尺；尾巴长三尺半；马嚼子的颊板是二十三克拉的黄金；马蹄铁是银的？」扎迪格说道。
'Which way did he go? Where is he?' cried the grand huntsman.
「他往哪边去了？他在哪里？」大猎手喊道。
Vocabulary
- 一天
- yī tiān — One day; refers to a specific day in narrative
- 他
- tā — He; third-person singular masculine pronoun
- 在
- zài — At, in, on; indicates location or ongoing action
- 一片
- yī piàn — A stretch or expanse of an area
- 小树林
- xiǎo shùlín — A small grove or patch of trees
- 附近
- fùjìn — Nearby, in the vicinity of a place
- 散步
- sànbù — To take a walk, stroll leisurely
- 看见
- kànjiàn — To see, to catch sight of something
- 女王
- nǚwáng — Queen; female ruler of a kingdom
- 的
- de — Possessive or descriptive particle
- 一位
- yī wèi — One (person); polite measure word for people
- 首席
- shǒuxí — Chief, head, leading position or role
- 太监
- tàijiàn — Eunuch; castrated male palace servant
- 匆匆
- cōngcōng — Hurriedly, in a rush, hastily
- 赶来
- gǎn lái — To hurry over, rush to a location
- 身后
- shēn hòu — Behind one's body; following closely behind
- 跟着
- gēnzhe — Following behind, going after someone
- 一群
- yī qún — A group or crowd of people or animals
- 官员
- guānyuán — Official, government officer or bureaucrat
- 这些人
- zhèxiē rén — These people; referring to a specific group
- 像
- xiàng — Like, resembling; used for comparisons
- 发了疯
- fā le fēng — Gone crazy, acting as if insane
- 似的
- shìde — Seemingly, as if; used after comparisons
- 东奔西跑
- dōng bēn xī pǎo — Running around frantically in all directions
- 神情
- shénqíng — Facial expression, look, demeanor
- 极度
- jídù — Extremely, to the utmost degree
- 焦虑
- jiāolǜ — Anxious, worried, feeling anxiety
- 正在
- zhèngzài — Currently in the process of doing something
- 四处
- sìchù — Everywhere, in all directions, all around
- 寻找
- xúnzhǎo — To search for, look for something
- 某件
- mǒu jiàn — A certain item or thing (unspecified)
- 失去
- shīqù — To lose something; to no longer have
- 宝物
- bǎowù — Treasure, precious object or item
- 年轻人
- niánqīng rén — Young person, youth
- 喊道
- hǎn dào — Called out, shouted (introducing direct speech)
- 你
- nǐ — You; second-person singular pronoun
- 狗
- gǒu — Dog; common domestic animal
- 了吗
- le ma — Completion marker with question particle
- 谦逊地
- qiānxùn de — Humbly, modestly, in a humble manner
- 回答道
- huídá dào — Replied, answered (introduces direct speech)
- 我想
- wǒ xiǎng — I think, I believe, I suppose
- 应该
- yīnggāi — Should, ought to; expressing expectation
- 是
- shì — To be; linking verb for identification
- 一只
- yī zhī — One (animal); measure word for animals
- 母狗
- mǔ gǒu — Female dog, a bitch
- 而不是
- ér bù shì — Rather than, instead of, not but
- 公狗
- gōng gǒu — Male dog
- 完全正确
- wánquán zhèngquè — Completely correct, absolutely right
- 接着
- jiēzhe — Then, continuing, next in sequence
- 说
- shuō — To say, speak, tell
- 非常小
- fēicháng xiǎo — Very small, extremely tiny in size
- 最近
- zuìjìn — Recently, lately, in recent times
- 刚
- gāng — Just, just now, recently happened
- 生过
- shēng guò — Has given birth before, experienced birthing
- 幼崽
- yòuzǎi — Young offspring, cubs or pups of animals
- 她
- tā — She; third-person singular feminine pronoun
- 左前腿
- zuǒ qián tuǐ — Left front leg of an animal
- 有些
- yǒuxiē — Somewhat, a little, slightly
- 跛
- bǒ — Lame, limping due to leg injury
- 耳朵
- ěrduǒ — Ear; the organ of hearing
- 很长
- hěn cháng — Very long in length or size
- 啊
- a — Exclamatory particle expressing surprise or emphasis
- 那
- nà — That; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- 见过
- jiàn guò — Have seen before, encountered previously
- 了
- le — Particle indicating completed action or change
- 气喘吁吁
- qì chuǎn xūxū — Panting heavily, out of breath, breathless
- 说道
- shuō dào — Said, remarked (introduces direct speech)
- 没有
- méiyǒu — Don't have, there isn't, no
- 我
- wǒ — I, me; first-person singular pronoun
- 确实
- quèshí — Indeed, certainly, truly, in fact
- 不知道
- bù zhīdào — Don't know, unaware of something
- 养了
- yǎng le — Kept, raised (an animal) as a pet
- 碰巧
- pèngqiǎo — By chance, coincidentally, happen to
- 就在
- jiù zài — Right at, exactly at that time or place
- 同一时间
- tóngyī shíjiān — At the same time, simultaneously
- 国王
- guówáng — King; male monarch of a kingdom
- 马厩
- mǎjiù — Stable, a building housing horses
- 中
- zhōng — In, inside, among; within a group
- 最俊美
- zuì jùnměi — Most handsome, most beautiful (of animals)
- 那匹马
- nà pǐ mǎ — That horse; specific horse being discussed
- 平原
- píngyuán — Plain, flatlands, open level terrain
- 上
- shàng — On, above, upon a surface
- 挣脱了
- zhēngtuō le — Broke free, escaped from restraint
- 马夫
- mǎfū — Groom, stableman who tends horses
- 看管
- kānguǎn — To watch over, guard, supervise
- 逃跑了
- táopǎo le — Ran away, escaped, fled
- 和
- hé — And; connecting words, phrases, or clauses
- 所有的
- suǒyǒu de — All of, every, the entirety of
- 随从
- suícóng — Attendants, entourage, retinue following someone
- 就像
- jiù xiàng — Just like, exactly as, similar to
- 他的
- tā de — His; possessive form of he
- 手下
- shǒuxià — Subordinates, people under one's command
- 那只
- nà zhī — That one (animal); demonstrative with measure word
- 一样
- yīyàng — The same, alike, equally
- 焦急
- jiāojí — Anxious, agitated, urgently worried
- 问
- wèn — To ask, inquire, question someone
- 是否
- shìfǒu — Whether or not; asking for confirmation
- 马
- mǎ — Horse; large domesticated riding animal
- 从
- cóng — From; indicating starting point or direction
- 那个
- nàge — That one; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- 方向
- fāngxiàng — Direction, way, orientation in space
- 经过
- jīngguò — To pass by, go through, pass along
- 一匹
- yī pǐ — One horse; measure word for horses
- 一流
- yīliú — First-class, top-tier, excellent quality
- 骏马
- jùnmǎ — Fine horse, steed, an excellent horse
- 蹄子
- tízi — Hoof; the hard foot of a horse
- 小巧
- xiǎoqiǎo — Small and delicate, dainty in size
- 身高
- shēngāo — Height (of a person or animal)
- 五尺
- wǔ chǐ — Five chi; traditional Chinese unit of length
- 尾巴
- wěibā — Tail; the appendage at an animal's rear
- 长
- cháng — Long in length or duration
- 二十三
- èrshísān — Twenty-three; the number 23
- 克拉
- kèlā — Carat; unit of purity or gemstone weight
- 黄金
- huángjīn — Gold; precious yellow metallic element
- 马蹄铁
- mǎtítiě — Horseshoe; iron shoe fitted on horse's hoof
- 银的
- yín de — Made of silver; silver-colored or silver material
- 往哪边
- wǎng nǎ biān — In which direction, which way did it go
- 去了
- qù le — Has gone, went away, departed
- 在哪里
- zài nǎlǐ — Where is it; asking about location
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →