羊年话羊

韩天福

The Year of Horse went by， and the Year of Sheep comes. With fireworks bursts into the sky celebrating the Lunar New Year， Sheep Year come to the earth after twelve years for one round. They had spread through the ages and known to everybody that“The sheep falls into a tigers mouth”， “The sigh of losing sheep” and other relevant1 idioms about sheep.

骏马西去，神羊东来。随着新年阵阵贺岁的烟花腾空而起，十二年一轮的羊年又来到了。“羊落虎口”、“亡羊之叹” 等有关羊的成语故事早已流传千古，无人不晓。

In Chinese folklore， the sheep is as great as Prometheus who is a mighty2 figure in the ancient Greek mythology3. Like Prometheus who was sent to the altar4 for the sake of stealing fire from heaven to the world， sheep lost his life for justice because of pilfering5 corn seed to man. As early as in prehistoric ancient times， humans were severely malnourished6， pale and thin because there were no grains on the earth. One fall， taking advantage of nightfall， a God sheep came earth who took of grains （rice， millet， wheat， beans， cotton） from the welkin7 putting in his

mouth without telling the Jade Emperor. The God sheep didnt only take the seed to humans， but also entrust the method for planting them， after that quietly returned to the heavenly palace.

在中国民间传说中，羊是一位如同希腊神话中的普罗米修斯一样伟大的人物，普罗米修斯因给人间盗天火而被送上了祭台，羊则因给人类盗五谷种子而舍身取义。早在远古洪荒时代，人类因人间没有五谷而严重营养不良，面黄肌瘦。有一年秋天，一只神羊瞒着玉帝从天宫摘下五谷（稻、稷、麦、豆、棉）含在口中，趁着夜色来到凡间。神羊把种子交给人类，又嘱咐了种植五谷的方法，就悄悄地回天宫去了。

Human sowed the seed， then crops grew in that year. Grains spikelet8 looked like cavel9 and sheep tail. They held a grand farmhouse ritual to appreciate the grace of sheep to send seeds. Grand memorial ceremony alarmed the Emperor. The Emperor found grains appear on earth， and immediately thought of God sheep. After figuring out the situation， the Emperor was furious， and commanded the official to slaughter10 sheep of God， and let the mortals eat the sheep.

人类播下种子，当年就长出了庄稼。五谷的穗既似羊角，又像羊尾。人们举行了盛大的农家祭祀仪式，以感激神羊的送种子之恩。盛大的祭祀仪式惊动了玉帝，玉帝发现人间出现了五谷，立即想到这是神羊所为，查明情况后，玉帝大怒，命令天官宰杀神羊，并要下阶凡人吃羊。

The next year， the odd thing happened. In the place of sheep execution11， it grew the grass first， then grew a little lamb， sheep thrived from this mortal to graze for a living and they put their own flesh， milk， leather to humans selflessly. To express gratitude for the sheep， human hold a memorial ceremony for every year to show remembrance and thanksgiving.

第二年，奇怪的事儿发生了，在神羊行刑的地方，先是长出了青草，后来长出了小羊羔，羊从此在凡间繁衍生息，以吃草为生，把自己的肉、奶、皮无私地奉献给人类。人类则出于对神羊的感谢，每年都举行祭奠，以示纪念和感恩。

Sheep also has its powerful side. There is a leader with two flashing blue eye in the vast prairie， and it meets the tiger without fear and meets the wolf without horror. On the head is one pair of shining coldness， bayonet-like horns. It is fearless， courageous and rush to the enemy.

羊也有它强而有力的一面。茫茫大草原终有一只两眼闪着蓝光的领头羊，它遇虎而不惧，遇狼而不慄，头顶着一对闪着寒光、刺刀般的羊角，不畏强暴，咆啸地冲向天敌。

We Chinese have twelve Chinese zodiacs. The sheep is the most gentle of the zodiacs. People who was born in the Year of Sheep， known as the most kind-hearted giver. They are often honest， friendly， easily affected by the unfortunate experience of others. They are good-tempered and are even a bit of shy. They are handsome， elegant and easygoing， also their self-esteem is very strong. They are very particular about the appearance. Friendly and docile sheep is symbol of auspiciousness12， kindness， nicety， polite， righteousness and filial piety13.

我们中国人有十二生肖属相，羊可是最富温和的属相。出生于羊年的人，被誉为最善良的施舍者。他们往往为人正直、亲切、易被别人的不幸经历所感动。他们脾气温顺甚至有些羞怯。他们风度翩翩，举止优雅洒脱，自尊心极强，十分讲究外表的礼冠。羊友好温顺，是吉祥、善良、美好、知礼、知义、知孝的象征。

The sheep is the source of life and the symbol of high status. Sheep is the faithful companion of human and an indispensable source of life. Not only is the parts of the whole body of sheep treasure， but lamb is one of the best dishes of all meat， such as Shaanxi and Sichuans cuisine—steamed mutton， sheepskin can produce various leather goods and the nutritional value of goat milk even far more than that of the milk.

羊是生命之源，是崇高地位的象征。羊自古以来是人类的忠实伴侣和不可或缺的生活来源。羊全身都是宝，羊肉是所有肉类的最佳佳肴之一，如：陕西和四川的美味佳肴——羊肉泡馍。羊皮可以制作各类皮革品，羊奶的营养价值甚至远远超过了牛奶。

Throughout the ages， the dream of millions of Chinese people is holding their heads up， and our countrys peace and prosperity. Today， the entire country is being carried out mass line of educational practice， the eternal spirit of Jiao Yulu summons from generation to generation of Communists. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people devote themselves to economic construction with the spirit of winning， high morale14， a new attitude， fiery passion. China has witnessed a vibrant， wealthy and strong， beautiful colorful scenery. The nation likes a sleeping lion， when it wakes up， the whole world trembles. Great China stands at the top of the world！We should always keep in mind what General Secretary Xi tells us that practice the core values， learning to study， learning to behave， learning to be grateful and study hard to achieve the great rejuvenation15 of the Chinese dream， then make unremitting efforts to strive for success.

古往今来，亿万中国人民所梦寐以求的愿望便是扬（羊）眉吐气、国泰民安、繁荣昌盛。如今，举国上下正开展群众路线教育实践活动，永恒的焦裕禄精神召唤着一代代共产党人。意气奋发的亿万中华儿女以必胜的信念、高昂的斗志、崭新的姿态、火热的激情投身到经济建设之中，华夏大地呈现出一派生气盎然、国富民强、万紫千红的美好景色。一头沉睡百年雄狮清醒了，让世界为之颤抖，伟大的中华民族屹立在世界之巅！我们要时刻牢记习总书记的敦敦教诲，践行核心价值观，学会学习、学会做人、学会感恩，为实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦而发愤读书，为成功做出不懈的努力！

下面我们一起来看看有关羊的俗语吧！

迷途羔羊     a lost sheep

亡羊补牢     Better late than never.

羊肠小道     a narrow winding trail

羊落虎口     The sheep falls into a tigers mouth.

虎入羊群   tigers among a flock of sheep

十羊九牧     Nine shepherds look after ten sheep.

顺手牵羊     Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat.

羊毛出在羊身上 Without a sheep， there can be no wool.

披着羊皮的狼     a wolf in sheeps clothing

挂羊头，卖狗肉 Cry up wine， and sell vinegar.

1. relevant [] adj. 相关的

2. mighty [] adj. 强有力的

3. mythology [] n. 神话

4. altar [] n. 祭坛

5. pilfer [] vt. 偷盗

6. malnourished [] adj. 营养不良的，营养失调的

7. welkin [] n. 天空

8. spikelet [] n. 穗;细长的尖状物

9. cavel [] n. 羊角

10. slaughter [] vt. 屠宰，屠杀

11. execution [] n. 死刑

12. auspiciousness [] n. 吉兆，幸运

13. filial [] adj. 孝顺的;piety [] n. 孝敬，虔诚;filial piety 孝道，孝顺

14. morale [] n. 士气，斗志

15. rejuvenation [] n. 复原，恢复活力