Thorough Comprehension of Life(8)
達生(八)
1 Ji Shengzi was celebrated for training fighting cock. Once, his king had a fighting cock of famous species. The king asked Ji Shengzi to train it for him.
紀渻子是有名的鬥雞訓練師。有一回國王得了一隻名種鬥雞，就令人交給紀渻子為他訓練。
紀渻子為王養鬥雞。
2 After ten days, the King wanted to know the training process of the fighting cock. He summoned Ji Shengzi to report. Ji Shengzi said, “Not yet. It is still very rash and has an air of haughty aloofness.”
十天過去了，國王很掛念這隻名貴鬥雞訓練的情形。他召見紀渻子，問他訓練得怎樣了。紀渻子說︰「還不行，牠還很衝動，而且個性太驕傲了。」
十日而問：「雞已乎？」曰：「未也，方虛憍而恃氣。」
3 Another ten days passed, the King asked again about the training. Ji Shengzi replied, “It made a progress but it is still imperfect. It is scatterbrained. A little noise or a shadow moving before it will influence it. Therefore, it can’t fight now.”
又過了十天，國王又問紀渻子訓練得怎樣了。紀渻子說︰「有些進步，但還不完美; 牠的專注心還不夠，一點聲響或一片影子在牠面前晃動，都會讓牠分心。所以目前還不適合出戰。」
十日又問，曰：「未也，猶應嚮景。」
4 After third ten days, the king was vexatious and impatient because he lost his faces for long failures in the cock fighting stanza. He asked impatiently, “Why does your training last so long?”
這樣又過了十天，國王有－點兒急了。堂堂一國之君，在鬥雞場上老是屈居下風，那實在是太沒面子了; 他開始不耐煩的問道︰「到底要多久訓練才會結束呢？」
5 Ji Shengzi said composedly, “Almost well. Now its eyes still show anger. Though the mood of longing for fighting is fine, it should not reveal the mood. To be a good fighting cock, even revealing a little bit of anger is not acceptable.”
紀渻子氣定神閑地說︰「差不多了，現在差就差在牠的眼神裡還流露出凶光; 雖然，內心充滿鬥志是應該的，可是牠不應該將之洩露出來，就是一點兒徵候也不應該。」
6 As what he said is rational, the king had to tolerate him.
國王聽了，覺得他言之成理，也唯有暫時按捺住一肚子的不滿，沒有發作出來。
十日又問，曰：「未也，猶疾視而盛氣。」
7 The forth ten days passed. Ji Shengzi himself went to see the king before the king summoned. “Successful! Successful! It completely ignores the opponent’s provocation. It looks like a woody cock but it reaches the level of virtue completion. When it stands in the fighting court, its opponents are shocked by its look and spirit and be retreated timidly without fighting.”
如此又過了十天。這回，紀渻子沒等國王開口，主動地跑到國王那兒說道︰「行了﹗行了﹗面對挑釁者，牠完全置之不理。牠看上去似乎有點呆若木雞，但實際上牠已達到德全之境。當牠站在場中央時，對手完全被牠的神情震懾住，都嚇得噤若寒蟬，不戰而退了﹗」
十日又問，曰：「幾矣，雞雖有鳴者，已無變矣，望之似木雞矣，其德全矣。異雞無敢應者，反走矣。」