Many many years ago, in the State of Song, there was a city gate. Outside the gate was a moat with fishes that lived a quiet and happy life there.

 

One day the tower above the city gate caught fire and the people of the city were alarmed. Even the fishes in the moat could hear the gone.

 

"What's the noise about?" the fishes wondered. "I must go and find out," said one curious black carp. When he saw the tower on fire, he hurried back to tell his mates¹. "Swim all you could! Swim all you could! Swim for life!" He cried to his fellow-fishes. "The city gate is burning!"

 

So all the fishes except the carps started to swim away. One arrogant² carp even laughed at the other fishes. "Don't laugh," said the kind black carp. "You really ought to swim away, too, in good time."

 

"Why should I?" asked the arrogant carp. "It's only their city gate on fire, what's it got to do with me in the water?" The fire spread very fast and the firemen had used up all the water in the city. But it was still burning. So they fetched waster from the moat.

 

At long last, the fire was put out, but the moat had also gone dry, leaving a few sorry carps in their dying³ struggle. This tale likens the city gate fire to disasters that do not seem to concern us but that can spread and involve even the innocent⁴.

 

很久很久以前，宋国有一座城池。城外有一条河，河中的鱼群生活的十分安定愉快。

 

有一天，城楼失火了，火警的钟声穿到了水中。

 

“为什么这么吵闹呢？”一条鱼问道，“我们得去看看！”好奇的青鱼已经先游去去查看了，当它看到城楼失火时，他急忙回来告诉他的同伴，“着火了，城楼失火了，快点叫他们逃命吧！”

 

所有的鱼都逃命去了，只有一条鲤鱼在嘲笑他们。青鱼对他说：“还不快逃命，还在这里笑什么？”

 

“我为什么要逃，城楼失火了又不会蔓延到水中，我为什么要走呢？”鲤鱼回答。城中的水很快就用完了，火还没有扑灭，于是，人们都来护城河中取水救火。

 

火终于扑灭了，可是河也干涸了，只余下几条可怜的鲤鱼在河床上作垂死的挣扎。城门失火比喻因牵连而受祸害或损失。

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