Once upon a time, during the reign of the Second Emperor of Qin Dynasty, there lived a clever but cunning prime minister named Zhao Gao. He dreamed of becoming the emperor, but he wasn't sure how many of friends and foes he had in the royal court.
从前，在秦二世统治时期，有一位聪明却狡猾的丞相名叫赵高。他梦想成为皇帝，但不确定朝中有多少人是他的朋友，有多少人是他的敌人。
One sunny day, Zhao Gao brought a beautiful deer into the palace and proudly announced to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I present you with this swift horse!" The emperor looked and laughed, "But Zhao Gao, that's clearly a deer, not a horse!"
一天，阳光明媚，赵高将一只美丽的鹿带入宫中，并自豪地向皇帝宣布：“陛下，我为您献上这匹千里马!”皇帝一看便笑了，“但赵高，这分明是一只鹿，不是马!”
Zhao Gao smiled slyly and insisted, "Your Majesty, please examine it closely. This is indeed a swift and noble horse." The emperor peered again, puzzled, "But horses don't have antlers on their heads!" Zhao Gao then turned to the courtiers, asking, "What do you all think, is it a deer or a horse?"
赵高狡黠地笑着坚持道：“陛下，请仔细瞧瞧。这的确是一匹高贵的千里马。”皇帝再次凝视，感到困惑，“但马头上不会长角啊!”接着，赵高转向朝臣们问道：“你们认为呢，这是鹿还是马?”
The courtiers were taken aback. Some, who were brave but cautious, kept their heads down, afraid to speak the truth for fear of Zhao Gao's wrath. Others, who were honest and true, boldly declared it was a deer. And there were those who always followed Zhao Gao's lead, nodding eagerly, "Yes, indeed, it's a fine horse!"
朝臣们面面相觑。一些勇敢但谨慎的人低下头，害怕说出真相会招致赵高的愤怒。另一些诚实正直的人则大胆宣称这是一只鹿。还有一些人总是追随赵高的脚步，热切地点头附和：“对，没错，这是一匹好马!”
After this, Zhao Gao found ways to punish those who dared to disagree with him, making the court tremble in fear. No one dared to speak the truth anymore.
此后，赵高设法惩罚那些敢于反对他的人，使得整个朝廷都笼罩在恐惧之中。再也没人敢说出真相了。
From then on, the story of "Calling a Deer a Horse" spread far and wide, reminding everyone of Zhao Gao's trickery and how he twisted facts to suit his own desires. It teaches us to always speak the truth, even when it's hard, and to be brave against those who try to confuse right and wrong.
从此，“指鹿为马”的故事广为流传，提醒着每个人赵高的诡计以及他如何歪曲事实以满足自己的私欲。它教导我们要勇于说真话，即使这很困难，也要勇于面对那些试图混淆是非的人。
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