There was, a man who came to the palace of the State of Chu and gave the guard a kind of medicine for immortality2 to be presented to the king.
As the guard held the medicine in both hands and walked towards the inner palace, he met an archer3 of the bodyguard4. The archer asked him: "Is what you hold in hands edible5?"
The guard answered: "Of course, it is."
Upon hearing this, the archer snatched the medicine, stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it.
The King of Chu was very angry. He ordered to have the archer beheaded. The archer said:
"It is not my fault but the fault of the guard, because he told me 'It is edible.' "
Then he continued: "This is a medicine for immortal1 life. Now I have taken it, but I am going to be killed by Your Majesty6. Then, the so-called medicine for immortal life will become `a medicine hastening death', won't it? The man who presented this medicine was trying to deceive Your Majesty." <a href=htTps://WWw.EuZw.nEt/miniform.html>苏州语文作文阅读培训</a>
Finally he said: "If today Your Majesty should kill me, an innocent man, then people would say: `The King would rather be deceived than believe his own bodyguard.'"
While the King of Chu heard this, he felt that there was something in what the archer said, so he let him go.
有一个人来到楚国王宫，把一种长生不死的药交给守卫官，请他敬献给国王。
守卫官捧着药朝内宫走去，迎面碰上卫队的一个弓箭手。弓箭手问他：“你手里捧的东西，人可以吃吗？”
守卫官回答：“人可以吃。”
弓箭手听了，一把夺过药，塞到嘴里就吞了下去。
楚王非常生气，下令将这个弓箭手斩首。弓箭手说：“这不是我的过错，而是守卫官的过错，因为他回答我“人可以吃。””
又说：“这是不死之药，现在我吃了，反而要被大王处死；那么，这不死之药，不就成了“催死之药”了吗?这是献药的人在欺骗大王呀！”
<A hRef=htTps://Www.EuZw.net/MiNifoRm.html>苏州中小学生作文培训班</a>
最后说：“今天，如果大王杀了我这个无罪的人，那么众人就会说:“大王宁愿被人欺骗，也不愿意相信自己的卫士。””
楚王听了，觉得这些话有点道理，就把弓箭手放了。
1 immortal
adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的
参考例句：
The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。 The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！
2 immortality
n.不死，不朽
参考例句：
belief in the immortality of the soul 灵魂不灭的信念 It was like having immortality while you were still alive. 仿佛是当你仍然活着的时候就得到了永生。 <a hRef=htTps://wwW.EuZw.nEt/miNiFoRm.html>苏州中考语文培训</a>
3 archer
n.射手，弓箭手
参考例句：
The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。 The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。
4 bodyguard
n.护卫，保镖
参考例句：
She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。 The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。
5 edible
n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的
参考例句：
Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。 This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。
6 majesty
n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权
参考例句：
The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。 Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！
《不死之药》添加时间：2024-12-14；更新时间：2025-03-09
