The story is recorded in Book of Mountains and Seas.
夸父逐日的故事载于《山海经》。
It is said that in antiquity a god named Kuafu determined to have a race with the Sun and catch up with Him,
相传远古时代，有—个叫夸父的人欲追赶太阳。
so he rushed in the direction of the Sun.
他向着太阳的方向狂奔。
Finally, he almost ran neck and neck with the Sun, when he was too thirsty and hot to continue.
当他终于要赶上太阳的时候，他又口渴难忍，不得不停下来。
Where could he find some water? Just then the Yellow River and Wei River came into sight, roaring on.
这时夸父一眼看见了黄河和渭河，
He swooped upon them earnestly and drank the whole river.
于是急忙将河水饮起。
However, he still felt thirsty and hot,
但饮尽了黄河、渭水的水，仍不解渴。
thereupon, he marched northward for the lakes in the north of China.
于是，夸父又要到北方的一个大湖里饮水。
Unfortunately, he fell down and died halfway because of thirst.
结果还没走到，便渴死了。
With his fall, down dropped his cane.
他临死时丢弃的木杖，
Then the cane became a stretch of peach.
变成了一片桃树林。
And so comes the idiom, Kuafu chased the Sun,
“夸父逐日”的成语便由此而来，
which becomes the trope of man’s determination and volition against nature.
用以表示人们征服自然的意志与决心。
。