Legend in Book of Mountains and Seas and Huai Nan Zi has it that four Of five thousand years ago,
据《山海经》、《淮南子》等文献记载：四五千年前，
there came a flood in the Yellow River Valley,
黄河流域发生了特大水灾，
which rose as high as the sky, washing away whole villages with their houses and inundating large areas of cropland.
庄稼被淹没，房子被冲毁，
Many people lost their lives in the flood and those who were fortunate enough to survive were forced to abandon their homes and go and live on hillsides or migrate to places far away.
老百姓流离失所。
To stop the flood, Gun a god stole some of the growing earth possessed by the Heavenly Emperor without asking for permission.
有位叫鲧的神很同情百姓的遭遇，就偷窃了天帝的宝物“息壤”，一种生生不息、能不断生民的土壤，来到大地上掩堵洪水。
For this the emperor ordered Zhu Rong to execute him.
天帝知道以后非常生气，就命令火神祝融杀死鲧。
After the death of Gun, his son Yu carried on the work of fighting flood.
鲧死之后，大禹继承父志，重新开始治理洪水。
Before, under Gun’s leadership，the people spent nine long years building dams and dykes to stop the flow of the rivers.
此前，鲧率人花了九年的时间造堤筑坝，阻断河水，
All the efforts had however ended only in more disastrous floods.
所有努力的结果却是遭致了更大的洪水。
Yu first made a study of the causes that had led to his fathers failure.
禹先研究了父亲治水失败的原因，
Then he made a careful survey of the afflicted areas and asked for advice from experienced workers.
然后认真考察了受灾地区，并向有经验的工人征求意见。
Knowing that water tends to flow from higher to lower regions,
在明白了水是由高向低流的道理后，
he abandoned Gun's method of building dams and dykes to stop the flow of waters.
改变了父亲鲧掩堵的治水之法，
Instead he led his men in digging ditches and canals to divert the flood and also in dredging the river channels so as to provide outlets for the flood into the sea.
以开渠排水，疏通河道的办法，将洪水引到大海中去。
In those days there was a high mountain in the upper reaches of the Yellow River that blocked the way of the river.
当时，黄河上游有座大山堵塞了河水的去路。
In order to cut a canal into the mountain, Yu turned himself into a bear and stole into the mountains to do the digging.
为了在山中开凿水道，禹变成熊，偷偷在山里挖掘。
Rain or shine, Yu worked in the midst of his men, digging and taking earth away all through the four seasons of a year.
无论晴、雨，一年四季都和手下人一起挖土、运土。
He was so dedicated that it was said that he had three times refrained from entering the door of his home when he was passing by.
禹忙于治水，相传他三过家门而不入。
Missing Da Yu so much, his wife visited the worksite.
妻子想念丈夫，就到治水工地去看望大禹。
In the shape of a bear, Da Yu was dredging the watercourse.
没想到大禹当时正变成一头熊在疏通水道。
His wife was greatly frightened, so she ran away.
她吓得转身就跑。
Da Yu chased his wife，forgetting to convert himself back into a human being.
大禹发现以后，急忙去追，匆忙之间忘了变回人形。
The wife saw no chance to escape and turned herself into a stone.
见逃不掉了，大禹的妻子就变成了一块石头。
Da Yu was greatly depressed.
大禹很伤心，
He said to the stone, “Give back my son!”
对着石头说:“还我儿子!”
The stone split and revealed a child—the son of Da Yu, named Qi.
石头就裂开了一条缝，露出了一个小孩，这就是大禹的儿子，名字叫启。
After thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers,
历经十三年不懈努力，大禹和手下人终于治水成功。
big and small, and in doing away with the evil of flood.
他们疏通了大小所有的河道，铲除了水患。
After the death of Shun, Yu became the head of the tribal confederation.
舜死后，禹成为部落联盟的首领。
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