▸ 九jiǔ百bǎi多年duō nián前qián的de宋朝sòng cháo，苏东坡sū dōng pō出生chū shēng在zài四川sì chuān眉山méi shān的de一个yī ge读书人dú shū rén家里jiā lǐ。

More than nine hundred years ago, in the Song dynasty, Su Dongpo was born into a scholar's family in Meishan, Sichuan.

▸ 他tā本来běn lái的de名字míng zi叫jiào苏轼sū shì，“东坡dōng pō”这个zhè ge名字míng zi是shì后来hòu lái才cái有的yǒu de——这里zhè lǐ面miàn有yǒu一个yī ge故事gù shì。

His original name was Su Shi; the name "Dongpo" came later — and there is a story behind it.

▸ 他tā从小cóng xiǎo就jiù特别tè bié聪明cōng ming，一本yī běn书shū读dú一遍yī biàn，就能jiù néng记住jì zhu。

From childhood he was exceptionally clever — he could remember a book after reading it just once.

▸ 二十èr shí一yī岁suì那年nà nián，他tā和hé弟弟dì di苏辙sū zhé一起yī qǐ去qù京城jīng chéng参加cān jiā科举考试kē jǔ kǎo shì。

The year he turned twenty-one, he and his younger brother Su Zhe went to the capital to take the imperial examination.

▸ 考官kǎo guān欧阳修ōu yáng xiū读dú到dào他的tā de文章wén zhāng，大吃一惊dà chī yī jīng。

The examiner Ouyang Xiu read his essay and was astonished.

▸ 欧阳修ōu yáng xiū还hái以为yǐ wéi这么zhè me好的hǎo de文章wén zhāng是shì自己的zì jǐ de学生xué sheng写xiě的de，为了wèi le公平gōng píng，只zhǐ给gěi了le它tā第二dì èr名míng。

Ouyang Xiu assumed an essay this good must have been written by his own student, so to be fair, he ranked it only second.

▸ 后来hòu lái他tā对duì朋友péng you说shuō：“三十sān shí年nián以后yǐ hòu，没有méi yǒu人rén会huì再zài谈起tán qǐ我wǒ，人人rén rén都dōu会huì谈起tán qǐ这个zhè ge年轻人nián qīng rén。”

Later he told a friend: "Thirty years from now, no one will speak of me anymore — everyone will be speaking of this young man."

▸ 苏东坡sū dōng pō很快hěn kuài成了chéng le朝廷cháo tíng的de官员guān yuán，也yě成了chéng le全国quán guó最zuì有名yǒu míng的de才子cái zǐ。

Su Dongpo soon became a court official — and the most famous talent in the whole country.

▸ 可是kě shì他tā有yǒu一个yī ge“毛病máo bìng”：心里xīn li想xiǎng什么shén me，嘴zuǐ上shàng就jiù说shuō什么shén me，笔下bǐ xià就jiù写xiě什么shén me。

But he had one "flaw": whatever he thought, he said out loud — and wrote down.

▸ 那时候nà shí hou，宰相zǎi xiàng王安石wáng ān shí正在zhèng zài推行tuī xíng很多hěn duō新xīn政策zhèng cè，苏东坡sū dōng pō觉得jué de有些yǒu xiē政策zhèng cè对duì老百姓lǎo bǎi xìng不好bù hǎo，就jiù把bǎ这些zhè xiē问题wèn tí写xiě进jìn了le诗shī里lǐ。

At the time, Chancellor Wang Anshi was pushing through many new policies; Su Dongpo felt some of them were bad for the common people, and he wrote these problems into his poems.

▸ 一yī零líng七qī九jiǔ年nián，有人yǒu rén对duì皇帝huáng dì说shuō：“苏轼sū shì在zài用yòng诗shī批评pī píng朝廷cháo tíng！”

In 1079, someone told the emperor: "Su Shi is using poems to criticize the court!"

▸ 他tā因为yīn wèi写xiě诗shī被bèi抓zhuā进jìn了le监狱jiān yù，关guān了le一yī百bǎi多duō天tiān，差一点chà yī diǎn被bèi处死chǔ sǐ。

He was thrown into prison because of his poems, held for more than a hundred days, and very nearly executed.

▸ 很多人hěn duō rén为wèi他tā求情qiú qíng，连lián已经yǐ jīng退休tuì xiū的de王安石wáng ān shí也yě说shuō：“怎么zěn me能néng杀shā这样zhè yàng有yǒu才华cái huá的de人rén呢ne？”

Many people pleaded for him — even the retired Wang Anshi said: "How can you kill a man of such talent?"

▸ 最后zuì hòu，皇帝huáng dì把bǎ他tā放了fàng le，把bǎ他tā贬官biǎn guān到dào黄州huáng zhōu——一个yī ge又yòu小xiǎo又yòu穷qióng的de地方dì fāng。

In the end, the emperor released him and demoted him to Huangzhou — a small, poor place.

▸ 在zài黄州huáng zhōu，他的tā de工资gōng zī很hěn低dī，一家人yī jiā rén常常cháng cháng吃chī不bù饱bǎo。

In Huangzhou his salary was tiny, and his family often didn't have enough to eat.

▸ 朋友péng you帮bāng他tā在zài城chéng东边dōng bian的de山坡shān pō上shàng找到zhǎo dào了le一块yī kuài田tián，他tā带着dài zhe全家quán jiā开始kāi shǐ种地zhòng dì。

A friend found him a plot of land on a slope east of the town, and he began farming it with his whole family.

▸ 因为yīn wèi这zhè块kuài田tián在zài东边dōng bian的de山坡shān pō上shàng，他tā给gěi自己zì jǐ起qǐ了le一个yī ge新xīn外号wài hào，叫jiào“东坡dōng pō”。

Because the plot lay on the eastern slope, he gave himself a new nickname: "Dongpo" — East Slope.

▸ 从前cóng qián全国quán guó最zuì有名yǒu míng的de才子cái zǐ，现在xiàn zài成了chéng le一个yī ge种地zhòng dì的de农民nóng mín——可是kě shì他的tā de故事gù shì，才cái刚刚gāng gang开始kāi shǐ。

The most famous talent in the country was now a farmer in a field — but his story was only just beginning.

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