Fishing
垂钓
Fishing is an extremely ancient activity. The archeological materials prove that our ancestors had already invented fishhooks made of bones to go fishing in the Neolithic Age. Fishing is a game to mould a person's temperament and make him delighted, and it can also bring about a kind of enjoyment of pure beauty.
垂钓是一种极为古老的活动，考古发掘资料证实，早在新石器时代，我们的先民就已经发明用骨头制成的鱼钩来钓鱼了。钓鱼是一种陶冶性情、愉悦身心的活动，能给人以一种纯美的享受。
Ad far as fishing is concerned, Jiang Taigong must be mentioned because he may be rated as the most famous fisher in Chinese history. The story happened in the late years of the Shang dynasty. Jiang Taigong sang while he was fishing on the Wei River, but the hook he used was straight. The looker - on was curious about it, and Jiang Taigong explained, " I would like to take honestly rather than to plead for with the knees down. I fish not for the fish but for the nobility". In the end, he "fished" King Wen of Zhou and was appointed as the Prime Minister. We can learn that the meaning of Jiang Taigong's fishing is quite different from the real fishing used to mould a person's temperament. According to the relevant materials and the legend, Jiang Taigong went fishing when he failed completely. Besides, his purpose of fishing was to wait for King Wen of Zhou, so that he could realize his amibition to support Zhou State and destroy Shang State.
说到钓鱼，则必说姜太公，因为姜太公堪称中国历史上最著名的一位钓客。姜太公钓鱼说的是商朝末年，姜太公在渭水边作歌垂钓，钓钩却是直的。旁观者对此很好奇，姜太公解释说：“宁在直中取，不在曲中求；非为锦鳞，只钓王侯。”结果姜太公“钓”来了周文王，被拜为丞相。从中可以看出，姜太公钓鱼与那种真正意义上的钓鱼，即那种为陶冶性情而进行的钓鱼相去甚远。根据有关资料及传说，姜太公是在一事无成的情况下，才去钓鱼的，而且，他钓鱼的目的，也是为了等候周文王，以便能实施自己扶周灭商的抱负。
In the history of China, those who achieve their successes by fishing are numerable because fishing is not only to cheat the fish but the people, of whom the representatives are Long Yangjun in the Period of Spring and Autunmn and the Warring States and Yuan Shikai in the Republic of China who was the arch usurper of state power.
在中国历史上，像姜太公那样借钓鱼达到自己目的的人不在少数，因为钓鱼不仅能欺骗鱼，有时也能欺骗人。其中较具代表性的，除了姜太公，还有两位，一位是春秋战国时的龙阳君，一位就是民国时的窃国大盗袁世凯。
According to "Tactics in The Warring States. The Tactics of Wei State", Long Yangjun was the boy concubine of the King of Wei and also the most famous gay in the history of China. He took great pains in order to have the monopolized favor from the King of Wei. Once he fished together with the King of Wei on the same boat. When they fished for a little while, Long Yangjun burst out crying quite unaccountably. The King asked him why. With the time and again inquiries Long Yangjun told him, " Just now I fished a smaller fish and I was very happy. After a while I got a bigger one, and I was much happier and forgot the smaller one. So I think of myself and I am worried whether your Majesty would forget me when you meet a better man." When hearing this, the king of wei vowed he would not change his love for him and exhorted the people around if anyone dared to recommend any beauty to him, he would be punished by killing all his kin and relatives. In this way, Long Yangjun strengthened his position as a monopolized favor cleverly by fishing.
据《战国策·魏策》载，龙阳君是魏王的男宠，也是中国历史上最著名的同性恋者。他为了得到魏王的专宠，煞费苦心。一次龙阳君与魏王同船钓鱼，钓了一会儿，龙阳君突然莫名其妙地大哭起来。魏王赶紧问他为什么哭。在再三追问下，龙阳君告诉魏王说：我刚开始时钓到了一条小鱼，心里很高兴；过了一会儿，我钓到了一条大鱼，心里更加高兴，便把那条小鱼给忘了。由此我想到了自己的身世，君王会不会因为遇到一个比我更好的男子，就把我给忘了呢？魏王听后，便向龙阳君发誓说自己不会改变对他的宠爱，并告诫周围的人说，如果以后有人敢再向我推荐美人，就处以灭族之行。这样，龙阳君借垂钓之事，巧妙地稳固了自己的专宠地位。
The fishing of Yuan Shikai is more deceitful. In the later years of the Qing dynasty, Yuan Shikai, who was once in charge of the massive forces and disclosed the plans of the Emperor Guangxu, was forced to take off his armour, return to the land and recuperate in his hometown in Henan because of the sensitivity of the government after the death of Mother of the emperoe, Cixi and the Emperor Guangxu. However, the ambitious Yuan Shikai was not willing to retire from the political stage and constantly communicated with his old followers in order to resume his former position. Meanwhile, in order to avoid being know his conspiracy by the Qing government and persecuted more, he fished every day beside a lake with an alpine rush and a rod, which made him look like a real fisher completely. When the Qing government knew he fished only, it loosened up watch on him. When the Revolution of 1911 broke out, Yuan Shikai demanded exorbitantly from the Qing Government with his power and influence in the army, usurped the victory fruit of the Revolution of 1911 and granted himself the title Emperor Hongxian.
袁世凯钓鱼则更具欺骗性。晚清时期，慈禧太后和光绪皇帝死后，曾手握重兵、且向慈禧太后告发光绪皇帝谋划的袁世凯因受到当政者的忌讳，被迫解甲归田，回河南老家休养。但是，野心勃勃的袁世凯不甘心就此退出政坛，他不断联络旧部，以待东山再起。同时，为了防止清政府察知自己的阴谋，进一步加害，他便整天在池边垂钓，一蓑一竿，俨然一个真正的钓鱼翁。清政府了解到这一情况后，果然对他放松了警惕。然而，等到辛亥革命爆发，袁世凯凭借自己在军队中的势力，向清政府漫天要价，并窃取辛亥革命的胜利果实，自封为洪宪皇帝。
Nowadays, fishing is a world competitive game. The World Fishing Organization was set up in 1952, which stated the world fishing championship. In 1983, the Fishing Association was founded in China. There are two ways in the modern fishing competition. One is to compete the amount of fishing. The other is to compete the distance of the fishing hook while it is thrown out.
到今天，垂钓已经成为一项国际性的体育比赛活动。1952年，国际钓鱼运动联合会成立，开启了国际钓鱼技术锦示赛的序幕。我国也于1983年成立了钓鱼协会。现代钓鱼比赛的方法有两种，一种是比谁钓的鱼多，一种是比谁的钓鱼钩掷得远。
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