一天，各路神仙都来朝拜天帝。

One day, deities from various places came to pay homage to the Emperor of Heaven.

天帝命令司觞大臣，说：“先把他们的名字登记好，再赐给他们酒喝。” 

The emperor gave his minister in charge of wine cups the following order:“Register the names of the deities first, then bestow wine upon them.”

天帝的司觞大臣拿着竹简，登记各路神仙的姓名，准备赐酒，可是登记了三千年，还没有登记完。

The minister in charge of wine cups registered the names of the deities on the bamboo slips, and prepared to bestow wine. But he kept on working for three thousand years and had not finished the registration yet.

天帝査问：“你为什么还没有登记完？”

The emperor inquired:“Why haven’t you finished registering?”

司觞大臣报告说：“各路神仙都带着轿夫。”

The minister reported:“All the deities have brought their sedan-chair carriers.”

天帝下令：“轿夫，也登记上吧！”

The emperor ordered:“Then register the sedan-chair carriers as well.”

结果，又登记了七千年，还是没有登记完。

Seven thousand years passed and the registration was still not done.

当天帝再次査问的时候，司觞大臣无可奈何地报告说: “各路神仙的轿夫，又都带着自己的轿夫啊！”

When the emperor inquired again, the minister had no way out but reported:“The sedan- chair carriers of the deities have brought their own carriers too.”

赐酒一事，最终还是没有成功。

So the wine was not bestowed after all.

天帝沉默了半天，长长地叹息了一声。

The Emperor of Heaven remained silent for a long time and then heaved a deep sigh.

*选自清朝龚自珍（公元1792—1841年）的《龚定庵全集·凉燠》

*Selected from the book Complete Works of Gong Ding by Gong Zizhen (1792-1841 A.D.) of the Qing Dynasty

【生词与短语 New Words & Expressions】

1.天帝赐酒 [tiān dì cì jiǔ]  The Emperor of Heaven Bestows Wine

2.朝拜 [cháo bài]  v. pay homage

3.登记 [dēng jì]  v. / n. register / registration

4.竹简 [zhú jiǎn]  n. bamboo slip

5.査问 [chá wèn]  v. inquire

6.轿夫 [jiào fū]  n. sedan-chair carrier

7.报告 [bào gào]  v. report

8.沉默 [chén mò]  a. silent

9.叹息 [tàn xī]  v. sigh