Paragraph 3: Chunyu Kun (淳于髡) (2/3)
When Weiwang reigned his dukedom into the eighth year, the Chu Dukedom posed a military threat to him. Weiwang, as the ruler of the Qi Dukedom, named Chunyu Kun emissary to the Chao Dukedom, to send for defending forces. Weiwang then equipped Chunyu Kun with one-hundred jins (a measure unit; one jin at that time equals to 300 mg or more) of gold and 10 four-horse carriages as gifts for Chao. Chunyu Kun laughed so hard that his laughing ripped his hat ribbons apart. At this, Weiwang said, "My counsellor, do you think my offer is meager?" Chunyu answered, "How dare I?" "Why then you laughed?" asked Weiwang. Chunyu replied, "On my way here from the east, I saw someone pray by the road. With a pork leg and a pot of wine, the prayer went, 'May ample harvest come from barren grounds; may bountiful harvest come from flooded fields; may all crops come ripe and rich; may my house and barns be extravagantly filled.' I laughed simply because he offered so little but asked for so much." Hearing this, Weiwang then added one thousand yis (yi is a measure unit equals to apporximately 2 jins) of gold, ten pairs of royal jadeware, one hundred of four-horse carriages. With all these, Chunyu bade Wenwang farewell and left for Chao. In exchange, Chao launched an army of one hundred thousand best soldiers and one thousand warring chariots. When this information came to Chu, Duke Chu withdrew his invading army overnight.
*威王八年，楚大發兵加齊。齊王使淳于髡之趙請救兵，齎(ji1)金百(bo2)斤，車(jü1)馬十駟。淳于髡仰天大笑， 冠(guan1)纓索絕。王曰：「先生少之乎？」髡曰：「何敢！」王 曰：「笑豈有說乎？」髡曰：「今者臣從東方來，見道傍有禳(rang2)田者，操一豚蹄，酒一盂，祝曰：『甌窶(ou1lou2)滿篝(gou1)，汙邪(wu1ye2)滿車，五穀蕃熟(shu2)，穰穰(rang2)滿家。』 臣見其所持者狹而所欲者奢，故笑之。」於是齊威王乃益齎黃金千溢，白璧十雙，車馬百駟。髡辭而行，至趙。趙王與之精兵十萬，革車千乘(sheng4)。楚聞之，夜引兵而去。
**The original paragraph in Chinese is taken from: Sima Qian. Ed. Han Zhaoqi. New Translation Shiji. vol.VIII. Taipei: Sanmin, 2008. 4941. (司馬遷. 韓兆琦 注譯. 新譯史記, 第八冊. 臺北市：三民, 2008. 4941頁. ISBN: 978-95-14-5001-8). All translation is based upon the text and annotations thereof (4943-4944).
***All translation is mine.
