中國成語故事中英對照 名落孫山

宋代有一個名叫孫山的才子，他為人幽默，很善于說笑話，所以人稱滑稽才子。

One year he went to take the imperial examination, and came bottom of the list of successful candidates. Back in his hometown, one of his neighbours asked him whether the neighbour's son had also passed. Sun Shan said, with a smile: "Sun Shan was the last on the list, your son came after Sun Shan."

一年，他和一個同鄉(xiāng)的兒子去京城參加舉人的考試。放榜的時候，孫山的名字雖然列在榜文的倒數(shù)第一名，但仍然是榜上有名，而他那位同鄉(xiāng)的兒子，卻沒能考上。不久，孫山先回到家里，同鄉(xiāng)便來問他自己的兒子有沒有考取。孫山既不好意思直說，又不便隱瞞，于是，就隨口念出兩句不成詩的詩句來：解元盡處是孫山，賢郎更在孫山外。解元，就是我國科舉制度所規(guī)定的舉人的第一名。而孫山在詩里所謂的解元，乃是泛指一般考取的舉人。他的意思是說：舉人榜上的最后一名是我孫山，而令郎的名字卻還在我孫山的后面。

Later, people used this idiom to indicate failing in an examination or competition.

從此，人們便根據(jù)這個故事，把投考學(xué)校或參加各種考試沒有被錄取叫做名落孫山。