名落孙山之历史故事--中国成语故事中英对照
In the Song Dynasty(960-1279) there was a joker called Sun Shan.
宋代有一个名叫孙山的才子，他为人幽默，很善于说笑话，所以人称滑稽才子。
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，他和一个同乡的儿子去京城参加举人的考试。放榜的时候，孙山的名字虽然列在榜文的倒数第一名，但仍然是榜上有名，而他那位同乡的儿子，却没能考上。不久，孙山先回到家里，同乡便来问他自己的儿子有没有考取。孙山既不好意思直说，又不便隐瞒，于是，就随口念出两句不成诗的诗句来：解元尽处是孙山，贤郎更在孙山外。解元，就是我国科举制度所规定的举人的第一名。而孙山在诗里所谓的解元，乃是泛指一般考取的举人。他的意思是说：举人榜上的最后一名是我孙山，而令郎的名字却还在我孙山的后面。
Later, people used this idiom to indicate failing in an examination or competition.
从此，人们便根据这个故事，把投考学校或参加各种考试没有被录取叫做名落孙山。
本文地址：http://www.dioenglish.com/writing/story/6756.html
