三顾茅庐(Sān gù máolú)

Sānguó shí, Liú Bèi tīngshuō Zhūgě Liàng hěn yǒu cáishí, jiù xīwàng Zhūgě Liànɡ chūshān fǔzuǒ tā. Yī tiān, tā dàizhe lǐwù dào Lónɡzhōnɡ( Zhūɡěliànɡ de jūsuǒ) qù qǐng Zhūgě Liànɡ. Dàole yǐhòu, púrén què ɡàosù tā Zhūɡě Liànɡ bú zài, Liú Bèi shīwàng de huíqùle.
三国时，刘备听说诸葛亮很有才识，就希望诸葛亮出山辅佐他。一天，他带着礼物到隆中（诸葛亮的居所）去请诸葛亮。到了以后，仆人却告诉他诸葛亮不在，刘备失望地回去了。
During the Three Kingdoms Period, Liu Bei heard Zhuge Liang was very talented. He hoped Zhuge Liang would come and work for him, so one day, he took gifts to Longzhong (the house of Zhuge Liang) to invite the talented man to the court. When he got there, the servant told Liubei that Zhuge Liang was not home. Liubei had no choice but to return home in disappointment.

Bù jiǔ, Liú Bèi yòu hé Guān Yǔ( GuānYǔ) Zhānɡ Fēi( Zhāng Fēi) màozhe dà fēng xuě qù, jiéguǒ púrén yòu gàosù tāmen Zhūgě Liànɡ bù zài. Guānyǔ hé Zhānɡfēi fēichánɡ shēnɡqì, tāmen fēnfēn quànshuō Liúbèi búyào zài qùle, kěshì Liúbèi háishì jiānchí yào qù.
不久，刘备又和关羽（Guān Yǔ）、张飞（Zhāng Fēi）冒着大风雪去，结果仆人又告诉他们诸葛亮不在。关羽和张飞非常生气，他们纷纷劝说刘备不要再去了，可是刘备还是坚持要去。
Later, this time with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei went back to Zhuge Liang’s home, braving the strong wind and snow. But the servant again told him that Zhuge Liang was not in. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became very angry. They persuaded Liu Bei to never return, but Liu Bei was insistent.

Dì-sān cì qù de shíhou Zhūɡěliànɡ zhènɡ zài shuìjiào, Liúbèi bù ɡǎn dǎrǎo tā, yīzhí děnɡ dào Zhūɡěliànɡ xǐnɡlái. Zhūɡěliànɡ kàndàole Liúbèi de juéxīn hé chénɡyì, biàn dāyìnɡ Liúbèi chūshān fǔzuǒ tā. Jiéɡuǒ Zhūɡěliànɡ chénɡwéi lìshǐshànɡ yī wèi zhùmínɡ de chénɡxiànɡ. 
第三次去的时候诸葛亮正在睡觉，刘备不敢打扰他，一直等到诸葛亮醒来。诸葛亮看到了刘备的决心和诚意，便答应刘备出山辅佐他。结果诸葛亮成为历史上一位著名的丞相。
When they arrived the third time, Zhuge Liang was sleeping. Liu Bei didn’t want to disturb him, and so waited until he woke up. Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei’s determination and sincerity, and agreed to assist Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang would eventually become one of the most famous prime ministers in history.

Words：
才识(cáishí)： Ability and insight n.
辅佐(fǔzuǒ)： Assist a ruler in governing a country v.
仆人(púrén)： flunky n.
失望(shīwàng)： disappointed adj.
纷纷(fēnfēn)： in succession adv.
劝说(quànshuō)： to advise v.
打扰(dárăo)： to disturb v.
决心(juéxīn)： determination n.
诚意(chéngyì)： sincerity n.
丞相(chéngxiàng)： minister prime
Meanings：
“三顾茅庐” 本来是指刘备一连三次请求诸葛亮出山辅佐他的故事。现比喻真心诚意地一再邀请某人做什么事情。
The original meaning of “三顾茅庐” refers to Liu Bei asking Zhuge Liang to help him three times. Now, it’s often used as a metaphor to describe when a person sincerely invites somebody to do something repeatedly.

Sentences：
1. Tā sān ɡù máolú, cái qǐnɡ dàole zhèwèi jiàoshòu wèi wǒmen kāi jiǎnɡzuò.
他三顾茅庐，才请到了这位教授为我们开讲座。
After our repeated requests, the professor finally gave us the lecture.

2. Zhūɡěliànɡ zhōnɡyú bèi Liúbèi sān ɡù máolú de jīnɡshén dǎdònɡle.
诸葛亮终于被刘备三顾茅庐的精神打动了。
Zhuge Liang was touched by Liu Bei’s persistence to ask his help.  

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