English Original
Long ago, a county magistrate named Wang Lu served in what is now Anhui province. He was notoriously greedy and accepted many bribes. One of his secretaries was equally corrupt and often schemed on Wang Lu's behalf.
One day, a man came to the magistrate to lodge a formal complaint against this secretary. The secretary's crimes were strikingly similar to those Wang Lu himself had committed. Terrified, Wang Lu forgot his judicial duty. Instead of passing judgment, he wrote on the complaint: "By beating the grass, you have startled me, who am like a snake hidden beneath it!"
This story gave rise to the idiom "Beat the grass and startle the snake." Its original meaning was that punishing one person can serve as a warning to others. Today, it is commonly used to describe premature actions that alert an opponent, putting them on guard.
中文翻译
很久以前，一位名叫王鲁的县官在现今的安徽省任职。他非常贪婪，收受了许多贿赂。他的一名文书同样腐败，经常为王鲁的勾当出谋划策。
一天，有人向这位县官状告那名文书。文书的罪行与王鲁自己所犯的罪行惊人地相似。王鲁惊恐万分，忘记了自己审理案件的职责。他没有做出判决，反而在诉状上写道：“汝虽打草，吾已蛇惊！”
这个故事衍生出了成语“打草惊蛇”。其原意是惩罚一个人可以警示他人。如今，它常用来形容因行动过早而惊动对手，使其有所戒备。