Swallowing a Date Whole | 囫囵吞枣

English Original

In the past, someone said: "The pear is good for the teeth, but bad for the spleen; the date is good for the spleen, but bad for the teeth."

A young man heard this, thought it over for a long time, and said: "Then, when I eat a pear, I'll keep it in my mouth and chew it with my teeth, but won't swallow it, so it will not do any harm to my spleen. When I eat a date, I won't chew it, but will swallow it whole, so it will not do any harm to my teeth."

When people heard this, they jeered at him: "You are swallowing a date whole!"


中文翻译

从前,有个人说:“吃生梨对牙齿有好处,但是会伤脾;吃红枣对脾有好处,但是会损害牙齿。”

一个年轻人听了这句话,想了很久,说道:“那我吃生梨的时候,就含在嘴里,用牙齿咀嚼,但是不往肚里咽,它就损伤不了我的脾。吃枣的时候,我把它整个儿吞下去,不去咀嚼,这样就不会损害我的牙齿了。”

人们听了他的话,讥笑他说:“你这是在囫囵吞枣啊!”

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