A man of the state of Chu (chǔ guó 楚国) had a spear and a shield for sale.
楚国有个卖兵器的人，在市场上卖矛和盾。
He was loud in praises of his shield."My shield is so strong that nothing can pierce it through."
为了让人家愿意买他的货，他先举起盾向人们夸口道：“你们看，我的盾是世上最坚固的盾，任何锋利的东西都不能刺穿它。”
He also sang praises of his spear."My spear is so strong that it can pierce through anything."
接着又举起他的矛，向人吹嘘说：“你们再看看我的矛，它锋利无比，无坚不摧，无论多么坚硬的盾，都挡不住它，一刺就穿!”
"What would happen," he was asked, "if your spear is used to pierce your shield?"
人群中有人问道：“如果用你的矛去刺你的盾，结果怎么样?”
It is impossible for an impenetrable shield to coexist with a spear that finds nothing impenetrable.
这世界上一样无坚不摧的东西永远不会与一样什么都能摧毁的东西共存。
【文化链接】
“自相矛盾”的英文表达，常用“to contradict oneself”，比如：“你自相矛盾了”就可以说：“You're contradicting yourself.”或者“You've contradicted yourself.”
曾经有一个英文帖子就讨论过“Can you contradict yourself in one sentence? ”(你能在一句话里面做到自相矛盾吗?)，答案千奇百怪，这里就给大家看两个例子~
1. In the military it's, "Hurry up and wait."(在军队里，有一种说法叫做“Hurry up and wait. ”，英语解释是：“The concept of making every effort to arrive at a location ahead of the appointed time, with the expectation of having to wait upon arrival. ”也就是说不惜一切力量在指定时间之前就到达了目的地，但自己知道到达之后也要一直等到指定的时间。“hurry up(迅速)” 和“wait(等待)”是含有一定相对意义的词，所以就在这么简短的一句话中，就做到了自相矛盾~这句话也被广泛应用在各个场所、各个领域)
2.Yes, I can't.(这句有很简短啊，同时还达到效果了~“yes(是的)”和“can't(不能、不会)”形成了自相矛盾的效果)
【第二篇：画饼充饥】
看故事学成语：画饼充饥
Lu Yu lived in the Kingdom of Wei during the Three Kingdoms periods. He was orphanedat the age of ten.
三国时代，魏国有个叫卢毓(Lú Yù )的人，很小的时候就失去了父母和两个哥哥。
So he undertook the task of supporting his sister-in-law and nephew through a period of extreme hardship.Meanwhile, he also studied hard. He was praised all around for his noble deeds and depth of knowledge.
卢毓从此辛苦工作，除了照顾哥哥们的家人外，自己还努力读书，受到大家的赞许。
Later he became an official and still worked hard and put forth valuable advice to the emperor, so the emperor placed great trust in him.
后来，卢毓做了官，仍然勤恳工作，经常给皇帝提出好建议，得到皇帝的信任。
At that time, the selection process of government officials depended on the recommendation of powerful and influential men.
那时候，朝廷选拔官吏，一般都是由有名望的人推荐，而推荐的人，一般又只在有名望的人里考虑。
These men would always recommend famous persons who were all mouth and no action which displeased the emperor.
其实，好多有名望的人只是嘴上能说，并不会干实际的事，因此，皇帝很不满。
One time, the emperor asked Lu Yu to recommend an official and said to him: "the selection of government officials should not rely solely on one's fame which is just like a cake drawn on the ground, while it may be good to look at it does not satisfy one's hunger."
有一天，皇帝准备选拔一个有才能的人，并要卢毓推荐，还说选择人才不能光找有名声的人，名声只不过是画出来的一张饼，只能看，不能吃的。
This story gave rise to the idiom "draw a cake to satisfy hunger. " Now it is used to describe someone who uses fantasy to satisfy oneself and means that empty reputation is of no practical value.
后来，人们就用这个成语比喻自己安慰自己，不能解决实际问题的方法。
【成语活用】
Your action is just like drawing a cake to satisfy hunger, which has no practical effect.
你这种做法只是画饼充饥，没有任何实际作用。
【第三篇：刮目相看】
看故事学成语：刮目相看
Lv Meng (lǚ méng 吕蒙) was a general of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period (三国时代,220-280AD).
三国时期(220-280)，吴国有一个叫吕蒙的将军
He was born in such a poor family that he did not get any chance to go to the school when he was a child.
吕蒙出生在穷苦人家，小时候没有机会上学。
However, there was still less time for reading when he served in the army after he grew up.
长大后他参了军，看书的时间更少了。
Once the king of Wu summoned Lv Meng and said to him, "Since you are now a general in power, you had better read some books to widen your horizon."
一次，吴国的皇帝召见吕蒙，对他说："现在你是大将军了，应该多看看书开阔眼界。"
Lv Meng answered, "I am so busy with military affairs that I am afraid I have little time to read."
吕蒙回答道："军中的事务这么忙，我恐怕没有时间读书。"
The King said, "Are you busier than I am? Even I often find time to read books on the art of war and gain much benefit from them. To read more about the experience left by our ancestors will make you progress."
吴国的皇帝说："你难道比我还忙吗?我常常抽空阅读兵书，从中得到了不少好处。多看看前人的经验之谈，你会有更大的进步。"
Lv Meng then did according to what the king said. He concentrated himself on reading history and military writings.
吕蒙接受了皇帝的建议，从此开始专心阅读，看了很多历史和军事书籍。
On day, Military Governor Lu Su visited Lv Meng and was surprised to find that Lv Meng had become very knowledgeable.
一天，主帅鲁肃来拜访吕蒙，惊讶地发现吕蒙变得很有学问。
Lu Su, who held Lv Meng in contempt earlier, said, "I did not expect that you would know so much besides fighting! You are not the one you used to be!"
曾经非常轻视吕蒙的鲁肃说："我以为你只会打仗，没想到你这么博学。你已经不是过去的那个吕蒙了!"
Lv Meng replied, "You should look at a person with new eyes even only after a three days' separation."
吕蒙回答道："即使你和别人只分开了三天，三天后再遇到他时也不能用三天前的老眼光来看待他。"
Today, when a person does something that causes others to see him differently, we can say that people "look at him with new eyes."
今天，当一个人做了某些事，令别人另眼相待时，我们就可以说，对他“刮目相看”了。
【中外差别】
英语中有一个与“刮目相看”意义大致相近的短语，叫做“knock the socks off”，直译就是“把~的袜子都撞掉了”，也就是让某人刮目相看的意思啦。同样的，如果别人让你刮目相看的话，你也可以说：“Hey，dude~You really knocked my socks off!”
【成语活用】
Next quarter I really want to knock the socks off the competition.
下一季我非常希望可以让竞争对手刮目相看。
【第四篇：拔苗助长】
看故事学成语：拔苗助长
There once was an impatient farmer who lived during the Song Dynasty.(sòng cháo,960-1279 AD).
春秋时代，宋国有个急性子的农夫。
Everyday the anxious farmer would measure the growth of the crops.
庄稼长出禾苗以后，他每天都去观看。
To his dismay, his crops were growing much slower than he expected.
令他沮丧的是，禾苗长得太慢。
The farmer racked his brains trying to find better ways of planting in order to get quickerresults.
农夫绞尽脑汁想让禾苗长快些。
One day he finally came up with a solution.
一天他终于想出方法。
He started to physically pull the crops out of the ground, thus making them taller.
他跑到田里，把禾苗一颗颗往上拔，使它们长高。
The farmer worked very hard and at day’s end was physically exhausted but mentally happy as his plan had produced the desired results.
农夫虽然很累但他很高兴看到禾苗长高。
When the farmer went home, he told his son of his “brilliant” method.
当农夫回家时，把这个好办法告诉了他儿子。
His son went to the field only to discover that all of his crops were all dead.
他的儿子赶忙跑到田里去看，禾苗全都枯萎了。
【成语活用】
To educate the young generation in such a way is just like helping the shoots grow by pulling them upward.
用这种方法教育下一代无异于拔苗助长。
【第五篇：东窗事发】
看故事学成语：东窗事发
During the final years of the Song dynasty (sòng cháo 宋朝), China was invaded by Jin(jīn金) people from the north.
宋朝末年，北方的金人来侵犯。
General Yue Fei led the army in resistance, and defeated the enemy.
将军岳飞率领军队勇敢抵抗，终于把敌人打败。
Just as he was about to take advantage of his victory and attack the Jin army, he received word that the emperor had ordered him to return.
正想乘胜追击敌人的时候，忽然皇帝下了十二道金牌，命令岳飞和军队立刻回去。
As it turned out, this was actually a plot of Chin Hui, a Sung dynasty official who wasconspiring with the enemy.In order to frame Yue Fei, Chin Hui had tricked him intoreturning early.
原来这是私通敌人的太师秦桧的诡计，假冒皇帝的意思来陷害岳飞。
Chin Hui had thought this plot up together with his wife, under the east window of their house.
秦桧的这些诡计，都是他和妻子王氏在家里的东窗下秘密商量出来的。
Sometime later, Chin Hui and his son Chin Shi died, one right after the other. Chin Hui's wife hired someone who could communicate with ghosts and spirits to come and find out how her husband and son were doing after death.
后来秦桧和他的儿子秦僖相继死亡，王氏请了几个研究神鬼灵魂的人来，想知道他们父子死后的情形。
After he had finished, the man said to her, "I first went to see your son, who told me that your husband was in the city of Feng-du. So I went there and found him doing hard labor, wearing iron cangue. He asked me to tell you that the thing which you two discussed under the east window has already been exposed."
来的人在做法以后告诉王氏说：“我先见到了公子秦僖，他告 诉我秦太师在酆都城，我到了酆都城，看见太师正戴着铁枷做苦工呢。他让我转告你，你们在东窗下商量的那件事已经被揭发了。”
Now, when a wrong-doing is brought to light, it may be said that "the affair of the east window has been exposed."
现在当一件丑事被曝光之后，就可以说是：“东窗事发”了。
【中外差异】
A secret is like a cat that has been kept in a bag. Once you let the cat out of the bag, it goes wherever it wants.
英语中的与“东窗事发”意义相近的是“the cat is out of the bag”,就是“猫从袋子里走出来了”，可以把猫想象成“秘密”，把不为人知的秘密藏在袋子里，猫一旦从袋子中走出，秘密也就随之公开了，也就是“东窗事发”。
【成语活用】
I've been keeping that thing a family secret.But now the cat is out of the bag because of you!
我一直把那件事当做家族的秘密，但如今却因为你而东窗事发!