The suicide of Qu Yuan

屈原之死

In modern times, the most popular story explaining the origins of the Dragon Boat Festival concerns the death of Qu Yuan, a poet of the Warring States period (approx. 475 to 221 BC).

在现代，战国时期（约公元前475年至221年）著名诗人屈原之死是端午节起源最广受欢迎的故事。

At the time, it was common for Chinese literati to work in government, and Qu Yuan was no different. He served faithfully as a government official in the State of Chu for some time. After being slandered by another official, however, he was sent into exile.

当时，中国文人在朝廷工作很常见，屈原也不例外。屈原曾在楚国为官，然而，在被另一名官员诽谤后，他遭到了流放。

Qu Yuan spent his exile in a productive manner, writing many works of poetry, but his mind was troubled. The State of Chu was not doing well politically, and news of its various defeats at the hands of competing states sent Qu Yuan into a deep depression. Eventually, his despair in the face of the political situation drove him to commit suicide by drowning himself in Hunan Province’s Miluo River.

屈原在流放途中依旧十分“高产”，写了许多诗歌，但他却殚精竭虑。楚国在政治上表现不佳，频频战败的消息使屈原陷入了抑郁的深渊。最终，对政局绝望的他选择在湖南省的汨罗江跳江自杀。

During his time in exile, Qu Yuan had become quite popular with the local people. Legend has it that when they realized he was attempting to drown himself, the citizenry rushed in boats to the middle of the river in an attempt to save him or at least retrieve his body. Unable to find him and worried that fish would eat his body, they threw balls of sticky rice into the river in hopes that the fish would choose the rice over Qu Yuan.

流亡期间，屈原受到了当地人的热烈欢迎。传说，当地人意识到屈原试图自杀时，他们乘船冲到江中央，试图救他或至少找回他的尸体，但并未找到。他们担心鱼会吃掉屈原的身体，便把糯米球扔进江里，希望鱼吃糯米球而不是屈原的尸体。

Dragon boat racing 

赛龙舟

The dragon boat festival is a fun, boisterous holiday. In most parts of China, the weather is quite good at this time of year, and people congregate outside on the banks of rivers and lakes to enjoy the fine weather while watching traditional dragon boat races.

端午节是一个有趣、喧闹的节日。在中国大部分地区，每年这个时候的天气都很好，人们聚集在河岸边，一边欣赏传统的赛龙舟，一边享受好天气。

Over the years, dragon boat racing has developed into a sport with a variety of rules and regulations. This sport has recently gained popularity with people around the world, including in the United States. Races have even been held in big cities such as New York and Chicago.

多年来，赛龙舟已经发展成为一项具有各种规则和条例的运动。近来，赛龙舟在包括美国在内的世界各地的人们中越来越受欢迎，甚至连纽约和芝加哥等大城市都举行过这一活动。

Eating Rice dumpling/zòngzi 

吃粽子

Almost every Chinese holiday has a specific food or foods associated with it, and Dragon Boat Festival is no different. On this holiday, the food of choice is zòngzi (粽子).

几乎每个中国节日都有特定的食物或与之相关的食物，端午节也不例外。在这个假期，首选的食物是粽子。

Zòngzi are a type of pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and stuffed with various sweet or savory fillings. Common fillings for sweet zòngzi include sweet red bean paste or jujube (Chinese dates).

粽子是一种金字塔形的饺子，由糯米制成，里面塞满了各式各样的甜味或咸味馅料。甜粽子的常见馅料包括豆沙或枣子（中国枣）。

Savory zòngzi might be stuffed with salted egg yolks, pork or mushrooms. The dumplings themselves are wrapped in bamboo leaves, tied with a string, and either steamed or boiled.

粽子的馅可能是咸蛋黄、猪肉或蘑菇。粽子的外部被竹叶包裹，用绳子绑起来，烹饪方式可蒸可煮。

词汇小结：

the Dragon Boat Festival：端午节

the Warring States period：战国时期

Dragon boat racing ：赛龙舟

Eating Rice dumpling/zòngzi：吃粽子

literati：【lɪtəˈrɑːti】文人学士

slander：【ˈslændər】诽谤

exile：【ˈeɡzaɪl】流放

productive：【prəˈdʌktɪv】多产的；富有成效的

boisterous：【ˈbɔɪstərəs】喧闹的

red bean paste：豆沙馅

jujube：【dʒudʒub】枣

英文原文来源：https://studycli.org/chinese-holidays/dragon-boat-festival/