卧薪尝胆（Sleeping On Brushwood and Tasting Gall）形容人刻苦自励，发奋图强，其背后的典故家喻户晓，那要怎么用英语来讲诉这个故事呢？下面就跟着重庆新航道的小编一起来学学吧。
During the Spring and Autumn period （770－476BC）, The country of Wu started a war with the country of Yue. Yue lost the war.
The king of Wu, Fu Chai let the king Yue, Gou Jian live in a shabby stone house and ordered him to raise horses for him. Gou Jian pretended to be loyal to fu, but he never forgot his humiliation he suffered.
Many years later, he was set free. When Gou Jian returned to his country, he secretly amassed an army.
To make himself stronger, he slept on firewood and ate a gall bladder before eating and going to bed every day.
A few years later, his army became strong and he won the game he against the state of Wu.
Now, people use it to describe one who endures self-imposed hardships to strengthen one's resolve to realize one's target.
词语小助手：
perid 时期
loyal 忠诚的
humiliation 耻辱，屈辱
amassed积累，积聚
strengthen 加强，巩固
endures 忍耐，忍受
小故事大背景：
春秋时期，吴王夫差凭着自己国力强大，领兵攻打越国。结果越国战败，越王勾践于是被抓到吴国。
吴王为了羞辱越王，就派他从事看墓与喂马等奴仆才做的工作。越王心里虽然很不服气，但仍然极力装出忠心、顺从的样子。吴王看他这样尽心伺候自己，觉得他对自己十分忠心，最后就允许他回到越国。
越王回国后，决心洗刷自己在吴国当囚徒的耻辱。为了告诫自己不要忘记复仇雪恨，他每天都睡在坚硬的木柴上，还在门上吊一颗苦胆，吃饭和睡觉前都要品尝一下，为的就是要让自己记住教训。
经过十年的艰苦奋斗，越国变得国富兵强。于是，越王亲自率领军队进攻吴国，也成功取得胜利，吴王夫差羞愧得在战败后自杀。之后，越国又乘胜进军中原，成为春秋末期的一大强国。
“卧薪尝胆”这个成语出自《史记·越王勾践世家》，比喻人的刻苦自励、发奋图强。
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