第 一 章 做 人 之 道
The Way to Conduct Oneself
1. 撇和捺的约定
很久很久以前，一个偶然的机会，撇遇见了捺，它俩一见钟情，走到一起，相互依靠，便成了人。打那以后，不管是男人、女人，白人、黑人，好人、坏人，中国人还是外国人，统统称为人，而且简单得只有一撇一捺。
撇和捺形影不离，恩恩爱爱，相依为命，与世无争。虽然日子过得很清贫，但无论走到哪里都把它们当人看。然而，好景不长，或许是它们过得太清贫，或许是受外界的影响，它俩便开始跟风，试探着索取和接受本不属于它们的东西。
有人送上一横，它们收下，被别人见了骂它们不是人；有人送来两横，照收不误，别人知道了还是骂它们不是人。一次，撇和捺入室偷吃了一口，便招来牢狱之灾。还有一次，撇和捺各贪了一点，这下更不得了了，别人不但指着鼻子骂它们不是，还躲得远远的，生怕引火烧身。撇和捺困惑不解，闭门思过，恍然大悟——看来做人有做人的规矩，多一点不是人，少一道也不是人。于是便双双约定—生生世世不分离，时时处处莫贪心，甘当红花配绿叶，愿做偏旁献爱心。
无论外面的世界多精彩，也不问外面的世界多无奈，要懂得做人的道理，坚守做人的信条!
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註释：
1.撇: left-falling stroke (in Chinese characters )
2.捺: right-falling stroke (in Chinese characters)
3.一见钟情: fall in love at first sight
4.相互依靠：depend on each other
5.形影不离: inseparable as a body and shadow ;
always together
6.相依为命：depend on each other for survival
7.与世无争：hold oneself aloof from the world ;stand aloof worldly
Success
8.好景不长：good times don’t last long
9.引火烧身：draw fire against oneself
10.困惑不解：feel puzzled
11.闭门思过：shut oneself up and ponder over one’smistakes
12.恍然大悟：suddenly realize what happened;suddenly see the light
13.偷偷地：on the sly
1. Appointment about Left-Falling Stroke and Right-Falling Stroke
Long long ago, a left-falling stroke met a right-falling stroke by chance , both of them fell in love at first sight , got together and have depended on each other, and then became human being . From then on , no matter what they were men or women ,white or black, good people or bad people , Chinese or foreigners , they all have been called as human being , and it is so simple that it has only one left-falling stroke and one right-falling stroke .
The left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke had been inseparable as body and shadow has doing , had been loving with each other , had depended on each other for survival and had held themselves aloof from the world . Though their life had been very poor , they had been always regarded as human being no matter where they went to. However , good times didn’t last long , perhaps their life was too poor ，perhaps they were influenced by the external world , and then both of them began to keep abreast of the current situation , tried to ask for and to accept the things which didn’t belong to themselves .
A person delivered a horizontal stroke(in Chinese characters) , they accepted , when others saw and swore at them to be not human being ; another person delivered two horizontal stroke , they accepted yet ,after others knew , they still swore at them to be not human being . Once , the left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke came into a room to have a mouthful of food on the sly , they just suffered a disaster to jail . There was one time yet , the left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke individually grafted a dot stroke (in Chinese characters) ，it caused a more serious trouble , not only others swore at them tobe not human being to point at their noses , but also kept avoiding themdistantly , for fear that draw fire against themselves . The left-fallingstroke and the right-falling stroke felt puzzled , shut themselves up andpondered over their mistakes and suddenly realized what has happened—it looksas if being an upright person has really a rule , adding more another dot wasnot human being , reducing a stroke was not human being yet . So both of themmade an appointment : Never separate all their life , be not greedy everywhereand at any time . Willing doing red flowers accompany green leaf , readilydoing appendixes (Character components , basic structural parts of ChineseCharacters) devote a loving heart . No matter how so wonderful the externalworld is , no matter how no alternative the external world has , shouldunderstand the truth doing people , hold firmly to principle doing people !
