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14、Painting the Dragons to Life 画龙点睛 In the sixth century, South China was a place of peace and happiness.Emperor Wu Di ruled during the Liang Dynasty from 502 to 549 AD. It was a time of great learning and art. Both were very important to Wu Di.A general named Zhang Seng You served under Emperor Wu Di. Zhang was also a famous painter.One day, the An Le Monastery in Jin Ling (now Nanjing) invited Zhang to paint a mural. His painting would decorate the wall outside the temple.The villagers gathered near the wall. They were eager to watch Zhang Seng You create a masterpiece.When Zhang arrived, he stood at the wall for a long time. The villagers wondered why he didn’t start to paint.“Is something wrong?” asked an old man.“I wonder what he’s waiting for,” said a woman.The crowd became anxious. But still they waited and waited. They all wanted to see a master at work.Finally, Zhang began to wave his paintbrush. He painted four large, detailed dragons on the wall. Each was beautiful in its own way. Red, yellow, blue, and black! Each dragon was a different color. The dragons had muscular bodies and large, powerful wings. They had long, curvy tails. They looked so real, they almost seemed to breathe.They had regal noses and eyes, but none of the eyes had pupils.When Zhang finished, he stepped back so everyone could get a better look.“Magnificent!” exclaimed one man.“Beautiful!” said another.“Look at the colors,” said a woman standing in the back.“Such talent,” said the man standing next to her.“Impressive,” said a man in front. Then he nervously added, “But why don’t their eyes have pupils? I don’t see any dots in their eyes.”“The pupil is where the fire and energy of the soul live,” explained Zhang.“If I paint their pupils, the dragons would come alive! They would take off and fly away.”Hearing this, the villagers laughed. What silliness! They teased Zhang about his story.“Draw me lots of money!” a poor woman suggested. “Then put pupils on it!”“Paint a fish dinner!” yelled a small boy, rubbing his stomach. “With big, googly eyes!”“You do not believe me, eh?” Zhang asked, annoyed. “I shall prove it!”Zhang went back to the wall. He used his finest brush to dot pupils in the eyes of two of the dragons.Suddenly, thunder boomed! Lightning flashed in the sky and in the eyes of the painted dragons.“BOOM!” “BOOM!” “ROAR!” “BOOM!”The villagers were startled. They looked up and around. They did not know what was happening. Everyone tried to hide under someone else!Just then, an even bigger noise, like fireworks, surrounded them. The two dragons with dotted eyes broke free from the wall.The two dragons raced upward! They zoomed like lightning returning to its source! Their long tails whipped the winds. They flew higher and higher. Then they disappeared into the storm clouds.The villagers were stunned. Shocked. They looked at the dragons on the wall. Their eyes grew wide. Their mouths hung open, speechless.The villagers looked at Zhang. Then they looked back at the wall. The two dragons without dotted eyes remained still on the wall.“It’s perfect the way you painted it!” added the nervous man in front of the crowd. “Don’t change a thing !”“To dot the pupils of the painted dragon” means that if you want to bring your ideas to life, you must be clear. You have to pay attention to details and finish your work carefully. A similar English idiom that advises people to pay attention to details is “Dot your 'I’s” and cross your T’s.”The End Question: The dragon was beloved in ancient Chinese culture. Can youname two more beloved creatures in ancient Chinese culture? Why didpeople love them? 核心词汇 rule v. 统治 general n. 将军 monastery n. 寺院 mural n. 壁画 masterpiece n. 杰作 muscular adj. 肌肉的，肌肉发达的 curvy adj. 弯曲的 regal adj. 帝王的，王室的 pupil n. 瞳孔 magnificent adj. 宏伟的，壮丽的 exclaim v. （由于痛苦、愤怒、激动等）呼喊、惊叫 impressive adj. 令人印象深刻的 boom v. 低沉有回响的声音，（大炮、雷、波涛等的）隆隆声 startle v. （使）惊吓 surround v. 包围 dot v. 打点，用点构成 source n. 来源 whip v. 鞭打，抽打 stunned adj. 震惊的 nap v.打盹 
以下翻译来自百度翻译： 公元502年至549年，汉武帝在梁朝统治。这是一个伟大的学术和艺术时代。这两件事对吴棣来说都很重要。一位名叫张森佑的将军在武帝手下服役。张艺谋也是一位著名的画家。一天，金陵（现在的南京）的安乐寺邀请张画一幅壁画。他的画将装饰寺庙外的墙壁。当张到达时，他在墙边站了很长时间。村民们想知道他为什么不开始画画。人群变得焦急起来。但他们还是等了又等。他们都想在工作中见到一位大师。最后，张开始挥动他的画笔。他在墙上画了四条又大又细的龙。每个人都有自己的美丽。红，黄，蓝，黑！每一条龙都是不同的颜色。龙有肌肉发达的身体和巨大有力的翅膀。它们有长长的、弯曲的尾巴。它们看起来如此真实，几乎像是在呼吸。当张完成时，他后退一步，以便每个人都能看得更清楚。“真了不起，”前面的一个人说。然后他紧张地补充道：“但是为什么他们的眼睛没有瞳孔呢？我看不到他们眼睛里有任何斑点。”“如果我画他们的瞳孔，龙就会活过来！它们将起飞并飞走。”听到这些，村民们大笑起来。多么愚蠢！他们取笑张的故事。“给我很多钱！”一个可怜的女人建议道。”那就把学生放上去！”“画一个鱼餐！”一个小男孩揉着肚子喊道长着一双又大又笨的眼睛！”张回到墙上。他用他最好的画笔在两条龙的眼睛里给瞳孔点画。村民们大吃一惊。他们抬头环顾四周。他们不知道发生了什么事。每个人都想躲在别人下面！就在那时，一个更大的噪音，如烟花，包围了他们。两只眼睛上有斑点的龙从墙上挣脱了出来。两条龙向上飞奔！它们像闪电一样迅速地回到了它的源头！它们的长尾巴随风摆动。他们飞得越来越高。然后他们消失在暴风云中。村民们惊呆了。震惊的他们看着墙上的龙。他们的眼睛睁得大大的。他们张着嘴，说不出话来。村民们看着张。然后他们回头看了看墙壁。两条没有斑点眼睛的龙仍然呆在墙上。“你画它的方式太完美了！”在人群面前紧张的人补充说什么都不要改变！”“给画好的龙的瞳孔打点”意味着如果你想把你的想法变成现实，你必须清楚。你必须注意细节，认真完成工作。建议人们注意细节的一个类似的英语成语是“点你的'I’和叉你的'T’。”
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