Prevod

Emperor Wu of Han was traveling east when, before he had passed through Hangu Pass, he encountered a creature blocking the road. It was several zhang long and shaped like an ox, with green eyes and gleaming pupils. Its four feet were sunk into the earth, and though it moved, it could not shift from the spot. The assembled officials were terrified. Dongfang Shuo asked that wine be poured over it. After several dozen hu of wine had been poured, the creature dissolved. The emperor asked why. Dongfang Shuo replied, “This creature is called Huan, or Affliction, and is born of the vapors of sorrow. This must have been the site of a Qin prison, or else a place where convicts were gathered for forced labor. Wine makes people forget their sorrows, and so it can dissolve the creature.” The emperor exclaimed, “Ah! Can a man’s knowledge of the world truly extend so far?”