357: Why did Fu Sheng keep the astrology office anyway
2. 逸夫婦共載鹿車 = Yi Yi and his wife rode in one small carriage together (鹿車 is a small cart or carriage, not necessarily drawn by a deer. It is usually seen as a sign of frugality)
子璋從數十騎 = Yi Zhang, with dozens of riders in his entourage,
閉車不與言 = shut the carriage door and did not speak with him. (與 = with; the object pronoun 之 is omitted)
深責之 = Yi Yi chastised Yi Zhang severely
璋猶不悛 = But Yi Zhang still didn’t smarten up. (悛 = to repent)
逸常憂其敗 = Yi Yi often worried about his own downfall (其 = his)
克已守道 = I practised self-discipline (克已 = literally “conquering self”) and kept to the Way
於龍城置留臺: For 留臺, see
http://www.chinesewords.org/dict/209091-141.html . Basically the administrative office “left behind” when an emperor moves the capital city
蓋以幽州刺史鎭龍城也 = He was basically having the Inspector of Youzhou guard Longcheng.
4. 秦有司奏 = The Astrology Office of Qin reported to Fu Sheng (奏 = not just saying, but presenting a request or some information to the emperor. 有司 = “the relevant office”)
5. 杏城在馬蘭山北, 姚萇置杏城鎭: Xingcheng, not Shacheng
王欽盧: Wang Qinlu (“lu” is missing)
各將兵招納諸羌、胡 = to go with their troops to entice the Qiang and the other tribes to surrender. (招納 = to recruit, to invite surrender)
羌、胡及秦民歸之者五萬餘戶: 50k+ Qiang and other tribal households joined them (歸之)
襄堅壁不戰: This is a bit more active than what you have. 堅壁 = to strengthen walls (verb + object). So this may better be translated as “Yao Xiang dug in and refused to do battle”.
然其為人強狠 = However, he is unyielding and fierce in nature. (然 = “however”, indicating a contrary statement to the previous)
若鼓噪揚旗,直壓其壘,彼必忿恚而出: This is an “if... then...” statement. I’m not sure if your “you must provoke him into coming out” is meant to be the “consequence” of the “if” (doesn’t sound that way to me). A more direct way of saying this would be “if you make loud noises and wave your flags and march straight at his fort, then he will surely be angered and come out”
悉眾出戰 = brought out all his soldiers to meet them in battle
萇 is pronounced "zhang (zh-ang)" : This is going to be so confusing...
數眾辱黃眉 = [but instead] insulted Fu Huangmei multiple times (數) in public (眾)
事連王公親戚,死者甚眾: the “numerous” meaning didn’t get translated. Maybe: “Numerous relatives of the princely or ducal houses were implicated and killed as well.”
在牀曰尸,在棺曰柩 = When [a body] is lying on a bed, it’s referred to as 尸. When it is lying in a coffin, it’s referred to as a 柩. (This is a general explanation for the word 柩. The text is just saying that Yao Xiang kept his dad’s coffin in the army.)
6. 塞北 = beyond the northern borders
俘斬十餘萬 = capture or killing over a hundred thousand
獲馬十三萬匹 = seizing 130k horses
其後訛爲「鐵勒」 = Later on, they became mistakenly known as the “Tiele” (訛 = to pass false rumours or mistaken information)
匈奴入居塞內者凡十九種 = There were 19 branches of Xiongnu who moved to live within the borders (塞內).
河間國 = Hejian?
8. 東海大魚化為龍,男皆為王女為公: I approve.
引見 = He summoned Niu Yi to him
調之曰 = and teased him, saying
動負百石 = he can bear great weight when he walks (百石 = a hundred dan)
雖服大車,未經峻壁 = Although he has drawn great carriages, he has not be tested along sheer cliffs.
願試重載,乃知勳績 = But I am willing to try carrying a heavy burden, and by that you may see what I can achieve.
公嫌所載輕乎?= Do you consider your current load too light?
轅前曰軛,加之牛項。: missing, but not sure if it’s necessary to include: “The yoke is the thing before the axle, and it is placed upon the neck of an ox”
9. 或連月不出 = often not coming out (to attend court) for months
奏事不省,往往寢落 = reports (事) that were submitted (奏) were not read (省), and often were just put aside (寢落 = to put aside, to let fall through the cracks)
左右因以為奸,賞罰無准 = Because of that (因以), those around him committed villainous acts, doling out rewards and punishments wantonly.
或至申酉乃出視朝 = Sometimes Fu Sheng would come out to court only in the 9th or 10th hour (sometime between 4pm and 8pm)
乘醉多所殺戮 = and kill many while being drunk
誤犯而死者,不可勝數 = Those who accidentally violated that order and were executed were innumerable.
燖雞、豚、鵝、鴨 = to remove feathers/hair from those animals by dunking them in boiling water
縱之殿前,數十為群 = and placed them before the hall in groups of dozens
或剝人面皮,使之歌舞,臨觀以為樂 = Or he would flay the skin off people’s faces, and make them sing and dance before him as entertainment.
它日又問: When he again asked the question on another day
陛下刑罰微過 = Your Majesty’s punishments are just slightly (微) over the board
勳舊親戚 = Long-serving and meritorious ministers, as well as family relations,
誅之殆盡 = were almost all exterminated
10. 主上猜忍暴虐 = Our lord is paranoid and cruel
僕,刀鐶上人耳 = I am someone who’s already on the chopping block.
僕裡捨有王猛者 = There is a man called Wang Meng who lives in my house (裡捨 = 裏舍 = private residence)
堅因婆樓以招猛 = Heeding Lu Polou’s advice, he asked Wang Meng to come see him.
語及時事,堅大悅 = when they spoke of current affairs, Fu Jian was greatly pleased.
時譽者,爲時人所稱美也。= The term時譽 means to be praised by one’s contemporaries.
率以刀鐶築殺人: I’m not 100% sure about this one. 刀鐶 means the rings on the blade of a broadsword/dao. 築 can mean to ram on something or to pummel. But I don’t know how you can whack someone to death with just the rings (and not the actual sharp part of the dao)
言將爲生所殺也 = He meant he was about to be killed by Fu Sheng. (爲 A所B is a passive construction, meaning to be B-ed by A )
或曰:刀以鋒刃爲用,刀鐶以上無所用之;婆樓以自喻。= Another explanation: a broadsword is useful because of the blade. The rings on it are useless, and Lu Polou was using them as a metaphor for his situation.
不世出者,言世間不常生此人。= The term 不世出 means that a man of this calibre is not often born into this world.
11. 昨夜三月並出 = Last night, three moons appeared at once.
自去月上旬 = Since early last month
沉陰不雨 = it’s been dark and cloudy but with no rain
撲殺之 = threw him to his death.
12. 此殿下之事也 = This matter concerns Your Highness as well
生夜對侍婢: I think it should be “palace maid”. Maiden is just a general term for a young .woman
帥壯士數百潛入雲龍門: sneaked through the Yunlong Gate with some hundreds of men
何不拜之!= Why do you not make obeisance to me?
何不速拜,不拜者斬之!= Make obeisance at once, or I will have you killed!
13. 它日有悔,失在諸君。= If anything regrettable come to pass, the blame is on you all.
14. Fu Jian’s brother Fu Rong was well-versed in studies: Sounds vague and redundant... (what exactly was he well-versed in?) Maybe “Fu Rong delighted in books” or “Fu Rong was well-read”?
擊刺 = and other martial arts
少有令譽 = he enjoyed a high reputation since his youth
常與共議國事 = often consulted him on state affairs
薦才揚滯 = recommending talented people and promoting those who had been left behind
但治民斷獄,皆亞於融: But in terms of ____, he was inferior to Fu Rong. (yours isn’t logically wrong, but it’s not making the same point)
史言堅有弟有子如此而無救於敗亡,明天之所棄,非人之所能支也 = The passage is saying, the fact that having such a brother and such a son did not save Fu Jian from his demise is a clear indication that Heaven had abandoned him, and it was beyond any mortal’s strength to stem it.
15. 生屢欲殺堅,賴威營救得免 = On various occasions when Fu Sheng wished to kill Fu Jian, Fu Jian was saved only due to Li Wei’s help. (not necessarily by interceding with Fu Sheng)
猛以兄事之 = Wang Meng served him as he would serve an older brother
善遇之 = and treated him well
20. 禮如咸康而不賀 = the ceremony was like the one in Xiankang 2, and there was no special celebration
21. 與王猛並掌機密 = and had them handle confidential affairs together with Wang Meng
子孫存者皆隨才擢敘 = Their surviving sons and grandsons were promoted or placed in office according to their abilities.
22. 拜置征鎮,欲與燕、秦為敵國 = [Zhang Ping] appointed various generals of the Conquers or Guards ranks, intending to contest with Yan and Qin.
24. 堅與法訣於東堂,慟哭歐血 = Fu Jian and Fu Fa said goodbye to each other in the East Hall, crying bitterly to the point of spitting up blood.
獻哀公 = Duke Xian’ai (“The mourned one who gave up himself”?)
25. 銅雀臺: I thought it’s always been translated as bronze, not copper.
27. 以文案不治,免左丞程卓官,以王猛代之。= Seeing how affairs were in disarray there (文案 = documents, case; 不治 = not dealt with (well); the sense here is the staff there were just sitting on the cases or doing them haphazardly, instead of doing proper work), he fired Cheng Zhuo and replaced him with Wang Meng.
恤困窮 = and cared for the poor and destitute.
禮百神 = He honoured the various spirits (百should be interpreted generically, as in 百姓 or 百官)
旌節義 = heralded those who were virtuous and upright
繼絕世 = found heirs for those whose line would have been broken