不識字
Illiterateness.
not[:Il] know-written_character ([~]literate[ness]).
山有虎害人畜。
There was a tiger in the mountains who devoured men and cattle.
2[in the] mountain[s] [who] be[:^there_was] 1[a] tiger injure[:devoured] man[:men] [and] cattle.
獵人謀捕虎。設阱以伺之。
Hunters planned to catch him, (and) laid a pit-fall in order to waylay him.
hunt-person (^hunter[s]) plot[ted] [to] catch [the] tiger, [and] lay[-id] [a] pit\-fall in_order_to way\-lay him.
大書牆上曰。
Upon a wall (near by) they wrote in big characters as follows.
big[:^in_big_characters] [they] write[:wrote] 2[a] wall 1top (upon) speak[:saying],
下有虎阱。
"Here (lit. below) a pit-fall for a tiger is laid (lit. is).
"[~]^below be[:lies] 2[for a] tiger 1[a] pit\-fall.
行人止步。
(Let) passers-by be careful".
[Let] go-person (passer[s]\-by) stop-walk (be_careful)."
鄉人不識字者。過牆下。
A villager who was an illiterate man was passing under that wall.
[^a] village-person (villager) [who was an] not[:il] know-written_character ([~]literate) that_which (one[:man]) go ([was_]pass[ing]) 2[that] wall 1under.
誤蹴之。墜阱傷足。
By mistake he trod on the pitfall, fell into it (and) hurt his leg.
[^by] mistake [he] tread_on[:trod_on] it, fall_down[:fell] [into the] pitfall [and] hurt [his] leg.
大呼求援。
(He) shouted loudly for help.
[^he] 2loud[ly] 1shout[ed] beg[:for] assist[:help].
既出。人指牆上書告之。
When he was dragged out, somebody pointed to the inscription on the wall (and) told him (about it).
^once [he was dragged] out, person[:somebody] point_at[:pointed_to] 3[the] wall 2top (on) 1[the] write[-ing] [and] tell[:told] him [about it].
乃嘆曰。
The villager then said with a sigh,
^then [the villager] sigh[ed], speak[:saying],
吾苟知書豈。至此哉。
"If I had been able to read (lit. if I knew characters), how could this have happened (to me)!"
"3I 2if [only] 4know-written_characters (be_able_to_read[:had_been_able_to_read]) 1[~]^oh, 2reach[:come_to] 3this 1how [could it have]?"