人生的第一桶金篇一：我人生的第一桶金
我人生的第一桶金
The First Pot of Gold in My Life
胡 敏 文 王汝涛 英译
我平生挣的这第一笔钱，十几块钱，挣得很辛苦，真的是血汗钱。但正是挣这第一笔钱的经历，让我明白了一个道理。
The first sum of money in my life is hard to earn. It is merely a little more than ten yuan made out of blood and sweat indeed. But it is such experience that has made me understand a truth to live by.
曾经有个记者问我：“你创办新航道学校，也算个企业家了，你的第一桶金是多少？是怎么挖到的？” 在他看来，我的第一桶金一定是一笔不小的钱。当时我这样回答他：“我的第一桶金只有十几块钱，是一担一担地挑土挣的。” 他听后摇摇头。
A reporter once asked me: “Now that you have established New Channel School, you are a real entrepreneur now. What is your first pot of gold? And how did you get it?” In his eyes, perhaps, this pot of gold must be a small fortune. Then I replied: “My first pot of gold is nothing but a bit over ten yuan, which I have made by shouldering one basket of earth after another.” On hearing this, he shook his head, bemused.
我说的是真的。那是我生平挣的第一笔钱，数目不大，对我的人生而言，却价值不菲。尽管以后我也曾一次挣到不少钱，但在心里，我一直把这十几块钱看作我的第一桶金。 What I told him is true. That was the first time I had made some money. Despite a tiny sum, it proved to be invaluable later on and made a difference in my life. Although I have earned a huge sum once or twice ever since, at the bottom of my heart the first earning has always been looked upon as my first pot of gold.
那年我1 2岁．初二上学期刚上完。寒假中．我向父母提出要打一份工给自己赚学费。父母起初不同意，因为当时在乡下只有体力劳动能够赚一点钱，也就是说我只能去做一个童工。但禁不住我的再三请求，同时也想让我受点磨炼，他们终于答应让我试试。
That year, when I was only 12 years old, and the first semester of Junior Grade Two was just over, I asked for my parents’ consent to my request to work during winter vacation in order to earn some money to pay my tuition fees. Initially, they refused because at the time in the village, the only way to make some money was to do manual jobs, which meant that I had to be a child labourer. However, urged by my renewed requests plus their intention to toughen my will in hard conditions, they finally agreed to let me have a try.
村子附近的沱江正值枯水期，河床露出来，下面是厚厚的黄土，正好做砖瓦厂烧制砖瓦的原料，村里许多人都趁着农闲去挣这份辛苦钱。父母便让我也去给砖瓦厂挑土．反正是按重量计价，挑多赚多，挑少赚少，自己可以量力而为。当时正好有一个外村来找活儿干的表叔也要去挑土，父母就让我和他一起去。
The Tuo River near the village was then in the dry season. Its riverbed emerged and there was
a thick layer of earth underneath, which could be used in the brickyard as brick or tile materials. Quite a few villagers would intend to make this hard money out of digging earth when farming was already in slack season. So my parents asked me to carry earth for the brickyard, believing that it would pay me by earth weight I did. That meant the more earth I carried, the more money I would earn, and vice versa, so I could do the job subject to my capacity. It was at the same time that an uncle of mine from another village would also come to do the same job, so mother and father asked me to go along with him.
第一天，我拿了锄头和土筐跟着村里的人下了河床。湖南的冬季最低温度达零度．空气湿度大，风一吹寒冷刺骨。但为了方便干活我只穿了件衬衫，冻得直哆嗦。从挖土的河床到收土过秤的地点有一里多路，还要爬上高高的河岸，劳动强度很大，一般只有棒劳力才会来干这活儿。在长蛇阵一般的挑土队伍中，我的年龄最小，个头最矮，挑着几十斤的担子一路歪斜，根本就不敢停步．生怕放下担子就再也没有力量挑起来。好不容易走到收土的地方．因我的个子太矮，踮起脚，土筐也挂不到秤钩上，司秤阿姨拿过几块砖让我踩上去，才把土称了。
On the first day, shouldering a spade and a basket, I followed the villagers to the riverbeds. In the winter of Hunan, the outdoor temperature reached as low as zero degree Celsius. On top of that, the air was rather humid, and gusts of chilly wind pierced me to the bone. But, even though trembling with cold, I had to wear a shirt, only to do the job more efficiently. It was as far as more than half a kilometre from the riverbeds to the earth collecting site, where earth would be weighed. Worse still, I had to climb the steep river bank. The job was strenuous, and usually, it was only a robust man who was able to do it. Of the earth diggers snaking along the river, I was the youngest and the shortest, carrying dozens of kilos of earth on my shoulder pole and staggering along without stop for fear that if the pole slipped off my shoulder, it would be beyond my power to carry again. At last, I arrived at the collecting site. But as I was too short even on tiptoe to put the basket of earth on the scale hook, a woman scale assistant put several bricks under my feet so that I could finally reach it.
一天土挑下来，肩膀早肿了，担子一压上去就针刺一样疼。晚上回到家浑身上下没有一块肌肉不酸痛。第二天早上我费了好大的劲才从床上爬起来，胳膊疼得不行，腿又酸又胀，肩膀好像比前一天更痛。真想好好休息一下，可是我感觉到只要自己一休息，肯定就不会再去挑土了，今天坚持不住．前一天付出的努力就全白废了。吃完早饭我拿了工具又直奔河床。第二天干下来，手上的血泡和肩膀上的皮肤全都磨破了，火辣辣地痛，心里苦得简直没法说，晚上躺在床上我偷偷问自己：“明天还干么？”
At the end of a day’s work, my shoulder was already swollen. I would feel a stinging pain whenever the pole touched my shoulder. Back at home in the evening, I was reduced to a sore flesh all over. Next morning, I took great trouble to rise from bed, enduring pain in the arms and sores in the legs. My shoulder seemed to be more painful than the day before. I was r(转 载于:wWw.zhAoQT.neT 蒲公 英文摘:人生的第一桶金)eally expecting to have a good rest, but I felt that, if I started to rest, I would certainly not go to carry earth again. And if I could not persevere today, then all my previous efforts would go down the drain. So, after breakfast, I picked up the working tools and headed straight to the riverbed. At the end of the second day, the blood blisters on my hands and the skin on my shoulder were all broken, burning with pain which was hard to describe. That night, while lying in bed, I said to myself: “Can I continue tomorrow?”
第三天早上，和我一起挑土的表叔先打了退堂鼓 “实在干不动，太累了！”他的手上也磨出了血泡，肩膀上磨掉了一层皮。送走表叔，父母让我不要再去挑土了。一个棒劳力都受不了，何况我是个孩子。 这时候我的犟脾气却让我不服输 “我就不信坚持不下来。”
On the morning of the third day, my uncle, who had brought me along to the riverbeds on the first day, made a retreat, saying “oh, my, I couldn’t go any further. I’m really worn-out.” His hands were also afflicted with blood blisters and a layer of skin scraped off his shoulder. After seeing him off, my parents did not ask me to return to work. A robust man even can’t do this, let alone a child! There and then, my stubborn character did not allow me to concede. Still I did not believe I could not keep at it.
那挑土的长蛇阵中，只有一半的人坚持到了最后一天，我就是其中的一个。手上已经长出了老茧．肩膀早被压麻木了。
Of the earth diggers snaking along the riverbeds, only a half kept working until the last day, I among them. My hands were already growing callused, and my shoulders numb with loads.
砖瓦厂年三十发工钱。为了领钱，我刻了生平第一枚私章，看着上面的“胡敏”两个字，我特别有成就感。当我把十几元钱交给母亲时．我看见眼泪在她的眼睛里打转，我也不由得笑着流出了眼泪--我终于可以挣钱帮补家里了!
New Year’s Eve was the pay day of the brickyard. In order to get the money, I had my first stamp made in my lifetime. Seeing the two characters “Hu Min” carved on the stamp, I especially felt a sense of accomplishment. When I gave just a little over ten yuan to Mom, I suddenly saw her tears swelling in the eyes. Instantly followed my own tears welling up in my eyes and a smile on my face - at last, I could make some money to help the family!
按照家乡的规矩，年三十晚必须洗一个澡．换一身干净衣服。脱衣服时我才发现，肩膀上结了一层厚厚的血痂，这层血痂已经跟身上穿的衬衫粘在了一起，不用说脱衣服，一拉都痛得钻心。我不想让母亲看到这些，就简单擦洗了一下．之后把新换的衣服直接套在了旧衬衫上。
By convention of my hometown, on New Year’s Eve, one should take a shower and put on clean clothes. When taking off the clothes, I found that there had been a thick layer of clotted blood on my shoulder. The blood clots were already glued to my shirt on the body. Even just pulling it a bit would cause heart-stinging pain in me, to say nothing of taking it off. For fear that Mom might see this, I gave myself a quick rub, and then put on new clothes with the old ones still on.
晚上母亲洗衣服．找不见旧衬衫，就问我：“你那旧衬衣呢?”我说：“我放在那里了。” “在哪里呀?”母亲来回翻找。我看瞒不过去，才说还穿在身上。母亲让我把旧衬衫脱下来，我脱下了外面的衣服，露出了那件脱不下来的旧衬衫。当母亲见到衬衫上的血痂，泪水一下就涌了出来??
In the evening, when Mom started to do the washing, she could not find my used shirt, so she asked: “Where is your used shirt?”
“I just put it in there.” I replied. “But where?” she insisted, rummaging around in the room.
Knowing that I could no longer cover it up, I had to tell her that the old shirt was still on me. Then she asked me to take it off. When I took off the outfit, the shirt I could not manage to take off caught her eyes. Seeing the clotted blood on the shirt, all of a sudden, she burst into tears….
我平生挣的这第一笔钱．十几块钱，挣得很辛苦，真的是血汗钱。但正是挣这第一笔钱的经历，让我明白了一个道理:再苦再难的事，只要自己不放弃，就能坚持下来；而只要坚持下来，就能成功!
Such is the story of the little sum of money I made with blood and sweat. And it is just this money-making experience that has made me understand a truth to live by: However hard your undertaking is, as long as you do not give up, you’ll be able to carry it through to the end; once you carry it through to the end, you will make it!
这以后，我在事业上取得了一些成绩，都可以说是得益于这第一笔血汗钱。这十几块钱，谁能说它不是我人生的第一桶金。
Since then, I have made some achievements in my career, which are surely attributed to this unusual experience. Although I have earned only a bit over ten yuan, who should have said this is not the first pot of gold in my life?
摘自《英语世界》杂志 （2008年12期）
人生的第一桶金篇二：人生的第一桶金
社会实践活动
——人生的第一桶金
情人节到了，妈妈为了让我知道一下赚钱的辛苦，锻炼一下胆量。决定让我去柳巷卖花。
妈妈陪着我去花卉批发市场进玫瑰。我询问了一下玫瑰的价格。卖花的阿姨告诉我：“今年的玫瑰比较贵，3元一枝。每一扎有20枝，一扎80元”听到以后，我觉得玫瑰花的价钱是有点贵，可是我也不能半途而废，不能退缩。妈妈用我过年的压岁钱240元买了四扎玫瑰。阿姨用玻璃纸帮我把玫瑰花包扎起来。我这时觉得这些玫瑰花就像一个一个的玫瑰花仙子，在空中翩翩起舞。妈妈拿来一个水桶 ，把这些玫瑰花全部放在了水桶里，妈妈说，这样玫瑰花就不会缺水而死了。
我提着桶，步行来到了柳巷大街 。街上有很多的大姐姐也在买玫瑰花，我的心不由的紧张起来，走进步行街，到处都是川流不息的人群。我提着桶走进人群中，一对，两对，三对，情侣从我身边走过，我想问但又不敢问。这时，又有一对情侣从我身边走过，我鼓起勇气举着一支玫瑰走到那位哥哥面前说：“哥哥，给这位漂亮的姐姐买一枝玫瑰花吧!”这时，哥哥总会慷慨解囊，买下那枝玫瑰花。可有的人说这玫瑰花太贵了，我要使出“杀手锏”了，我说：“爱情怎么能用金钱来衡量呢？”哥哥也被我说的不好意思了，只好买下它。之后我又顺利地卖了七八枝玫瑰。正当我觉得前途一片光明的时候，我遇上了“拦路虎”
当前面卖玫瑰花的大姐姐喊出了一声：“城管来了”，我听到以后，只觉得心情立马变得灰暗了，头脑里只想的两个字：“逃跑”。于是我也加入了“逃跑”的行列中。我看见前面有一个wc于是手疾眼快的提着两个装有玫瑰花的桶，跑进了女厕所。在里面等了30分钟，我才敢出来。但是，城管也不是吃素的，城管一个上午突击了3次。我觉得城管是很敬业的，使我对城管又有了新的认识。
在中午的时候，太阳毒辣的照着我们。我的额头上出现了一层密密的汗珠。我的心里渐渐有些动摇了，并不像刚开始那么信心满满了。而是在想：天气这么热，应该不会有人买了吧。我看着旁边的小女孩，对着她的妈妈说：“妈妈，咱们今天去爬山吧？”她的妈妈回答说：“可以”我有点困惑，为什么这么热的天要去爬山呢？对，“爬山。”记得我在初一下半学期参加过社会实践活动，里面就有爬山这一项。当时也是很热的天。那次爬山也锻炼了我自己——拥有坚持不懈的品质，现在就是考验我的时候了。
在下午，我又顺利地卖了很多的玫瑰花。一直卖到了晚上8点，我一共卖了800元，除去进价240元，我赚了560元。虽然我赚了560元，但是我的脚也磨了一个泡，很疼。
从卖玫瑰花这件事，让我懂得了生活的不容易。同时也让我赚了人生的第一
桶金。。
人生的第一桶金篇三：我人生的第一桶金
我人生的第一桶金
真是丢死人了！我不想去，可头天晚上不知咋的，心血来潮答应了人家会去的，做人可不能不讲信用，唉，没办法认了吧！
快起来，都快9点了！妈妈怒吼道。我突然惊醒，9点了，这是个什么样的概念，约定的时间都要到了，哎呀，可被窝里可暖和了，要不要再谁一会儿，不行啦，还是快起吧。经过一番激烈的思想斗争之后，我还是舍床去诚。可我那温暖的床啊，我依旧忘不了怀呀
由于起来得太晚，再加上这么个寒风凛冽的早晨，speed当然有点缓慢，亏我没失约，只是时间紧迫，只得逼肚子上演空城计。一切准备就绪，原来是要我们扛着广告牌绕我们豆腐大一点的小镇一圈，宣传一些他们这个公司入住我们县。啊，这不是让我出丑吗？今天恰逢赶集的日子，有很多人的，呆会要是碰上一两个熟人，看见我这呆样，那我就玩完了！思前想后，以面子为最重要，不免打起了退堂鼓，想开溜。那可不行，你走了，我上哪儿去找人，再说马上就开始了，只走一圈就行了。一圈是什么概念啊！？一圈那得碰上多少认识的人啊，我的面子到底往哪儿搁呀？我可真不该听她的甜言蜜语，也就用不着顶着冷飕飕的寒风，拎着块沉重的广告牌在大街上，在众目睽睽之下游荡。更可悲的是，做宣传就做嘛，干吗还敲锣打鼓，好生热闹，生怕那些熟悉的目光捕捉不到我的身影。终于在经历了一个漫长的冰川之后，一切都安静了下来。意外哦，我得到了8元钱的辛苦费，呵，这可是我漫长的人生路上挖到的第一桶金。虽不多，心亦足，那毕竟是我用劳动，用面子在寒冷的这个冬天的早上挖到的。