文言文	现代汉语	English
太史公曰：匈奴绝和亲，攻当路塞；闽越擅伐，东瓯请降。	太史公说：匈奴断绝和亲，攻击我正当要道的边塞，闽越凭借武力，擅自攻伐东瓯，致使东瓯请求内迁，受我保护。	The Grand Historian remarks: The Xiongnu broke off peaceful relations and attacked the northern border where the roads lead across it. The people of Minyue wilfully marched against Eastern Ou, which begged to surrender to us and receive assistance.
二夷交侵，当盛汉之隆，以此知功臣受封侔於祖考矣。	这两支外夷一起侵扰边境，正在我大汉最昌盛的时候，由此可以推知功臣受封之多，当与高祖开国时相等。	Thus the northern and southern barbarians in turn committed outrages against the glory of the powerful Han, whose subjects won merit in battle against them and received fiefs, proving themselves the equals of their ancestors.
何者？自《诗》、《书》称三代“戎狄是膺，荆荼是征”，	为什么会这样呢？自从《诗经》、《书经》记称夏、商、周三代“抵御抗击北方的戎狄，讨伐惩罚南方的荆舒”以来，	For do we not read in the *Odes* and *Documents* how the men of the Three Dynasties Smote the northern barbarians And punished the tribes of Jing and Shu;
齐桓越燕伐山戎，武灵王以区区赵服单于，秦缪用百里霸西戎，吴楚之君以诸侯役百越。	齐桓公曾越过燕国攻打山戎，赵武灵王以小小的赵国使匈奴的单于降服，秦穆公依靠百里奚称霸西戎，吴、楚两国的国君以诸侯的身份而能役使百越。	have we not heard how Duke Huan of Qi crossed through the state of Yan to strike at the mountain barbarians; how King Wuling of Zhao, though ruler of a small and unimportant state, brought the *Shanyu* to his knees; how Duke Mu of Qin, by following the advice of Boli Xi, became dictator of the western barbarians; and how the rulers of Wu and Chu, feudal lords of the Zhou, marched against the hundred tribes of Yue?
况乃以中国一统，明天子在上，兼文武，席卷四海，内辑亿万之众，岂以晏然不为连境征伐哉！	何况以实现了大一统的中国，圣明的天子在位，兼有文武之才，志在平定四方，使国内亿万民众都和睦相处，安居乐业，怎么会面对外夷的侵扰安然无事，不去经营边疆进行讨伐呢？	How much more so now, therefore, when all China is united under the rule of an enlightened emperor, excelling in both civil and military arts, who has rolled up the land within the four seas like a mat and gathered into his realm a multitude of millions? How could he sit quietly by and not march against those who violate our borders?
自是後，遂出师北讨强胡，南诛劲越，将卒以次封矣。	从此以后，我大汉就出兵北方，征讨凶悍的匈奴，又出兵南方，消灭强劲的南越，建立军功的将士们也都依次受封了。	Therefore he sent forth his armies to strike the powerful Xiongnu in the north and to put down the strong forces of Yue in the south, and enfeoffed his victorious generals as I have recorded here.