一千六百多年前，中国分成南北两部分。北方有一个强大的国家，叫前秦；南方是东晋。
More than sixteen hundred years ago, China was divided into north and south. In the north was a powerful state called Former Qin; in the south was Eastern Jin.
前秦的国王叫苻坚。他统一了北方，兵很多，就想再去打南方，把整个中国都占下来。
The ruler of Former Qin was Fu Jian. He had unified the north and had many soldiers, and he wanted to march south and take all of China for himself.
大臣们劝他不要打。他们说：“东晋有长江，有大将，不好打。”苻坚很骄傲，说：“我的兵把马鞭扔进长江，都能把江水堵住！”
His ministers urged him not to attack. They said: “Eastern Jin has the Yangtze River and great generals — it will not be easy.” Fu Jian was proud and answered: “My soldiers could throw their riding whips into the Yangtze and dam the whole river!”
公元三八三年，苻坚带领大军南下。东晋派谢玄带八万人去抵抗。苻坚的兵比晋军多得多。
In 383 AD, Fu Jian led his great army south. Eastern Jin sent Xie Xuan with eighty thousand men to resist. Fu Jian had far more soldiers than the Jin army.
前秦的先锋很快攻下了寿阳城。苻坚登上城墙，向远处看。远处有一座山，叫八公山。
The Former Qin vanguard quickly took the city of Shouyang. Fu Jian climbed the city wall and looked into the distance. Not far away stood a mountain called Mount Bagong.
山上有许多树和草。苻坚心里害怕，越看越觉得那些树和草都是东晋的士兵。他的信心开始动摇了。
The mountain was covered with trees and grass. Fear crept into Fu Jian’s heart, and the more he looked, the more those trees and grasses seemed to be Eastern Jin soldiers. His confidence began to waver.
两军在淝水两岸对峙。晋军请秦军往后退一点，好让晋军过河决战。苻坚想趁晋军过河时进攻，就答应了。
The two armies faced each other across the Fei River. The Jin army asked the Qin troops to withdraw a little so that the Jin could cross and fight. Fu Jian, hoping to strike while the Jin were crossing, agreed.
可是秦军一往后退，队伍就乱了。有人大喊：“秦军败了！”士兵们信以为真，转身就跑，再也停不下来。
But as soon as the Qin army began to move back, its ranks fell into disorder. Someone shouted, “The Qin army is beaten!” The soldiers believed it, turned, and ran, and could not be stopped.
苻坚逃走了。路上，风吹的声音和鹤的叫声，都让士兵以为是追兵。东晋赢了。后来，人们用“草木皆兵”形容人极度害怕，把什么都当成敌人。
Fu Jian fled. On the road, the sound of the wind and the cries of cranes made the soldiers think the enemy was pursuing them. Eastern Jin won. Later, people used 草木皆兵 — “every bush and tree looks like an enemy” — to describe someone so terrified that they see an enemy in everything.