一千八百多年前，中国正处在汉朝的末年。天下很乱，很多军队互相打仗。
More than eighteen hundred years ago, China was in the last years of the Han dynasty. The country was in chaos, and many armies fought one another.
刘备也是一支军队的首领。他想帮助汉朝恢复秩序，可是他身边没有一个特别聪明的谋士。
Liu Bei was the leader of one of those armies. He wanted to help the Han dynasty restore order, but he had no really clever adviser at his side.
那时刘备住在荆州的新野，地方很小，兵也不多。他常常想：谁能帮我出主意呢？
At that time Liu Bei was staying at Xinye in Jing Province. His territory was small and his soldiers were few. He often wondered: who can help me plan?
有一个叫徐庶的人告诉他：“隆中有一位年轻人，叫诸葛亮。他非常聪明，大家都叫他‘卧龙’。”
A man named Xu Shu told him: “In Longzhong there is a young man called Zhuge Liang. He is extremely clever, and people call him the ‘Crouching Dragon’.”
刘备听了很高兴，马上带着礼物去隆中拜访。第一次，诸葛亮不在家；过了一些日子，他又去了第二次，还是没有见到。
Liu Bei was delighted and set off at once for Longzhong with gifts. The first time, Zhuge Liang was not at home; some time later he went a second time, and still did not see him.
刘备的手下有点不耐烦了。刘备却说：“请一个有本事的人，一定要有诚意，也要有耐心。”
Liu Bei’s men were growing impatient. But Liu Bei said: “If you want a truly capable person, you must be sincere — and you must be patient.”
不久，刘备第三次来到隆中。这一次，诸葛亮在家。两个人坐下来，谈了很久。
Before long, Liu Bei came to Longzhong a third time. This time Zhuge Liang was home. The two men sat down and talked for a long while.
诸葛亮告诉刘备：先守住荆州和益州，再和东边的孙权联合，一起对付北方的曹操，等待机会。刘备听了非常佩服。
Zhuge Liang told Liu Bei: first hold Jing and Yi provinces, then join forces with Sun Quan in the east to stand against Cao Cao in the north, and wait for the right moment. Liu Bei was deeply impressed.
诸葛亮答应出山帮助刘备。后来，人们用“三顾茅庐”这个成语，形容真心诚意、一次又一次地请有才能的人。
Zhuge Liang agreed to leave his cottage and help Liu Bei. Later, people used the idiom 三顾茅庐 — “three visits to the thatched cottage” — to describe sincerely and repeatedly inviting a person of talent.