有一天，他忽然得了急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪医生。
One day he suddenly fell ill and immediately told one of his family to fetch Dr. Wāng of East Street.
那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街的汪大夫，却把西街牛医王大夫请来了。
The latter went in a hurry, but couldn’t find the physician on East Street. So he fetched instead Veterinarian Wáng of West Street.
差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人；但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想道：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看罢。”
Mr. Cha Buduo, lying on his sickbed, knew that a wrong person had been brought home. But, what with pain and worry, he could ill afford to wait any longer. So he said to himself, “Luckily, Vet Wáng is about the same as Dr. Wāng. Why not let Vet Wáng have a try?”
于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。
Thereupon, the veterinarian walked up to his bed to work on him as if he were a cow.
不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。
Consequently, Mr. Cha Buduo kicked the bucket before an hour was out.
差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也......差......差不多，......凡事只要......差......差......不多......就......好了，......何......何......必......太......太认真呢？”
When Mr. Cha Buduo was about to breathe his last, he uttered intermittently in one breath, “Live or die, it’s about ... about ... the same ... Whatever we do ... it’s OK ... to be ... just ... just about right ... Why ... why ... take it ... so seriously?”
他说完了这句格言，方才绝气了。
As soon as he finished this pet phrase of his, he stopped breathing.
他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通；大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算账，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人。
After Mr. Cha Buduo’s death, people all praised him for his way of seeing through things and his philosophical approach to life. They say that he refused to take things seriously all his life and that he was never calculating or particular about personal gains or losses.
于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。
So they called him a virtuous man and honored him with the posthumous reverent title Master of Easy-Going.
他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。
His name has spread far and wide and become more and more celebrated with the passing of time.
无数无数的人都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生。
Innumerable people have come to follow his example, so that everybody has become a Mr. Cha Buduo.
——然而中国从此就成为一个懒人国了。
But lo, China will hence be a nation of lazybones!
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