西施病心而颦其里。其里之丑人见而美之，归亦捧心而颦其里。其里之富人见之，紧闭门而不出；贫人见之，挈妻子而去之走。

彼知颦美，而不知颦之所以美。

西施有心口疼的毛病，她在村子里经常是皱着眉头的。她村里的一个丑姑娘看到西施这样，觉得很美，于是回到村里的时候，也学西施的样子捧着胸口、皱着眉头。村里的富人看见她，就紧紧地闭上门不出来；穷人看见她，就赶紧带着妻子孩子离开。

这个丑姑娘只知道皱眉是美的，却不知道皱眉为什么美啊！

 Aping a Beauty

Xi Shi, a famous beauty, had a pain in her bosom, so she had a frown on her face when she went out. An ugly girl who lived nearby saw her and thought she looked very beautiful. Therefore when she went home, she also put her hands on her bosom and had a frown on her face.

When a rich man in the neighbourhood saw her, he shut his doors tightly and did not go out. When a poor man saw her, he took his wife and children and gave her a wide berth.

She only knew Xi Shi’s frown looked beautiful but she did not know the reason for its beauty.