1 跑到: 这里是‘来到’（came to）的意思。
一转眼已经六年了: 意思是‘自从……已经六年了’，英文表达类似的意思一般从时间说起，即Six years have gone by/ passed in the blink of an eye since...。
其间: 指这六年间（During these six years）。
耳闻目睹: I have witnessed and heard about。
所谓国家大事: “国家大事”是national affairs或affairs of state， 但二者都不含big，因此不妨译为big events known as 'affairs of state’，这样也把“所谓”的意思表达出来了。
算起来也很不少: 意思是‘加起来也很不少’（add up to no small number），这里不妨直接为quite a number of。
我心里: 中文的“心”，有时是heart，有时是mind；这里因为涉及作者的情感，译为heart似乎更好。
痕迹: 直译是trace，从下文来看，这里的意思是‘影响’（impact）。
倘要……来说: 意思是‘要说有任何影响’（if anything）。有的译文把这句话解释为‘回想起来’（recollection），恐怕理解有误。
坏脾气: 一般译为bad/ ill/foul temper，从下文的“坏脾气”来看，这里似乎指‘不好的心情’（gloom, melancholy, bleak mood）。

2 于我有意义: deep with meaning不好，最好译为had deep significance for me。
将我……拖开: pulled me out of my gloom/ bleak mood。
使我……不得: 首先“使”字不能译，因为译的结果会出现“[那件事]使我忘记不得[那件事]”这样逻辑有问题的句子；其次“忘记不得”不如解释为‘清楚地记得’，因为如果直译为 I am unable to forget it，则好象作者有意去忘记这件事而不能。这句话最好译为 I still remember it clearly today。

3 民国六年: “民国”即中华民国（the Republic of China）, 1912年为民国元年。“民国六年”（the sixth year of the Republic）也可直接译为in 1917。
大北风刮得正猛: a strong northerly wind，有了strong，“正猛”furiously可不译。
因为生计关系: 一般可以理解为‘为了谋生’，这里的具体意思是‘因为要上班’（to go to work）或“我的工作要求我”（My job required that...）。
不得不: 这里的“不得不”可以不译，译了之后，说的是一般的情况，而不是那天一早作者早早就上了路。
一早在路上走: 是 I set off early in the morning，不是I had to be up early。
一路几乎遇不见人: 可以译为on the way I encountered hardly anyone，也可以理解为‘街上几乎一个人也没有’（there was hardly anybody on the street）。
好容易: 实际意思是‘好不容易’，一般译为after much difficulty。这里也可以理解为‘走了好长时间’（It was quite some time before...）。
人力车: 北京人称之为“洋车”rickshaw，源自日语jin'm 詍an', riki'power', sha'carriage',“人力车夫”的英文是rickshawman, rickshaw boy, rickshaw coolie。
S门: S很可能代表South，因此译成the South Gate。
北风小了: the north wind abated。
路上……大道来: leaving in its wake a clean stretch of road free of loose dust，这样译的好处是英文里避免了两次出现road。
刚近: 意思是‘正当我们接近’（just as we approached）。
车把上带着一个人: 也就是‘车把挂着或撞上一个人’，英文要说清楚是哪边车把。既然老女人是从路边，也就是右边，横截过来，猜想可能是右车把（the right shaft of the rickshaw caught/collided with someone)。

4 花白头发: with streaks of white in her hair。
衣服都很破烂: 意思是‘穿着破烂的衣服’（wearing ragged clothes）。
伊: 新文化运动时期鲁迅等一些作家以“伊”作为阴性第三人称单数代词，后来“伊”被“她”取代。
从……过来: 这里描写的其实是两个动作，一个是‘从马路边冲出来’，另一个是‘从车前穿越马路’had darted suddenly from the side of the street and crossed directly in front of us。
让开道: 通常是make way，这里是swerve aside。
棉背心: 这里的“棉”不是‘棉布’，而是‘夹棉’（cotton-padded）；英文表示‘背心’有vest和waistcoat这两个词，这里应该是vest， 因为waistcoat一般作为内衣穿，例如西服三件套装的里面那件（不过美国英语称之为vest）；vest一般作为外衣穿，而且特指东方人穿的背心。
微风……展开: 意思是‘在微风中飞扬’（fluttering in the wind）。
终于: 这里是‘还是’still的意思。
兜着车把: got caught on the shaft，不是caught in the shafts，那样事故就严重了。
早有点停步: had slowed his pace或had slowed down a bit。
栽一个大斤斗: 这里应该译成被动式have been thrown head over heels。
跌到头破血出:意思是‘摔成重伤’（seriously injured），不必照字面意思把“头”和“血”译出来。

5 伏在地上: 如果没有完全倒，只是四肢着地跪倒，可以说 was down on all fours；如果是卧倒在地，可以说lying on her stomach；如果是平趴在地上，可以说 lying prostrate on the ground。
料定: 即“肯定”was sure。
怪他……: 通常译为blame him for...，这里可以理解为‘认为车夫……’（I thought the rickshawman...）。
多事: 这里可以理解为overreacting，直译是meddlesome，后者表示‘爱管闲事’，最好用进行时态was being meddlesome，表示‘是在管闲事’。
要: 这里的“要”和英文用进行时态表示即将发生的事相仿。
自己惹出是非 : 即‘自找麻烦’asking for trouble。
误了我的路: 即‘是在耽误我的行程’（delaying my journey）。

6 走你的罢: Just go on。


7 毫不理会: ignored/paid no attention to my command。
扶……起来: 英文要说help somebody to his/her feet。
慢慢: 由于不便把slowly插入helped her to her feet中或放在其后，所以改slowly为gently，用它修饰help，同时既然是gently，就不可能快， 这样“慢慢”的意思也有了。
搀着臂膊立定: Supporting her by the arm或 held her arm to give her some support。

8 你怎么啦？: 意思是‘你没事吧？’(Are you all right?)。

9 我摔坏了: 意思是‘我摔伤了’I am hurt，不必把“坏”译成badly。

10 装腔作势罢了: be only pretending。
这真可憎恶: This whole thing is distasteful/ disgusting.
车夫多事: 这句话表达的是下句话的原因，即‘由于车夫多事，他是在自讨苦吃’，可以译成By being meddlesome, he was ...。
自讨苦吃: 和‘自找麻烦’是一个意思，英文可以换个说法： bringing trouble upon himself，也可以说making things difficult for himself。
你自己想法去: 英文这里用第三人称比用第二人称连贯，可以译成let him get out of this mess by himself。

11 便……向前走: 这里是‘车夫领着老女人一步一步往前走’（he walked her forward step by step）。
是一所巡警分驻所: 意思是‘前面[远处]有一个派出所’（in the distance was a police station）。警察局是police headquarters。
大风……不见人: 大概平时外面有站岗的，大风把站岗的也刮到屋子里去了。No one stood outside, the wind having driven everyone indoors.
向那大门走去: 这里用“大门”代表‘巡警分驻所’，英文若把“大门”gate译出来，就显得过于强调。这里的实际意思是‘领着那女人朝那里走去’（guiding the woman there）。

12 感到……感觉: experienced a curious sensation。
觉得……高大了: 理解为‘在我望着他那满身灰尘的背影的时候，这位车夫在我的视野里突然显得大了许多’（As I watched the back of his dust-covered frame, the rickshawman suddenly seemed to loom quite large in my field of vision)，翻译起来更为生动。
愈走愈大: continuing to grow in size/ becoming larger and larger as he walked further away。
须仰视才见: 这里有‘直到’的含义；“仰视”就是‘抬头’raise my head；这句话可译为until I had to raise my head in order to take him in。take him in是‘把他收入视野’。
一种威压: 即‘一种向我逼来的压力’（a kind of pressure exuding toward me）。
榨出: squeeze/press out。
皮袍……“小”: all the "smallness" hidden under my fur-lined cloak.

13 活力: 一般译为vitality，但vitality与“凝滞”不好搭配，因此这里可以理解为‘血’（blood），没有血，人也就没有了活力。
坐着没有动: I sat immobile/ motionless，immobile表示‘没法动’， motionless 表示‘没有动’，似乎前者更好一点，因为作者的“活力”凝滞了。
也没有想:“没有动”可以译为motionless，“没有想”不能译为 thoughtless，因为thoughtless的意思不是‘没有想’，而是‘考虑不周，没有头脑’。这里最好译为stunned。

A Small Event

Six years have gone by in the blink of an eye since I came to the capital from the countryside. During these six years I have witnessed and heard about quite a number of big events known as 'affairs of state' None of them, however, has had any impact on my heart. If anything, they have only made me increasingly gloomy. To tell the truth, they have made me more and more contemptuous of other people.

But there was one small event which had deep significance for me and which pulled me out of my gloom. I still remember it clearly today.

It was a winter day in the sixth year of the Republic (1917) and a strong northerly wind was blowing. I set off early in the morning to go to work. There was hardly anybody on the street. It was quite some time before I finally succeeded in hiring a rickshaw. I told the rickshawman to take me to the South Gate.

After a while the north wind abated, leaving in its wake a clean stretch of road free of loose dust, which enabled the rickshawman to run more quickly. Just as we approached the South Gate the right shaft of the rickshaw collided with someone, who crumpled to the ground.

The fallen person was a woman, with streaks of white in her hair and wearing ragged clothes. She had darted suddenly from the side of the street and crossed directly in front of us. The rickshawman had swerved aside, but her tattered cotton-padded vest, unbuttoned and fluttering in the wind, still got caught on he shaft. Fortunately, the rickshawman had slowed his pace, otherwise she would surely have been thrown head over heels and seriously injured.

The old woman was down on all fours; the rickshawman halted. As I was sure she was not hurt and no one else had seen the collision, I thought the rickshawman was overreacting. He was simply asking for trouble and delaying my journey.

"This is nothing," I said to him. "Just go on!"

But the rickshawman ignored my command, or perhaps he did not hear me. He put down the shafts and gently helped the old woman to her feet. Supporting her by the arm, he asked:

"Are you all right?"

"I am hurt."

I thought, "I saw you fall down slowly on the ground. How can you be hurt? You're only pretending. This whole thing is disgraceful. By being meddlesome, the rickshawman is bringing trouble upon himself. So let him get out of this mess by himself."

After hearing the woman's reply, the rickshawman did not hesitate for a moment. Still supporting her by the arm, he walked her forward step by step. A little surprised, I looked ahead. In the distance was a police station. No one stood outside, the wind having driven everyone indoors. The rickshawman was guiding the woman there.

At that moment I suddenly experienced a curious sensation. As I watched the back of his dust-covered frame, the rickshawman suddenly seemed to loom quite large in my field of vision, continuing to grow in size as he walked further away, until I had to raise my head in order to take him in. At the same time he seemed to have become a kind of pressure exuding toward me, a force that seemed to squeeze out all the "smallness" hidden under my fur-lined cloak.
For a moment I felt as though my blood had solidified. I sat immobile, stunned...

(Translated by David Moser and Guohua Chen)