Once, in the capital of the Song Dynasty, there was a painter known for his special painting skills.
他是宋代京城的一位画家，画技非常特别。
He painted freely, without being bound by rules, often doing whatever he felt like.
他画画从不拘泥，经常随心所欲。
One day, he painted a tiger's head, feeling quite satisfied with it.
有一天，他画了一个虎头，感觉不错。
Suddenly, someone came and asked him to paint a horse.
突然，有人来请他画一匹马。
The painter quickly added the body of a horse behind the tiger's head.
画家随手就在虎头后画上了马的身子。
Someone who saw the painting asked, "Is this a horse or a tiger?"
有人看到后问：“这到底是马还是虎？”
The painter smiled and said, "It’s a little of both."
画家笑着说：“马马虎虎。”
After finishing, he hung the painting in his hall.
画完后，他把画挂在了厅堂里。
His eldest son saw the painting and asked, "What is this?"
大儿子看到画，问：“这是什么？”
The painter replied, "It’s a tiger."
画家说：“这是虎。”
His second son saw it and asked, "What is this?"
次儿子看到后，问：“这是什么？”
The painter replied, "It’s a horse."
画家回答：“这是马。”
Soon, the eldest son went hunting and mistakenly shot the horse, thinking it was a tiger.
不久，大儿子去打猎，误把马当成老虎射死了。
He had to pay the horse’s owner for the loss.
他不得不给马主赔钱。
The younger son, while out, saw a real tiger.
小儿子外出时，遇到了一只老虎。
Thinking it was a horse, he tried to ride it.
他以为那是马，想上去骑。
In the end, the younger son was bitten and killed by the tiger.
结果，小儿子被老虎活活咬死了。
The painter, deeply saddened, decided to burn the painting.
画家非常伤心，决定把这幅画烧掉。
He wrote a poem filled with regret:
他写了一首诗，悔恨自己不认真：
"Careless Painting, Careless Painting, looks like a horse and a tiger at once.
马虎图，马虎图，似马又似虎。
The eldest son shot the horse, thinking it was a tiger, and the second son fed the tiger, thinking it was a horse."
长子依图射死马，次子依图喂了虎。
He warned everyone, "Don’t follow my example."
画家深感痛苦，劝告大家：“奉劝诸君莫学吾。”
