A traveler rented a donkey to take him across the hot desert.
一位旅人租了一头驴子，打算穿越炎热的沙漠。
As midday approached, the sun became unbearably hot, and the traveler sought shade.
中午时分，太阳炙热难耐，旅人开始寻找阴凉处。
The traveler sat in the donkey’s shadow, but the donkey’s owner objected.
旅人坐在驴子的影子里乘凉，但驴主表示反对。
The owner claimed, "You only rented the donkey, not its shadow."
驴主说：“你只租了驴子，可没租它的影子。”
The traveler argued, "I rented the whole donkey, and its shadow is part of it!"
旅人争辩道：“我租的是整头驴子，它的影子也是它的一部分！”
They began to quarrel fiercely over who had the right to the shadow.
他们为谁能使用驴子的影子吵得不可开交。
While they argued, neither noticed that the donkey had wandered away.
就在他们争论时，谁也没注意到驴子已经走远了。
By the time they realized, the donkey was gone, leaving them both stranded in the desert.
等他们发现时，驴子早已不见，两人都被困在了沙漠中。
Their foolish argument over something trivial cost them the very thing they needed.
他们为了琐事争执，最终失去了真正需要的东西。
Focusing on petty disputes can lead to losing what truly matters.
纠结于小事可能会让人失去更重要的东西。
