Once, the Han Dynasty dispatched an emissary to the State of Dian (now Yunnan Province) and the State of Yelang (now Guizhou Province).

　　一次，漢朝派遣使者出使滇國(今云南)和夜郎國(今貴州)。

　　The King of Dian asked the emissary from the Han Dynasty:

　　滇國的國王問漢朝的使者:

　　"The Han Dynasty and the State of Dian, which is bigger?"

　　“漢朝和滇國，哪一個大?”

　　The King of Yelang also asked the emissary in the same way:

　　夜郎國的國王也這樣問漢朝的使者:

　　"The Han Dynasty and the State of Yelang, which is bigger?"

　　“漢朝和夜郎國，哪一個人?”

　　As a matter of fact, the territories of the State of Dian and the State of Yelang were only as big as a prefecture of the Han Dynasty, but they closed their states to the external contact, shut their eyes and stopped their ears, and didn't understand the conditions of the outside world. Naturally, they didn't know how vast the Han Dynasty was.

　　其實，滇國和夜郎國的疆土，只有漢朝的一個州那么大，可是他們閉關(guān)自守，閉目塞聽，不了解外界的情況，自然也就不知道漢朝的廣大了。