In this chapter, the question would be: What was Su's growing environment? How did people around him influence Su as a child?

This chapter describes Su's childhood by plenty of anecdotes, including the book his mother read him, his classmates, how he spent his time on things besides study,etc. Besides, the recitement of the classics, coupled with his father's guidance clearly laid a good foundation for his literary success.

It is a short piece describing how a little mouse, when found trapped in a bag, had pretended death, and then worsted his captors when thrown upon the ground.

This labor served Su Tungpo well in the future, for when pleading with the emperor or drafting an edict for him, he was never at a loss to quote historic examples, used by scholars in those times as "cases" are used by lawyers today.

"If I should advise you to do wrong, I know that this would not be right, but if I should advise you to do right, you see I have done no wrong."

The scholars were subjected to bodily torture, persecuted, and murdered by imperial decree.

verbtransitive/səbˈdʒekt/

Phrasal Verbs[often passive]subjectsb/sthtosth

■to make someone or something experience an unpleasant or worrying thing使承受，使遭受

•The inquiry found that they had been subjected to unfair treatment.调查发现，他们曾受到过不公正待遇。

•"I didn't want to subject him to such a long journey," she said.“我不想让他长途跋涉。”她说。

Confiding the care of his mother to his younger brother, he went to say farewell to her.

[kən'faɪd]

■to tell something secret or personal to someone who you trust not to tell anyone else吐露，倾诉（秘密）

•[+that] He confided (to her)that his hair was not his own.他（向她）透露他的头发是假发。

•[+ speech] "My husband doesn't know yet, but I'm going to leave him, " she confided.“我丈夫还不知道，但我就要离开他了。”她倾诉道。

Phrasal Verbs  confide in sb

■to share your feelings and secrets with someone because you trust them not to tell other people向（某人）倾诉；向（某人）吐露情感（或秘密）

•She's nice, but I don't feel I canconfide in her.她人很好，但我还是觉得我不能对她推心置腹