在中国古代文学的经典故事中，《三国演义》中的“空城计”无疑是最具智慧与戏剧性的篇章之一。这一情节不仅展现了诸葛亮超凡的谋略与胆识，也成为了后世传颂的经典案例。以下是《三国演义》中关于“空城计”的原文及其翻译，让我们一同领略这段历史佳话。

原文（节选）

却说司马懿引兵到西城，忽报蜀汉大军压境。此时孔明在城中，兵士不过两千，而司马懿军则有十万之众。孔明闻之，大惊失色，然思忖片刻，乃命将城门大开，令百姓洒扫街道，自己则披鹤氅，戴纶巾，在城楼上焚香抚琴。

司马懿见状，疑虑重重，谓左右曰：“孔明一生谨慎，今此举动，必有伏兵。”遂引兵退去。孔明见敌军远遁，抚掌大笑，曰：“吾今日得以保全城池矣！”

翻译

At that time, Sima Yi led his troops to the western city, only to be informed that the Shu Han army was approaching in full force. Inside the city, Zhuge Liang had no more than two thousand soldiers while Sima Yi’s forces numbered over ten thousand. Upon hearing this news, Zhuge Liang was greatly alarmed. However, after some thought, he ordered the city gates to be opened wide, commanded the civilians to sweep the streets, and dressed himself in official robes with a scholar's cap, playing the zither leisurely on the city tower.

Sima Yi, seeing this, became suspicious and said to those around him, “Zhuge Liang is always cautious; such an action must mean there are hidden troops.” Consequently, he ordered his troops to retreat. When Zhuge Liang saw the enemy forces withdrawing, he clapped his hands and laughed heartily, saying, “I have saved my city today!”

通过这段文字，我们不仅能够感受到诸葛亮的镇定自若和机智过人，也能体会到他在危机时刻化险为夷的能力。这种以静制动、以柔克刚的策略，至今仍被广泛应用于军事、外交以及生活中的各种场景中。无论是古代还是现代，“空城计”都是一种值得深思的经典智慧体现。