在中国古代文学中，《三国演义》是一部广为人知的经典之作，其中许多故事都充满了智慧与谋略。而《杨修之死》正是这样一个令人深思的故事。它不仅展现了杨修的聪明才智，也揭示了他最终因过于张扬而招致杀身之祸的原因。

原文节选：

曹操在汉中征战时，曾令工匠建造一所新宅院。完工后，曹操亲自前往视察，并在门上题字：“活”。工匠见状，不知所云，便去请教杨修。杨修笑道：“此乃‘阔’字也。丞相嫌门太窄。”曹操听闻此言，心中虽不悦，但表面上却未显露。

又有一次，曹操命人送一盒酥饼给杨修等人。杨修打开一看，发现盒内写着“一人一口酥”。于是他对众人说：“这是丞相让我们每人分吃一块。”曹操听闻此事，内心更加忌惮杨修的机敏。

翻译：

Cao Cao, during his campaign in Hanzhong, had ordered some craftsmen to build a new residence for him. After its completion, he went to inspect it and wrote the character “huo” (meaning 'live') on the gate himself. The craftsmen were puzzled by this and asked Yang Xiu for advice. Yang Xiu laughed and said: "This is actually the character 'kuo' (meaning 'wide'). The lord finds the gate too narrow." Although Cao Cao was displeased upon hearing this, he did not show it outwardly.

On another occasion, Cao Cao sent a box of pastries to Yang Xiu and his colleagues. When Yang Xiu opened the box, he found that it contained the words "yi ren yi kou su" (meaning 'one person one mouthful of su'). He then told everyone: "The lord wants us each to take one piece." Upon hearing about this incident, Cao Cao became even more wary of Yang Xiu's intelligence.

通过这些小故事，我们可以看到杨修虽然才华横溢，但却未能把握好与上级相处的艺术。他的直率和机智往往让人感到威胁，最终导致了他的悲剧结局。这也提醒我们，在现实生活中，不仅要注重能力的提升，还要学会如何恰当地展现自己的才能。