Category: Chinese Words&Phrases

Yǒu gè Zhèngguó rén xiǎng yào mǎi yì shuāng xiézǐ. Tā zài chūfā qián xiān liàng hǎo zìjǐ jiǎo de chǐmǎ, ránhòu bǎ chǐmǎ fàng dào le zuòwèi shàng. Tā líkāi jiā qù jíshì, què wàng le dài chǐmǎ, xuǎn hǎo xié yǐ hòu cái xiǎng qǐ. Yúshì, tā duì lǎobǎn shuō:”wǒ wàng le dài liàng hǎo de chǐmǎ.” Ránhòu gǎnjǐn huíjiā qùqǔ. Děng tā huí lái de shíhòu jíshì yǐjīng guānmén le, yě jiù méiyǒu mǎi dào xié. Yǒu rén wèn tā:” nǐ wèi shénme bú yòng zìjǐ de jiǎo lái shìshì xiézǐ ne?” Tā huídá shuō:” wǒ níngyuàn xiàngxìn chǐmǎ, yě bù xiàngxìn zìjǐ de jiǎo.”
有个郑国人想要买一双鞋子。他在出发前先量好自己脚的尺码，然后把尺码放到了座位上。他离开家去集市，却忘了带尺码，选好鞋以后才想起。于是，他对老板说：“我忘了带量好的尺码。”然后赶紧回家去取。等他回来的时候集市已经关门了，也就没有买到鞋。有人问他：“你为什么不用自己的脚来试试鞋子呢？”他回答说：“我宁愿相信尺码，也不相信自己的脚。”There was a man from the state of Zheng who wanted to buy a pair of shoes. Before he set off, he measured the size of his feet, then putting the measures on the seat. He left the house to go to the market, but forgot to take the measures. He didn't notice this until he have chosen his shoes. He said to the seller:" I have forgotten to bring my measures.", and hurried back to fetch them. When he returned, the market had already closed and he could not buy the shoes. People asked him:" Why didn't you use your own feet to try on the shoes?" He replied:" I would rather trust the measures than my own feet."
Words：
量liáng: measure（v. ）
尺码chǐmǎ: size; measures（n.）
集市jíshì: bazaar（n.）
带dài: take（v.）
取qǔ: fetch（v.）
试shì：try （v.）
宁愿nìngyuàn：would rather
也不yěbù： nor
Meanings：
这个故事讽刺了有些人做事只相信刻板的教条，不懂得根据实际情况灵活变通。This story satirizes those who follow certain inflexible rules too strictly, and do not know how to adapt to the circumstances.
Sentences：
1. Yù dào wèntí shí wǒmen yīnggāi suíjī- yìngbiàn, bù néng fàn zhèngrénmǎilǚ de cuòwù.
遇到问题时我们应该随机应变，不能犯郑人买履的错误。When we come across a problem, we should adapt to the situation. We must not make the same mistake as Zhèngrénmǎilǚ.
2. Zuò shì shí dōu yào gēnjù shíjì qíngkuàng, línghuó chùlǐ, fǒuzé jiù huì nào zhèngrénmǎilǚ de xiàohuà.
做事时都要根据实际情况，灵活处理，否则就会闹郑人买履的笑话。Dealing with matters, one must act flexibly according to the real situation; otherwise one may get laughed at like Zhèngrénmǎilǚ.

Kuāng Héng niánqīng de shíhòu shífēn hàoxué, dànshì tā jiā lǐ hěn qióng, mǎi bù qǐ làzhú. Kuāng Héng wǎnshàng xiǎng dúshū de shíhòu, chángcháng yīnwèi méiyǒu dēngguāng ér fā chóu. Línjū jiā yǒu làzhú, wǎnshàng huì yǒu liàngguāng, dànshì liàngguāng què zhào bú dào tā de jiā lǐ. Hòulái, tā xiǎng le yí gè bànfǎ, jiù zài qiángbì shàng qiāoqiāo de záo le yí gè xiǎokǒng, ràng gébì rénjiā de zhúguāng tòu guòlái, měitiān jiè zhe xiǎokǒng zhōng wēiruò de guāngxiàn dúshū. Jiù zhèyang, tā jīngcháng xué dào shēnyè, hòu lái chéng le Xīhàn zhùmíng de xuézhě.
匡衡年轻的时候十分好学，但是他家里很穷，买不起蜡烛。匡衡晚上想读书的时候，常常因为没有灯光而发愁。邻居家有蜡烛，晚上会有亮光，但是亮光却照不到他的家里。后来，他想了一个办法，就在墙壁上悄悄地凿了一个小孔，让隔壁人家的烛光透过来，每天借着小孔中微弱的光线读书。就这样，他经常学到深夜，后来成了西汉著名的学者。In the Western Han Dynasty there was a Chinese man named Kuang Heng. Kuang Heng was born in a poor family, but he was diligent in his study. As his family was too poor to afford a candle for him, he often felt sad as he could not study at night. Every evening he could see the candle light from his neighbor, but the light could not reach his house through the wall. Later, an idea came to him. He secretly make a small hole in the wall and let a glimmer of light come in through the hole. This light stolen from the neighbor allowed him to study until late at night. When he grew up he became a very famous scholar at his time.
Words:
蜡烛làzhú: candle (n.)
邻居línjū: neighbor (n.)
凿záo: to cut a hole; chisel; dig (v.)
微弱wēiruò: faint; feeble; thin; weak; slim ( adj.)
Meanings:
凿壁借光: 本义是凿开墙壁，偷借邻居家的灯光读书。后来指在艰苦的条件下坚持刻苦学习。 The original meaning of " Záobì-jièguāng " is to make a hole in the wall and read a book by stealing the light from a neighbor. Later it came to refer to studying under very hard conditions.
Sentences:
Xuéxí shì hěn jiānkǔ de shìqing, xūyào yǒu záobì-jièguāng de jīngshen.
学习是很艰苦的事情，需要有凿壁借光的精神。 Studying is very hard so the spirit of Záobì-jièguāng is necessary.

Nánsòng zhùmíng àiguó círén Xīn Qìjí （1140－1207）yí guàn zhìxiàng yuǎn dà. Jīnrén nán qīn hòu, Xīn Qìjí céng zǔzhī liǎng qiān duō rén de duì wǔ zài gùxiāng qǐyì, dàn yóuyú huàirén de páijǐ hé dǎjī, tā hòulái chángqī xián jū zài Jiāngxī Shàngráo yí dài.
南宋著名爱国词人辛弃疾（1140－1207）一贯志向远大。金人南侵后，辛弃疾曾组织两千多人的队伍在故乡起义，但由于坏人的排挤和打击，他后来长期闲居在江西上饶一带。
A famous poet Xin Qiji(1140-1207 A.D.) who lived in Southern Song Dynasty was always full of ambition . After Jin army started the southward invasion, Xin Qiji organized a troop of more than 2000 people to fight against the enemies in his hometown. Because of the attack and pushing of villains, he had to live in Shangrao area of Jiangxi Province without doing any work for a long time.
Xīn Qìjí yǔ shīrén Lù Yóu shì hǎo péngyǒu. Lù yóu hěn xīnshǎng tā de cáihuá, céng wèi Xīn Qìjí xiě le yì shǒu shī chángshī, zài shī zhōng, Lù Yóu bǎ Xīn Qìjí kàn zuò shì hé gǔdài de dà zhèngzhì jiā, jūnshì jiā Guǎn Zhòng, Xiāo Hé yí yàng de rénwù, ràng tā zhī shì zài Zhèjiāng shěng dāng le yí gè Dōnglù ān fǔ shǐ, shí zài shì bǎ dà de cáiliào yòng zài le xiǎochù.
辛弃疾与诗人陆游是好朋友。陆游很欣赏他的才华，曾为辛弃疾写了一首诗长诗，在诗中，陆游把辛弃疾看作是和古代的大政治家、军事家管仲、萧何一样的人物，让他只是在浙江省当了一个东路安抚使，实在是把大的材料用在了小处。Xin Qiji and Lu You, another famous poet, were good friends. Lu You appreciated Xin Qiji's talent. He once wrote a long poem for Xin Qiji. In this poem, Lu You compared Xin Qiji to the great statesmen and militarists like Guan Zhong and Xiao He. In his mind, working as a small official in Zhejiang Province was a total waste of Xin Qiji's talent.
Words：
组织zǔzhī： organize (v.)
排挤páijǐ： supplant；push aside (v.)
打击dǎjī： hit; strike; attack (v.)
欣赏xīnshǎng： appreciate (v.)
Meanings：
大材小用：“大材小用”指将很大的材料用在微小的地方，比喻对人才的使用不当。 "大材小用" means to put a great material for a petty use. It is a metaphor for misusing people's talents.
Sentences:
1. Zhe yàng Běijīng Dàxué bìyè de gāocái shēng, zài zhè gè xiǎo gōngsī lǐ dāng gè xiǎo mìshū, zhēn shì dàcái-xiǎoyòng le.
这样北京大学毕业的高材生，在这个小公司里当个小秘书，真是大材小用了。It is totally Dacao-xiaoyong to have a top graduate from Peking University like you to work as a secretary in such a small company.
2.Bìxū shàn yú yòng rén, yào rén jìn qí cái, bú yào dàcái-xiǎoyòng.
必须善于用人，要人尽其才，不要大材小用。A leader should know how to use people's talents, assign people the right jobs according to their talents, and should notDacao-xiaoyong.

Sān guó shí, Zhōu Yú jídù Zhūgě Liàng de cáinéng, yào tā zài sān tiān zhī nèi zào shíwàn zhī jiàn, bìng pài Lǔ Sù qù liáojiě Zhūgě Liàng zào jiàn de qíngkuàng.
三国时，周瑜嫉妒诸葛亮的才能，要他在三天之内造十万支箭，并派鲁肃去了解诸葛亮造箭的情况。In the period of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu was very jealous of Zhuge Liang's talent, so he troubled him by demanding 100,000 arrows within only three days. He sent Lu Su as a supervisor and find out how Zhuge would finish the task.
Zhūgě Liàng duì Lǔ Sù shuō, xīwàng néng jiè gěi tā èr shí zhī chuán, měi tiáo chuán shàng sān shí gè shìbīng, chuán yào yòng qīngsè de bù zhē qǐlái, hái yào yì qiān duō gè cǎorén, pái zài chuán de liǎngcè.
诸葛亮对鲁肃说，希望能借给他二十只船，每条船上三十个士兵，船要用青色的布遮起来，还要一千多个草人，排在船的两侧。Zhuge Liang told Lu Su that he needed twenty ships, each with thirty soldiers on it. All the ships must be covered with black cloth, and more than one thousand straw men with soldiers' clothes on should be arranged along both sides of the ships.
Lǔ Sù bǎ zhè xiē dōngxī dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le, kě shì dì yī tiān hé dì èr tiān Zhūgě Liàng shénme dōu méi zuò. Zhí dào dì sān tiān yè lǐ, Zhūgě Liàng cái jiào Lǔ Sù gēn tā yì qǐ qù qǔ jiàn.
鲁肃把这些东西都准备好了，可是第一天和第二天诸葛亮什么都没做。直到第三天夜里，诸葛亮才叫鲁肃跟他一起去取箭。Lu Su prepared everything as Zhuge Liang required. But in the following two days Zhuge Liang did nothing until the night of the third day when he invited Lu Su to come along and get the arrows.
Dāng wǎn jiāng shàng qǐ le dàwù, Zhūgě Liàng ràng chuán pái chéng yì pái, mìnglìng shìbīng jiǎzhuāng jìn’gōng. Cáo Cāo gǎn máng mìnglìng shìbīng xiàng chuán shàng shèjiàn, děng dào yí miàn cǎorén shàng chā mǎn le jiàn, Zhūgě Liàng yòu ràng chuán duì diàotóu. Zuìhòu suǒyǒu de cǎo rén shàng dōu chā mǎn le jiàn, zǒnggòng chāoguò le shí wàn zhī.
当晚江上起了大雾，诸葛亮让船排成一排，命令士兵假装进攻。曹操赶忙命令士兵向船上射箭，等到一面草人上插满了箭，诸葛亮又让船队掉头。最后所有的草人上都插满了箭，总共超过了十万支。That night there was a thick fog enveloping the river. Zhuge Liang had his ships formed into a line and ordered the soldiers to pretend an attack against Cao Cao's troops. Cao Cao was taken in by the feint and hastily ordered his soldiers to shoot arrows towards Zhuge Liang's ships. Zhuge Liang waited until the straw men at one side were thrust thickly with arrows, and then he commanded the fleet to turn around and exposed the other side to the rain of arrows. Back in the base they counted the arrows on the straw men– there were more than 100,000 in total.
Zhōu Yú chú diào Zhūgě Liàng de jì cè shībài le.
周瑜除掉诸葛亮的计策失败了。In the end, Zhuge Liang fulfilled the mission of impossible and Zhou Yu's scheme against him failed.
Words：
嫉妒jídù： be jealous of（v. ）
情况qíngkuàng: situation; condition( n.)
遮zhē: cover ( v.)
雾wù: fog ( n.)
假装jiǎzhuānɡ: pretend ( v.)
射shè: shoot ( v.)
插chā: thrust ( v.)
掉头diàotóu: turn around ( v.)
除掉chúdiào： dispose of; get rid of（v.）
Meanings：
“草船借箭”比喻凭借智慧，借助别人的人力或财力来达到自己的目的。"草船借箭(cǎochuánjièjiàn)" means achieving one's goal by wisely making use of others' manpower or financial resources.
Sentences：
1.Běnlái méiyǒu qián zuò zhè bǐ shēngyi ，dàn tā cǎochuánjièjiàn ，cóng qīnqi péngyou nàr còule èrshí wàn ，zuìhòu zhuànle hěndà yì bǐ qián.
本来没有钱做这笔生意，但他草船借箭，从亲戚朋友那凑了二十万，最后赚了很大一笔钱。He was short of money to do this business, but he 草船借箭 and managed to raise 200,000 from his relatives and friends. In the end he made a good fortune.
2.Suīrán wǒmen xiànzài kě lìyòng de zīyuán bù duō ，dàn kéyǐ cǎochuánjièjiàn ，cóng hézuòfāng qǔdé wǒmen xūyào de nèiróng.
虽然我们现在可利用的资源不多，但可以草船借箭，从合作方取得我们需要的内容。We are currently short of accessible resources, but we can 草船借箭 and draw support from our partners to get what we need.
原文链接

Qínwáng dài zhe 80 wàn jūnduì qù gōngdǎ Jìn guó. Jìn guó què zhī yǒu 8 wàn rén yìngzhàn, Qín wáng gēnběn jiù méi bǎ tāmen fàng zài yǎn lǐ. Kě shuízhī dì yī zhàng ，Qín guó shìbīng jiù bèi Jìn guó shìbīng dǎ dé hěn cǎn.
秦王带着80万军队去攻打晋国。晋国却只有8万人应战，秦王根本就没把他们放在眼里。可谁知第一仗，秦国士兵就被晋国士兵打得很惨。Emperor Qin took 800,000 soldiers to attack the state of Jin. In the eyes of Qin, the Jin army with only 80,000 soldiers was simply a trivial matter. However, in the first battle, his army was badly defeated by the Jin soldiers.
Qín wáng xiǎng dēng shàng chénglóu kàn kàn Jìn jūn de qíng kuàng, què kàn dào hěn duō shù qǐlái de zhànqí, bīngqì. Zhè shí gāng hǎo yǒu yī zhèn fēng chuī guò, lián shùmù kàn qǐlái yě xiàng shì qiānqiān wànwàn gè shìbīng yí yang.
秦王想登上城楼看看晋军的情况，却看到很多竖起来的战旗、兵器。这时刚好有一阵风吹过，连树木看起来也像是千千万万个士兵一样。Emperor Qin desired to view the state of affairs of the Jin army from a gate tower, but what he saw were many raised battle flags and weapons. It just so happened at that time that a gust of wind blew, making even the trees appear to be thousands upon thousands of soldiers.
Tā xià dé liǎn dōu bái le, shuō:” tāmen de bīng zěnme zhè me duō ā!” Biàn shīqù le yì kāishǐ de jiāo’ào hé xìnxīn, dǎzhàng shí yě méiyǒu yuánlái yǒngměng le. Zuìhòu Qín jūn bèi dǎ bài le, shòu le shāng de Qín wáng gǎnjǐn táo huí le Qín guó.
他吓得脸都白了，说：“他们的兵怎么这么多啊!”便失去了一开始的骄傲和信心，打仗时也没有原来勇猛了。最后秦军被打败了，受了伤的秦王赶紧逃回了秦国。He became pale with fear and said, “How could it be that they have so many soldiers!” His pride and self-confidence he held at the beginning were now lost, His soldiers too were not bold as they were before. In the end, his army was defeated and himself wounded, immediately fled back to Qin.
Words：
攻打gōngdă: to attack ( v.)
应战yìngzhàn: to meet an enemy attack ( v.)
士兵shìbīng: soldier ( n.)
城楼chénglóu: a tower over a city gate ( n.)
竖shù: to stand ( v.)
战旗zhànqí: battle flag (n.)
勇猛yǒngměng： bold and powerful (adj.)
Meanings：
“草木皆兵” 把一草一木都当做敌兵。常形容失败者的恐惧心理。“草木皆兵”means to take grass and trees as enemy soldiers. It’s often used to describe the fear of losers.
Sentences：
1. Tā jīngcháng yíshén-yíguǐ, cǎomù-jiēbīng, gǎo dé zhōuwéi de rén dōu gēn zhe dānxīn.
他经常疑神疑鬼，草木皆兵，搞得周围的人都跟着担心。He was always suspicious which made other people anxious.
2. Shībài le bú yàojǐn, dànshì bú yào cǎomù-jiēbīng, yǐ wèi rénrén dōu gēn nǐ zuòduì.
失败了不要紧，但是不要草木皆兵，以为人人都跟你作对。It doesn’t matter if you fail. But you should not be so nervous and think that everyone is against you.
原文链接

Cóngqián yǒu gè huánghòu xìng Mǎ, tā shēnghuó fēicháng jiǎnpǔ. Mǎ huánghòu hěn xǐhuān dúshū, zuòshì hěn jiǎng dàolǐ. Hòulái, tā chéng le huáng tàihòu, hěnduō rén dōu xiǎng qù bājié tā. Lián huángdì hé dàchén men dōu xiǎng le gèzhǒng bànfǎ lái jiǎngshǎng Mǎ tàihòu de jiārén.
从前有个皇后姓马，她生活非常简朴。马皇后很喜欢读书，做事很讲道理。后来，她成了皇太后，很多人都想去巴结她。连皇帝和大臣们都想了各种办法来奖赏马太后的家人。Once upon a time, there was a Queen whose surname was Ma. She lived very simply. She liked to read and was very sensible. When she became Queen, many people wanted to please her. Even the King and ministers tried to reward her families.
Mǎ tàihòu zhīdào hòu, hěn shēngqì, tā shuō:” wǒ de jiārén bù zhīdào jiējiǎn, suǒyǐ bù néng jiǎngshǎng.” Huángdì wèn:” tāmen yǒu duō shēchǐ ne? Nín shuō lái tīngtīng.”
马太后知道后，很生气，她说：“我的家人不知道节俭，所以不能奖赏。”皇帝问：“他们有多奢侈呢？您说来听听。”When she came to know of it, she was very angry. She said, “My family members are not frugal, so you should not reward them.” The King asked her, “Tell me, just how luxurious are they?”
Mǎ tàihòu shuō:” tāmen mén qián de chē xiàng liúshuǐ yī yàng, mǎpǐ xiàng yì tiáo tiáo yóulóng, dōu shì lái sònglǐ de ya! Tā men zhī zhīdào xiǎng lè, bù zhīdào wèi guójiā dānxīn, yídìng bùnéng gěi tāmen jiǎngshǎng!”
马太后说：“他们门前的车像流水一样，马匹像一条条游龙，都是来送礼的呀!他们只知道享乐，不知道为国家担心，一定不能给他们奖赏!”The Queen replied, “The long line of chariots and horses at their front gates which come bearing gifts are like flowing water and a swimming dragon. They only know how to enjoy themselves, but don’t know to share the burden with the country. So you mustn’t reward them.”
Words：
简朴jiănpǔ： simple and unadorned (adj.)
巴结bājie: to flatter ( v.)
奖赏jiăngshăng：to reward (in money, etc.) (v.)
奢侈shēchǐ: luxurious (adj.)
游龙yóulóng: flying dragon( n.)
送礼sònglǐ: to give sb. a present( v.)
享乐xiănglè: to enjoy ( v.)
Meanings：
“车水马龙”本意是车像流水马像游龙，形容车多马多，后来 用来比喻人来车往，非常热闹。The original meaning of “车水马龙”is many carts and horses. Later it’s used to describe the bustling of many people and vehicles.
Sentences：
1.Běijīng miàohuì chēshuǐ-mǎlóng, rénshān-rénhǎi, shífēn rènào.
北京庙会车水马龙,人山人海,十分热闹。Beijing Temple Fair is bustling with huge crowds of people.
2、Dàjiē shàng chēshuǐ-mǎlóng, nǐ guò mǎlù yídìng yào xiǎoxīn.
大街上车水马龙，你过马路一定要小心。The street has a lot of traffic, so you must be careful when you cross the road.
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Chūnqiū shíhòu, chǔ wáng mìnglìng Bólè qù mǎi qiānlǐ mǎ. Kěshì Bólè pǎo le hǎo jǐ gè guójiā, dōu méiyǒu fāxiàn zhǒngyì de mǎ.
春秋时候，楚王命令伯乐去买千里马。可是伯乐跑了好几个国家，都没有发现中意的马。During the Spring and Autumn Period, Emperor Chu ordered Bole to buy a swift horse. However, after visiting several states he still couldn’t find the horse he desired.
Yǒu yì tiān, Bólè kàndào yì pǐ mǎ lā zhe yánchē, hěn chīlì de zài dǒupō shàng zǒu. Bólè zǒu jìn yí kàn, zhè pǐ mǎ tūrán tái qǐ tóu lái dèng dà yǎnjīng, dà shēng sīmíng, hǎoxiàng yào duì Bólè shuō shénme. Bólè lì jí cóng shēngyīn zhōng pànduàn chū, zhè shì yì pǐ nándé de jùnmǎ.
有一天，伯乐看到一匹马拉着盐车，很吃力地在陡坡上走。伯乐走近一看，这匹马突然抬起头来瞪大眼睛，大声嘶鸣，好像要对伯乐说什么。伯乐立即从声音中判断出，这是一匹难得的骏马。One day, Bole saw a horse drawing a wagon loaded with salt up a steep hill. The horse struggled to draw the wagon. When Bole approached, the horse suddenly raised its head and stared into his eyes, neighing loudly. It looked as though he wanted to speak to Bole. From the neigh, Bole immediately knew he’d found a rare and good horse.
Kěshì Chǔ wáng yí jiàn Bólè mǎi de mǎ shòu dé bú chéng yàngzǐ, jiù rènwéi Bólè zài yúnòng tā, yǒu diǎn bù gāoxìng. Bólè jiě shì shuō:” zhè quèshí shì pǐ qiānlǐ mǎ, zhī yào jīngxīn wèiyǎng, bù chū bàn gè yuè, yídìng huì huīfù tǐlì.”
可是楚王一见伯乐买的马瘦得不成样子，就认为伯乐在愚弄他，有点不高兴。 伯乐解释说：“这确实是匹千里马，只要精心喂养，不出半个月，一定会恢复体力。” Yet, when Emperor Wu saw the horse he deemed it too skinny, and thought Bole had made a fool of him. He was unhappy. Bole explained, “It really is a swift horse. As long as it’s well fed, it will regain its strength no less than half a month.”
Yúshì Chǔ wáng biàn mìnglìng mǎfū hǎo hǎo wèi mǎ, guǒrán, mǎ hěn kuài biàn dé shífēn jīngzhuàng. Chǔ wáng qí shàng mǎ yí huì ér jiù pǎo dào le bǎi lǐ zhī wài, Chǔ wáng fēicháng gāoxìng, gěi tā qǐ le míngzì jiào qiānlǐ mǎ. Hòulái zhè pǐ mǎ yě wèi Chǔ wáng zài zhànchǎng shàng lì xià bù shǎo gōngláo.
于是楚王便命令马夫好好喂马，果然，马很快变得十分精壮。楚王骑上马一会儿就跑到了百里之外，楚王非常高兴，给它起了名字叫千里马。后来这匹马也为楚王在战场上立下不少功劳。The Emperor thus ordered a groom to take care of the horse. As expected, the horse quickly became very strong. When the Emperor rode the animal, it ran for hundreds of miles. The Emperor was very delighted, and named it 千里马（a horse that can sustain long-distance rides）. Later, this horse greatly aided to Emperor Chu in the battle field.
Words：
中意zhòng yì: catch one’s fancy (v.)
吃力chīlì: be a strain (v.)
陡坡dǒupō: steep slope (n.)
嘶鸣sīmíng: neigh (v.)
骏马jùnmǎ: fine horse (n.)
愚弄yúnòng： make fool of (v.)
精心jīngxīn: elaborately (adv.)
精壮jīngzhuàng: strong (adj.)
千里马qiānlǐmǎ: pure breed horse that can sustain long-distance rides (n.)
功劳gōngláo: contribution ( n.)
 

Cóngqián, Sòngguó yǒu yí gè lǎorén, tā zài jiā zhōng yǎng le xǔduō hóuzǐ. Lǎo rénměi tiān dōu huì gěi měi zhī hóuzǐ bā kē lìzǐ, zǎo wǎn gè sì kē. Hòulái , hóuzǐ yuè lái yuè duō, lǎorén yě yuè lái yuè qióng, suǒyǐ tā xiǎng měi tiān zhī gěi hóuzǐ qī kē lìzǐ, yú shì tā jiù hé hóuzǐ men shāngliàng:” cóng jīntiān kāishǐ, wǒ měitiān zǎoshàng gěi nǐmen sì kē lìzǐ, wǎnshàng gěi nǐmen sān kē lìzǐ, xíng bù xíng?” Hóuzǐ men xiǎng le yì xiǎng, wǎnshàng zěnme shǎo le yì kē ne? Yúshì dà jiào qǐlái, fēicháng bú yuànyì. Lǎorén yí kàn, lián máng shuō:” nàme wǒ zǎoshàng gěi nǐmen sān kē, wǎnshàng zài gěi nǐ men sì kē, kě yǐ le ba?” Hóuzǐ men tīng le, yǐwéi wǎnshàng de lìzǐyǐjīng yóu sān gè biàn chéng sì gè, gēn yǐqián yí yang, jiù gāoxìng de tóngyì le.
从前，宋国有一个老人，他在家中养了许多猴子。老人每天都会给每只猴子八颗栗子，早晚各四颗。后来，猴子越来越多，老人也越来越穷，所以他想每天只给猴子七颗栗子，于是他就和猴子们商量：“从今天开始，我每天早上给你们四颗栗子，晚上给你们三颗栗子，行不行？” 猴子们想了一想，晚上怎么少了一颗呢？于是大叫起来，非常不愿意。老人一看，连忙说：“那么我早上给你们三颗，晚上再给你们四颗，可以了吧？” 猴子们听了，以为晚上的栗子已经由三个变成四个，跟以前一样，就高兴地同意了。Once upon a time, there lived an old man in Song Kingdom, who raised a lot of monkeys at home. The old man fed each monkey eight acorns every day, four in the morning and four in the evening. Later he fed so many monkeys that he had not enough acorns. So he wanted to feed monkeys seven acorns each day. Then he discussed with his monkeys, "From today on, I will give each of you four acorns in the morning and three acorns in the evening. Is that O.K.?" Hearing this, all the monkeys got angry. How come lack one in the evening? Then the old man changed to say, "I'll give each of you four acorns in the morning and three acorns in the evening." Thinking that there were still four in the evening, all the monkeys became happy again.

Qín Shǐhuáng sǐ le zhī hòu, tā de érzǐ Hú Hài dāng le huángdì, yě jiù shì Qín èr shì （gōngyuán qián 230 nián ～gōng yuán qián 207 nián ）. Dànshì dāngshí zhǎngwò cháotíng dàquán de shì chéngxiàng Zhào Gāo. Tā xiǎng zìjǐ dāng huángdì, kě yòu pà yǒu rén bù fú. Yúshì, tā xiǎng le yí gè bànfǎ. Tā dāng zhe hěn duō dàchén de miàn bǎ yì zhī lù xiàn gěi Qín èr shì, què shuō:”zhè shì yì pǐ hǎo mǎ.” Qín èr shì tīng le, hěn bù míngbái, wèn tā:”zhè míng míng shì yì zhī lù, nǐ zěnme shuō shì mǎ ne?” Zhào Gāo biàn wèn qítā de dàchén shì lù hái shì mǎ. Yǒu de dàchén pà dézuì chéngxiàng, kě yòu bú xiǎng qīpiàn huángdì, jiù zhàn zài yī páng bú shuōhuà; Yǒu de dàchén shùn zhe Zhào Gāo de yìsī, shuō “zhè jiù shì mǎ “; hái yǒu yì xiē zhèngzhí chéngshí de dàchén shuō “zhè shì lù, bú shì mǎ.” Yúshì, Zhào Gāo zhīdào le shuí gǎn fǎnduì tā, hòulái jiù zhǎo jīhuì bǎ shuō shíhuà de rén dōu shā le.
秦始皇死了之后，他的儿子胡亥当了皇帝，也就是秦二世（公元前230年～公元前207年）。但是当时掌握朝廷大权的是丞相赵高。他想自己当皇帝，可又怕有人不服。于是，他想了一个办法。他当着很多大臣的面把一只鹿献给秦二世，却说：“这是一匹好马。”秦二世听了，很不明白，问他：“这明明是一只鹿，你怎么说是马呢？”赵高便问其它的大臣是鹿还是马。有的大臣怕得罪丞相，可又不想欺骗皇帝，就站在一旁不说话；有的大臣顺着赵高的意思，说“这就是马”；还有一些正直诚实的大臣说“这是鹿，不是马。”于是，赵高知道了谁敢反对他，后来就找机会把说实话的人都杀了。
After the death of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty), his son Hu Hai succeeded him and became emperor, called Qin Er Shi, which literally means the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty (his reign was from 230 to 207 B.C). However, the man who grasped the real power was the Prime Minister Zhao Gao at that time. Zhao wanted to be the emperor himself, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be admitted by someone. Hence, an idea just came into his mind. He offered a deer to Qin Er Shi in the presence of many ministers, and said "This is a wonderful horse." Qin was puzzled at his words and asked, "This is obviously a deer, but why do you call it a horse?" Zhao then asked the other ministers whether it was a deer or a horse. Some ministers said nothing because they did not dare to offend the Prime Minister and they were also unwilling to cheat the Emperor. As for the others, some of them said "This is a horse" for the support of Zhao Gao, but the rest upright and honest ministers stood out and said, "This is a deer not a horse", which helped Zhao Gao finally realized who were on his side and who were not. Later he found excuses and had those who were against him killed.
Words：
朝廷cháotíng： imperial court (n.)
丞相chéngxiàng： prime minister (n.)
大臣dàchén： minister (of a monarchy) ( n. )
鹿lù: deer (n.)
明明míngmíng： obviously (adv. )
得罪dézuì： offend (v.)
机会jī huì： opportunity (n.)

Yì zhī qīngwā zuò zài jǐng lǐ, yì zhī xiǎoniǎo fēi guòlái, luò zài jǐng biān shàng. Qīngwā wèn xiǎoniǎo:”nǐ cóng nǎ’ér fēi lái ya?”Xiǎoniǎo huídá shuō:”wǒ cóng yuǎnchù fēi lái. Wǒ zài tiānkōng zhōng fēi le yì bǎi duō lǐ, kǒu kě le, xiàlái zhǎo diǎn shuǐ hē.” Qīngwā shuō:”péngyǒu,bié shuō dàhuà le! Tiān bú guò jǐngkǒu nàme dà, hái yòng fēi nàme yuǎn ma?” Xiǎoniǎo shuō:”nǐ nòng cuò le, tiān wúbiān-wújì, dà dé hěn n!” Qīngwā xiào le, shuō:”péngyǒu, wǒ tiāntiān zuò zài jǐng lǐ, yì táitóu jiù kànjiàn tiān. Wǒ bú huì nòngcuò de.” Xiǎoniǎo yě xiào le, shuō:”péngyǒu, nǐ shì nòng cuò le. Bù xiàngxìn, nǐ tiào chū jǐngkǒu lái kàn yī kàn ba.”
一只青蛙坐在井里，一只小鸟飞过来，落在井边上。 青蛙问小鸟：“你从哪儿飞来呀？” 小鸟回答说：“我从远处飞来。我在天空中飞了一百多里，口渴了，下来找点水喝。” 青蛙说：“朋友，别说大话了！天不过井口那么大，还用飞那么远吗？” 小鸟说：“你弄错了，天无边无际，大得很哪！” 青蛙笑了，说：“朋友，我天天坐在井里，一抬头就看见天。我不会弄错的。” 小鸟也笑了，说：“朋友，你是弄错了。不相信，你跳出井口来看一看吧。”As a frog sat at the bottom of a well, a little bird flew over and perched on the well's edge. The frog asked the little bird, "Where did you fly here from?" The little bird replied, "I flew from far away. I flew through the sky for more than a hundred miles, and now I’m thirsty, so I came down to find a drink of water." The frog said, "My friend, enough of your boasting! The sky is no larger than the mouth of this well, how could you have flown so far?" The little bird said, "You've got it wrong, the sky is boundless, it's extremely big!" The frog laughed and said, "My friend, I sit in this well every day, and I need only to look up to see the sky. I cannot be mistaken." The little bird also laughed, saying, "Friend, you are mistaken. If you don't believe me, jump out of the well and take a look."