Learn Mandarin online via reading mini short story is a good way to improve your language skills. Take a small bite a day. Don’t rush yourself. As long as you persist on reading and learning, when you finish the story, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ve learned. This story is the very first short story that I’ve written for this blog. I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you will enjoy reading it too. I’d be really happy to hear any feedback from your reading and learning experience, no matter it’s positive or negative. Any corrections on my English translation is also welcomed, I need help on my English writing as well, please help! Thanks … :-) There are vocabulary table, pinyin and English translation to help you read and learn new words and expressions. Hope these annotations do help … To check how reading levels are rated, please click here. Have a cup of whatever drink you like … and now let’s start … [simplified Chinese] 她, 一个温柔清秀的女孩儿, 从小被养父母抚养长大。养父母不能生育，对她如亲生女儿一样宠爱。 那一年，中越边境正在打仗。学校里组织学生去部队医院听英模的演讲。就是从前线打仗回来的战士给大家讲战争的故事。过后，同学们还要去病房看望疗伤的士兵。 城市里长大的她被那些热血沸腾的战斗故事深深吸引。并且悄悄爱上了在战斗中失去双腿的他。她主动到医院照顾他，陪他说话，为他擦洗, 两颗年轻的心紧紧的靠到了一起。 在他康复出院的那一天,十六岁的她向家人宣布，她要放弃学业和他结婚，随他嫁到边远的山区。 [traditional Chinese] 她, 一個溫柔清秀的女孩兒, 從小被養父母撫養長大。養父母不能生育，對她如親生女兒一樣寵愛。 那一年，中越邊境正在打仗。學校裏組織學生去部隊醫院 聽英模的演講。就是從前線打仗回來的戰士給大家講戰爭 的故事。過後，同學們還要去病房看望療傷的士兵。 城市裏長大的她被那些熱血沸騰的戰鬥故事深深吸引。並 且悄悄愛上了在戰鬥中失去雙腿的他。她主動到醫院照顧 他，陪他說話，為他擦洗, 兩顆年輕的心緊緊的靠到了一 起。 在他康複出院的那一天,十六歲的她向家人宣布，她要 放棄學業和他結婚，隨他嫁到邊遠的山區。 [pinyin] tā, yī gè wēnróu qīngxiù de nǚháir, cóngxiǎo bèi yǎng fùmǔ fǔyǎng zhǎngdà。 yǎng fùmǔ bùnéng shēngyù， duì tā rú qīnshēng nǚ’ér yīyàng chǒng’ài。 nà yī nián， zhōng yuè biānjìng zhèngzài dǎzhàng。 xuéxiào lǐ zǔzhī xuésheng qù bùduì yīyuàn tīng yīng mó de yǎnjiǎng。 jiùshì cóngqián xiàn dǎzhàng huílai de zhànshì gěi dàjiā jiǎng zhànzhēng de gùshi。 guòhòu， tóngxué men hái yào qù bìngfáng kànwàng liáoshāng de shìbīng。 chéngshì lǐ zhǎngdà de tā bèi nàxiē rèxuèfèiténg de zhàndòu gùshi shēnshēn xīyǐn。 bìngqiě qiāoqiāo àishàng le zài zhàndòu zhōng shīqù shuāngtuǐ de tā。 tā zhǔdòng dào yīyuàn zhàogu tā， péi tā shuōhuà， wéi tā cāxǐ, liǎng kē niánqīng de xīn jǐnjǐn de kào dàoliǎo yīqǐ。 zài tā kāngfù chūyuàn de nà yī tiān, shíliù suì de tā xiàng jiārén xuānbù， tā yào fàngqì xuéyè hé tā jiéhūn， suí tā jià dào biānyuǎn de shānqū。 [vocabulary table] Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Mandarin Pinyin English Definition 温柔 溫柔 wen1 rou2 gentle and soft; tender; 清秀 清秀 qing1 xiu4 delicate and pretty; 养父 養父 yang3 fu4 foster, adopted father; 抚养 撫養 fu3 yang3 to foster; to bring up; to raise; 生育 生育 sheng1 yu4 to bear; to give birth 亲生 親生 qin1 sheng1 born to oneself (i.e. one’s natural child); 宠爱 寵愛 chong3 ai4 to dote on sb; 中越 中越 Zhong1 yue4 Sino-Vietnam (relations); 边境 邊境 bian1 jing4 frontier; border; 打仗 打仗 da3 zhang4 to fight a battle; to go to war; 组织 組織 zu3 zhi1 organize; 部队 部隊 bu4 dui4 army 医院 醫院 yi1 yuan4 hospital 英模 英模 Ying1 mo2 Soldier with medal 演讲 演講 yan3 jiang3 lecture; to make a speech; 前线 前線 qian2 xian4 frontier of a battle field; 打仗 打仗 da3 zhang4 to fight a battle; to go to war; 战士 戰士 zhan4 shi4 fighter; soldier; warrior; CL:個|个[ge4]; 战争 戰爭 zhan4 zheng1 war; conflict; CL:場|场[chang2],次[ci4]; 过后 過後 guo4 hou4 after the event; 同学们 同學們 tong2 xue2 men5 classmates; fellow students 病房 病房 bing4 fang2 ward (of a hospital); sickroom; CL:間|间[jian1]; 看望 看望 kan4 wang4 to visit; to pay a call to; 疗伤 療傷 liao2 shang1 healing; to heal; 士兵 士兵 shi4 bing1 soldier 城市 城市 cheng2 shi4 city 热血 熱血 re4 xue4 hot blood 沸腾 沸騰 fei4 teng2 boiling 深深 深深 shen1 shen1 deep; profound; 吸引 吸引 xi1 yin3 to attract (interest, investment etc); CL:個|个[ge4]; 悄悄 悄悄 qiao3 qiao3 quietly; 双腿 雙腿 shuang1 tui3 legs; both legs; two legs; 主动 主動 zhu3 dong4 to take the initiative; spontaneous; 照顾 照顧 zhao4 gu5 to take care of 陪 陪 pei2 to accompany; to keep sb company; 擦洗 擦洗 ca1 xi3 to clean (with water or alcohol); to wipe and wash; to swab; to scrub; 紧紧 緊緊 jin3 jin3 closely; tightly; 靠 靠 kao4 to lean against or on; to stand by the side of; 康复 康復 kang1 fu4 to recuperate; to recover (health); to convalesce; 宣布 宣布 xuan1 bu4 to declare; to announce; to proclaim; 放弃 放棄 fang4 qi4 to renounce; to abandon; to give up; 学业 學業 xue2 ye4 studies; schoolwork; 结婚 結婚 jie2 hun1 to marry; to get married; 随 隨 sui2 to follow; 嫁 嫁 jia4 (of a woman) to marry; 边远 邊遠 bian1 yuan3 far from the center; remote; 山区 山區 shan1 qu1 mountain area; (Special thanks to Thomas Doherty for proofreading and editing my English translation!) [English translation] She was a gentle and good looking girl raised by an adoptive family. Her adoptive parents couldn’t bear child of their own. The couple loved her as their own daughter. That year, Vietnam was having a war with China on the border. School students were organized to visit military hospitals and attend presentations of the soldiers’ medals. They visited the wounded soldiers in the wards afterward. Growing up in the city, she was deeply drawn to those bloody battle field stories. She even fell in love with a guy, who had lost both legs in the war. She volunteered to take care of him in the hospital. She talked with him, and helped him to stay clean. The two young hearts became closer and closer. On the day he was released from the hospital, she at the age of 16 made an announcement to her family that she decided to give up her studying and to marry him. She would go with him to live in the remote mountain area. (Special thanks to Thomas Doherty for proofreading and editing my English translation!)
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