{"id":7782,"date":"2019-10-03T00:43:14","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T00:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-reading\/sister-come-home\/"},"modified":"2019-10-03T00:43:14","modified_gmt":"2019-10-03T00:43:14","slug":"sister-come-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/vi\/sister-come-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Sister Come home!"},"content":{"rendered":"
This very sad and vaguely me<\/em>taphorical story is a bit long for beginner reading, but other than a couple of high-level words, the sentence structure isn’t too crazy and the basic language is simple.
Intermediate Chinese Reading Practice: Sister Come HomeThe story kind of goes back and forth between a younger brother, an elder sister, and a tree. In order to read and understand this story, you need to move away from the standard Western co<\/em>nception of a story – the things that my Western mind seized on as im<\/em>portant points in the story (“What are the secret words the sister says to the tree?”) turned out to be ancillary. Like many melancholy Chinese prose, it should be read by just letting the ideas and images wash over you.
The story will be difficult to read if you try to follow some cohesive narrative – don’t bother. Just revel in the bleakness of the ideas.
Click to Listen
\u7948\u7977 – qí d\u01ceo – To pray
\u633a\u62d4 – t\u01d0ng bá – Tall and straight
\u7591\u60d1\u4e0d\u89e3 – yí huò bù ji\u011b – Puzzled, doubtful
\u7cdf – z\u0101o – Rude word meaning rotting, wasted, worthless
\u8d5e\u53f9\u4e0d\u5df2 – zàn tàn bù y\u01d0 – Be full of praise
\u5bf9\u5f97\u8d77 – duì de q\u01d0 – Not let sb. down, make sb. proud
\u5669\u8017 – è hào – Evil news, bad news
\u5929\u5802 – ti\u0101n táng – Heaven
\u4e00\u4e2a\u5750\u5728\u6811\u4e0b\u7684\u5b69\u5b50\u4ed6\u9759\u9759\u7684\u7948\u7977\u7740\u6ca1\u6709\u4eba\u77e5\u9053\uff0c\u53ea\u6709\u4e00\u68f5\u5927\u6811\u4e86\u89e3\u4ed6\u3002
\u8fd9\u662f\u4e00\u68f5\u51e0\u5341\u5c81\u7684\u8001\u6811\uff0c\u4f46\u5b83\u4f9d\u7136\u90a3\u6837\u7684\u633a\u62d4\u9ad8\u5927\u3002\u6751\u5b50\u91cc\u7684\u4eba\u90fd\u77e5\u9053\u5b83\u4ee5\u524d\u662f\u4e00\u4e2a\u6811\u76ae\u6162\u6162\u8131\u843d\u5c06\u8981\u8001\u6b7b\u7684\u4e00\u68f5\u6811\u3002\u4f46\u662f\u88ab\u5b83\u4e3b\u4eba\u7528\u4e00\u53e5\u7b80\u77ed\u7684\u8bdd\u8bed\u800c\u6d3b\u4e0b\u6765\u4e86\uff0c\u522b\u4eba\u90fd\u95ee\u8fd9\u4e2a\u5c0f\u59d1\u5a18\u4f60\u662f\u5982\u4f55\u8ba9\u5b83\u597d\u8d77\u6765\u7684\uff0c\u5973\u5b69\u751c\u751c\u7684\u4e00\u7b11\u8bf4: “\u8fd9\u662f\u79d8\u5bc6\u3002”\u4eba\u4eec\u90fd\u7591\u60d1\u4e0d\u89e3\u3002
\u51e0\u5e74\u540e\uff0c\u5973\u5b69\u4e3a\u4e86\u5f1f\u5f1f\u7684\u5b66\u8d39\u800c\u53bb\u4e86\u4e00\u4e2a\u9065\u8fdc\u7684\u5730\u65b9\u3002\u8001\u8fdc\u7684\u5730\u65b9\u3002\u8001\u6811\u53c8\u9759\u9759\u7684\u5730\u4e0b\u4e86\u5934\u3002\u53c8\u8fc7\u4e86\u51e0\u4e2a\u6625\u79cb\uff0c\u8001\u6811\u5df2\u7ecf\u5feb\u6b7b\u4e86\uff0c\u5728\u4ed6\u7684\u65c1\u8fb9\u53c8\u6709\u4e00\u68f5\u65b0\u6811\u3002\u800c\u65b0\u6811\u603b\u662f\u77a7\u4e0d\u8d77\u8001\u6811\u603b\u662f\u8bf4:“\u7cdf\u8001\u5934\uff0c\u4f60\u770b\u770b\u4f60\u53c8\u8001\u53c8\u810f\u5207, \u4f60\u770b\u770b\u6211\u5e74\u8f7b\u5440!\u3002”\u8001\u6811\u770b\u4e86\u770b\u5c0f\u6811\u53f9\u4e86\u4e00\u53e3\u6c14\u3002\u5c0f\u6811\u8bf4:“\u7cdf\u8001\u5934\u770b\u4ec0\u4e48\u770b\u3002”\u8001\u6811\u4e0d\u518d\u8bf4\u4ec0\u4e48\u4e86\u3002\u8001\u6811\u603b\u662f\u9ed8\u9ed8\u5730\u5728\u591c\u91cc\u54ed\u6ce3\u3002
\u53c8\u8fc7\u4e86\u4e00\u5e74\u5973\u5b69\u56de\u6765\u4e86\u3002\u5973\u5b69\u770b\u5230\u8001\u6811\u5982\u6b64\u6194\u60b4\uff0c\u5fc3\u91cc\u4e5f\u5f88\u96be\u53d7\u3002\u4ed6\u53c8\u548c\u8001\u6811\u8bf4\u4e86\u51e0\u53e5\u8bdd\u3002\u8001\u6811\u5c45\u7136\u53c8\u50cf\u4ee5\u524d\u90a3\u6837\u7684\u633a\u62d4\u9ad8\u5927\u4e86\u3002\u6765\u5f80\u7684\u6751\u6c11\u90fd\u8d5e\u53f9\u4e0d\u5df2\u3002\u4e00\u4e2a\u661f\u671f\u540e\uff0c\u5973\u5b69\u53c8\u8981\u8d70\u4e86\u3002\u5973\u5b69\u7684\u5988\u5988\u54ed\u7740\u8bf4: “\u95fa\u5973\uff0c\u6211\u548c\u4f60\u7239\u5bf9\u4e0d\u4f4f\u4f60\u3002”\u5973\u5b69\u4e5f\u54ed\u7740\u8bf4: “\u4f60\u4eec\u522b\u8fd9\u4e48\u8bf4\u3002\u80fd\u628a\u5f1f\u5f1f\u53eb\u6765\u5417\uff1f” “\u5f53\u7136\u53ef\u4ee5.”
\u59d0\u59d0\u5bf9\u5f1f\u5f1f\u8bf4: “\u8fd9\u68f5\u8001\u6811\u59d0\u59d0\u9001\u4f60\u4e86\uff0c\u4f60\u89c1\u5230\u4ed6\u5c31\u50cf\u89c1\u5230\u6211\u4e00\u6837\u3002\u4e00\u5b9a\u8981\u597d\u597d\u5b66\u4e60\uff0c\u5bf9\u5f97\u8d77\u6211\uff0c\u5bf9\u5f97\u8d77\u7239\u548c\u5a18\u3002\u4e00\u5b9a\u8981\u597d\u597d\u4fdd\u7ba1\u3002\u59d0\u53ef\u80fd\u4e00\u53bb\u53c8\u89813~5\u5e74\u4e86\u3002\u7167\u987e\u597d\u7239\u5a18\uff0c\u624d\u7b97\u5bf9\u5f97\u8d77\u6211\u3002”\u5f1f\u5f1f\u8bf4: “\u59d0\u6211\u77e5\u9053\u4e86\u6211\u4e00\u5b9a\u4f1a\u7528\u529f\u7684\uff0c\u6211\u4e5f\u4f1a\u7167\u987e\u597d\u8001\u6811\u7684\u3002”\u5973\u5b69\u6478\u4e86\u6478\u8001\u6811\u8f6c\u5934\u5c31\u8d70\u4e86\u3002\u65e5\u5b50\u4e00\u5929\u5929\u8fc7\u53bb\u4e86\u7537\u5b69\u6162\u6162\u957f\u5927\u3002 \u4ed6\u767d\u5929\u5728\u5927\u6811\u4e0b\u5b66\u4e60\u73a9\u800d\uff0c\u665a\u4e0a\uff0c\u4ed6\u9760\u7740\u5927\u6811\u5750\u7740\u9759\u9759\u7684\u7948\u7977\u3002\u53c8\u8fc7\u4e86\u51e0\u4e2a\u6708\u7537\u5b69\u8dd1\u5230\u5c71\u5934\u5927\u58f0\u5730\u8bf4\u4e86\u4e00\u53e5\u4ed6\u5f88\u60f3\u8bf4\u7684\u8bdd: “\u59d0\u59d0\uff0c\u4f60\u56de\u6765\u5427!”
\u51e0\u5e74\u540e\uff0c\u7a81\u7136\u4f20\u6765\u5669\u8017\uff0c\u8bf4\u5973\u5b69\u4e3a\u4e86\u6551\u4e00\u4e2a\u5c0f\u5973\u5b69\u800c\u6b7b\u4e86\u3002\u8fd9\u662f\u51e0\u5e74\u524d\u7684\u4e8b\u4e86\uff0c\u8fd9\u51e0\u5e74\u7684\u94b1\u90fd\u662f\u90a3\u4e2a\u5c0f\u5b69\u7684\u5988\u5988\u5bc4\u6765\u7684, \u56e0\u4e3a\u8fd9\u662f\u5973\u5b69\u4e34\u7ec8\u524d\u7684\u6700\u540e\u4e00\u4e2a\u8981\u6c42\u3002
\u4eba\u4eba\u90fd\u8bf4\u597d\u4eba\u6b7b\u540e\u53ef\u4ee5\u4e0a\u5929\u5802\u3002 \u6211\u60f3\u90a3\u4e2a\u5973\u5b69\u4e00\u5b9a\u5728\u5929\u5802\u91cc\u770b\u7740\u5f1f\u5f1f\u5462\u5427\uff01
 
A child sitting under a tree prayed quietly to himself without anyone knowing – o<\/em>nly the tree knew.
The tree was several decades old, but it still stood straight and tall. The people in the village all knew that a while ago, this trees bark was falling off and it was dying. But it was brought back to life by a short phrase that its caretaker said, and when other people asked the young girl [caretaker] how she healed the tree, the girl said with a sweet smile, “It’s a secret”. Everyone was puzzled.
A few years later, the girl went to a far away place to [earn mo<\/em>ney for] her little brother’s school tuition. A very far away place. The tree o<\/em>nce again began to calmly lower its head [meaning to droop]. After a few more seasons passed, the tree was a<\/em>bout to die, and at its side a new tree grew. The new tree was always treating the older tree with contempt, and often said, “Rotting old one, look how old and filthy you are, and look how young I am!” The old tree looked at the little tree and heaved a big sigh. The little tree said, “Rotting one, what are you looking at?” The old tree still said nothing. The old tree was always weeping silently during the night.
After another year had passed, the young girl returned. She saw how haggard the old tree had become, and she was sad. She again said a few words to the tree. The tree unexpectedly became its old self o<\/em>nce again, tall and straight. The villagers praised it as they came and went. After another week, the girl had to leave again. Crying, the girl’s mother said, “Daughter, your father and I have let you down.” The girl, also crying, said, “Don’t speak that way. Can you summon my little brother?” “Of course I can.”
The sister said to her little brother, “This tree I give to you, when you look at it, it shall be the same as looking at me. Study hard, make me proud, and make mom and dad proud. You must safeguard it [the tree]. I may be gone for 3-5 years. Take good care of mom and dad, and that will make me proud.” The little brother said, “Sister, I know I’ll be industrious, and I’ll take good care of the tree.” Touching the tree [one last time], the girl turned and left. As each day passed, the boy grew up. During the day he studied and played beneath the tree, and at night, he sat against the tree and quietly prayed. After a few more mo<\/em>nths the boy ran to the top of a mountain and yelled out the words he’d been wanting to say, “Sister, come home!”
A few years later, he suddenly learned some startling news. It was said that the sister had died saving a little girl’s life. This had happened several years before, and the mo<\/em>ney that was sent to the village was sent by the little girl’s mother, because this was the sister’s final request before she died.
People all say that good people go to heaven after they die. I think that that girl [the sister] is surely in heaven watching over her brother!
<\/div>\n