INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1989, 1, '2020-04-21 08:59:00', '2020-04-21 12:59:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;“>In the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/tag/novels/\">Novels</a> series, I get you started reading the first few paragraphs of classic Chinese fiction. If you like the beginning, you can <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Yu Hua</a> (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua\'s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable. \r\n\r\nI\'m posting an excerpt from the first chapter of Yu Hua\'s novel <em>To Live</em> 《活着》, which is one of his most well-known works, and a classic of modern literature. Normally I\'d like to start at the beginning, but the first few paragraphs of Chapter One are told from the viewpoint of a narrator who comes to a small village to collect folksongs and stories from the locals. In a field there he meets an old man - the protagonist of the novel - who recounts his life for remainder of the book, and we don\'t really hear from the narrator again in any meaningful way. So, I\'ll skip the narrator\'s intro, and I\'ll be starting from where the old man begins to tell his tale.\r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThis novel begins while feudalism was breathing its last gasp in China, before the country sank into decades of war and upheaval, so some of the words use are things that no longer exist, like 佃户 [pinyin]dian4 hu4[/pinyin], which is a tenant farmer on a lord\'s land, and 私塾 [pinyin]si1 shu2[/pinyin], a classical style private school where one master would be paid to instruct usually a small group of students. \r\n\r\nA couple of the sentences are also a little rough:\r\n\r\n“好好听着，爹给你念一段。”: The protagonist says this to his schoolmaster. On the surface, it looks like it means \"Listen well, your father is going to read aloud.\" But 爹 in this case doesn\'t really mean \"father\", it\'s being used as an insult. A child is saying it to an elder gentleman, which is extremely disrespectful, so you could better translate this as something like, \"Listen up, your better is going to read to you.\" The point is that the protagonist is being a sassy little jerk. \r\n\r\n朽木不可雕也: This is an old-school idiom, it comes from the <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Analects</a></em> of Confucius. Literally, it means \"you can\'t carve rotten wood\". Practically, it means that some people are just hopeless and can\'t be taught anything, and is an excellent burn for any occasion. \r\n \r\n我是徐家仅有的一根香火: Again, double-meaning here. Literally: \"I was the Xu family\'s only stick of incense.\" Actual meaning: \"I was the Xu family\'s only son.\"\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《活着》第一章</h4>\r\n<em>这位老人后来和我一起坐在了那棵茂盛的树下，在那个充满阳光的下午，他向我讲述了自己。</em>\r\n\r\n四十多年前，我爹常在这里走来走去，他穿着一身黑颜色的绸衣，总是把双手背在身后，他出门时常对我娘说：\r\n\r\n“我到自己的地上去走走。”\r\n\r\n我爹走在自己的田产上，干活的佃户见了，都要双手握住锄头恭敬地叫一声：\r\n\r\n“老爷。”\r\n\r\n我爹走到了城里，城里人见了都叫他先生。我爹是很有身份的人，可他拉屎时就像个穷人了。他不爱在屋里床边的马桶上拉屎，跟牲畜似的喜欢到野地里去拉屎。每天到了傍晚的时候，我爹打着饱嗝，那声响和青蛙叫唤差不多，走出屋去，慢吞吞地朝村口的粪缸走去。\r\n\r\n走到了粪缸旁，他嫌缸沿脏，就抬脚踩上去蹲在上面。我爹年纪大了，屎也跟着老了，出来不容易，那时候我们全家人都会听到他在村口嗷嗷叫着。\r\n\r\n几十年来我爹一直这样拉屎，到了六十多岁还能在粪缸上一蹲就是半晌，那两条腿就和鸟爪一样有劲。我爹喜欢看着天色慢慢黑下来，罩住他的田地。我女儿凤霞到了三、四岁，常跑到村口去看她爷爷拉屎，我爹毕竟年纪大了，蹲在粪缸上腿有些哆嗦，凤霞就问他：\r\n\r\n“爷爷，你为什么动呀？”\r\n\r\n我爹说：“是风吹的。”\r\n\r\n那时候我们家境还没有败落，我们徐家有一百多亩地，从这里一直到那边工厂的烟囱，都是我家的。我爹和我，是远近闻名的阔老爷和阔少爷，我们走路时鞋子的声响，都像是铜钱碰来撞去的。我女人家珍，是城里米行老板的女儿，她也是有钱人家出生的。有钱人嫁给有钱人，就是把钱堆起来，钱在钱上面哗哗地流，这样的声音我有四十年没有听到了。\r\n\r\n我是我们徐家的败家子，用我爹的话说，我是他的孽子。\r\n\r\n我念过几年私塾，穿长衫的私塾先生叫我念一段书时，是我最高兴的。我站起来，拿着本线装的《千字文》，对私塾先生说：\r\n\r\n“好好听着，爹给你念一段。”\r\n\r\n年过花甲的私塾先生对我爹说：\r\n\r\n“你家少爷长大了准能当个二流子。”\r\n\r\n我从小就不可救药，这是我爹的话。私塾先生说我是朽木不可雕也。现在想想他们都说对了，当初我可不这么想，我想我有钱呵，我是徐家仅有的一根香火，我要是灭了，徐家就得断子绝孙。\r\n\r\n上私塾时我从来不走路，都是我家一个雇工背着我去，放学时他已经恭恭敬敬地弯腰蹲在那里了，我骑上去后拍拍雇工的脑袋，说一声：\r\n\r\n“长根，跑呀。”\r\n\r\n雇工长根就跑起来，我在上面一颠一颠的，像是一只在树梢上的麻雀。我说一声：\r\n\r\n“飞呀。”\r\n\r\n长根就一步一跳，做出一副飞的样子。\r\n\r\n我长大以后喜欢往城里跑，常常是十天半月不回家。我穿着白色的丝绸衣衫，头发抹得光滑透亮，往镜子前一站，我看到自己满脑袋的黑油漆，一副有钱人的样子。\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buy it on Amazon</a>\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n<em>Later, this old man sat down with me beneath the verdant trees, and on that sunlit afternoon, he told me of himself.</em>\r\n\r\nForty-odd years ago, my father would often walk around out here, wearing a black silk robe, always with both hands behind his back, and whenever he went out he would say to my mother: \r\n\r\n\"I\'m going to walk around my place.\"\r\n\r\nMy father would walk on his estate, and when the tenant farmers saw him, they would hold their shovels still in between two hands and say respectfully: \r\n\r\n\"Master.\" \r\n\r\nWhenever my father walked into town, the townsfolk called him \"Mister\". My father was a personage of some repute, but when he moved his bowels, he did it like a poor man. He didn\'t like to relieve himself in the toilet by the bed, and preferred to shit in the wilds like a farm animal. Every evening, my father let out a belch, a sound like a croaking frog, and left the house, walking sluggishly towards the manure vat at the mouth of the village. \r\n\r\nHe\'d arrive at the manure vat, and finding the filth around its edges distasteful, he\'d go up on tiptoe and squat above it. My father was old, and his feces were as old as he was, they didn\'t come out easily, and everyone in the house could hear him grunting.  \r\n\r\nFor many years this is how my father moved his bowels, at 60 years old he could still squat over the manure pit for half the day, his two legs had the strength of a bird\'s claws. My father like to watch the sky slowly fade to black, covering his fields. When my daughter Feng Xia was three or four, she would often run to the mouth of the village to watch grandpa poop, after all my father was getting on in years, and as he was squatting there his legs would tremble a bit, and Feng Xia would ask: \r\n\r\n\"Grandpa, why are you moving?\" \r\n\r\nAnd my dad would say: \"It\'s the wind.\"  \r\n\r\nAt that time our family\'s situation hadn\'t yet deteriorated, the Xu\'s had 100-plus <em>mu</em> of land, from here all the way to that factory\'s smokestack, all of it was our family\'s. My dad and I, were famous near and far as the Rich Old Master and the Rich Young Master, when we walked on the road, the sound of our shoes was like the sound of copper cash striking. My wife Jia Zhen, was the daughter of a rice industry bigwig in town, she also came from a wealthy family. A wealthy woman marrying a wealthy man, money piled on money, swishing in a great stream, I haven\'t heard that sound in 40 years. \r\n\r\nI was the Xu family wastrel, or in my father\'s world, I was his unfilial son.\r\n\r\nI went to private school for a couple of years, and when the school master in his long silk gown called on me to read a passage aloud, that\'s when I was happiest. I would stand up, holding a string-bound copy of <em>Qianzi Wen</em>, and say to him:\r\n\r\n\"Listen up, your elder is going to read you a passage.\"   \r\n\r\nThe schoolmaster, who was over sixty, would say to my father:\r\n\r\n\"Your family\'s young master is going to be a loafer when he grows up.\" \r\n\r\nEver since I was little, I\'ve been incorrigable, that\'s what my father said. The schoolmaster said I was \"rotten wood that couldn\'t be carved\". Now that I think on it they were both right, but at the time I didn\'t think this was so, I thought I had money, I was the Xu family\'s only son, if something happened to me, the family would be without heirs.\r\n\r\nWhen I went to school I never walked, it was always our hired worker that carried me there on his back, and when I got off, he always respectfully crouched over there, and when I jumped on I patted his head and said: \r\n\r\n\"Run, Changgen!\"\r\n\r\nThe worker Changgen would run, and I would bounce along, like a sparrow sitting on a tree branch. I\'d say:\r\n\r\n\"Fly.\"\r\n\r\nAnd Changgun would walk one step and jump one step, and make as if he was flying. \r\n\r\nAfter I grew up I like to go into the city, and often wouldn\'t come back for 10 days or half a month. I\'d wear a white silk shirt, my hair sleek and shiny, standing in front of the mirror, I\'d see the black oil in my hair, the picture of a wealthy man.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start Reading \"To Live\" 《活着》by Yu Hua', 'Yu Hua (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua\'s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 08:59:00', '2020-04-21 12:59:00', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1991, 1, '2020-04-21 20:04:23', '2020-04-22 00:04:23', '<h3>The Basics</h3>\r\nMy name is: <strong>Kendra Schaefer <a href=\"http://www.kendraschaefer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(My personal site)</a></strong>\r\nEmail me at: me@kendraschaefer.com\r\nI live in: <strong>Beijing</strong>\r\nAge: <strong>37</strong> \r\nIn China since: <strong>2002</strong>\r\nMy day job: <a href=\"http://www.triviumchina.com\">Tech research</a>\r\n\r\n<h3>The Backstory</h3>\r\nI got my BA in Mandarin at a university in Beijing, and though I\'ve been out of school for a while, reading Chinese is one of the few things I never get bored of, probably because no matter how long I study, there\'s always more to learn. \r\n\r\nBut when I was just starting out, I found that tracking down reading materials was the most difficult and frustrating part of the process. I wanted something challenging, but not so challenging I couldn\'t finish it. Everything I picked up tended to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard, and I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. Even more annoying, I\'d often get through a few paragraphs only to hit a phrase I couldn\'t decipher and, with no one to ask, would have to put the reading aside. As someone who organizes her thoughts in a series of domain names, it was inevitable I\'d eventually start a website to solve that problem, and here you are. I post whenever I get a chance. \r\n\r\n<h4>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nNothing on this site is truly beginner reading. If you just picked up Chinese yesterday, or if you\'re at HSK 1 or 2, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you - I only have found a couple of pieces that HSK 1-2 might be able to tackle. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually has to have some higher-level grammar or vocabulary mixed in. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (你好! 你好吗? 我很好!) as opposed to actual stories. And the truth is, truly fluent native readers read at well above HSK 6. So, I don\'t entirely classify on the basis of your current vocabulary, and I don\'t classify by HSK level. But, as a general guideline, on this site:\r\n\r\nBeginner: HSK 2-4\r\nIntermediate: HSK 5-6\r\nAdvanced: HSK 6+\r\n\r\nHowever, these pieces are supposed to be a challenge. And, in the real world, many pieces of writing are mixed-level; the first few paragraphs might be intermediate, with an advanced paragraph thrown in. So, I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. So if, for example, you\'re at HSK 4, there are some pieces in the intermediate section you should be able to get through with some work. And if you can\'t figure something out, post in the comments. I\'ll try to answer you.\r\n\r\n<h4>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me. I am not a linguist, and I translate for readability, and with an eye towards helping someone match the English to the Chinese. I don\'t post anything unless I\'ve checked it several times, but that doesn\'t mean I haven\'t made a mistake. Do feel free to comment if you see anything that ought to have a better translation - it won\'t be taken amiss. \r\n\r\n<h4>How did you do those pop-up Chinese hover effects?</h4>\r\nThanks to Alex, the coder behind <a href=\"http://mandarinspot.com/\">Mandarinspot.com</a>, Chinese Reading Practice now has pop-up translation on Chinese texts - hover over any mandarin word in the reading text to see the definition. If you\'d like to implement something similar on your own blog, you can head over there and grab his Javascript file / annotations API. \r\n\r\n<h4>Commenting rules</h4>\r\nI try to maintain a pleasant learning environment, so abusive, pointless, insulting, or unhelpful comments will be deleted. Sorry. I don\'t always manage to catch all the spam that slips through, though, so apologies if there\'s some clutter.\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 20:04:23', '2020-04-22 00:04:23', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1993, 1, '2020-04-21 20:59:33', '2020-04-22 00:59:33', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公十分着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">Lu Xun\'s Chinese essays</a> and <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 20:59:33', '2020-04-22 00:59:33', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1994, 1, '2020-04-21 21:01:22', '2020-04-22 01:01:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公十分着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">Lu Xun\'s Chinese essays</a> and <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 21:01:22', '2020-04-22 01:01:22', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1995, 1, '2020-04-22 01:08:53', '2020-04-22 05:08:53', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\n\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \n\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\n\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\n\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\n\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\n\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\n\nAnd one last note: what on Earth is up with the \"儿\" after \"叶\" (leaf)?! So, 儿 has a bajillion usages in Chinese, and one of them is that it makes the noun preceding it a little cutesy. You can\'t use it with every noun, but for example, 鱼 is \"fish\", while 鱼儿 is \"fishie\", 鸟 is \"bird\", and 鸟儿 is \"birdie\". And in this case, 叶 is \"leaf\" and 叶儿 is ... leafie? We don\'t have a diminutive form for \"leaf\" in English, but it basically means \"cute little leaf\". \n\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\n\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\n\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\n\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\n\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\n\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\n\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\n\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\n\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\n\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\n\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\n\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \n\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \n\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\n\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \n\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \n\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \n\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \n\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \n\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\n\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \n\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', 'This very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:08:53', '2020-04-22 05:08:53', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1997, 1, '2020-04-21 21:27:36', '2020-04-22 01:27:36', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 21:27:36', '2020-04-22 01:27:36', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1996, 1, '2020-04-21 21:20:38', '2020-04-22 01:20:38', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">Lu Xun\'s Chinese essays</a> and <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 21:20:38', '2020-04-22 01:20:38', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(1998, 1, '2020-04-21 21:30:11', '2020-04-22 01:30:11', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', 'This very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 21:30:11', '2020-04-22 01:30:11', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1999, 1, '2020-04-21 21:56:31', '2020-04-22 01:56:31', '<h3>The Basics</h3>\r\nMy name is: <strong>Kendra Schaefer <a href=\"http://www.kendraschaefer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(My personal site)</a></strong>\r\nEmail me at: me@kendraschaefer.com\r\nI live in: <strong>Beijing</strong>\r\nAge: <strong>37</strong> \r\nIn China since: <strong>2002</strong>\r\nMy day job: <a href=\"http://www.triviumchina.com\">Tech research</a>\r\n\r\n<h3>The Backstory</h3>\r\nI got my BA in Mandarin at a university in Beijing, and though I\'ve been out of school for a while, reading Chinese is one of the few things I never get bored of, probably because no matter how long I study, there\'s always more to learn. \r\n\r\nI originally became interested in learning Chinese primarily because I wanted to read the language. And though reading textbooks is an important, I found the readings outrageously boring. I wanted to read important works of Chinese fiction, Chinese news, Chinese fables and myths - in other words, I wanted real reading, something a Chinese kid might read in school or online.\r\n\r\nBut I soon found that tracking down reading materials was difficult and frustrating. Everything I picked up tended to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard, and I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. I wanted something challenging, and was willing to work to understand it, but every time I found something new to read, I never knew if I would be able to finish it. I\'d often get through a few paragraphs only to hit a phrase I couldn\'t decipher and, with no one to ask, would have to put the reading aside. \r\n\r\nOnce I did get to a place where my reading level was high enough to get through most pieces, I started this site to keep my own skills fresh, and to pay it forward for those students who are in the same spot I was. \r\n\r\n<h4>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nNothing on this site is truly beginner reading. If you just picked up Chinese yesterday, or if you\'re at HSK 1 or 2, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you - I only have found a couple of pieces that HSK 1-2 might be able to tackle. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually has to have some higher-level grammar or vocabulary mixed in. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (你好! 你好吗? 我很好!) as opposed to actual stories. And the truth is, truly fluent native readers read at well above HSK 6. So, I don\'t entirely classify on the basis of your current vocabulary, and I don\'t classify by HSK level. But, as a general guideline, on this site:\r\n\r\nBeginner: HSK 2-4\r\nIntermediate: HSK 5-6\r\nAdvanced: HSK 6+\r\n\r\nHowever, these pieces are supposed to be a challenge. And, in the real world, many pieces of writing are mixed-level; the first few paragraphs might be intermediate, with an advanced paragraph thrown in. So, I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. So if, for example, you\'re at HSK 4, there are some pieces in the intermediate section you should be able to get through with some work. And if you can\'t figure something out, post in the comments. I\'ll try to answer you.\r\n\r\n<h4>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me. I am not a linguist, and I translate for readability, and with an eye towards helping someone match the English to the Chinese. I don\'t post anything unless I\'ve checked it several times, but that doesn\'t mean I haven\'t made a mistake. Do feel free to comment if you see anything that ought to have a better translation - it won\'t be taken amiss. \r\n\r\n<h4>How did you do those pop-up Chinese hover effects?</h4>\r\nThanks to Alex, the coder behind <a href=\"http://mandarinspot.com/\">Mandarinspot.com</a>, Chinese Reading Practice now has pop-up translation on Chinese texts - hover over any mandarin word in the reading text to see the definition. If you\'d like to implement something similar on your own blog, you can head over there and grab his Javascript file / annotations API. \r\n\r\n<h4>Commenting rules</h4>\r\nI try to maintain a pleasant learning environment, so abusive, pointless, insulting, or unhelpful comments will be deleted. Sorry. I don\'t always manage to catch all the spam that slips through, though, so apologies if there\'s some clutter.\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 21:56:31', '2020-04-22 01:56:31', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2000, 1, '2020-04-22 01:02:46', '2020-04-22 05:02:46', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\nAnd one last note: what on Earth is up with the \"儿\" after \"叶\" (leaf)?! So, 儿 has a bajillion usages in Chinese, and one of them is that it makes the noun preceding it a little cutesy. You can\'t use it with every noun, but for example, 鱼 is \"fish\", while 鱼儿 is \"fishie\", 鸟 is \"bird\", and 鸟儿 is \"birdie\". And in this case, 叶 is \"leaf\" and 叶儿 is ... leafie? We don\'t have a diminutive form for \"leaf\" in English, but it basically means \"cute little leaf\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', 'This very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:02:46', '2020-04-22 05:02:46', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2001, 1, '2020-04-28 00:01:06', '2020-04-28 04:01:06', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nAw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIn the second-to-last paragraph, the little birds \"sing a song for the old man\", or \"<strong>唱歌给老爷爷听</strong>\" [pinyin]chang4 ge1 gei3 lao3 ye2 ye ting1[/pinyin]. You may notice that the characters for \"give\" (给 [pinyin]gei3[/pinyin]) and the character for \"listen\" (听 [pinyin]ting1[/pinyin]) are in there, but why? In Chinese, the way to say \"to sing a song for (person)\" is \"sing a song and give (person) listen\". That should clear that up. \r\n\r\n<strong>Action + result</strong> - In Chinese, actions are sometimes grouped together in the order in which they happened to express an entire concept. In paragraph two for example, we see 冻 [pinyin]dong4[/pinyin], which means \"to freeze\" and 死 [pinyin]si3[/pinyin], which means \"to die\". If you stick them next to each other, you might guess that this means \"freeze to death\", and you\'d be right. First, you freeze, then as a result, you die. \r\n\r\nIn that same paragraph, we also see 吹走 [pinyin]chui1 zou3[/pinyin], 吹 meaning \"to blow\" (like the wind), and 走 meaning \"to go away\". Put them together, and you get \"to blow away\", like \"the wind blew it away\". Similar pattern in the last paragraph in with 着凉生病. 着凉 [pinyin]zhuo2 liang4[/pinyin] means \"to catch a chill\" and 生病 [pinyin]sheng1 bing4[/pinyin] means \"to get sick\", so \"to get sick as a result of catching a chill\". \r\n\r\nAll of those examples make sense in English, and can be directly translated, but the final one, 送给 [pinyin]song4 gei3[/pinyin], is a little trickier. 送 means \"to send\" and 给 means \"to give\", but this seems repetitive, like the same action is being done twice - where\'s the result? To understand this, imagine the process of giving someone a present. First, you must deliver it to them in some way - you stretch out your hand if they\'re in front of you, or put it in the mail - this is 送. Once it is in their hands, it has been given to them, this is 给. So, 送给 is really just the equivalent of the English word \"to give\".\r\n\r\nI\'m sure I\'ve just lumped a bunch of technically unrelated grammatical structures together and all the linguists are cringing, but this unprofessional little concept helps me decipher bunches of verbs, so tough linguistic cookies.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>老爷爷的帽子</h4>\r\n冬天到了，北风呼呼地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖。\r\n\r\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝<span class=\"highlightText\">吹走</span>了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\r\n\r\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多快要<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都<span class=\"highlightText\">唱歌给老爷爷听</span>。\r\n\r\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己<span class=\"highlightText\">着凉生病</span>了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。\"小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帽子<span class=\"highlightText\">送给</span>老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nWinter had come, the north wind blew <em>whoo whoo</em>, and the weather was very cold. There was a small pitiful bird, sitting on a tree branch so cold it was shivering.\r\n\r\nAn old man walked by, saw the little bird, and thought to himself: \"This little bird is so pitiful, on a day as cold as this, it will surely freeze to death.\" The little bird said to the old man: \"The wind blew our nest away, we have no home.\" The old man said: \"Don\'t worry, I\'ll help you think of a solution.\" The old man then used his own hat and gave it to the little bird to make a nest, the hat was very warm. \r\n\r\nThe little bird realized that in the forest there were still quite a few little birds who would soon freeze to death, so it called them all to come, and together they flew into the old man\'s hat. They all profusely thanked the old man. Thereafter, the old man came every day to see the little birds, and each time the little birds sang a song for the old man.   \r\n\r\nOne day the old man didn\'t come, turns out he was ill. The little bird thought: \"Surely [because] the old man gave us his hat, he caught a chill and got sick, let\'s quickly make a hat for the old man.\" So the little birds used their own feathers to make a hat and gave it to the old man. The old man profusely thanked the little birds, and his illness was quickly cured. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 《老爷爷的帽子》The Old Man\'s Hat', 'Aw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'childrens-stories-the-old-mans-hat', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:58:44', '2020-04-28 23:58:44', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2001', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2003, 1, '2020-04-22 01:30:16', '2020-04-22 05:30:16', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nNOTES\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>老爷爷的帽子</h4>\r\n冬天到了，北风呼呼地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得直发抖。\r\n\r\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会冻死的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝给走了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\r\n\r\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多怕冷的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都唱歌给老爷爷听。\r\n\r\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己着凉生病了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帖子送给老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\n冬天到了，北风呼呼地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得直发抖。\r\n\r\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会冻死的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝给走了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\r\n\r\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多怕冷的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都唱歌给老爷爷听。\r\n\r\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己着凉生病了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帖子送给老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》The Old Man\'s Hat', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2001-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:30:16', '2020-04-22 05:30:16', '', 2001, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2001-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2004, 1, '2020-05-04 00:00:31', '2020-05-04 04:00:31', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn this one-paragraph read (around HSK 2-3), Little Brother wants to help dad get ready to leave the house, but his contribution falls flat.\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>一边... 一边...</strong> [pinyin]yi1 bian1[/pinyin] - This is one of the earliest structures you learn when you start taking classes, so you may have picked this up already, but these two \"一边\"s tie together two tasks that someone is doing at the same time. Like, definitely do not 一边开车，一边看手机 (Drive a car, while looking at your phone).\r\n \r\n<strong>手忙脚乱</strong> [pinyin]shou3 mang2 jiao3 luan4[/pinyin] - This phrase means \"flustered\", or \"in confusion\", and if you look at each character individually, you can see why - if our hands (手) and feet (脚) are busily (忙) and messily (乱) moving around, we\'re probably flustered, or frantic. I translated this as \"scrambling\" in the below essay, because it works in context. This structure, where two similar words are paired with two other similar words to describe lots of frantic activity, is common. Another example of this 东望西看 [pinyin]dong1 wang4 xi1 kan4[/pinyin], literally \"east gaze west look\", which means \"looking around everywhere\", and 胡思乱想 [pinyin]hu1 si1 luan4 xiang3[/pinyin], literally \"muddled consider messy think\", or \"let one\'s imagination run wild\". \r\n\r\n<strong>咦</strong> [pinyin]yi2[/pinyin] - A sound that expresses surprise, like \"Ack!\" or \"Agh!\"\r\n\r\n<strong>多么</strong> [pinyin]duo1 me[/pinyin] - Translates as \"so\", as in \"I so wanted to be there!\" or \"I so wish he would answer the phone.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>什么也帮不上</strong> [pinyin]shen2 me ye3 bang1 bu shang4[/pinyin] - This structure is hard if you only know one definition of each of these characters, because although these are all individually easy words, three of them are being used with their secondary, slightly less-common definitions. So, let\'s break down their most obvious meanings first: \r\n\r\n什么 - what?\r\n也 - also\r\n帮 - help\r\n不 - no / not\r\n上 - up / over / above\r\n\r\nThat makes no sense. So let\'s look again with the alternate definitions that are actually being used here, with differences in bold:\r\n\r\n<strong>什么 - anything / nothing</strong>\r\n<strong>也 - even</strong>\r\n帮 - help\r\n不 - not\r\n<strong>上 - rise</strong>\r\n\r\nHm, still hard, especially the appearance of \"rise\". In this case, 上 does not mean \"rise\" in the directional sense, like \"to rise up in the air\". It means \"rise\", as in \"rise to the task\". 帮不上 is one of those action + result structures that we see all the time in Chinese. The action is helping (帮), the result is that one \"couldn\'t rise\" (不上) to the task of helping.  So, all together, 什么也帮不上 translates to \"nothing one can even do to help\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>帮忙</h4>\r\n爸爸出差，可早晨起得迟了。他忙洗脸刷牙，姐姐帮爸爸整理衣服，妈妈给他端早餐，帮他找笔记本。爸爸<span class=\"highlightText\">一边</span>吃早餐，<span class=\"highlightText\">一边</span>摸口袋，<span class=\"highlightText\">咦</span>，火车票哪去了？爸爸放下牛奶、蛋糕，<span class=\"highlightText\">手忙脚乱</span>地找车票。小弟弟<span class=\"highlightText\">多么</span>想帮爸爸做点儿事啊，可他<span class=\"highlightText\">什么也帮不上</span>。小弟弟想：“帮爸爸吃早餐吧。”他爬上凳子，将爸爸吃剩的牛奶、蛋糕全吃了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nFather was going out of town for work, but in the morning he woke up late. He got busy washing his face and brushing his teeth, and elder sister helped him pack his clothes, mother brought him breakfast, and helped him find his notebook. While father ate his breakfast, he felt his pockets, Ack!, where did the train ticket go? Father put down the milk, the cake, and scrambled around looking for the ticket. Little brother so wanted to help father do something, but there was nothing he could do to help. Little brother thought: \"How about I help dad eat breakfast.\" He climbed up on the stool, took the leftover milk and cake and ate it all up. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay:《帮忙》 Helping Out', 'In this one-paragraph read (HSK 2-3), Little Brother wants to help dad get ready to leave the house, but his contribution falls flat.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-childrens-stories-helping-out', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:33:58', '2020-05-20 05:33:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2004', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(2002, 1, '2020-04-22 01:25:58', '2020-04-22 05:25:58', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\nAnd one last note: what on Earth is up with the \"儿\" after \"叶\" (leaf)?! So, 儿 has a bajillion usages in Chinese, and one of them is that it makes the noun preceding it a little cutesy. You can\'t use it with every noun, but for example, 鱼 is \"fish\", while 鱼儿 is \"fishie\", 鸟 is \"bird\", and 鸟儿 is \"birdie\". And in this case, 叶 is \"leaf\" and 叶儿 is ... leafie? We don\'t have a diminutive form for \"leaf\" in English, but it basically means \"cute little leaf\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: The Old Man\'s Hat', 'This very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2001-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:25:58', '2020-04-22 05:25:58', '', 2001, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2001-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2005, 1, '2020-04-22 01:44:50', '2020-04-22 05:44:50', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nNOTES\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>帮忙</h4>\r\n爸爸出差，可早晨起得迟了，他忙洗脸刷牙，姐姐帮爸爸整理衣服，妈妈给他端早餐，帮他找笔记本。爸爸一边吃早餐，一边摸口袋，咦，火车票哪去了？爸爸放下牛奶、蛋糕，手忙脚乱地找车票，小弟弟多么想帮爸爸做点儿事啊，可他什么也帮不上。小弟弟想：\"帮爸爸吃早餐吧。他爬上凳子，将爸爸吃剩的牛奶、蛋糕全吃了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\n爸爸出差，可早晨起得迟了，他忙洗脸刷牙，姐姐帮爸爸整理衣服，妈妈给他端早餐，帮他找笔记本。爸爸一边吃早餐，一边摸口袋，咦，火车票哪去了？爸爸放下牛奶、蛋糕，手忙脚乱地找车票，小弟弟多么想帮爸爸做点儿事啊，可他什么也帮不上。小弟弟想：\"帮爸爸吃早餐吧。他爬上凳子，将爸爸吃剩的牛奶、蛋糕全吃了。\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories:《帮忙》 Helping Out', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2004-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:44:50', '2020-04-22 05:44:50', '', 2004, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2004-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2006, 1, '2020-05-08 00:00:39', '2020-05-08 04:00:39', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nMr. Coward\'s home is invaded by mice, but he doesn\'t have the gumption to do anything about it. Or does he? This little story will be comfortable at HSK 3-4. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n胆子 [pinyin]dan3 zi[/pinyin] - In English, when we want to describe someone who\'s brave, we may say they have \"lots of courage\". In Chinese, they use \"big courage\" (胆子大) and \"small courage\" (胆子小) instead. In Mr. Coward\'s name, this has been shortened to 胆小.\r\n\r\n放 [pinyin]fang4[/pinyin] - The most common usage of this word is \"to put\", but in this case, its alternate meaning is being used: \"to let go\", or \"to set free\", as in birds or captives. \r\n\r\n配 [pinyin]pei4[/pinyin] - One definition for this word is \"match\", as in \"Does this shirt match this blouse?\" But here, it\'s being used as \"deserve\", as in \"You don\'t deserve me!\"\r\n\r\n...呀...呀 [pinyin]ya[/pinyin] - So, this one\'s interesting. The sound 呀 can be used when you\'re listing out similar things. You use it after every item in the list. Take the English sentence: \"They feasted on pies, and cakes, and cookies, and candy... it was a real banquet!\" In Chinese, you\'d add 呀 like this: \"They feasted on pies 呀, and cakes 呀, and cookies 呀 and candy 呀...\". You can do it with actions, too: \"We were at the beach for hours, we played 呀, and swam 呀, and lay in the sun 呀.\" This adds an unspoken sense of happy abundance to your sentence. \r\n\r\n咚 [pinyin]dong1[/pinyin] - An onomatopoeia describing the sound of a thump\r\n\r\n原来 [pinyin]yuan2 lai2[/pinyin] - Often means \"originally\", as in \"I originally intended to come Monday\", but in this case means \"Turns out\", as in \"Turns out I had something else to do that day.\"\r\n \r\n以为 [pinyin]yi3 wei2[/pinyin] - I just covered this one in <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/30/chinese-childrens-stories-tomato-girl/\">a recent beginner post</a>, so if you\'re a frequent reader, you\'ll get to use what you learned here. If not, go check it out.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>胆小先生</h4>\r\n有一位先生，住在一座漂亮的房子里。因为他的<span class=\"highlightText\">胆子</span>很小，大家都叫他胆小先生。\r\n\r\n一天，一只大老鼠闯进了他的房子。胆小先生马上去捉，结果在地下室捉住了它。\r\n\r\n\"你<span class=\"highlightText\">放</span>了我!\"大老鼠挣扎着说，\"我要是一跺脚，整个房子就塌了。\"\r\n\r\n胆小先生害怕了，连忙放开了他，还允许他住在地下室里。\r\n\r\n地下室里吃的东西真多，大老鼠吃<span class=\"highlightText\">呀</span>，喝<span class=\"highlightText\">呀</span>，真开心。后来，大老鼠生了一窝小老鼠，小老鼠又长成大老鼠……很快，地下室住满了老鼠。\r\n\r\n\"不行，不行!\"大老鼠冲着胆小先生嚷嚷：\"这么多老鼠住这么一个小小的地下室，而你一个人住那么多房间，太不合理了，得换房子。\"\r\n\r\n\"换房子?\"胆小先生住在地下室，老鼠们住进各个房间，他们在宽大的客厅里唱<span class=\"highlightText\">呀</span>，跳<span class=\"highlightText\">呀</span>，在喷香的厨房里喝<span class=\"highlightText\">呀</span>，吃<span class=\"highlightText\">呀</span>，每天都像过节一样。\r\n\r\n\"你应该搬出去!\"大老鼠又冲着胆小先生嚷嚷，\"你干嘛住在地下室?这么好的地下室，你<span class=\"highlightText\">配</span>住吗?\"\r\n\r\n\"什么?\"胆小先生气愤得跺了一下右脚，\"<span class=\"highlightText\">咚</span>\"老鼠们害怕了，他们个个抱头乱窜，以为地震了。\r\n\r\n\"哦，<span class=\"highlightText\">原来</span>我是很有力量的!\"胆小先生抓起旧扫帚，这儿一扑，那儿一打，这儿一戳，那儿一捣，老鼠被打得\"吱吱\"叫，全逃走了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThere was a man who lived in a beautiful house. Because he had very little courage, everyone called him Mr. Coward. \r\n\r\nOne day, a big mouse charged into his house. Mr. Coward immediately went to catch it, and the result was that he caught it in the basement. \r\n\r\n\"Let me go!\" the big mouse said, struggling, \"If I stamp one foot, the whole house will fall down.\" \r\n\r\nMr. Coward was afraid, and hurriedly let him go, and even allowed him to live in the basement. \r\n\r\nThere was lots to eat in the basement, and the big mouse ate, and drank, and had lots of fun. Later, the big mouse birthed a nest of little mice, and the little mice grew into big mice.... soon, the basement was full of mice.\r\n \r\n\"This won\'t do, this won\'t do!\" the big mouse yelled at Mr. Coward, \"This many mice living in this small, small basement, and you alone living in that many rooms, it\'s too unreasonable, we have to switch quarters.\" \r\n\r\n\"Switch quarters?\" So Mr. Coward [went to] live in the basement, the mice moved into every [upstairs] room, and in the wide living room they sange, and jumped, and in the fragrant kitchen they drank, and ate, and every day was like a holiday.  \r\n\r\n\"You should move out!\" the big mouse again yelled at Mr. Coward, \"What are you doing living in the basement? Such a nice basement, do you deserve to live there?\"\r\n\r\n\"What?\" Mr. Coward was so angry he stamped his right foot, <em>\"Dong...\"</em> The mice were afraid, they covered their heads and fled in disarray, thinking it was an earthquake. \r\n\r\n\"Oh! Turns out I\'m quite fierce!\" Mr. Coward grabbed up an old broom, pouncing here, hitting there, stabbing here and beating there, beating the mice until they squeaked \"<em>zhi zhi</em>\", and they all ran away.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《胆小先生》Mr. Coward', 'Mr. Coward\'s home is invaded by mice, but he doesn\'t have the gumption to do anything about it. Or does he? This little story will be comfortable at HSK 3-4. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-childrens-stories-mr-coward', '', '', '2020-05-09 20:39:45', '2020-05-10 00:39:45', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2006', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(2007, 1, '2020-04-22 01:50:39', '2020-04-22 05:50:39', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nNOTES\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>胆小先生</h4>\r\n有一位先生，住在一座漂亮的房子里。因为他的胆子很小，大家都叫他胆小先生。\r\n\r\n一天，一只大老鼠闯进了他的房子。胆小先生马上去捉，结果在地下室捉住了它。\r\n\r\n\"你放了我!\"大老鼠挣扎着说，\"我要是一跺脚，整个房子就塌了。\"\r\n\r\n胆小先生害怕了，连忙放开了他，还允许他住在地下室里。\r\n\r\n地下室里吃的东西真多，大老鼠吃呀，喝呀，真开心。后来，大老鼠生了一窝小老鼠，小老鼠又长成大老鼠……很快，地下室住满了老鼠。\r\n\r\n\"不行，不行!\"大老鼠冲着胆小先生嚷嚷：\"这么多老鼠住这么一个小小的地下室，而你一个人住那么多房间，太不合理了，得换房子。\"\r\n\r\n\"换房子?\"胆小先生住在地下室，老鼠们住进各个房间，他们在宽大的客厅里唱呀，跳呀，在喷香的厨房里喝呀，吃呀，每天都像过节一样。\r\n\r\n\"你应该搬出去!\"大老鼠又冲着胆小先生嚷嚷，\"你干嘛住在地下室?这么好的地下室，你配住吗?\"\r\n\r\n\"什么?\"胆小先生气愤得跺了一下右脚，\"咚--\"老鼠们害怕了，他们个个抱头乱窜，以为地震了。\r\n\r\n\"哦，原来我是很有力量的!\"胆小先生抓起旧扫帚，这儿一扑，那儿一打，这儿一戳，那儿一捣，老鼠被打得\"吱吱\"叫，全逃走了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《胆小先生》Mr. Coward', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2006-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:50:39', '2020-04-22 05:50:39', '', 2006, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2006-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2008, 1, '2020-04-24 00:01:45', '2020-04-24 04:01:45', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him] very happy, so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey took a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 《小猴子偷玉米》Monkey Steals Some Corn', 'A bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life. HSK 2-3.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-childrens-stories-monkey-steals-some-corn', '', '', '2020-06-02 06:41:01', '2020-06-02 10:41:01', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2008', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2009, 1, '2020-04-22 01:58:21', '2020-04-22 05:58:21', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nNOTES\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米结得又大又多，非常高兴，就掰了一个，扛着往前走。小猴子扛着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见满树的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子捧着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见满地的西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子抱着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔蹦蹦跳跳的，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林子，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米结得又大又多，非常高兴，就掰了一个，扛着往前走。小猴子扛着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见满树的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子捧着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见满地的西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子抱着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔蹦蹦跳跳的，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林子，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》Monkey Takes Some Corn', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 01:58:21', '2020-04-22 05:58:21', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2010, 1, '2020-04-22 10:10:39', '2020-04-22 14:10:39', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA one-paragraph story with repetitive sentence structure, this bite-sized read is about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal and who should probably be medicated.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him very happy], so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》Monkey Takes Some Corn', 'A one-paragraph story with repetitive sentence structure, this bite-sized read is about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal and who should probably be medicated.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:10:39', '2020-04-22 14:10:39', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2011, 1, '2020-04-22 10:11:16', '2020-04-22 14:11:16', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA one-paragraph story with repetitive sentence structure, this bite-sized read is about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal and who should probably be medicated.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him very happy], so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《小猴子掰玉米》Monkey Takes Some Corn', 'A one-paragraph story with repetitive sentence structure, this bite-sized read is about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal and who should probably be medicated.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:11:16', '2020-04-22 14:11:16', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2012, 1, '2020-04-22 10:12:28', '2020-04-22 14:12:28', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nA bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal.\n\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \n\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\n\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \n\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\n\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him very happy], so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《小猴子掰玉米》Monkey Takes Some Corn', 'A one-paragraph story with repetitive sentence structure, this bite-sized read is about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal and who should probably be medicated.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:12:28', '2020-04-22 14:12:28', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2013, 1, '2020-04-22 10:13:49', '2020-04-22 14:13:49', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him very happy], so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《小猴子掰玉米》Monkey Takes Some Corn', 'A bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:13:49', '2020-04-22 14:13:49', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2014, 1, '2020-04-22 10:15:35', '2020-04-22 14:15:35', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him] very happy, so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《小猴子掰玉米》Monkey Takes Some Corn', 'A bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:15:35', '2020-04-22 14:15:35', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2015, 1, '2020-04-22 10:16:17', '2020-04-22 14:16:17', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him] very happy, so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey took a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《小猴子掰玉米》Monkey Takes Some Corn', 'A bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:16:17', '2020-04-22 14:16:17', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2018, 1, '2020-04-23 11:02:12', '2020-04-23 15:02:12', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Xun#Late_career\">Lu Xun</a> (鲁迅) [pinyin]lu3 xun4[/pinyin]  was one of China\'s great 20th century writers and thinkers who felt that the heart and soul of the Chinese people had been sickened by the depravity and corruption that ran rampant after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. He felt that China had lost its way, and his most famous work 《阿Q正传》<em>The Real Story of Ah Q</em> was an unforgiving portrait of what he saw as China\'s social debasement. But he was also a true patriot who wanted to see China restored to the dignity he saw as its birthright. \n\nHis characters, like the skulking 阿Q, were often contemptible, cowardly, and mean, and he played up these characteristics as a kind of intentional reverse psychology. He wanted his readers to be so disgusted that they would reject these base behaviors. \n\n<em>The Real Story of Ah Q</em> is an insanely hard read in Chinese, full of Qing Dynasty slang and confusing conversations so if after reading this letter you\'d like to read more of Lu Xun\'s work, you can pick up a <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">collection of his shorter essays in Chinese</a>, or read <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \n\nLu Xun\'s original life plan was to study medicine to \"heal the bodies of the Chinese people\", and he went to Japan to do just that, but as he briefly mentions in this letter, he happened to see a terrible film of Japanese soldiers decapitating some Chinese prisoners, while other Chinese citizens stood around and watched. Horrified, he would later say that this was when he decided that it was the Chinese spirit that most needed healing, and he set out to do this through his words. And to some extent, he succeeded: Lu Xun passed away in 1936, a much-celebrated national hero. \n\nThis is a letter that Lu Xun wrote in 1926 to his Japanese friend Mr. Yoshino (藤野先生). It touches on many of the points I mentioned here. \n\n<h4>The language</h4>\nFair warning: the first few paragraphs are fairly smooth reading, but at paragraph four it suddenly becomes quite advanced. Hope you\'re up for a challenge, but don\'t beat yourself up if you can\'t hang and have to check the translation. I hope the success of reading the first bit will give you the energy to tackle that last one, but I won\'t lie: it\'s a bit of a beast. A few notes to help you get through the letter: \n\nLu Xun addresses the person he\'s writing to both using \"you\" (您) and the recipient\'s name, Mr. Yoshino (藤野先生). Can get a little confusing, because it\'s all the same person. \n\n八字须 [pinyin]ba1 zi4 xu1[/pinyin] - This is an interesting linguistic trick where the character 八 is being used to describe the shape of someone\'s beard / mustache (须). It\'s basically like saying \"A-frame house\" - the shape of the letter is being used to describe the shape of the house. We see this same linguistic trick used in the word 十字路口， which means \"intersection\". Intersections, if you think about them, are shaped like the character 十. So, 八字须 means \"a beard or mustache shaped like the character 八\", which I guess would be pointy under the nose and going down sharply on both sides. \n\n从文 [pinyin]cong2 wen2[/pinyin] - The confusing bit here is the use of the word 从. We know that 从 means \"from\". But in this case, they\'re using another definition, meaning \"to do, undertake, or practice (as in \'to practice law\')\". So 从文 means to \"do literature\" or \"practice a literary trade\".\n\nI don\'t even know where to start helping with paragraph four - there\'s a lot going on there. Ask in the comments if you have specific questions.\n</ul>\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>鲁迅写给藤野先生的信</h4>\n尊敬的藤野先生： 您好！\n\n非常抱歉在离开仙台之后一直没给您写信了，但是我一直深深地挂念着您。 我还清清楚楚的记得，清清楚楚的看见一位衣着朴素的黑手的先生、八字须、戴着一副大大的眼镜正在津津有味地讲着医学课。\n\n还记得当年我一心寻求救国的道路而来到仙台，到仙台我最根本的目的是为了学医医治中国人的性命。可当我看了一部电影后才知道：我需要医治的是中国人的精神，其次才是医治他们的性命。所以当时我并没有学生物学，而是弃医从文了。中国当时是个弱国，振奋民族精神努力在烧眉，象形藤野先生您一定会理解我这片爱国之心吧！\n\n在仙台的日子里我还要多谢藤野先生对我无微不至的关心和照顾。您没有民族偏见，无悔地授给我医术，并且精心改正我的讲义，细心严格的纠正我的解剖实习，求实地了解中国女人裹脚...... 都使我终生难忘、终生受益。 不知藤野先生还是否记得您给我改的那些厚厚的讲义，可惜在我迁居的时候恰好被烧毁了，只留下了你的相片。每当夜间疲倦，正想偷懒时，掩面在灯光中瞥见您那黑瘦的面孔似乎正要说出抑扬顿挫的话语来，便使我忽又良心发现，而且增加勇气。于是点上一支香烟，再继续写那些为“正人君子”之流所深恶痛疾的文字。\n\n我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕刀，像反动势力勇猛冲击。更希望您能支持我的做法。\n\n现在的您一切还好吗？总而言之我把千言万语化作一句话：笑一笑，十年少。\n\n祝：身体健康、万事如意。\n\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">Lu Xun\'s Chinese essays</a> and <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nRespected Mr. Yoshino, Hello!\n\nI\'m very sorry I haven\'t written you a letter since I left Sendai, but I\'ve always remembered you with deep fondness. I still clearly remember, when I clearly saw an unassuming man with dark hands, an arrow-shaped beard, wearing a large pair of glasses and teaching a medical class with great enthusiasm. \n\nI also remember that year, I went to Sendai looking for a way to save China, and when I arrived in Sendai my most basic purpose was to study medicine to heal the lives of the Chinese people. But when I saw a [certain] movie I finally knew: what [most] needed healing was the Chinese people\'s spirit, and from this their lives could be healed. So I didn\'t study biology, but gave up medicine for literature. China was a weak country then, but we are diligently making progress in igniting the people\'s spirit，I believe that Mr. Yoshino can certainly understand my patriotic heart! \n\nI still must thank Mr. Yoshino for showing me every possible care and consideration during those days in Sendai. You were not biased towards [my] nationality, bestowed [your knowledge in] the medical arts upon me without regret, as well as meticulously corrected my lecture materials, attentively and seriously redressed [me during] my anatomy internship, realistically understood Chinese foot-binding practices... all this I will remember my whole life, and benefit from my whole life. I don\'t know if Mr. Yoshino still remembers those very thick lecture materials of mine that you corrected, pity that when I was moving house they were burned up and destroyed, all that\'s left is your picture. Whenever it\'s late and I\'m weary, and I\'m just beginning to think of loafing off, hidden in the lamplight I glimpse your thin, dark face [looking] as if you\'re about to speak in that rising and falling cadence of yours, and it makes me suddenly discover my conscience once again, and raises my courage. And so I light a cigarette, and keep writing those words which are so abhorrent to \"proper gentlemen\" types. \n\nI\'m determined to struggle and shout with my compatriots, a pen as a gun, as a dagger, like the resistance forces attacking bravely. More that that, I hope you will support my approach. \n\nHow is everything with you now? In short I\'ll wrap up my many words in one sentence: A little smile is all it takes to make you ten years younger. \n\nWishing you: Health and smooth dealings in all matters.\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Famous 20th Century author Lu Xun writes to his friend in 1926', '<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Xun#Late_career\">Lu Xun</a> (鲁迅) [pinyin]lu3 xun4[/pinyin]  was one of China\'s great 20th century writers and thinkers who felt that the heart and soul of the Chinese people had been sickened by the depravity and corruption that ran rampant after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1973-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 11:02:12', '2020-04-23 15:02:12', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/1973-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2016, 1, '2020-04-22 10:18:55', '2020-04-22 14:18:55', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China\'s artistic golden age is perhaps the country\'s most well-known verse. Even better for learners, it\'s only a few lines long, and there are only a couple of difficult characters. In fact, this is such a perfect lesson, that the fact that I neglected to post it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. \r\n\r\nThis poem is a big deal. It\'s such a big deal that it\'s hard to overstate just what a big deal it is. The verse is so famous in China that most people can recite it from memory, and it\'s often read aloud during the Mid-Autumn festival, when families gather to gaze at the night sky. It appears in endless musical adaptations, and movies, and on greeting cards... you get the idea. \r\n\r\nIt was written by the celebrated Tang Dynasty poet <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bai\">Li Bai</a>, also sometimes called Li Po, who lived from 701-762 AD, and like good poets everywhere, was a bit of a wistful, drunk romantic who was married way more than once. One of the main themes throughout much of Li Bai\'s poetry is the sadness of being separated from one\'s friends, family and hometown. It\'s easy to imagine how far away and alone a traveler might have felt in an age without phone, email, or mechanization.《静夜思》[pinyin]jing4 ye4 si1[/pinyin], or <em>Quiet Night Thought</em>, falls right into this category with its main themes being the moon and homesickness.\r\n\r\nAnyway, this poem rhymes in Chinese, so it\'s best read aloud. I tried to translate it in such a way that the order of the English words generally matches the order of the Chinese words - hopefully this makes it a little easier to get. I have also placed spaces between some characters to give you some clues about which can be understood as a separate word, and which concepts should be understood together. The original, however, has no spacing.\r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nRemember, this is a poem, not prose. So, the author doesn\'t spell out every single <em>I</em>, <em>You</em>, and <em>My</em>. In fact, he leaves those words out all together. Instead, he paints a picture with carefully chosen characters. So, if this is your first attempt at reading Chinese poetry, I recommend you take it line by line, first understand the meaning of each character, and then try to imagine their meanings all together, and see if you can get a mental image of the scene.\r\n\r\nFor an ancient work of fine art, this poem is comprised of surprisingly basic characters, but there\'s an advanced word or two sprinkled in. Probably most difficult is this one: \r\n\r\n疑 [pinyin]yi2[/pinyin] - Poets sure do love to compare things to other things, and in Chinese, this is one of the words that lets them do it. It\'s a literary way to say \"as if\", or \"seem like\". So 疑是 means \"As if it is _______\" or \"Seems like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character is usually related to doubt or suspicion, but that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\r\n\r\nI should also probably clarify that 望 [pinyin]wang4[/pinyin] has quite a few definitions, and the one used here is \"to gaze towards\". \r\n\r\nNot all of Li Bai\'s works are so simple, but if you\'d like to get a little deeper into the world of Tang poetry, you might consider picking up <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VYn3hV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">this narrative Biography of Li Bai</a> for Kindle, or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VonO4v\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an English translation of his works</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《静夜思》</h4>\r\n床前 明月 光，\r\n疑是 地上 霜。\r\n举头 望 明月，\r\n低头 思 故乡。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VYn3hV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Kindle Li Bai biography</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VonO4v\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">his poems in English</a>.\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBefore my bed the bright moon\'s glow, \r\nseems like frost on the ground.\r\nI raise my head and gaze at the bright moon, \r\nI lower my head and think of my hometown.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'China\'s most famous poem: 《静夜思》by Li Bai', 'This bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China\'s artistic golden age is perhaps the country\'s most well-known verse. Even better for learners, it\'s only a few lines long, and there are only a couple of difficult characters. In fact, this is such a perfect lesson, that the fact that I haven\'t posted it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1955-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:18:55', '2020-04-22 14:18:55', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2017, 1, '2020-04-22 10:27:13', '2020-04-22 14:27:13', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIf you\'re brand new to Chinese reading, this is a good introduction to some common grammar. \r\n\r\n又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] 又 [pinyin]you4[/pinyin] [adj.] - In English, when we use two words to describe something, we usually just separate them with \"and\", like \"big and round\", \"bright and shiny\". But in Chinese, they can sometimes use 又 in front of both adjectives, like this: \"又 big 又 round\" or \"又 bright 又 shiny\". This phrasing is used several times here.\r\n\r\n着 zhe - I\'ve covered the use of this character <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/01/02/little-dog-wears-shoes/\">in another beginner post</a>. It has several meanings, but in this paragraph, it basically just means \"-ing\", as in walk-ing, tak-ing, runn-ing. \r\n\r\n只好 [pinyin]zhi3 hao3[/pinyin] - Meaning to be forced to, to have no other choice but to\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://wenku.baidu.com/view/290230fdfab069dc50220176.html\">Source is here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小猴子掰玉米</h4>\r\n有一天，一只小猴子下山来。它走到一块玉米地里，看见玉米长得又大又多，非常高兴，就偷了一个，拿着往前走。小猴子拿着玉米，走到一棵桃树下。它看见树上的桃子又大又红，非常高兴，就扔了玉米去摘桃子。小猴子拿着几个桃子，走到一片瓜地里。它看见西瓜又大又圆，非常高兴，就扔了桃子去摘西瓜。小猴子拿着一个大西瓜往回走。走着走着，看见一只小兔子，真可爱。它非常高兴，就扔了西瓜去追小兔。小兔跑进树林里，不见了。小猴子只好空着手回家去。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOne day, Little Monkey came down from the mountain. He walked to a field of corn, and saw that the corn had grown large and abundant, [this made him] very happy, so he stole one, and holding it walked on. Holding the corn, he walked to the bottom of a big peach tree. He saw the peaches in the tree were big and red, [this made him] very happy, and he threw down the corn to pick the peaches. Little Monkey took several peaches, and walked to a watermelon field. He saw the watermelons were big and round, [this made him] very happy, so he threw down the peaches to pick the watermelons. Little Monkey took a big watermelon and [started] walking back. Walking and walking, he saw a rabbit, it was very cute. [It made him] very happy, so he threw down the watermelon to chase the rabbit. The rabbit ran into the forest, and disappeared. Little Monkey had to go home empty-handed.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《小猴子偷玉米》Monkey Steals Some Corn', 'A bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can\'t focus long enough to enjoy his meal, but which is actually a gut-wrenching satire of my entire life.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2008-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-22 10:27:13', '2020-04-22 14:27:13', '', 2008, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/2008-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2019, 1, '2020-04-23 11:03:59', '2020-04-23 15:03:59', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Xun#Late_career\">Lu Xun</a> (鲁迅) [pinyin]lu3 xun4[/pinyin]  was one of China\'s great 20th century writers and thinkers who felt that the heart and soul of the Chinese people had been sickened by the depravity and corruption that ran rampant after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. He felt that China had lost its way, and his most famous work 《阿Q正传》<em>The Real Story of Ah Q</em> was an unforgiving portrait of what he saw as China\'s social debasement. But he was also a true patriot who wanted to see China restored to the dignity he saw as its birthright. \r\n\r\nHis characters, like the skulking 阿Q, were often contemptible, cowardly, and mean, and he played up these characteristics as a kind of intentional reverse psychology. He wanted his readers to be so disgusted that they would reject these base behaviors. \r\n\r\n<em>The Real Story of Ah Q</em> is an insanely hard read in Chinese, full of Qing Dynasty slang and confusing conversations so if after reading this letter you\'d like to read more of Lu Xun\'s work, you can pick up a <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">collection of his shorter essays in Chinese</a>, or read <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \r\n\r\nLu Xun\'s original life plan was to study medicine to \"heal the bodies of the Chinese people\", and he went to Japan to do just that, but as he briefly mentions in this letter, he happened to see a terrible film of Japanese soldiers decapitating some Chinese prisoners, while other Chinese citizens stood around and watched. Horrified, he would later say that this was when he decided that it was the Chinese spirit that most needed healing, and he set out to do this through his words. And to some extent, he succeeded: Lu Xun passed away in 1936, a much-celebrated national hero. \r\n\r\nThis is a letter that Lu Xun wrote in 1926 to his Japanese friend Mr. Yoshino (藤野先生). It touches on many of the points I mentioned here. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nFair warning: the first few paragraphs are fairly smooth reading, but at paragraph four it suddenly becomes quite advanced. Hope you\'re up for a challenge, but don\'t beat yourself up if you can\'t hang and have to check the translation. I hope the success of reading the first bit will give you the energy to tackle that last one, but I won\'t lie: it\'s a bit of a beast. A few notes to help you get through the letter: \r\n\r\nLu Xun addresses the person he\'s writing to both using \"you\" (您) and the recipient\'s name, Mr. Yoshino (藤野先生). Can get a little confusing, because it\'s all the same person. \r\n\r\n八字须 [pinyin]ba1 zi4 xu1[/pinyin] - This is an interesting linguistic trick where the character 八 is being used to describe the shape of someone\'s beard / mustache (须). It\'s basically like saying \"A-frame house\" - the shape of the letter is being used to describe the shape of the house. We see this same linguistic trick used in the word 十字路口， which means \"intersection\". Intersections, if you think about them, are shaped like the character 十. So, 八字须 means \"a beard or mustache shaped like the character 八\", which I guess would be pointy under the nose and going down sharply on both sides. \r\n\r\n从文 [pinyin]cong2 wen2[/pinyin] - The confusing bit here is the use of the word 从. We know that 从 means \"from\". But in this case, they\'re using another definition, meaning \"to do, undertake, or practice (as in \'to practice law\')\". So 从文 means to \"do literature\" or \"practice a literary trade\".\r\n\r\nI don\'t even know where to start helping with paragraph four - there\'s a lot going on there. Ask in the comments if you have specific questions.\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>鲁迅写给藤野先生的信</h4>\r\n尊敬的藤野先生： 您好！\r\n\r\n非常抱歉在离开仙台之后一直没给您写信了，但是我一直深深地挂念着您。 我还清清楚楚的记得，清清楚楚的看见一位衣着朴素的黑手的先生、八字须、戴着一副大大的眼镜正在津津有味地讲着医学课。\r\n\r\n还记得当年我一心寻求救国的道路而来到仙台，到仙台我最根本的目的是为了学医医治中国人的性命。可当我看了一部电影后才知道：我需要医治的是中国人的精神，其次才是医治他们的性命。所以当时我并没有学生物学，而是弃医从文了。中国当时是个弱国，振奋民族精神努力在烧眉，相信藤野先生您一定会理解我这片爱国之心吧！\r\n\r\n在仙台的日子里我还要多谢藤野先生对我无微不至的关心和照顾。您没有民族偏见，无悔地授给我医术，并且精心改正我的讲义，细心严格的纠正我的解剖实习，求实地了解中国女人裹脚...... 都使我终生难忘、终生受益。 不知藤野先生还是否记得您给我改的那些厚厚的讲义，可惜在我迁居的时候恰好被烧毁了，只留下了你的相片。每当夜间疲倦，正想偷懒时，掩面在灯光中瞥见您那黑瘦的面孔似乎正要说出抑扬顿挫的话语来，便使我忽又良心发现，而且增加勇气。于是点上一支香烟，再继续写那些为“正人君子”之流所深恶痛疾的文字。\r\n\r\n我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕刀，像反动势力勇猛冲击。更希望您能支持我的做法。\r\n\r\n现在的您一切还好吗？总而言之我把千言万语化作一句话：笑一笑，十年少。\r\n\r\n祝：身体健康、万事如意。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3br37uu\">Lu Xun\'s Chinese essays</a> and <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2RSIwaL\">The Real Story of Ah Q</a> in English. \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Mr. Yoshino, Hello!\r\n\r\nI\'m very sorry I haven\'t written you a letter since I left Sendai, but I\'ve always remembered you with deep fondness. I still clearly remember, when I clearly saw an unassuming man with dark hands, an arrow-shaped beard, wearing a large pair of glasses and teaching a medical class with great enthusiasm. \r\n\r\nI also remember that year, I went to Sendai looking for a way to save China, and when I arrived in Sendai my most basic purpose was to study medicine to heal the lives of the Chinese people. But when I saw a [certain] movie I finally knew: what [most] needed healing was the Chinese people\'s spirit, and from this their lives could be healed. So I didn\'t study biology, but gave up medicine for literature. China was a weak country then, but we are diligently making progress in igniting the people\'s spirit，I believe that Mr. Yoshino can certainly understand my patriotic heart! \r\n\r\nI still must thank Mr. Yoshino for showing me every possible care and consideration during those days in Sendai. You were not biased towards [my] nationality, bestowed [your knowledge in] the medical arts upon me without regret, as well as meticulously corrected my lecture materials, attentively and seriously redressed [me during] my anatomy internship, realistically understood Chinese foot-binding practices... all this I will remember my whole life, and benefit from my whole life. I don\'t know if Mr. Yoshino still remembers those very thick lecture materials of mine that you corrected, pity that when I was moving house they were burned up and destroyed, all that\'s left is your picture. Whenever it\'s late and I\'m weary, and I\'m just beginning to think of loafing off, hidden in the lamplight I glimpse your thin, dark face [looking] as if you\'re about to speak in that rising and falling cadence of yours, and it makes me suddenly discover my conscience once again, and raises my courage. And so I light a cigarette, and keep writing those words which are so abhorrent to \"proper gentlemen\" types. \r\n\r\nI\'m determined to struggle and shout with my compatriots, a pen as a gun, as a dagger, like the resistance forces attacking bravely. More that that, I hope you will support my approach. \r\n\r\nHow is everything with you now? In short I\'ll wrap up my many words in one sentence: A little smile is all it takes to make you ten years younger. \r\n\r\nWishing you: Health and smooth dealings in all matters.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Famous 20th Century author Lu Xun writes to his friend in 1926', '<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Xun#Late_career\">Lu Xun</a> (鲁迅) [pinyin]lu3 xun4[/pinyin]  was one of China\'s great 20th century writers and thinkers who felt that the heart and soul of the Chinese people had been sickened by the depravity and corruption that ran rampant after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1973-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 11:03:59', '2020-04-23 15:03:59', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2025, 1, '2020-04-23 20:10:22', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n　1933的6月在广州 - 巴金 \r\nhttp://www.rain8.com/article/class10/2548.htm\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《鸟的天堂》</h4>\r\n我们在陈的小学校里吃了晚饭。热气已经退了。太阳落下了山坡，只留下一段灿烂的红霞在天边，在山头，在树梢。\r\n\r\n　　\"我们划船去！\"陈提议说。我们正站在学校门前池子旁边看山景。\r\n\r\n　　\"好，\"别的朋友高兴地接口说。\r\n\r\n　　我们走过一段石子路，很快地就到了河边。那里有-个茅草搭的水阁。穿过水阁，在河边两棵大树下我们找到了几只小船。\r\n\r\n　　我们陆续跳在一只船上。一个朋友解开绳子，拿起竹竿一拨，船缓缓地动了，向河中间流去。\r\n\r\n　　三个朋友划着船，我和叶坐在船中望四周的景致。\r\n\r\n　　远远地一座塔耸立在山坡上，许多绿树拥抱着它。在这附近很少有那样的塔，那里就是朋友叶的家乡。\r\n\r\n　　河面很宽，白茫茫的水上没有波浪。船平静地在水面流动。三只桨有规律地在水里拨动。\r\n\r\n　　在一个地方河面变窄了。一簇簇的绿叶伸到水面来。树叶绿得可爱。这是许多棵茂盛的榕树，但是我看不出树干在什么地方。\r\n\r\n　　我说许多棵榕树的时候，我的错误马上就给朋友们纠正了，一个朋友说那里只有一棵榕树，另一个朋友说那里的榕树是两棵。我见过不少的大榕树，但是像这样大的榕树我却是第一次看见。\r\n\r\n　　我们的船渐渐地逼近榕树了。我有了机会看见它的真面目：是一棵大树，有着数不清的桠枝，枝上又生根，有许多根一直垂到地上，进了泥土里。一部分的树枝垂到水面，从远处看，就像一棵大树躺在水上一样。\r\n\r\n　　现在正是枝叶繁茂的时节（树上已经结了小小的果子，而且有许多落下来了。）这棵榕树好像在把它的全部生命力展览给我们看。那么多的绿叶，一簇堆在另一簇上面，不留一点缝隙。翠绿的颜色明亮地在我们的眼前闪耀，似乎每一片树叶上都有一个新的生命在颤动，这美丽的南国的树！\r\n\r\n　　船在树下泊了片刻，岸上很湿，我们没有上去。朋友说这里是\"鸟的天堂\"，有许多只鸟在这棵树上做窝，农民不许人捉它们。我仿佛听见几只鸟扑翅的声音，但是等到我的眼睛注意地看那里时，我却看不见一只鸟的影子。只有无数的树根立在地上，像许多根木桩。地是湿的，大概涨潮时河水常常冲上岸去。\"鸟的天堂\"里没有一只鸟，我这样想道。船开了。一个朋友拨着船，缓缓地流到河中间去。\r\n\r\n　　在河边田畔的小径里有几棵荔枝树。绿叶丛中垂着累累的红色果子。我们的船就往那里流去。一个朋友拿起桨把船拨进一条小沟。在小径旁边，船停住了，我们都跳上了岸。\r\n\r\n　　两个朋友很快地爬到树上去，从树上抛下几枝带叶的荔枝，我同陈和叶三个人站在树下接。等到他们下地以后，我们大家一面吃荔枝，一面走回船上去。\r\n\r\n　　第二天我们划着船到叶的家乡去，就是那个有山有塔的地方。从陈的小学校出发，我们又经过那个\"鸟的天堂\"。\r\n\r\n　　这一次是在早晨，阳光照在水面上，也照在树梢。一切都显得非常明亮。我们的船也在树下泊了片刻。\r\n\r\n　　起初四周非常清静。后来忽然起了一声鸟叫。朋友陈把手一拍，我们便看见一只大鸟飞起来，接着又看见第二只，第三只。我们继续拍掌。很快地这个树林变得很热闹了。到处都是鸟声，到处都是鸟影。大的，小的，花的，黑的，有的站在枝上叫，有的飞起来，有的在扑翅膀。\r\n\r\n　　我注意地看。我的眼睛真是应接不暇，看清楚这只，又看漏了那只，看见了那只，第三只又飞走了。一只画眉飞了出来，给我们的拍掌声一惊，又飞进树林，站在一根小枝上兴奋地唱着，它的歌声真好听。\r\n\r\n　　\"走吧，\"叶催我道。\r\n\r\n　　小船向着高塔下面的乡村流去的时候，我还回过头去看留在后面的茂盛的榕树。我有一点的留恋的心情。昨天我的眼睛骗了我。\"鸟的天堂\"的确是鸟的天堂啊！\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Famous Essay: 《鸟的天堂》by Ba Jin', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', 'famous-essay-bird-heaven-by-ba-jin', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:10:22', '2020-04-24 00:10:22', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2025', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2026, 1, '2020-04-23 19:57:00', '2020-04-23 23:57:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n　1933的6月在广州 - 巴金 \r\nhttp://www.rain8.com/article/class10/2548.htm\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《鸟的天堂》</h4>\r\n我们在陈的小学校里吃了晚饭。热气已经退了。太阳落下了山坡，只留下一段灿烂的红霞在天边，在山头，在树梢。\r\n\r\n　　\"我们划船去！\"陈提议说。我们正站在学校门前池子旁边看山景。\r\n\r\n　　\"好，\"别的朋友高兴地接口说。\r\n\r\n　　我们走过一段石子路，很快地就到了河边。那里有-个茅草搭的水阁。穿过水阁，在河边两棵大树下我们找到了几只小船。\r\n\r\n　　我们陆续跳在一只船上。一个朋友解开绳子，拿起竹竿一拨，船缓缓地动了，向河中间流去。\r\n\r\n　　三个朋友划着船，我和叶坐在船中望四周的景致。\r\n\r\n　　远远地一座塔耸立在山坡上，许多绿树拥抱着它。在这附近很少有那样的塔，那里就是朋友叶的家乡。\r\n\r\n　　河面很宽，白茫茫的水上没有波浪。船平静地在水面流动。三只桨有规律地在水里拨动。\r\n\r\n　　在一个地方河面变窄了。一簇簇的绿叶伸到水面来。树叶绿得可爱。这是许多棵茂盛的榕树，但是我看不出树干在什么地方。\r\n\r\n　　我说许多棵榕树的时候，我的错误马上就给朋友们纠正了，一个朋友说那里只有一棵榕树，另一个朋友说那里的榕树是两棵。我见过不少的大榕树，但是像这样大的榕树我却是第一次看见。\r\n\r\n　　我们的船渐渐地逼近榕树了。我有了机会看见它的真面目：是一棵大树，有着数不清的桠枝，枝上又生根，有许多根一直垂到地上，进了泥土里。一部分的树枝垂到水面，从远处看，就像一棵大树躺在水上一样。\r\n\r\n　　现在正是枝叶繁茂的时节（树上已经结了小小的果子，而且有许多落下来了。）这棵榕树好像在把它的全部生命力展览给我们看。那么多的绿叶，一簇堆在另一簇上面，不留一点缝隙。翠绿的颜色明亮地在我们的眼前闪耀，似乎每一片树叶上都有一个新的生命在颤动，这美丽的南国的树！\r\n\r\n　　船在树下泊了片刻，岸上很湿，我们没有上去。朋友说这里是\"鸟的天堂\"，有许多只鸟在这棵树上做窝，农民不许人捉它们。我仿佛听见几只鸟扑翅的声音，但是等到我的眼睛注意地看那里时，我却看不见一只鸟的影子。只有无数的树根立在地上，像许多根木桩。地是湿的，大概涨潮时河水常常冲上岸去。\"鸟的天堂\"里没有一只鸟，我这样想道。船开了。一个朋友拨着船，缓缓地流到河中间去。\r\n\r\n　　在河边田畔的小径里有几棵荔枝树。绿叶丛中垂着累累的红色果子。我们的船就往那里流去。一个朋友拿起桨把船拨进一条小沟。在小径旁边，船停住了，我们都跳上了岸。\r\n\r\n　　两个朋友很快地爬到树上去，从树上抛下几枝带叶的荔枝，我同陈和叶三个人站在树下接。等到他们下地以后，我们大家一面吃荔枝，一面走回船上去。\r\n\r\n　　第二天我们划着船到叶的家乡去，就是那个有山有塔的地方。从陈的小学校出发，我们又经过那个\"鸟的天堂\"。\r\n\r\n　　这一次是在早晨，阳光照在水面上，也照在树梢。一切都显得非常明亮。我们的船也在树下泊了片刻。\r\n\r\n　　起初四周非常清静。后来忽然起了一声鸟叫。朋友陈把手一拍，我们便看见一只大鸟飞起来，接着又看见第二只，第三只。我们继续拍掌。很快地这个树林变得很热闹了。到处都是鸟声，到处都是鸟影。大的，小的，花的，黑的，有的站在枝上叫，有的飞起来，有的在扑翅膀。\r\n\r\n　　我注意地看。我的眼睛真是应接不暇，看清楚这只，又看漏了那只，看见了那只，第三只又飞走了。一只画眉飞了出来，给我们的拍掌声一惊，又飞进树林，站在一根小枝上兴奋地唱着，它的歌声真好听。\r\n\r\n　　\"走吧，\"叶催我道。\r\n\r\n　　小船向着高塔下面的乡村流去的时候，我还回过头去看留在后面的茂盛的榕树。我有一点的留恋的心情。昨天我的眼睛骗了我。\"鸟的天堂\"的确是鸟的天堂啊！\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Famous Essay: 《鸟的天堂》by Ba Jin', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2025-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 19:57:00', '2020-04-23 23:57:00', '', 2025, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2025-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2027, 1, '2020-04-23 20:12:44', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n　1927 - january - 巴金 \r\nhttp://www.eywedu.net/bajin/sanwenji/012.htm\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《海上的日出》</h4>\r\n为了看日出，我常常早起。那时天还没有大亮，周围非常清静，船上只有机器的响声。\r\n　　天空还是一片浅蓝，颜色很浅。转眼间天边出现了一道红霞，慢慢地在扩大它的范围，加强它的亮光。我知道太阳要从天边升起来了，便不转眼地望着那里。\r\n　　果然过了一会儿，在那个地方出现了太阳的小半边脸，红是真红，却没有亮光。这个太阳好像负着重荷似地一步一步、慢慢地努力上升，到了最后，终于冲破了云霞，完全跳出了海面，颜色红得非常可爱。一刹那间，这个深红的圆东西，忽然发出了夺目的亮光，射得人眼睛发痛，它旁边的云片也突然有了光彩。\r\n　　有时太阳走进了云堆中，它的光线却从云里射下来，直射到水面上。这时候要分辨出哪里是水，哪里是天，倒也不容易，因为我就只看见一片灿烂的亮光。\r\n　　有时天边有黑云，而且云片很厚，太阳出来，人眼还看不见。然而太阳在黑云里放射的光芒，透过黑云的重围，替黑云镶了一道发光的金边。后来太阳才慢慢地冲出重围，出现在天空，甚至把黑云也染成了紫色或者红色。这时候发亮的不仅是太阳、云和海水，连我自己也成了明亮的了。\r\n　　这不是很伟大的奇观么？\r\n　　1927年1月\r\n　　选自《海行杂记》\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《海上的日出》by Ba Jin', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', 'famous-essay-sunrise-on-the-sea-by-ba-jin', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:12:44', '2020-04-24 00:12:44', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2027', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2028, 1, '2020-04-23 20:12:44', '2020-04-24 00:12:44', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n　1927 - january - 巴金 \r\nhttp://www.eywedu.net/bajin/sanwenji/012.htm\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《海上的日出》</h4>\r\n为了看日出，我常常早起。那时天还没有大亮，周围非常清静，船上只有机器的响声。\r\n　　天空还是一片浅蓝，颜色很浅。转眼间天边出现了一道红霞，慢慢地在扩大它的范围，加强它的亮光。我知道太阳要从天边升起来了，便不转眼地望着那里。\r\n　　果然过了一会儿，在那个地方出现了太阳的小半边脸，红是真红，却没有亮光。这个太阳好像负着重荷似地一步一步、慢慢地努力上升，到了最后，终于冲破了云霞，完全跳出了海面，颜色红得非常可爱。一刹那间，这个深红的圆东西，忽然发出了夺目的亮光，射得人眼睛发痛，它旁边的云片也突然有了光彩。\r\n　　有时太阳走进了云堆中，它的光线却从云里射下来，直射到水面上。这时候要分辨出哪里是水，哪里是天，倒也不容易，因为我就只看见一片灿烂的亮光。\r\n　　有时天边有黑云，而且云片很厚，太阳出来，人眼还看不见。然而太阳在黑云里放射的光芒，透过黑云的重围，替黑云镶了一道发光的金边。后来太阳才慢慢地冲出重围，出现在天空，甚至把黑云也染成了紫色或者红色。这时候发亮的不仅是太阳、云和海水，连我自己也成了明亮的了。\r\n　　这不是很伟大的奇观么？\r\n　　1927年1月\r\n　　选自《海行杂记》\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《海上的日出》by Ba Jin', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2027-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:12:44', '2020-04-24 00:12:44', '', 2027, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2027-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2029, 1, '2020-04-23 20:25:56', '2020-04-24 00:25:56', '<h3>The Basics</h3>\r\nMy name is: <strong>Kendra Schaefer <a href=\"http://www.kendraschaefer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(My personal site)</a></strong>\r\nEmail me at: me@kendraschaefer.com\r\nI live in: <strong>Beijing</strong>\r\nAge: <strong>37</strong> \r\nIn China since: <strong>2002</strong>\r\nMy day job: <a href=\"http://www.triviumchina.com\">Tech research</a>\r\n\r\n<h3>The Backstory</h3>\r\nI got my BA in Mandarin at a university in Beijing, and though I\'ve been out of school for a while, reading Chinese is one of the few things I never get bored of, probably because no matter how long I study, there\'s always more to learn. \r\n\r\nI originally became interested in learning Chinese primarily because I wanted to read the language. And though reading textbooks is an important, I found the readings outrageously boring. I wanted to read important works of Chinese fiction, Chinese news, Chinese fables and myths - in other words, I wanted real reading, something a Chinese kid might read in school or online.\r\n\r\nBut I soon found that tracking down reading materials was difficult and frustrating. Everything I picked up tended to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard, and I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. I wanted something challenging, and was willing to work to understand it, but every time I found something new to read, I never knew if I would be able to finish it. I\'d often get through a few paragraphs only to hit a phrase I couldn\'t decipher and, with no one to ask, would have to put the reading aside. \r\n\r\nOnce I did get to a place where my reading level was high enough to get through most pieces, I started this site to keep my own skills fresh, and to pay it forward for those students who are in the same spot I was. \r\n\r\n<h4>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nNothing on this site is truly beginner reading. If you just picked up Chinese yesterday, or if you\'re at HSK 1 or 2, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you - I only have found a couple of pieces that HSK 1-2 might be able to tackle. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually has to have some higher-level grammar or vocabulary mixed in. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (你好! 你好吗? 我很好!) as opposed to actual stories. And the truth is, truly fluent native readers read at well above HSK 6. And, in the real world, many pieces of writing are mixed-level; the first few paragraphs might be intermediate, with an advanced paragraph thrown in. So, my classifications are the same classifications you might apply to a native speaker, not a learner. I also don\'t classify by HSK level. But, as a general guideline, on this site:\r\n\r\nBeginner: HSK 2-4\r\nIntermediate: HSK 5-6\r\nAdvanced: HSK 6+\r\n\r\nThe idea is not to give you something you can read without difficulty, but something that is an appropriate challenge at your reading level. So, I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. So if, for example, you\'re at HSK 4, there are some pieces in the intermediate section you should be able to get through with some work. And if you can\'t figure something out, post in the comments. I\'ll try to answer you.\r\n\r\n<h4>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me. I am not a linguist, and I translate for readability. I don\'t post anything unless I\'ve checked it several times, but that doesn\'t mean I haven\'t made a mistake. Do feel free to comment if you see anything that ought to have a better translation - it won\'t be taken amiss. \r\n\r\n<h4>How did you do those pop-up Chinese hover effects?</h4>\r\nThanks to Alex, the coder behind <a href=\"http://mandarinspot.com/\">Mandarinspot.com</a>, Chinese Reading Practice now has pop-up translation on Chinese texts - hover over any mandarin word in the reading text to see the definition. If you\'d like to implement something similar on your own blog, you can head over there and grab his Javascript file / annotations API. \r\n\r\n<h4>Commenting rules</h4>\r\nI try to maintain a pleasant learning environment, so abusive, pointless, insulting, or unhelpful comments will be deleted. Sorry. I don\'t always manage to catch all the spam that slips through, though, so apologies if there\'s some clutter.\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:25:56', '2020-04-24 00:25:56', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2030, 1, '2020-04-23 20:26:52', '2020-04-24 00:26:52', '<h3>The Basics</h3>\r\nMy name is: <strong>Kendra Schaefer <a href=\"http://www.kendraschaefer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(My personal site)</a></strong>\r\nEmail me at: me@kendraschaefer.com\r\nI live in: <strong>Beijing</strong>\r\nAge: <strong>37</strong> \r\nIn China since: <strong>2002</strong>\r\nMy day job: <a href=\"http://www.triviumchina.com\">Tech research</a>\r\n\r\n<h3>The Backstory</h3>\r\nI got my BA in Mandarin at a university in Beijing, and though I\'ve been out of school for a while, reading Chinese is one of the few things I never get bored of, probably because no matter how long I study, there\'s always more to learn. \r\n\r\nI originally became interested in learning Chinese primarily because I wanted to read the language. And though reading textbooks is an important, I found the readings outrageously boring. I wanted to read important works of Chinese fiction, Chinese news, Chinese fables and myths - in other words, I wanted real reading, something a Chinese kid might read in school or online.\r\n\r\nBut I soon found that tracking down reading materials was difficult and frustrating. Everything I picked up tended to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard, and I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. I wanted something challenging, and was willing to work to understand it, but every time I found something new to read, I never knew if I would be able to finish it. I\'d often get through a few paragraphs only to hit a phrase I couldn\'t decipher and, with no one to ask, would have to put the reading aside. \r\n\r\nOnce I did get to a place where my reading level was high enough to get through most pieces, I started this site to keep my own skills fresh, and to pay it forward for those students who are in the same spot I was. \r\n\r\n<h4>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nNothing on this site is truly beginner reading. If you just picked up Chinese yesterday, or if you\'re at HSK 1 or 2, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you - I only have found a couple of pieces that HSK 1-2 might be able to tackle. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually has to have some higher-level grammar or vocabulary mixed in. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (你好! 你好吗? 我很好!) as opposed to actual stories. And the truth is, truly fluent native readers read at well above HSK 6. And, in the real world, many pieces of writing are mixed-level; the first few paragraphs might be intermediate, with an advanced paragraph thrown in. So, my classifications are the same classifications you might apply to a native speaker, not a learner. I also don\'t classify by HSK level. But, as a general guideline, on this site:\r\n\r\nBeginner: HSK 2-4\r\nIntermediate: HSK 5-6\r\nAdvanced: HSK 6+\r\n\r\nThe idea is not to give you something you can read without difficulty, but something that is an appropriate challenge at your reading level. So, I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. So if, for example, you\'re at HSK 4, there are some pieces in the intermediate section you should be able to get through with some work. And if you can\'t figure something out, post in the comments. I\'ll try to answer you.\r\n\r\n<h4>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me. I am not a linguist, and I translate for readability. I don\'t post anything unless I\'ve checked it several times, but that doesn\'t mean I haven\'t made a mistake. Do feel free to comment if you see anything that ought to have a better translation - it won\'t be taken amiss. \r\n\r\n<h4>How did you do those pop-up Chinese hover effects?</h4>\r\nThanks to Alex, the coder behind <a href=\"http://mandarinspot.com/\">Mandarinspot.com</a>, Chinese Reading Practice now has pop-up translation on Chinese texts - hover over any mandarin word in the reading text to see the definition. If you\'d like to implement something similar on your own blog, you can head over there and grab his Javascript file / annotations API. \r\n\r\n<h4>Commenting rules</h4>\r\nI try to maintain a pleasant learning environment, so abusive, pointless,  or unhelpful comments will be deleted. Sorry. I don\'t always manage to catch all the spam that slips through, though, so apologies if there\'s some clutter.\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:26:52', '2020-04-24 00:26:52', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2031, 1, '2020-04-24 22:53:15', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA very quick joke for lower-intermediate readers (HSK 4-5), \r\nhttps://www.txshuku.com/html/28149_1487908.html\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《秘密》</h4>\r\n最近听到两个故事，觉得很有意思，尤其是这个，以后人家问话太多的时候，我想我就告诉他这一个笑话。德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"你能够保守秘密么？\"\r\n\r\n他指天誓曰：\"我能够，沉默得像坟墓，像鱼，像深海底的鱼。\"\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"我也能够。\"  \r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI recently heard two stories, which I thought were very interesting, particularly this one, and after [I heard it] whenever people ask me too many questions, I think I\'ll tell them this joke. GERMANY SOMETHING PLACE, WAS AT WAR, a general came to see him, and asked him what strategy he was using.  德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\nThe emperor said: \"Can you keep a secret?\"\r\n\r\nHe [the general] pointed to the sky and vowed, \"I can, [I\'m] silent as the grave, like a fish, like a fish in the bottom of the deep ocean.\" \r\n\r\nThe emperor said, \"So can I.\" \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Joke: 《秘密》Secrets by Zhang Ailing', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', 'essay-a-secret-by-zhang-ailing', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:53:15', '2020-04-25 02:53:15', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2031', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2032, 1, '2020-04-23 20:43:24', '2020-04-24 00:43:24', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nhttps://www.txshuku.com/html/28149_1487908.html\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《秘密》</h4>\r\n最近听到两个故事，觉得很有意思，尤其是这个，以后人家问话太多的时候，我想我就告诉他这一个笑话。德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"你能够保守秘密么？\"\r\n\r\n他指天誓曰：\"我能够，沉默得像坟墓，像鱼，像深海底的鱼。\"\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"我也能够。\"  \r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI recently heard two stories, which I thought were very interesting, particularly this one, and after [I heard it] whenever people ask me too many questions, I think I\'ll tell them this joke. GERMANY SOMETHING PLACE, WAS AT WAR, a general came to see him, and asked him what strategy he was using.  德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\nThe emperor said: \"Can you keep a secret?\"\r\n\r\nHe [the general] pointed to the sky and said, \"I can, [I\'m] silent as the grave, like a fish, like a fish in the bottom of the deep ocean.\" \r\n\r\nThe emperor said, \"So can I.\" \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Joke: 《秘密》by Zhang Ailing', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2031-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:43:24', '2020-04-24 00:43:24', '', 2031, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2031-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2033, 1, '2020-04-23 20:45:12', '2020-04-24 00:45:12', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nhttps://www.txshuku.com/html/28149_1487908.html\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《秘密》</h4>\r\n最近听到两个故事，觉得很有意思，尤其是这个，以后人家问话太多的时候，我想我就告诉他这一个笑话。德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"你能够保守秘密么？\"\r\n\r\n他指天誓曰：\"我能够，沉默得像坟墓，像鱼，像深海底的鱼。\"\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"我也能够。\"  \r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI recently heard two stories, which I thought were very interesting, particularly this one, and after [I heard it] whenever people ask me too many questions, I think I\'ll tell them this joke. GERMANY SOMETHING PLACE, WAS AT WAR, a general came to see him, and asked him what strategy he was using.  德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\nThe emperor said: \"Can you keep a secret?\"\r\n\r\nHe [the general] pointed to the sky and vowed, \"I can, [I\'m] silent as the grave, like a fish, like a fish in the bottom of the deep ocean.\" \r\n\r\nThe emperor said, \"So can I.\" \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Joke: 《秘密》by Zhang Ailing', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2031-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 20:45:12', '2020-04-24 00:45:12', '', 2031, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2031-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2034, 1, '2020-04-27 00:01:39', '2020-04-27 04:01:39', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/05/chinese-essay-ba-jins-correspondence-with-young-friends-searching-for-ideals-part-ii/\">Part II</a> sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This is in the dictionary, but it\'s important vocab, so pay attention to how this is used. It indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"highlightText\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"highlightText\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"highlightText\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"highlightText\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become an expected thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered around] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve read many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letter: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'letters-ba-jins-correspondence-with-young-friends-searching-for-ideals-part-i', '', '', '2020-05-05 11:46:51', '2020-05-05 15:46:51', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2034', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2036, 1, '2020-04-24 10:34:28', '2020-04-24 14:34:28', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Ba Jin was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em>The Family</em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding  in just 10 years. Social values flipped on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s - the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle - were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered in the new market economy was money, money, money.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 middle school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important? Money, or ideals? Their letter, which I\'ll translate below, is striking... though honestly I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten year olds convening a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote it and made them all sign. But anyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer, but equally rousing. The letters were so lovely they were published, and \r\n\r\nTaken together, these two letters  beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. \r\n\r\nhttps://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n江苏某县某乡中心小学十位同学四月十八日写信给我：\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了“三好”或“品学兼优”的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈\r\n妈说话三句不离钞票，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这难道就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 10:34:28', '2020-04-24 14:34:28', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2035, 1, '2020-04-24 10:33:50', '2020-04-24 14:33:50', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Ba Jin was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em>The Family</em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding  in just 10 years. Social values flipped on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s - the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle - were suddenly devalued. Suddenly, what mattered in the new market economy was money, money, money.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 middle school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important? Money, or ideals? Their letter, which I\'ll translate below, is striking... though honestly I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten year olds convening a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote it and made them all sign. But anyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer, but equally rousing. The letters were so lovely they were published, and \r\n\r\nTaken together, these two letters  beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. \r\n\r\nhttps://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n江苏某县某乡中心小学十位同学四月十八日写信给我：\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了“三好”或“品学兼优”的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈\r\n妈说话三句不离钞票，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这难道就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 10:33:50', '2020-04-24 14:33:50', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2038, 1, '2020-04-24 20:11:21', '2020-04-25 00:11:21', '', 'Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin', 'Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> ', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin', '', '', '2020-04-24 20:12:31', '2020-04-25 00:12:31', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2037, 1, '2020-04-24 10:35:49', '2020-04-24 14:35:49', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Ba Jin was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em>The Family</em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding  in just 10 years. Social values flipped on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s - the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle - were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered in the new market economy was money, money, money.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 middle school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important? Money, or ideals? Their letter, which I\'ll translate below, is striking... though honestly I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten year olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign. But anyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer, but equally rousing. The letters were so lovely they were published, and \r\n\r\nTaken together, these two letters  beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. \r\n\r\nhttps://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n江苏某县某乡中心小学十位同学四月十八日写信给我：\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了“三好”或“品学兼优”的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈\r\n妈说话三句不离钞票，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这难道就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nENGLISH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 10:35:49', '2020-04-24 14:35:49', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2039, 1, '2020-04-24 21:39:22', '2020-04-25 01:39:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values flipped on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s - the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle - were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered was making that money.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important? Money, or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten year olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a common phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n伏案\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>：\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"textHighlight\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"textHighlight\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"textHighlight\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这难道就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become a natural thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve ready many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we really don\'t wish to trouble you, but we truly need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 21:39:22', '2020-04-25 01:39:22', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2040, 1, '2020-04-24 21:49:36', '2020-04-25 01:49:36', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a common phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>：\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"textHighlight\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"textHighlight\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"textHighlight\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"textHighlight\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become a natural thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered on] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve ready many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 21:49:36', '2020-04-25 01:49:36', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2041, 1, '2020-04-24 21:52:37', '2020-04-25 01:52:37', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This is in the dictionary, but it\'s important vocab, so pay attention to how this is used. It indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>：\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"textHighlight\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"textHighlight\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"textHighlight\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"textHighlight\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become a natural thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered on] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve ready many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 21:52:37', '2020-04-25 01:52:37', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2042, 1, '2020-04-24 21:53:16', '2020-04-25 01:53:16', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This is in the dictionary, but it\'s important vocab, so pay attention to how this is used. It indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"textHighlight\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"textHighlight\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"textHighlight\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"textHighlight\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become a natural thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered on] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve ready many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 21:53:16', '2020-04-25 01:53:16', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2043, 1, '2020-04-24 21:54:10', '2020-04-25 01:54:10', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This is in the dictionary, but it\'s important vocab, so pay attention to how this is used. It indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"highlightText\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"highlightText\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"highlightText\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"highlightText\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become a natural thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered on] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve ready many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 21:54:10', '2020-04-25 01:54:10', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2044, 1, '2020-04-24 21:57:40', '2020-04-25 01:57:40', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This is in the dictionary, but it\'s important vocab, so pay attention to how this is used. It indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"highlightText\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"highlightText\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"highlightText\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"highlightText\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become an expected thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered on] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve ready many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 21:57:40', '2020-04-25 01:57:40', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2045, 1, '2020-04-24 22:11:24', '2020-04-25 02:11:24', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for an (upper) beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\nAnd one last note: what on Earth is up with the \"儿\" after \"叶\" (leaf)?! So, 儿 has a bajillion usages in Chinese, and one of them is that it makes the noun preceding it a little cutesy. You can\'t use it with every noun, but for example, 鱼 is \"fish\", while 鱼儿 is \"fishie\", 鸟 is \"bird\", and 鸟儿 is \"birdie\". And in this case, 叶 is \"leaf\" and 叶儿 is ... leafie? We don\'t have a diminutive form for \"leaf\" in English, but it basically means \"cute little leaf\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', 'This very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:11:24', '2020-04-25 02:11:24', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2046, 1, '2020-04-24 22:50:22', '2020-04-25 02:50:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner (around HSK 3-4) audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.\r\n\r\nI say \"mostly\", because suddenly in paragraph five, this very easy read round-house kicks you in the head with three super science-y words and some intermediate language, before going back to being simple. Because paragraph five is such an outlier in terms of difficulty, I marked it out as a [HARD PART] in the text, and I\'m going to walk you through some of the vocab and grammar in that one bit. The science terms it uses are: \r\n\r\n叶绿素 [pinyin]ye4 lv4 su4[/pinyin] - Chlorophyll (the chemical that makes leaves green)\r\n光合作用 [pinyin]guang1 he2 zuo4 yong4[/pinyin] - Photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into nutrients)\r\n养料  [pinyin]yang3 liao4[/pinyin] - Nutrients\r\n\r\nThis story being about a big tree, you can imagine why these words are needed, and they were probably included to help teach Chinese kids about how trees work. Four other intermediate words pop out in that paragraph:\r\n\r\n进行 [pinyin]jin4 xing2[/pinyin] - To undertake or conduct\r\n制造 [pinyin]zhi4 zao4[/pinyin] - To manufacture or create\r\n等于  [pinyin]deng3 yu2[/pinyin] - To be equal to, to be just like\r\n组成部分 [pinyin]zu3 cheng2 bu4 fen4[/pinyin] - Component part\r\n\r\nIt\'s also worth noting that similar to the story <em><a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/06/15/little-grass-silver-hair/\">Little Grass\' Silver Hair</a></em>, the natural elements here are personified as people. The wind is \"Auntie Wind\", the rain is \"Grandma Rain\". Keep an eye out for those names.\r\n\r\nThis story is also great for learning measure words. Measure words are words like \"a <em>flock</em> of birds\", \"a <em>herd</em> of deer\", \"a <em>bunch</em> of flowers\", that help count nouns, or describe the nature of nouns. In English, only some nouns have their own measure words, but in Chinese, almost all nouns have one. In this piece, we learn the measure word that goes with <em>forests</em> and <em>leaves</em> (片 - [pinyin]pian4[/pinyin] ), the one that goes with trees (棵 - [pinyin]ke1[/pinyin]), and the one that goes with ears (只 - [pinyin]zhi1[/pinyin]).\r\n\r\nAnd one last note: what on Earth is up with the \"儿\" after \"叶\" (leaf)?! So, 儿 has a bajillion usages in Chinese, and one of them is that it makes the noun preceding it a little cutesy. You can\'t use it with every noun, but for example, 鱼 is \"fish\", while 鱼儿 is \"fishie\", 鸟 is \"bird\", and 鸟儿 is \"birdie\". And in this case, 叶 is \"leaf\" and 叶儿 is ... leafie? We don\'t have a diminutive form for \"leaf\" in English, but it basically means \"cute little leaf\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.61w.cn/news/tonghua/1812151254598BG4HJGKDB424KDJH8H2.htm\">Source here</a> - I modified some of the harder words to make it a little simpler.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>大树公公</h4>\r\n很久很久以前，在一片大森林里，生长着一棵大树。大森林里的小动物们都喜欢在大树下唱歌跳舞玩游戏。大家都叫他：\"大树公公\"。\r\n\r\n那时候，小动物们都没有耳朵，听不到风声雨声，听不到欢歌笑语，也听不到彼此的呼唤。\r\n\r\n看着小动物们天真无邪的笑脸，大树公公非常着急，他想了九天九夜，忽然想到了自己满身的树叶儿。要是把它们送给小动物们当耳朵，不是一件很好的事情吗？\r\n\r\n风阿姨看出了大树公公的心事，她对大树公公说：\"不能这样做，把身上的树叶儿都摘掉，你会有生命危险的。\"\r\n\r\n[HARD PART] 雨婆婆知道了大树公公的想法，她对大树公公说：\"树叶儿是你生命中重要的组成部分，你要用叶绿素进行光合作用，制造养料。失去树叶儿，就等于失去了自己的生命。\"\r\n\r\n大树公公笑着说：\"你们不要劝我，只要小动物们能拥有两只可以听到各种美妙声音的耳朵，我愿意付出自己的一切。\"\r\n\r\n就这样，大树公公摘下了他身上的一片片树叶儿，送给每一个小动物。\r\n\r\n大象得到了两片大大的树叶儿，他有了两只大大的耳朵。小老鼠得到了两片小小的树叶儿，他有了两只小小的耳朵。小白兔、小松鼠、小胖猪、所有的`小动物，都有了两只可以听到各种声音的小耳朵。\r\n\r\n就在大树公公摘下他身上的最后一片树叶儿，就要失去绿色生命的时候，小动物们都哭了。小动物们的眼泪浸湿了大树公公身上所有的枝条。枝条们纷纷落在地上，生根发芽，变成了一棵棵绿色的小树苗。\r\n\r\n大树公公微笑着，慢慢溶入了他脚下的土地。\r\n\r\n后来，那些小树苗长成了一棵棵枝繁叶茂的大树，一棵棵大树又组成一片大大的森林。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong, long ago, in a forest, there grew a big tree. All the little animals in the forest all liked to sing and dance and play beneath it. Everyone called it: \"Grandfather Tree\". \r\n\r\nAt that time, little animals had no ears, they couldn\'t hear the wind or the rain, they couldn\'t hear happy songs or the sound of laughter, and they couldn\'t hear each other\'s calls. \r\n\r\nSeeing the little animals\' innocent faces, Grandpa Tree was very worried, he thought for nine days and nine nights, and suddenly thought of the leaves that covered his own body. If he took them and gave them to the small animals to use as ears, wouldn\'t that be a wonderful thing?\r\n\r\nAuntie Wind saw what Grandpa Tree was thinking, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"You can\'t do that, if you pluck off all the leaves on your body, your life will be in danger.\" \r\n\r\n[HARD PART] Grandma Rain knew about Grandpa Tree\'s idea, and she said to Grandpa Tree: \"Leaves make up an important component of your life, you must use the chlorophyll in leaves to conduct photosynthesis, and create nourishment. If you lose your leaves, it\'s equal to losing your life.\"   \r\n\r\nSmiling, Grandpa Tree said: \"[Now] you [two] don\'t push me, as long as the little animals [each] have two ears that can hear all kinds of wonderful sounds, I\'m willing to give my all.\" \r\n\r\nAnd so, Grandpa Tree plucked off each leaf on his body, and gave them to every animal. \r\n\r\nThe elephant received two big leaves, and he had two big ears. The mouse received two little leaves, and he had two little ears. The white rabbit, the squirrel, the fat pig, and all the little animals all had two ears that could hear all kinds of sounds. \r\n\r\nJust as Grandpa Tree plucked off the last leaf on his body, and was about to lose his green life, the little animals all cried. The animals\' tears moistened the branches on Grandpa Tree\'s body. As the branches fell to the ground, they sprouted, and became many green tree shoots.\r\n\r\nGrandpa Tree smiled slightly, and slowly dissolved into the earth at his feet. \r\n\r\nLater, those tree shoots grew into a verdant big trees, and those big trees became a huge forest. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', 'This very sweet story about an old tree who sacrifices himself for the animals of the forest might be the longest piece I\'ve ever found that\'s suitable for a beginner (probably HSK 3-4) audience. Both language and grammar is mostly quite straightforward.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:50:22', '2020-04-25 02:50:22', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2047, 1, '2020-04-24 22:51:41', '2020-04-25 02:51:41', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China\'s artistic golden age is perhaps the country\'s most well-known verse. Even better for learners, it\'s only a few lines long, and there are only a couple of difficult characters. In fact, this is such a perfect lesson, that the fact that I neglected to post it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. \r\n\r\nThis poem is a big deal. It\'s such a big deal that it\'s hard to overstate just what a big deal it is. The verse is so famous in China that most people can recite it from memory, and it\'s often read aloud during the Mid-Autumn festival, when families gather to gaze at the night sky. It appears in endless musical adaptations, and movies, and on greeting cards... you get the idea. \r\n\r\nIt was written by the celebrated Tang Dynasty poet <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bai\">Li Bai</a>, also sometimes called Li Po, who lived from 701-762 AD, and like good poets everywhere, was a bit of a wistful, drunk romantic who was married way more than once. One of the main themes throughout much of Li Bai\'s poetry is the sadness of being separated from one\'s friends, family and hometown. It\'s easy to imagine how far away and alone a traveler might have felt in an age without phone, email, or mechanization.《静夜思》[pinyin]jing4 ye4 si1[/pinyin], or <em>Quiet Night Thought</em>, falls right into this category with its main themes being the moon and homesickness.\r\n\r\nAnyway, this poem rhymes in Chinese, so it\'s best read aloud. I tried to translate it in such a way that the order of the English words generally matches the order of the Chinese words - hopefully this makes it a little easier to get. I have also placed spaces between some characters to give you some clues about which can be understood as a separate word, and which concepts should be understood together. The original, however, has no spacing.\r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nRemember, this is a poem, not prose. So, the author doesn\'t spell out every single <em>I</em>, <em>You</em>, and <em>My</em>. In fact, he leaves those words out all together. Instead, he paints a picture with carefully chosen characters. So, if this is your first attempt at reading Chinese poetry, I recommend you take it line by line, first understand the meaning of each character, and then try to imagine their meanings all together, and see if you can get a mental image of the scene.\r\n\r\nFor an ancient work of fine art, this poem is comprised of surprisingly basic characters, but there\'s an advanced word or two sprinkled in. Probably most difficult is this one: \r\n\r\n疑 [pinyin]yi2[/pinyin] - Poets sure do love to compare things to other things, and in Chinese, this is one of the words that lets them do it. It\'s a literary way to say \"as if\", or \"seem like\". So 疑是 means \"As if it is _______\" or \"Seems like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character is usually related to doubt or suspicion, but that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\r\n\r\nI should also probably clarify that 望 [pinyin]wang4[/pinyin] has quite a few definitions, and the one used here is \"to gaze towards\". \r\n\r\nNot all of Li Bai\'s works are so simple, but if you\'d like to get a little deeper into the world of Tang poetry, you might consider picking up <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VYn3hV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">this narrative Biography of Li Bai</a> for Kindle, or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VonO4v\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an English translation of his works</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《静夜思》</h4>\r\n床前 明月 光，\r\n疑是 地上 霜。\r\n举头 望 明月，\r\n低头 思 故乡。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VYn3hV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Kindle Li Bai biography</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VonO4v\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">his poems in English</a>.\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBefore my bed the bright moon\'s glow, \r\nseems like frost on the ground.\r\nI raise my head and gaze at the bright moon, \r\nI lower my head and think of my hometown.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'China\'s most famous poem: 《静夜思》by Li Bai', 'This bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China\'s artistic golden age is perhaps the country\'s most well-known verse. Even better for beginners (HSK 2-3), it\'s only a few lines long, and there are only a couple of difficult characters. In fact, this is such a perfect lesson, that the fact that I haven\'t posted it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1955-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:51:41', '2020-04-25 02:51:41', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2048, 1, '2020-04-24 22:52:07', '2020-04-25 02:52:07', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China\'s artistic golden age is perhaps the country\'s most well-known verse. Even better for beginners (HSK 2-3), it\'s only a few lines long, and there are only a couple of difficult characters. In fact, this is such a perfect lesson, that the fact that I neglected to post it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. \r\n\r\nThis poem is a big deal. It\'s such a big deal that it\'s hard to overstate just what a big deal it is. The verse is so famous in China that most people can recite it from memory, and it\'s often read aloud during the Mid-Autumn festival, when families gather to gaze at the night sky. It appears in endless musical adaptations, and movies, and on greeting cards... you get the idea. \r\n\r\nIt was written by the celebrated Tang Dynasty poet <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bai\">Li Bai</a>, also sometimes called Li Po, who lived from 701-762 AD, and like good poets everywhere, was a bit of a wistful, drunk romantic who was married way more than once. One of the main themes throughout much of Li Bai\'s poetry is the sadness of being separated from one\'s friends, family and hometown. It\'s easy to imagine how far away and alone a traveler might have felt in an age without phone, email, or mechanization.《静夜思》[pinyin]jing4 ye4 si1[/pinyin], or <em>Quiet Night Thought</em>, falls right into this category with its main themes being the moon and homesickness.\r\n\r\nAnyway, this poem rhymes in Chinese, so it\'s best read aloud. I tried to translate it in such a way that the order of the English words generally matches the order of the Chinese words - hopefully this makes it a little easier to get. I have also placed spaces between some characters to give you some clues about which can be understood as a separate word, and which concepts should be understood together. The original, however, has no spacing.\r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nRemember, this is a poem, not prose. So, the author doesn\'t spell out every single <em>I</em>, <em>You</em>, and <em>My</em>. In fact, he leaves those words out all together. Instead, he paints a picture with carefully chosen characters. So, if this is your first attempt at reading Chinese poetry, I recommend you take it line by line, first understand the meaning of each character, and then try to imagine their meanings all together, and see if you can get a mental image of the scene.\r\n\r\nFor an ancient work of fine art, this poem is comprised of surprisingly basic characters, but there\'s an advanced word or two sprinkled in. Probably most difficult is this one: \r\n\r\n疑 [pinyin]yi2[/pinyin] - Poets sure do love to compare things to other things, and in Chinese, this is one of the words that lets them do it. It\'s a literary way to say \"as if\", or \"seem like\". So 疑是 means \"As if it is _______\" or \"Seems like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character is usually related to doubt or suspicion, but that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\r\n\r\nI should also probably clarify that 望 [pinyin]wang4[/pinyin] has quite a few definitions, and the one used here is \"to gaze towards\". \r\n\r\nNot all of Li Bai\'s works are so simple, but if you\'d like to get a little deeper into the world of Tang poetry, you might consider picking up <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VYn3hV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">this narrative Biography of Li Bai</a> for Kindle, or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VonO4v\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an English translation of his works</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《静夜思》</h4>\r\n床前 明月 光，\r\n疑是 地上 霜。\r\n举头 望 明月，\r\n低头 思 故乡。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VYn3hV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Kindle Li Bai biography</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VonO4v\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">his poems in English</a>.\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBefore my bed the bright moon\'s glow, \r\nseems like frost on the ground.\r\nI raise my head and gaze at the bright moon, \r\nI lower my head and think of my hometown.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'China\'s most famous poem: 《静夜思》by Li Bai', 'This bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China\'s artistic golden age is perhaps the country\'s most well-known verse. Even better for beginners (HSK 2-3), it\'s only a few lines long, and there are only a couple of difficult characters. In fact, this is such a perfect lesson, that the fact that I haven\'t posted it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1955-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:52:07', '2020-04-25 02:52:07', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2049, 1, '2020-04-24 22:53:15', '2020-04-25 02:53:15', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA very quick joke for lower-intermediate readers (HSK 4-5), \r\nhttps://www.txshuku.com/html/28149_1487908.html\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《秘密》</h4>\r\n最近听到两个故事，觉得很有意思，尤其是这个，以后人家问话太多的时候，我想我就告诉他这一个笑话。德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"你能够保守秘密么？\"\r\n\r\n他指天誓曰：\"我能够，沉默得像坟墓，像鱼，像深海底的鱼。\"\r\n\r\n皇帝道：\"我也能够。\"  \r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI recently heard two stories, which I thought were very interesting, particularly this one, and after [I heard it] whenever people ask me too many questions, I think I\'ll tell them this joke. GERMANY SOMETHING PLACE, WAS AT WAR, a general came to see him, and asked him what strategy he was using.  德国的佛德烈大帝，大约是在打仗吧，一个将军来见他，问他用的是什么策略。\r\n\r\nThe emperor said: \"Can you keep a secret?\"\r\n\r\nHe [the general] pointed to the sky and vowed, \"I can, [I\'m] silent as the grave, like a fish, like a fish in the bottom of the deep ocean.\" \r\n\r\nThe emperor said, \"So can I.\" \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Joke: 《秘密》Secrets by Zhang Ailing', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2031-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:53:15', '2020-04-25 02:53:15', '', 2031, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2031-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2050, 1, '2020-05-11 00:00:11', '2020-05-11 04:00:11', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nSong dynasty warrior-poet and folk hero <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Yuefei (岳飞)</a> gets a tattoo to remind himself of his duty to his country. This is an \"advanced\" post for three reasons: one, there are some words in here that can\'t be found in the dictionary, two, there are quite a few proper names, and three, to understand this, you need to know a little bit about Song history. \r\n\r\nLong story sort, The Song dynasty had two main enemies, both on their northern border. The Liao (辽) to the Northeast, and the Jin (金) to the Northwest. The Song bickered with the Liao for 150 years, and then both the Song and Liao were invaded by the Jin who took the Song capital at Kaifeng and forced them to relocate it south, to modern-day Hangzhou. The pre-invasion period is called the \"Northern Song\", because the song capital was in the north, and the post-invasion period the \"Southern Song\", because the capital was moved south. The way history remembers it, the Song Dynasty was corrupt and broken, which is why the Jin were able to take the capital city, and the nation only survived thanks to heroes like Yuefei. \r\n\r\nThe story of Yuefei\'s tattoo is full of machismo and to-the-death loyalty, and gossip is that gangsters or military will sometimes get this same tat. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nWe\'ve got a few proper nouns, here: we\'ve got the dynasty names, the Liao (辽), the Jin (金) and the Song (宋); we\'ve got the name of the Song capital Kaifeng (开封), we\'ve got people like Yuefei (岳飞), his mother Madam Yaotai (姚太夫人), and Deputy Marshall Zongze (副元帅宗泽). \r\n\r\nWe\'ve also got some things that no longer exist, such as 醋墨, which is a mix of vinegar and ink paste used to smear on wounds to seal them. There\'s also an official / military rank, 秉义郎, which I\'ve translated as \"Minister of Righteous Justice\", which only existed during the Song Dynasty. \r\n\r\nAnd finally, we have classical-ish Chinese being used in a quote: “智勇才艺，古良将不能过”. Breaking this down word-by-word clears its meaning right up:\r\n\r\n智 - Intelligent\r\n勇 - brave\r\n才 - talented\r\n艺，- artistic\r\n古 - antiquity\r\n良 - Good\r\n将 - general (military)\r\n不能 - cannot\r\n过 - defeat\r\n\r\nIn other words, \"Even the good generals of antiquity couldn\'t have defeated [someone with] so much intelligence, courage, talent and artistry.\"\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D%E5%88%BA%E5%AD%97/2635978\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>岳飞纹字</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">岳飞</span>十五六岁时，北方的<span class=\"highlightText\">金</span>人南侵，<span class=\"highlightText\">宋</span>朝当权者腐败无能，节节败退，国家处在生死存亡的关头。岳飞投军抗<span class=\"highlightText\">辽</span>。不久因父丧，退伍还乡守孝。\r\n\r\n1126年，金兵大举入侵中原，岳飞再次投军。临行前，<span class=\"highlightText\">姚太夫人</span>把岳飞叫到跟前，说：\"现在国难当头，你有什么打算？\"\r\n\r\n\"到前线杀敌，精忠报国！\"\r\n\r\n姚太夫人听了儿子的回答，十分满意，\"精忠报国\"正是母亲对儿子的希望。她决定把这四个字刺在儿子的背上，让他永远铭记在心。\r\n\r\n岳飞解开上衣，露出瘦瘦的脊背，请母亲下针。\r\n\r\n姚太夫人问：\"孩子，针刺是很痛的，你怕吗？\"\r\n\r\n岳飞说：\"母亲，小小钢针算不了什么，如果连针都怕，怎么去前线打仗！\"\r\n\r\n姚太夫人先在岳飞背上写了字，然后用绣花针刺了起来。但“国”字没有一点，象征国内无首。刺完之后，岳母又涂上<span class=\"highlightText\">醋墨</span>。从此，\"精忠报国\"四个字就永不褪色地留在了岳飞的后背上。 母亲的鼓舞激励着岳飞。岳飞投军后，很快因作战勇敢升<span class=\"highlightText\">秉义郎</span>。这时宋都<span class=\"highlightText\">开封</span>被金军围困，岳飞随<span class=\"highlightText\">副元帅宗泽</span>前去救援，多次打败金军，受到宗泽的赏识，称赞他“<span class=\"highlightText\">智勇才艺，古良将不能过</span>”，后来成为著名的抗金英雄，受历代人民所敬仰。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nWhen Yuefei was fifteen or sixteen, the Northern Jin invaded [across] their southern [border]. Those who held power within the Song Dynasty were corrupt and incompetent, were pushed back through gradual defeats, and the country\'s continued existence hung by a thread. Yuefei [had originally] joined the army to resist the Liao. But before long his father died, and he left the military to return to his hometown and pay his respects. \r\n\r\nIn 1126, the Jin launched a large-scale incursion into the central plains, and Yuefei once again enlisted. Before he set out, Madam Yaotai [Yuefei\'s mother] called Yuefei before her, and said: \"Right now the country is facing great difficulty, what do you plan to do?\" \r\n\r\n\"Go to the front lines and slaughter the enemy, and serve my country with perfect loyalty.\" \r\n\r\nMadam Yaotai listened to her son\'s answer, and was quite satisfied, as \"serve the country with perfect loyalty\" was precisely what she hoped her son would do. She decided to take these four words and tattoo them onto her son\'s back, so they would be forever engraved on his heart. \r\n\r\nYuefei opened his shirt, exposing his thin back, and invited his mother to begin.\r\n\r\nMadam Yaotai asked, \"Child, tattoos are quite painful, are you afraid?\" \r\n\r\nYuefei said: \"Mother, a little needle is nothing. If I was afraid of a needle, how could I [face] going to war on the front lines?\" \r\n\r\nMadam Yaotai first drew the words on his back, then used an embroidery needle to tattoo him. But she left the dot off the character \"国\", to symbolize that the country had no [real] leader. When she was done, she spread a mix of ink and vinegar [over the wound]. From then on, \"serve the country with perfect loyalty\" [were engraved], never-fading, on his back. His mother\'s encouragement inspired Yuefei. After Yuefei joined the army, he was promoted quickly to the rank of Minister of Righteous Justice due to his courage on the battlefield. During this time, the Song capital of Kaifeng was surrounded by the Jin army, and Yuefei went to Deputy Marshall Zongze\'s rescue, defeating the Jin army many times, and he won Zongze\'s appreciation, who said of him, \"Even the good generals of antiquity couldn\'t have defeated [someone with] so much intelligence, courage, talent and artistry.\" Later he became a famous hero of the anti-Jin resistance, and receive the admiration of later generations.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Folk tales of real people: 《岳飞纹字》Yue Fei\'s Tattoo', 'Song dynasty warrior-poet and folk hero <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Yuefei (岳飞)</a> gets a tattoo to remind himself of his duty to his country. This is an \"advanced\" post for three reasons: one, there are some words in here that can\'t be found in the dictionary, two, there are quite a few proper names, and three, to understand this, you need to know a little bit about Song history. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'folk-tales-yue-fei-tattoo', '', '', '2020-05-14 11:21:47', '2020-05-14 15:21:47', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2050', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2051, 1, '2020-04-24 22:58:17', '2020-04-25 02:58:17', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nNOTES\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D%E5%88%BA%E5%AD%97/2635978\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>岳飞纹字</h4>\r\n岳飞十五六岁时，北方的金人南侵，宋朝当权者腐败无能，节节败退，国家处在生死存亡的关头。岳飞投军抗辽。不久因父丧，退伍还乡守孝。\r\n\r\n1126年，金兵大举入侵中原，岳飞再次投军。临行前，姚太夫人把岳飞叫到跟前，说：\"现在国难当头，你有什么打算？\"\r\n\r\n\"到前线杀敌，精忠报国！\"\r\n\r\n姚太夫人听了儿子的回答，十分满意，\"精忠报国\"正是母亲对儿子的希望。她决定把这四个字刺在儿子的背上，让他永远铭记在心。\r\n\r\n岳飞解开上衣，露出瘦瘦的脊背，请母亲下针。\r\n\r\n姚太夫人问：\"孩子，针刺是很痛的，你怕吗？\"\r\n\r\n岳飞说：\"母亲，小小钢针算不了什么，如果连针都怕，怎么去前线打仗！\"\r\n\r\n姚太夫人先在岳飞背上写了字，然后用绣花针刺了起来。但“国”字没有一点，象征国内无首。刺完之后，岳母又涂上醋墨。从此，\"精忠报国\"四个字就永不褪色地留在了岳飞的后背上。 母亲的鼓舞激励着岳飞。岳飞投军后，很快因作战勇敢升秉义郎。这时宋都开封被金军围困，岳飞随副元帅宗泽前去救援，多次打败金军，受到宗泽的赏识，称赞他“智勇才艺，古良将不能过”，后来成为著名的抗金英雄，受历代人民所敬仰。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nxxx\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Folk tales: 《岳飞纹字》Yue Fei\'s Tattoo', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2050-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:58:17', '2020-04-25 02:58:17', '', 2050, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/24/2050-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2052, 1, '2020-04-25 09:46:51', '2020-04-25 13:46:51', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA fairly simple read for newbies about a self-hating rabbit. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn terms of plot, this is your basic \"it\'s what\'s on the inside that counts\", moral-of-the-story story. Frankly, it\'s a bit boring, but there are a couple of good words and phrases in here. One in particular is difficult, and I couldn\'t figure it out just by looking at the definition, I had to go hunt around a bit: 钻出来 [pinyin]zuan1 chu1 lai2[/pinyin]. We know that 出来 means to \"come out of\". But 钻? The first definition that came up when I looked was \"diamond\", but that wasn\'t the correct definition in this case. Secondly, it also means to \"drill\" or \"bore\", which makes sense as a second definition of \"diamond\" - lots of diamond drill bits out there. But that still doesn\'t work in context of the whole sentence. I finally ran a Baidu image search on the phrase, and there were lots of pictures of miners squeezing out of small spaces, children coming out of playground tunnels, workers coming out of manholes, and I realized that 钻出来 means to wiggle out of a space via a small opening. Imagine a secret agent crawling through an air duct; in Chinese, there\'s a word for that, and that word is 钻. \r\n\r\nI got this from Sina user <a href=\"http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6ace1efa0100kltk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zifengling\'s personal blog</a>, in a post where she lists a few different easy stories, so if you wanna read some more on your own, head on over. I\'ll probably translate another couple from there before too long. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>美丽的小兔子</h4>\r\n森林里住着一只小兔子，它叫“丑丑”。它的眼睛红红的，像一对<strong>红宝石</strong>。可是它的毛灰灰的，像是从<strong>灰炉</strong>里钻出来似的，它觉得自己太<strong>丑</strong>了，常常一个人躲在家里。\r\n\r\n虽然它长得不好看，但是它有一颗无比善良的心。小猴子乐乐的家被大水<strong>冲垮</strong>了，无家可归。丑丑就让乐乐住在自己的家，还把自己最喜欢吃的巧克力分给乐乐吃。<strong>不仅如此</strong>，谁头痛、生病了，没钱买药，它都会尽其所能进行帮助。\r\n\r\n日子一天天过去了，丑丑还是很<strong>孤单</strong>。一次，森林里最好看的小兔子美美来找它玩，可丑丑觉得自己太丑了，没脸见它。美美告诉丑丑：“人的<strong>外表</strong>并不重要，重要的是<strong>内在</strong>美。”丑丑恍然大悟，它跑了出去，和伙伴们一起尽情地玩耍。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nIn the forest there lived a little rabbit whose name was \"Chouchou\". His eyes were red, like a pair of rubies. But his fur was grey, like he\'d wiggled out of a furnace, and he felt himself to be very ugly, often hiding in his house alone. \r\n\r\nAlthough he wasn\'t nice to look at, he had an incomparably kind heart. When Little Monkey Lele\'s home was burst apart by a flood, he had no house to return to. Chouchou let Lele live with him, and he divided up his favorite chocolate to give some to Lele to eat. Not only that, whoever had a headach, or got sick, with no money to buy medicine, he did everything he was able to do to help. \r\n\r\nThe days passed one by one, and Chouchou was still alone. One time, the forest\'s most beautiful rabbit Meimei came looking for Chouchou to play, but Chouchou thought of himself as just too ugly, he couldn\'t face seeing her. Meimei told Chouchou: \"It\'s not what\'s on the outside that counts, the important thing is what\'s on the inside.\" Chouchou suddenly saw the light, he ran outside, and played with his friends to his heart\'s content.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'Children\'s Story: The \"Beautiful\" Rabbit', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1565-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 09:46:51', '2020-04-25 13:46:51', '', 1565, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/1565-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2053, 1, '2020-04-25 09:47:25', '2020-04-25 13:47:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA fairly simple read for newbies about a self-hating rabbit. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn terms of plot, this is your basic \"it\'s what\'s on the inside that counts\", moral-of-the-story story. Frankly, it\'s a bit boring, but there are a couple of good words and phrases in here. One in particular is difficult, and I couldn\'t figure it out just by looking at the definition, I had to go hunt around a bit: 钻出来 [pinyin]zuan1 chu1 lai2[/pinyin]. We know that 出来 means to \"come out of\". But 钻? The first definition that came up when I looked was \"diamond\", but that wasn\'t the correct definition in this case. Secondly, it also means to \"drill\" or \"bore\", which makes sense as a second definition of \"diamond\" - lots of diamond drill bits out there. But that still doesn\'t work in context of the whole sentence. I finally ran a Baidu image search on the phrase, and there were lots of pictures of miners squeezing out of small spaces, children coming out of playground tunnels, workers coming out of manholes, and I realized that 钻出来 means to wiggle out of a space via a small opening. Imagine a secret agent crawling through an air duct; in Chinese, there\'s a word for that, and that word is 钻. \r\n\r\nI got this from Sina user <a href=\"http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6ace1efa0100kltk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zifengling\'s personal blog</a>, in a post where she lists a few different easy stories, so if you wanna read some more on your own, head on over. I\'ll probably translate another couple from there before too long. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>美丽的小兔子</h4>\r\n森林里住着一只小兔子，它叫“丑丑”。它的眼睛红红的，像一对<strong>红宝石</strong>。可是它的毛灰灰的，像是从<strong>灰炉</strong>里钻出来似的，它觉得自己太<strong>丑</strong>了，常常一个人躲在家里。\r\n\r\n虽然它长得不好看，但是它有一颗无比善良的心。小猴子乐乐的家被大水<strong>冲垮</strong>了，无家可归。丑丑就让乐乐住在自己的家，还把自己最喜欢吃的巧克力分给乐乐吃。<strong>不仅如此</strong>，谁头痛、生病了，没钱买药，它都会尽其所能进行帮助。\r\n\r\n日子一天天过去了，丑丑还是很<strong>孤单</strong>。一次，森林里最好看的小兔子美美来找它玩，可丑丑觉得自己太丑了，没脸见它。美美告诉丑丑：“人的<strong>外表</strong>并不重要，重要的是<strong>内在</strong>美。”丑丑恍然大悟，它跑了出去，和伙伴们一起尽情地玩耍。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nIn the forest there lived a little rabbit whose name was \"Chouchou\". His eyes were red, like a pair of rubies. But his fur was grey, like he\'d wiggled out of a furnace, and he felt himself to be very ugly, often hiding in his house alone. \r\n\r\nAlthough he wasn\'t nice to look at, he had an incomparably kind heart. When Little Monkey Lele\'s home was burst apart by a flood, he had no house to return to. Chouchou let Lele live with him, and he divided up his favorite chocolate to give some to Lele to eat. Not only that, whoever had a headach, or got sick, with no money to buy medicine, he did everything he was able to do to help. \r\n\r\nThe days passed one by one, and Chouchou was still alone. One time, the forest\'s most beautiful rabbit Meimei came looking for Chouchou to play, but Chouchou thought of himself as just too ugly, he couldn\'t face seeing her. Meimei told Chouchou: \"It\'s not what\'s on the outside that counts, the important thing is what\'s on the inside.\" Chouchou suddenly saw the light, he ran outside, and played with his friends to his heart\'s content.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'Children\'s Stories: The \"Beautiful\" Rabbit', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1565-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 09:47:25', '2020-04-25 13:47:25', '', 1565, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/1565-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2054, 1, '2020-04-25 10:34:29', '2020-04-25 14:34:29', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA medium-length lower-intermediate (HSK 4-5) story about an old cat who goes up to heaven for a rest and some snacks. \r\n\r\nThe challenge in this story is not in the vocabulary, but in the sentence construction, which is not as clear and directly-translatable to English sentences as, say, the sentences in <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/22/childrens-stories-grandpa-tree/\">Grandfather Tree</a>. This piece includes quite a few grammatical structures unique to Chinese. I always tend to find that words are easy to look up, but unfamiliar sentence construction is harder to comprehend, because the words don\'t seem to string together. So, I\'ll spend some time explaining the rough bits before we dive in. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>Quick vocab note:</strong> Since this piece is set in heaven (天堂 [pinyin]tian tang[/pinyin]), expect to see related words like God / Heavenly Lord (上帝 [pinyin]shang di[/pinyin], lifetime (辈子 [pinyin]bei zi[/pinyin], life (一生 [pinyin]yi4 sheng1[/pinyin])\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.51test.net/show/9785328.html\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《老猫的下酒菜》</h4>\r\n老猫度完了自己的一生,上了天堂。上帝来到它的面前,对它说:“我希望你在这里能过得更好。现在你说一下你有什么要求吧。”\r\n\r\n“上帝啊!”老猫说:“为了抓住老鼠,填饱肚子,我像个疯子似的跑了一辈子了。您能不能让我在这儿不用跑来跑去找吃的吗?”\r\n\r\n“好的。”上帝说完,给了老猫一张舒服柔软的大床、一大瓶酒、一些玩具和一大堆好吃的。\r\n\r\n第二天,天堂来了六只老鼠。上帝对老鼠说:“我希望你们在这里能过得更好。现在你们说一下你们都有什么要求吧。”\r\n\r\n“上帝啊!”老鼠们齐声说。“我们这辈子为了弄口吃的,每天东躲西藏,时刻提防着老猫的袭击。我们跑够了,再也不想跑了。”　　\r\n\r\n“好。”上帝说完,给每只老鼠发了一双冰鞋。　\r\n\r\n第三天,上帝看见老猫时,问:“你在这儿过得怎么样?还满意吧?”　　\r\n\r\n“好极了!”老猫回答。“我喜欢我那张床,还有那堆玩具。酒也非常好喝,就是那些穿冰鞋的下酒菜实在不容易抓到。”\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nAn old cat FINISHED HIS  life, and went up to heaven. The Heavenly Lord came before him, and said to him: \"I hope that here you can pass [your time] more happily. Now, tell me what requests you have.\" \r\n\r\n\"Oh Heavenly Lord!\" The old cat said: \"In order to catch mice, and fill my belly, I ran about like a crazy thing all my days. Can you make it so that here, I needn\'t run all about to eat?\" \r\n\r\n\"Alright.\" The Heavenly Lord finished speaking, and he gave the old cat a comfortable, soft, big bed, a bottle of wine, a few toys and a big pile of food.\r\n\r\nThe next day, six mice came to heaven. The Heavenly Lord said to the mice: \"I hope that here you can pass [your time] more happily. Now tell me what requests you have.\" \r\n\r\n\"Oh Heavenly Lord!\" The mice said in unison. \"During our lives in order to get a bite to eat, every day we\'ve [had to] hide here and there, we\'ve  “上帝啊!”老鼠们齐声说。“我们这辈子为了弄口吃的,每天东躲西藏,时刻提防着老猫的袭击。我们跑够了,再也不想跑了。”　　\r\n\r\n“好。”上帝说完,给每只老鼠发了一双冰鞋。　\r\n\r\n第三天,上帝看见老猫时,问:“你在这儿过得怎么样?还满意吧?”　　\r\n\r\n“好极了!”老猫回答。“我喜欢我那张床,还有那堆玩具。酒也非常好喝,就是那些穿冰鞋的下酒菜实在不容易抓到。”\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: The Cat\'s Appetizers', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1971-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 10:34:29', '2020-04-25 14:34:29', '', 1971, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/1971-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2055, 1, '2020-04-25 11:47:01', '2020-04-25 15:47:01', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nAw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIn the last paragraph, the little birds \"sing a song for the old man\", or \"<strong>唱歌给老爷爷听</strong>\" [pinyin]chang4 ge1 gei3 lao3 ye2 ye ting1[/pinyin]. You may notice that the characters for \"give\" (给 [pinyin]gei3[/pinyin]) and the character for \"listen\" (听 [pinyin]ting1[/pinyin]) are in there - why? In Chinese, the way to say \"to sing a song for (person)\" is \"sing a song and give (person) listen\". \r\n\r\n<strong>Action + result</strong> - In Chinese, actions are sometimes grouped together in the order in which they happened to express an entire concept. In paragraph two for example, we see 冻 [pinyin]dong4[/pinyin], which means \"to freeze\" and 死 [pinyin]si3[/pinyin], which means \"to die\". If you stick them next to each other, you might guess that this means \"freeze to death\", and you\'d be right. First, you freeze, then as a result, you die. \r\n\r\nIn that same paragraph, we also see 吹走 [pinyin]chui1 zou3[/pinyin], 吹 meaning \"to blow\" (like the wind), and 走 meaning \"to go away\". Put them together, and you get \"to blow away\", like \"the wind blew it away\". Similar pattern in the last paragraph in with 着凉生病. 着凉 [pinyin]zhuo liang[/pinyin] means \"to catch a chill\" and 生病 [pinyin]sheng1 bing4[/pinyin] means \"to get sick\", so \"to get sick as a result of catching a chill\". \r\n\r\nAll of those examples make sense in English, and can be directly translated, but the final one, 送给 [pinyin]song4 gei3[/pinyin], is a little trickier. 送 means \"to send\" and 给 means \"to give\", but this seems repetitive, like the same action is being done twice - where\'s the result? To understand this, imagine the process of giving someone a present. First, you must deliver it to them in some way - you stretch out your hand if they\'re in front of you, or put it in the mail - this is 送. Once it is in their hands, it has been given to them, this is 给. So, 送给 is really just the equivalent of the English word \"to give\".\r\n\r\nI\'m sure I\'ve just lumped a bunch of technically unrelated grammatical structures together and all the linguists are cringing, but this unprofessional little concept helps me decipher bunches of verbs, so tough linguistic cookies.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>老爷爷的帽子</h4>\r\n冬天到了，北风<span class=\"highlightText\">呼呼</span>地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖。\r\n\r\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝<span class=\"highlightText\">吹走</span>了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\r\n\r\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多快要<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都<span class=\"highlightText\">唱歌给老爷爷听</span>。\r\n\r\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己<span class=\"highlightText\">着凉生病</span>了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。\"小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帽子<span class=\"highlightText\">送给</span>老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nWinter had come, the north wind blew <em>whoo whoo</em>, and the weather was very cold. There was a small pitiful bird, sitting on a tree branch so cold it was shivering.\r\n\r\nAn old man walked by, saw the little bird, and thought to himself: \"This little bird so pitiful, on a day as cold as this, it will surely freeze to death.\" The little bird said to the old man: \"The wind blew our nest away, we have no home.\" The old man said: \"Don\'t worry, I\'ll help you think of a solution.\" The old man then used his own hat and gave it to the little bird to make a nest, the hat was very warm. \r\n\r\nThe little bird realized that in the forest there were still quite a few little birds who would soon freeze to death, so it called them all to come, and together they flew into the old man\'s hat. They all profusely thanked the old man. Thereafter, the old man came every day to see the little birds, and each time the little birds sang a song for the old man.   \r\n\r\nOne day the old man didn\'t come, turns out he was ill. The little bird thought: \"Surely [because] the old man gave us his hat, he caught a chill and got sick, let\'s quickly make a hat for the old man.\" So the little birds used their own feathers to make a hat and gave it to the old man. The old man profusely thanked the little birds, and his illness was quickly cured. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》The Old Man\'s Hat', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2001-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 11:47:01', '2020-04-25 15:47:01', '', 2001, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/2001-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2056, 1, '2020-04-25 11:50:26', '2020-04-25 15:50:26', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nAw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIn the last paragraph, the little birds \"sing a song for the old man\", or \"<strong>唱歌给老爷爷听</strong>\" [pinyin]chang4 ge1 gei3 lao3 ye2 ye ting1[/pinyin]. You may notice that the characters for \"give\" (给 [pinyin]gei3[/pinyin]) and the character for \"listen\" (听 [pinyin]ting1[/pinyin]) are in there, but why? In Chinese, the way to say \"to sing a song for (person)\" is \"sing a song and give (person) listen\". That should clear that up. \r\n\r\n<strong>Action + result</strong> - In Chinese, actions are sometimes grouped together in the order in which they happened to express an entire concept. In paragraph two for example, we see 冻 [pinyin]dong4[/pinyin], which means \"to freeze\" and 死 [pinyin]si3[/pinyin], which means \"to die\". If you stick them next to each other, you might guess that this means \"freeze to death\", and you\'d be right. First, you freeze, then as a result, you die. \r\n\r\nIn that same paragraph, we also see 吹走 [pinyin]chui1 zou3[/pinyin], 吹 meaning \"to blow\" (like the wind), and 走 meaning \"to go away\". Put them together, and you get \"to blow away\", like \"the wind blew it away\". Similar pattern in the last paragraph in with 着凉生病. 着凉 [pinyin]zhuo2 liang4[/pinyin] means \"to catch a chill\" and 生病 [pinyin]sheng1 bing4[/pinyin] means \"to get sick\", so \"to get sick as a result of catching a chill\". \r\n\r\nAll of those examples make sense in English, and can be directly translated, but the final one, 送给 [pinyin]song4 gei3[/pinyin], is a little trickier. 送 means \"to send\" and 给 means \"to give\", but this seems repetitive, like the same action is being done twice - where\'s the result? To understand this, imagine the process of giving someone a present. First, you must deliver it to them in some way - you stretch out your hand if they\'re in front of you, or put it in the mail - this is 送. Once it is in their hands, it has been given to them, this is 给. So, 送给 is really just the equivalent of the English word \"to give\".\r\n\r\nI\'m sure I\'ve just lumped a bunch of technically unrelated grammatical structures together and all the linguists are cringing, but this unprofessional little concept helps me decipher bunches of verbs, so tough linguistic cookies.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>老爷爷的帽子</h4>\r\n冬天到了，北风呼呼地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖。\r\n\r\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝<span class=\"highlightText\">吹走</span>了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\r\n\r\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多快要<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都<span class=\"highlightText\">唱歌给老爷爷听</span>。\r\n\r\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己<span class=\"highlightText\">着凉生病</span>了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。\"小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帽子<span class=\"highlightText\">送给</span>老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nWinter had come, the north wind blew <em>whoo whoo</em>, and the weather was very cold. There was a small pitiful bird, sitting on a tree branch so cold it was shivering.\r\n\r\nAn old man walked by, saw the little bird, and thought to himself: \"This little bird so pitiful, on a day as cold as this, it will surely freeze to death.\" The little bird said to the old man: \"The wind blew our nest away, we have no home.\" The old man said: \"Don\'t worry, I\'ll help you think of a solution.\" The old man then used his own hat and gave it to the little bird to make a nest, the hat was very warm. \r\n\r\nThe little bird realized that in the forest there were still quite a few little birds who would soon freeze to death, so it called them all to come, and together they flew into the old man\'s hat. They all profusely thanked the old man. Thereafter, the old man came every day to see the little birds, and each time the little birds sang a song for the old man.   \r\n\r\nOne day the old man didn\'t come, turns out he was ill. The little bird thought: \"Surely [because] the old man gave us his hat, he caught a chill and got sick, let\'s quickly make a hat for the old man.\" So the little birds used their own feathers to make a hat and gave it to the old man. The old man profusely thanked the little birds, and his illness was quickly cured. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》The Old Man\'s Hat', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2001-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 11:50:26', '2020-04-25 15:50:26', '', 2001, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/2001-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2057, 1, '2020-04-25 11:55:31', '2020-04-25 15:55:31', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nAw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. \n\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\nIn the second-to-last paragraph, the little birds \"sing a song for the old man\", or \"<strong>唱歌给老爷爷听</strong>\" [pinyin]chang4 ge1 gei3 lao3 ye2 ye ting1[/pinyin]. You may notice that the characters for \"give\" (给 [pinyin]gei3[/pinyin]) and the character for \"listen\" (听 [pinyin]ting1[/pinyin]) are in there, but why? In Chinese, the way to say \"to sing a song for (person)\" is \"sing a song and give (person) listen\". That should clear that up. \n\n<strong>Action + result</strong> - In Chinese, actions are sometimes grouped together in the order in which they happened to express an entire concept. In paragraph two for example, we see 冻 [pinyin]dong4[/pinyin], which means \"to freeze\" and 死 [pinyin]si3[/pinyin], which means \"to die\". If you stick them next to each other, you might guess that this means \"freeze to death\", and you\'d be right. First, you freeze, then as a result, you die. \n\nIn that same paragraph, we also see 吹走 [pinyin]chui1 zou3[/pinyin], 吹 meaning \"to blow\" (like the wind), and 走 meaning \"to go away\". Put them together, and you get \"to blow away\", like \"the wind blew it away\". Similar pattern in the last paragraph in with 着凉生病. 着凉 [pinyin]zhuo2 liang4[/pinyin] means \"to catch a chill\" and 生病 [pinyin]sheng1 bing4[/pinyin] means \"to get sick\", so \"to get sick as a result of catching a chill\". \n\nAll of those examples make sense in English, and can be directly translated, but the final one, 送给 [pinyin]song4 gei3[/pinyin], is a little trickier. 送 means \"to send\" and 给 means \"to give\", but this seems repetitive, like the same action is being done twice - where\'s the result? To understand this, imagine the process of giving someone a present. First, you must deliver it to them in some way - you stretch out your hand if they\'re in front of you, or put it in the mail - this is 送. Once it is in their hands, it has been given to them, this is 给. So, 送给 is really just the equivalent of the English word \"to give\".\n\nI\'m sure I\'ve just lumped a bunch of technically unrelated grammatical structures together and all the linguists are cringing, but this unprofessional little concept helps me decipher bunches of verbs, so tough linguistic cookies.\n\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>老爷爷的帽子</h4>\n冬天到了，北风呼呼地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖。\n\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝<span class=\"highlightText\">吹走</span>了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\n\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多快要<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都<span class=\"highlightText\">唱歌给老爷爷听</span>。\n\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己<span class=\"highlightText\">着凉生病</span>了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。\"小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帽子<span class=\"highlightText\">送给</span>老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\n\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\n\nWinter had come, the north wind blew <em>whoo whoo</em>, and the weather was very cold. There was a small pitiful bird, sitting on a tree branch so cold it was shivering.\n\nAn old man walked by, saw the little bird, and thought to himself: \"This little bird is so pitiful, on a day as cold as this, it will surely freeze to death.\" The little bird said to the old man: \"The wind blew our nest away, we have no home.\" The old man said: \"Don\'t worry, I\'ll help you think of a solution.\" The old man then used his own hat and gave it to the little bird to make a nest, the hat was very warm. \n\nThe little bird realized that in the forest there were still quite a few little birds who would soon freeze to death, so it called them all to come, and together they flew into the old man\'s hat. They all profusely thanked the old man. Thereafter, the old man came every day to see the little birds, and each time the little birds sang a song for the old man.   \n\nOne day the old man didn\'t come, turns out he was ill. The little bird thought: \"Surely [because] the old man gave us his hat, he caught a chill and got sick, let\'s quickly make a hat for the old man.\" So the little birds used their own feathers to make a hat and gave it to the old man. The old man profusely thanked the little birds, and his illness was quickly cured. \n\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》The Old Man\'s Hat', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2001-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 11:55:31', '2020-04-25 15:55:31', '', 2001, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/2001-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2058, 1, '2020-04-25 11:56:12', '2020-04-25 15:56:12', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nAw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nIn the second-to-last paragraph, the little birds \"sing a song for the old man\", or \"<strong>唱歌给老爷爷听</strong>\" [pinyin]chang4 ge1 gei3 lao3 ye2 ye ting1[/pinyin]. You may notice that the characters for \"give\" (给 [pinyin]gei3[/pinyin]) and the character for \"listen\" (听 [pinyin]ting1[/pinyin]) are in there, but why? In Chinese, the way to say \"to sing a song for (person)\" is \"sing a song and give (person) listen\". That should clear that up. \r\n\r\n<strong>Action + result</strong> - In Chinese, actions are sometimes grouped together in the order in which they happened to express an entire concept. In paragraph two for example, we see 冻 [pinyin]dong4[/pinyin], which means \"to freeze\" and 死 [pinyin]si3[/pinyin], which means \"to die\". If you stick them next to each other, you might guess that this means \"freeze to death\", and you\'d be right. First, you freeze, then as a result, you die. \r\n\r\nIn that same paragraph, we also see 吹走 [pinyin]chui1 zou3[/pinyin], 吹 meaning \"to blow\" (like the wind), and 走 meaning \"to go away\". Put them together, and you get \"to blow away\", like \"the wind blew it away\". Similar pattern in the last paragraph in with 着凉生病. 着凉 [pinyin]zhuo2 liang4[/pinyin] means \"to catch a chill\" and 生病 [pinyin]sheng1 bing4[/pinyin] means \"to get sick\", so \"to get sick as a result of catching a chill\". \r\n\r\nAll of those examples make sense in English, and can be directly translated, but the final one, 送给 [pinyin]song4 gei3[/pinyin], is a little trickier. 送 means \"to send\" and 给 means \"to give\", but this seems repetitive, like the same action is being done twice - where\'s the result? To understand this, imagine the process of giving someone a present. First, you must deliver it to them in some way - you stretch out your hand if they\'re in front of you, or put it in the mail - this is 送. Once it is in their hands, it has been given to them, this is 给. So, 送给 is really just the equivalent of the English word \"to give\".\r\n\r\nI\'m sure I\'ve just lumped a bunch of technically unrelated grammatical structures together and all the linguists are cringing, but this unprofessional little concept helps me decipher bunches of verbs, so tough linguistic cookies.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/291450108_100010175\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>老爷爷的帽子</h4>\r\n冬天到了，北风呼呼地吹，天气很冷。有一只小鸟真可怜，它在树枝上冷得发抖。\r\n\r\n一位老爷爷走来，看见了小鸟，心想：\"这只小鸟多可怜呀，这么冷的天，它一定会<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的。\"小鸟对老爷爷说：\"风把我们的窝<span class=\"highlightText\">吹走</span>了，我们没有家了。\"老爷爷说：\"别着急，我来帮你们想办法。\"老爷爷就用自己的帽子给小鸟做鸟窝，帽子真暖和。\r\n\r\n小鸟想到树林里还有许多快要<span class=\"highlightText\">冻死</span>的小鸟，就把它们都叫来，一起飞进了老爷爷的帽子。它们非常感谢老爷爷。以后老爷爷也天天来看小鸟，小鸟们每次都<span class=\"highlightText\">唱歌给老爷爷听</span>。\r\n\r\n有一天老爷爷没有来，原来他病了。小鸟想：\"一定是爷爷把帽子给了我们，自己<span class=\"highlightText\">着凉生病</span>了，我们赶快给老爷爷做顶帽子吧。\"小鸟们就用自己的羽毛做了一顶帽子<span class=\"highlightText\">送给</span>老爷爷。老爷爷非常感谢小鸟，他的病很快就好了。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nWinter had come, the north wind blew <em>whoo whoo</em>, and the weather was very cold. There was a small pitiful bird, sitting on a tree branch so cold it was shivering.\r\n\r\nAn old man walked by, saw the little bird, and thought to himself: \"This little bird is so pitiful, on a day as cold as this, it will surely freeze to death.\" The little bird said to the old man: \"The wind blew our nest away, we have no home.\" The old man said: \"Don\'t worry, I\'ll help you think of a solution.\" The old man then used his own hat and gave it to the little bird to make a nest, the hat was very warm. \r\n\r\nThe little bird realized that in the forest there were still quite a few little birds who would soon freeze to death, so it called them all to come, and together they flew into the old man\'s hat. They all profusely thanked the old man. Thereafter, the old man came every day to see the little birds, and each time the little birds sang a song for the old man.   \r\n\r\nOne day the old man didn\'t come, turns out he was ill. The little bird thought: \"Surely [because] the old man gave us his hat, he caught a chill and got sick, let\'s quickly make a hat for the old man.\" So the little birds used their own feathers to make a hat and gave it to the old man. The old man profusely thanked the little birds, and his illness was quickly cured. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《老爷爷的帽子》The Old Man\'s Hat', 'Aw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2001-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 11:56:12', '2020-04-25 15:56:12', '', 2001, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/2001-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2059, 1, '2020-04-25 12:36:35', '2020-04-25 16:36:35', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nBorn in the early 1900s, Li Yaotang, pen name <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a> was a fervent anarchist and activist, translator, and one of China\'s most beloved writers. He\'s most famous as the author of <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(Ba_Jin_novel)\">The Family</a></em>, one of modern Chinese literature\'s most cutting social critiques of traditional Confucian values.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2038\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"350\"]<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chinese-reading-practice-famous-authors-bajin.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Essays Letters Translated Mandarin Simplified Reading: Author Bajin\" width=\"350\" height=\"457\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2038\" /> Ba Jin in 1938 - <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin#/media/File:Ba_Jin_1938.jpg\">Source</a> [/caption]\r\n\r\nBut this two-part post isn\'t about Ba Jin\'s days as a young socialist crusader and novelist. Ba Jin lived to be 100 years old - he passed away in 2005. And though he was ill with Parkinson\'s for the last decades of his life, he was still writing well into the 1980s. \r\n\r\nThe late 80s were a rough time for China ideologically. The country had just flip-flopped from hard-core Cultural Revolution-era Communism to a budding market economy in just 10 years. Social values were turned on their head, and all the things that were so important in the 1970s – the Party, the Motherland, the socialist struggle – were devalued. Suddenly, what mattered most was making enough  money to survive.\r\n\r\nIn 1987, Ba Jin received a letter from 10 elementary school students confused by the mixed messages they felt society was sending them. What\'s more important: money or ideals? Their letter, which I translate below, is striking... though I have a hard time imagining a bunch of ten-year-olds deciding to convene a committee to draft a plea for moral guidance, so I\'m kind of convinced one kid\'s dad wrote this thing and made them all sign it. \r\n\r\nAnyway, Ba Jin\'s reply, which I\'ll translate in a Part II sometime soon, is much longer. Taken together, these two letters form a beautiful cross-general dialogue, the young seeking wisdom from the old, the old pushing the young out of the nest and into the sun. The letters were published in 1987 under the title 《寻找理想的少年朋友》<em>Young Friends Seeking Ideals</em>, to much acclaim.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n“三好” [pinyin]san1 hao3[/pinyin] and “品学兼优” [pinyin]pin3 xue2 jian1 you1[/pinyin] - These are the names of well-known awards given to students that excel in several areas. The first, the \"Three Goods\" award, is for students that are of good character, study well, and excel in sports. The second is a general award for good students of high moral virtue. \r\n\r\n三句不离钞票 [pinyin]san1 ju4 bu4 li2 chao1 piao4[/pinyin] - This is a phrase you won\'t find in the dictionary. If you dissect it, it\'s not too hard to sort out what it means, so let\'s do that:\r\n\r\n三句 - Three sentences\r\n不 - Not, no\r\n离 - To leave, to separate from\r\n钞票 - Bank notes, cash money\r\n\r\nSo, you could understand this as \"For every three sentences spoken, not one of them diverges from money\" or in better English, \"to talk about money all the time\" or \"to be overly-focused on money\". \r\n\r\n难道 [pinyin]nan2 dao4[/pinyin] - This is in the dictionary, but it\'s important vocab, so pay attention to how this is used. It indicates a rhetorical question. Like, \"Could it be that... ?\" \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n敬爱的巴金爷爷：\r\n\r\n我们是十个小学五年级的学生，平均年龄不到十一周岁，在学校里都获得了<span class=\"highlightText\">“三好”</span>或<span class=\"highlightText\">“品学兼优”</span>的奖励。但是近年来，我们被一些新的现象迷惑了。爸爸妈妈说话<span class=\"highlightText\">三句不离钞票</span>，社会上常以收入多作为自己的骄傲。\r\n\r\n有位每月工资是三十多元的老师，当我们问她工资多少时，她脸红了。我们有位同学数学考了九十四分，她呜咽起来，原来爸爸答应她，考了九十五分可得五元奖金。许多家长都用金钱、新衣、旅游来鼓励我们取得好成绩。有些同学在谈到将来时，往往把单位好、工资高、奖金多作为自己最好的向往。\r\n\r\n一句话，为金钱工作、为金钱学习，已经成为理所当然的事。这<span class=\"highlightText\">难道</span>就是我们八十年代的少年应该追求的理想吗？作为三好学生，我们可以攻克学习上的重重难关，但是在这里，在理想问题上我们成了十只迷途的羔羊。但是我们不甘沉沦，我们决心探索、寻求，我们十个朋友决定开展一个“寻求理想”的活动。\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们读过您写的很多书。现在您已上了年纪，可是我们还常常在报纸上、电视里看到您在忙碌地工作。我们想您那里一定有一种神奇的力量，有打开我们心灵窗户的神秘钥匙，因此，我们想向您请教。当您伏案写作的时候，您想的是什么？您写了那么多的书，您追求的是什么？\r\n\r\n巴金爷爷，我们知道您很忙，您有很重要的工作，您还需要休息，我们实在不愿意打搅您，但是我们十分需要您的帮助。十只迷途的羔羊向您呼救，请您以最快的速度给我们指点。\r\n\r\n祝您长寿。\r\n\r\n十个寻找理想的孩子\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Grandfather Ba Jin: \r\n\r\nWe are ten elementary school students, on average not yet 11 years old, and in school we\'ve all received \"Three Goods\" or \"Excellent Student\" awards. But in recent years, we\'ve been puzzled by some new phenomena. Father and mother are always focused on money, and in greater society [people] base their pride on their income.  \r\n\r\nThere\'s a teacher who makes over 30 RMB per month, but when we ask her how much her salary is, she turns red [with embarrassment]. We have a classmate who got 94% on a math test, but she started bawling, turns out her father agreed that if she got 95% she\'d get a prize of 5 RMB. Many parents use money, new clothes, or travel to encourage us to get good grades. When some of our classmates talk about their future, often it\'s a good job, a high salary, or accolades that they most yearn for. \r\n\r\nIn a word, working for [the sole purpose of making] money, and studying for [the purpose of making] money, has already become an expected thing. Could it be that this is the ideal that the youth of the 80s should be chasing? As excellent students, we can overcome any kind of study-related difficulty, but in this, on questions of ideals, we\'ve become ten lost lambs. But we\'re unwilling to sink [down to that level], we\'ve decided to explore, to seek, we ten friends decided to launch an endeavor [centered around] \"seeking ideals\".\r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we\'ve read many books that you\'ve written. Now you\'re already in your later years, be we often see in newspapers and on TV that you\'re still hard at work. We think you certainly must have a kind of mystical power, a mysterious key to unlock the windows of our spirits, and because of this, we want to ask your advice. When you\'re bent over your desk writing, what are you thinking of? You\'ve written so many books, what are you chasing after? \r\n\r\nGrandfather Ba Jin, we know you\'re very busy, and you have very important work, and you also need to rest, we truly don\'t wish to trouble you, but we really need your help. Ten lost lambs are calling for your aid, please give us direction as quickly as you can. \r\n\r\nWe wish you long life.\r\n\r\nSigned, Ten Youths Seeking Ideals\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letters: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part I', 'In the first of a two-part post, we\'ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China\'s changing social values. In Part II, I\'ll translate Ba Jin\'s reply.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2034-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 12:36:35', '2020-04-25 16:36:35', '', 2034, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/2034-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2060, 1, '2020-05-05 00:00:45', '2020-05-05 04:00:45', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn the second and final part of this series, we\'ll read acclaimed author <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a>\'s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. If you haven\'t read Part I yet, <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/letters-ba-jins-correspondence-with-young-friends-searching-for-ideals-part-i/\">go check it out</a>. In Part I, I introduce Ba Jin and the context in which this letter was written. Part I is intermediate, likely as it was written by children, but Part II was written by an adult author, and veers well into advanced territory, in length, subject matter and language.\r\n\r\nI\'m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. Ba Jin may have been well into his later years when he put pen to paper, but he had lost none of his literary talent. My translation does this no justice at all - I struggled between writing in a way that made the language clearer to understand, and writing for beauty, and the former won out in most cases, so if you want get the feelz from this, you\'ll have to look to the original. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I\'m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ideal vs. ideals</strong> - One of the beautiful things about this letter is that it illuminates the connection between the definitions of the word \"ideal\", or 理想 [pinyin]li4 xiang3[/pinyin]. In English, we use the word \"ideal\" to talk about what we wish would happen: our \"ideal life\", our \"ideal future\", our \"ideal partner\". Quite separately, we use the word \"ideals\" to describe our values, what we believe to be important. We never really use these things in the same context; the word is the same, but the definitions are divorced. \r\n\r\nIn Chinese, and specifically in this letter, these definitions are much more connected, and this underscores a deeper truth: the things we find important frame the future we most desire. If we care most about money, then what we most want is lots of money. And if we most value generosity of spirit, then what we most want is a life full of the same. So, you\'ll understand this piece better if you understand the word 理想 from both of these perspectives simultaneously - it is both the values we hold dear, and the future we most yearn for. You\'ll see that I struggle to choose which English word to use. Sometimes I use \"ideal\" and sometimes \"ideals\", and my choice changes the English meaning significantly, but in the Chinese, it all makes sense. \r\n\r\n<strong>“向前看” vs. “向钱看”</strong> - These two phrases sound similar, and Ba Jin uses this play on words to juxtapose those who \"look to the future\" and those who only \"look towards money\".\r\n\r\n<strong>起了作用</strong> - This comes up a couple of times, and its meaning is a little amorphous. The characters seem to say \"to be of use\", but this definition doesn\'t illuminate the phrase\'s true meaning. 起了作用 means \"to have a hand in\", or \"to play a part in\". This can have both positive and negative connotations, depending on context. Negative, as in \"to have a hand in his demise\", positive as in \"to play a role in his advancement\". This has stuck in my head since one of my Chinese friends, who had recently been divorced and had a new girlfriend, told me that his mother hated his girlfriend because she erroneously believed that his girlfriend \"起了作用\" in his divorce, in other words, that his girlfriend had a hand in manipulating him to get a divorce from his wife. But in this piece, the positive definition of 起了作用 is used. \r\n\r\n<strong>定风珠 and 风信鸡</strong> - These are two physical objects that Ba Jin uses to represent bigger concepts. <a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AE%9A%E9%A3%8E%E7%8F%A0/2099916?fr=aladdin\">定风珠</a> is a mythological pearl that can stop the wind. In this story, he uses it to describe the power to put a stop to negative social trends. 风信鸡 is a weathervane, which can really only reflect the direction that winds (negative social trends, in this case) are blowing. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n亲爱的同学们：\r\n\r\n你们的信使我感到为难。我是一个有病的老人，最近虽然去北京开过会，可是回到上海就仿佛生了一场大病似的，一点力气也没有，讲话上气不接下气，写字手指不听指挥，因此要“以最快的速度”给你们一个回答，我很难办到。我只能跟在你们背后慢慢地前进，即使远远地落在后面，我还可以努力追赶。但要带着你们朝前飞奔，不是我不愿意，而是力不能及了。这就说明我不但并无“神奇的力量”，而且连你们有的那种朝气我也没有，更不用说什么“神秘钥匙”了。\r\n\r\n不过我看你们也不必这样急，“寻求理想”不是一天两天的事。理想是存在的。可是有的人追求了一生只得到幻灭；有的人找到了它一直坚持到生命的最后一息。各人有各人的目标，对理想当然也有不同的理解。我听广播、看报纸，仿佛人们随时随地都在谈论“理想”，仿佛理想在前面等待人，只要你一伸手就可以把它抓住。那么你们为什么还那样着急地向我“呼救”呢？你们不是都有了理想吗？你们在<span class=\"highlightText\">“向钱看”</span>的社会风气中感觉到窒息，不正是说明你们的理想<span class=\"highlightText\">起了作用</span>吗？我不能不问，你们是不是感到了孤独，因此才把自己比做“迷途的羔羊”？可是照我看，你们并没有“迷途”，“迷途”的倒是你们四周的一些人。\r\n\r\n我常常想，我们生活在其中的社会有时会是十分古怪，叫人难以理解。人们喜欢说，形势大好，我也这样说过。这种说法不是没有道理，我也有自己的经验：根据我耳闻目睹，舍身救人、一心为公的英雄事迹和一人有难、八方支援的好人好事，每天都在远近发生。从好的方面看，当然一切都好；但要是专找不好的方面看，人就觉得好像被坏的东西包围了。尽管形势大好，总是困难很多；尽管遍地理想，偏偏有人惟利是图。你们说这是“新的现象”，我看风并不是一天两天刮起来的。\r\n\r\n面对着这种现象，有人毫不在乎，他们说这是支流，支流敌不过主流，正如邪不胜正。即使出现这样的情况，譬如说钞票变成了发光的“明珠”，大家追求一个目标：发财，人人争当“能赚会花”的英雄；又譬如说从喜欢空话、爱听假话，发展到贩卖假药、推销劣货，发展到以权谋私、见利忘义……也不要紧，因为邪不胜正。还有人说：“你不要看风越刮越厉害，不久就会过去的。我们有<span class=\"highlightText\">定风珠</span>嘛！”同他们交谈，我也感到放心，我也是相信邪不胜正的人，我始终乐观。\r\n\r\n同学们，请原谅，我不是在这里讲空话。束手等待是盼不到美好的明天的。我说邪不胜正，因为在任何社会里都存在着是与非、光明与阴暗的斗争。最后的胜利当然属于正义、属于光明。但是在某一个时期甚至在较长的一段时期，是也会败于非，光明也会被阴暗掩盖，支流也会超过主流，在这里斗争双方力量的强弱会<span class=\"highlightText\">起大的作用</span>。在这一场理想与金钱的斗争中我们决不是旁观者，斗争的胜败关系到我们每个人的命运。我们是这个社会的成员，是这个国家的公民，要是我们大家不献出自己的汗水和才智，那么社会的发展和国家的腾飞，也不过是一句空话。我常常想为什么宣传了几十年的崇高理想和大好形势，却无法防止黄金瘟疫的传播？为什么用理想教育人们几十年，那么多的课本，那么多的学习资料，那么多的报刊，那么多的文章！到今天年轻的学生还彷徨无主、四处寻求呢？\r\n\r\n小朋友们，不瞒你们说，对着眼前五光十色的景象，就连我有时也感到迷惑不解了。我要问，理想究竟是什么？难道它是虚无缥缈的东西？难道它是没有具体内容的空话？这几十年来我们哪一天中断过关于理想的宣传？那么传播黄金疫的病毒究竟来自何处、哪方？今天到处在揭发有人贩卖霉烂的食品，推销冒牌的假货，办无聊小报，印盗版书，做各种空头生意，为了带头致富，不惜损公肥私、祸国害人。这些人，他们也谈理想，也讲豪言壮语，他们说一套，做另外一套。对他们，理想不过是招牌、是装饰、是工具。他们口里越是讲得天花乱坠，做的事情越是见不得人。<span class=\"highlightText\">“向前看”</span>一下子就变为<span class=\"highlightText\">“向钱看”</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">定风珠</span>也会变成<span class=\"highlightText\">风信鸡</span>。在所谓“不正之风”刮得最厉害、是非难分、真假难辨的时候，我也曾几次疑惑地问自己：理想究竟在什么地方？它是不是已经被狂风巨浪吹打得无踪无影？我仿佛看见支流压倒了主流，它气势汹汹地滚滚向前。然而即使在这个时候我也没有理由灰心绝望，因为理想明明还在我前面闪光。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nDear students:\r\n\r\nYour letter embarrassed me. I\'m a sick old man, and though I recently attended a conference in Beijing, when I returned to Shanghai it was as if I had contracted a serious illness, I had not even the slightest bit of energy, it was hard to catch my breath when I spoke, when I wrote my fingers wouldn\'t heed my commands, and because of this replying \"as quickly as possible\" [which the students asked him to do in Part I] was difficult for me to accomplish. I can only slowly forge ahead at your back, and though I lag far behind, I can still diligently pursue you. So as for dashing forward with you, it\'s not that I\'m not willing, but rather that I don\'t have the strength. This only shows that not only do I not have \"mystical powers\" [which students attributed to him in Part I], but that I don\'t even have your dynamism, and even less do I have any \"mysterious key\" [reference to Part I].\r\n\r\nBut as I see it you also needn\'t be in such a rush, [because] \"seeking ideals\" is not a matter of a day or two. Ideals exist. But some people seek them all their lives and all they find is disillusionment, some people find them by persevering until their last breath. Everyone has their own goals, and of course everyone has a different understanding of ideals. I listen to broadcasts, read newspapers, and it seems like people are all casually discussing \"ideals\", as if an ideal is [always] waiting just ahead, and all you must do is reach out your hand and you can grasp it. So, why do you so anxiously \"call for my aid\"? Do you not already have ideals? [The fact that] you feel so stifled in a social atmosphere that looks only to money, does that not precisely show your ideals are already playing a role? I can\'t not ask, is it [perhaps] that you feel lonely, and because of this compare yourselves to \"lost lambs\"? But as I see it, you haven\'t \"lost your way\", on the contrary, those who have \"lost their way\" are the people all around you.\r\n\r\nI often think, our life in society is sometimes so odd, and [can be] hard for us to comprehend. People like to say, \"life [literally: circumstances] is pretty good\", I\'ve also said this. This isn\'t without logic, as I\'ve experienced myself: from what I\'ve witnessed personally, [acts of] sacrificing one\'s life to save others, heroic deeds of wholehearted [dedication] to the public, and when one person is in trouble, good people [appear from] all directions to offer assistance, these things happen near and far every day. From a positive perspective, of course everything looks great; but if you flip it around and look from a negative perspective, you may feel you are surrounded by bad things. Although life is largely good, there are [still] always many troubles; although there are [grand] ideals everywhere, there is also always someone bent solely on profit. You say this is a \"new phenomenon\", but as I see it, this wind didn\'t blow in over the last couple of days.\r\n\r\nFaced with this phenomenon, some people pay it no mind, they say [the people who behave this way] are just a tributary [of the river], and a tributary can\'t overwhelm the mainstream, just like evil cannot triumph over good. Although [bad] situations [make frequent] appearances – for example [when] cash becomes [seen as] a shining \"treasure\", everyone chasing after one goal: to get rich, and everyone vying to be a hero of \"earning and spending\"; or for another example, when the love of speaking empty words and listening to falsehoods develops into the selling of fake medicine and poor-quality goods, which develops into using power for personal gain and forgetting what is right as soon as there is profit to be made – [even when this happens,] you still needn\'t be anxious, because evil cannot triumph over good. Still others say: \"You needn\'t pay attention to the wind blowing ever more violently, it will pass in a while. We have a Wind Stopping Pearl!\" As they talk, I also feel reassured, I\'m also someone who believes evil cannot triumph over good, I\'m ever the optimist. \r\n\r\nStudents, please forgive me, I don\'t mean to speak empty words here. [Simply] waiting with our hands tied, we cannot look forward to a beautiful tomorrow. I say evil can\'t triumph over good, because in any society there exists a struggle between right and wrong, light and darkness. Final victory of course belongs to justice, belongs to light. But in any age, [perhaps] even for long periods of time, right can lose to wrong, light can also be covered by darkness, the tributary can engulf the mainstream, and in this fight the weakness and strength of both sides will matter greatly. In this struggle between ideals and money we are certainly not spectators, which side wins and which loses the struggle is dependent upon our own destinies. We are the members of this society, we are the citizens of this country, if we do not offer our sweat and wise ability, then \"social development\" and \"national advancement\" are nothing but empty words. I often wonder why the noble ideals and general positivity propagandized over the last few decades have not been able to prevent the sickness of gold from spreading? Why is it that we have used ideals to educate people for decades, so many textbooks, so many study materials, so many newspapers, so many articles! And [yet] today\'s young students pace about without [moral] guidance, seeking everywhere? \r\n\r\nYoung friends, I won\'t lie to you, facing all the multifarious scenes [that unfold] before my eyes, I also sometimes feel befuddled. I want to ask, what <em>are</em> ideals, really? Could it be that they are illusionary things? Could it be that they are empty words without substance? On what day over the last few decades did we stop propagandizing ideals? And then from which direction, which place, did the spreading plague of gold sickness come? These days, everywhere we uncover people selling rotten food, pushing imitation goods, making boring tabloids, printing pirated books, doing all kinds of phoney business, to be the first to get rich, not hesitating to make personal gain at public expense, bringing calamity on the country and harming the people. These people, they also talk about ideals, they speak in grand language, they say one thing, but they do another. To them, ideals are shop signs, ornaments, tools. The more they speak of flowers cascading from the sky, the more their actions are unfit for the world of men. \"Looking ahead\" in an instant becomes \"looking towards money\", and the Wind Stopping Pearl becomes [nothing but] a weathervane. In all times when the so-called \"winds of injustice\" blow strongest, when right and wrong are hard to distinguish, when true and false are hard to recognize, I have also doubtfully asked myself: where <em>are</em> [our] ideals? Have they already been blown away without a trace by the violent winds and mighty waves? It\'s as if I can see the tributary overwhelming the mainstream, its momentum roaring tumultuously forward. But even in these times I have no reason to despair, because an ideal is still clearly sparkling just ahead of us. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letter: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part II', 'In Part II of this two-part series, we\'ll read acclaimed author Ba Jin\'s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. I\'m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I\'m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-essay-ba-jins-correspondence-with-young-friends-searching-for-ideals-part-ii', '', '', '2020-05-14 11:36:56', '2020-05-14 15:36:56', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2060', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(2061, 1, '2020-04-25 13:03:21', '2020-04-25 17:03:21', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis is probably the longest text I\'ve ever posted. The first few sentences are much more intermediate as we learn new vocabulary words and set up the story, but after that the reading is mostly a dialogue which is very smooth and fairly simple, so press through the first paragraph or two if you can. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nI kind of can\'t tell whether I should be offended by this or not - the protagonists are two \"lazy Uighurs\" (A Uighur 维吾尔族 [pinyin]wei2 wu2 er3 zu2[/pinyin] is a member of the ethnic minority hailing from the Uighur Autonomous Region of China, a politically touchy topic on the mainland). I\'ve never seen a folk story about heroic Uighurs or smart Uighurs, or really ever seen a story about Uighurs at all. So to run across this one first makes me wonder if the \"lazy Uighur\" thing is a mean stereotype or if I just haven\'t read widely enough. I\'ll have to go in search of some Uighur folk tales in Mandarin and see what I can dig up. \r\n\r\nI really know almost nothing about Uighur cultural history, but this story taught me something interesting: it looks like Uighurs have six-character names (as opposed to two and three character names for Chinese and 4 character names for Japanese). Our two protagonists here are rather lengthily called 哈山代吾来克 [pinyin]Ha1 shan1 dai4 wu2 lai2 ke4[/pinyin] and 沙吾提卡巴克 [pinyin]sha1 wu2 ti2 ka3 ba1 ke4[/pinyin]. \r\n\r\nAnother interesting thing: this story mentions a 大鹏鸟 [pinyin]da peng3 niao3[/pinyin] - called a \"Roc\" in English (though I\'d never heard that word before). Apparently, it\'s a legendary fictional bird of prey, like a giant eagle.\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>两个懒汉</h4>\r\n从前，维吾尔族有这么两个<strong>懒汉</strong>，一个叫哈山代吾来克，一个叫沙吾提卡巴克。他们都懒得<strong>要命</strong>，吃穿全靠父母，一点活儿也不干，一天到晚靠着<strong>墙根</strong>晒太阳。 这样，<strong>久而久之</strong>，弄得他们父母也<strong>讨厌</strong>他们了，<strong>不得不</strong>把他们从家里<strong>赶</strong>了出来。他们俩过着<strong>流浪</strong>的生活，饿了几天肚子，一块<strong>馕</strong>也没有吃到。\r\n\r\n这天，他俩<strong>蹲</strong>在馕坑上商量着今后该怎么办。哈山代吾来克说: “最好到一个有吃有穿，又不需要劳动的地方去，不知道有没有这么个地方？”\r\n\r\n沙吾提卡巴克说: “世界上是没有这么个地方的，只天上有吧！听说天上的<strong>神仙</strong>最快活。”\r\n\r\n哈山代吾来克说: “那末，我们就上天去吧，<strong>干嘛</strong>要呆在这个必须劳动的地方受人<strong>鄙视</strong>呢？”\r\n\r\n沙吾提卡巴克说: “<strong>好倒好</strong>，不过怎么上去呢？能找到这么个长<strong>梯子</strong>吗？”\r\n\r\n哈山代吾来克肯定地说: “这么长的梯子是找不到的。但是，没有梯子也可以上去。”\r\n\r\n沙吾提卡巴克惊奇地问道: “怎么上去？”\r\n\r\n哈山代吾来克说: “<strong>山谷</strong>里有一只大鹏鸟，小时候我跟父亲上去看见过。我们只要把这只大鹏<strong>抓住</strong>，它就会带我们上天去的。”\r\n\r\n沙吾提卡巴克说: “好办法，我们就这样办好了。”\r\n\r\n两个朋友就这么决定了。第二天一早，他们就起身往山上走去，走到一个山谷里，找到了大鹏的<strong>窝</strong>，他们在附近<strong>躲藏</strong>起来，等到太阳落山的时候，大鹏飞回来刚落在窝里，就被哈山代吾来克紧紧地抓住了。他连忙招呼沙吾提卡巴克抓住自己的脚，大鹏受了惊，直往天空飞去。\r\n\r\n就这样，沙吾提卡巴克抓住哈山代吾来克的脚，哈山代吾来克抓住大鹏的爪子，<strong>飘飘荡荡</strong>地一直飞向七层云端里去了。\r\n\r\n沙吾提卡巴克问道: “嘿！到了吗？我的手吃不消啦！”\r\n\r\n哈山代吾来克望着云层的空隙说: “快啦！连<strong>窟窿</strong>都已经看见了。”\r\n\r\n沙吾提卡巴克问道: “窟窿有多大？我们能不能钻进去呀？”\r\n\r\n哈山代吾来克回答: “有这么大。”哈山代吾来克一面答应着，一面用手来比划窟窿的大小。\r\n\r\n不料哈山代吾来克两手一<strong>松</strong>，这两个懒汉朋友都离开了大鹏鸟，<strong>摇摇晃晃</strong>地掉下来，摔成<strong>肉酱</strong>了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLong ago, among the Uighur people there were two lazybones, one called Hashandaiwulaike, the other called Shawutikabake. They were both extremely lazy, depending on their parents for food and clothing, unwilling to do even a little work, from morning to night they sat at the base of a wall and sunned themselves. As time passed this way, their parents [began to] loathe them, and had no choice but to kick them out. The two of them lived a drifter\'s life, and went hungry for days at a time, with not even a piece of bread to eat.   \r\n\r\nOne day, they were squatting next to a bread pit discussing what to do. Hashandaiwulaike said: \"The best thing would be to go to a place where there\'s food and clothes, but you don\'t have to work - I don\'t know if there is such a place?\"\r\n\r\nShawutikabake said: \"There\'s no such place on this earth, only in heaven! I heard that the immortals in heaven are the happiest.\" \r\n\r\nHashandaiwulaike said: \"In that case, we should go to heaven. Why on earth would we stay in this place where we have to work and suffer other people\'s disdain?\" \r\n\r\nShawutikabake said:  \"That\'s all very well and good, but how will we get up there? Can we find a ladder that long?\" \r\n\r\nHashandaiwulaike said: \"We could never find a ladder that long, but you can still get up there without a ladder.\" \r\n\r\nShawutikabake said: \"How?\"\r\n\r\nHashandaiwulaike said: \"In the valley there\'s a Roc bird, when I was little I saw it when I went up there with my father. All we have to do is grab onto the Roc, and he will take us up to heaven.\"\r\n\r\nShawutikabake said:  \"That\'s a great idea, we\'ll do it that way.\" \r\n\r\nSo the two friends decided thus. On the morning of the next day, they got us and walked to the mountain. When they got to the mountain valley, they found the Roc\'s nest, and they hid themselves next to it. They waited until the sun fell behind the mountain and the Roc flew back and had just landed in its nest, when Hashandaiwulaike grabbed it and held it tightly. He promptly called to Shawutikabake to grab his feet, and the Roc was frightened and flew into the sky.\r\n\r\nSo Shawutikabake  was holding on to Hashandaiwulaike\'s feet, and Hashandaiwulaike  was holding on to the Roc\'s claws, and they floated towards the seventh level of clouds [heaven]. \r\n\r\nShawutikabake asked,\" Hey! Are we there yet? I can\'t hold on much longer!\" \r\n\r\nHashandaiwulaike looked into a gap between the clouds and said, \"Almost! I can already see the opening!\" \r\n\r\nShawutikabake asked, \"How big is the opening? Can we fit into it?\" \r\n\r\nHashandaiwulaike answered, \"It\'s this big.\"   As Hashandaiwulaike answered, he used his hands to demonstrate how big the opening [to heaven] was. \r\n\r\nBut to his surprise, as soon as Hashandaiwulaike let go, the two lazy friends parted ways with the Roc, tumbled down, and were smashed into mincemeat. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'The Two Lazybones', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1086-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 13:03:21', '2020-04-25 17:03:21', '', 1086, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/1086-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2062, 1, '2020-04-25 13:04:16', '2020-04-25 17:04:16', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">In the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/tag/novels/\">Novels</a> series, I get you started reading the first few paragraphs of classic Chinese fiction. If you like the beginning, you can <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Yu Hua</a> (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua\'s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable. \r\n\r\nI\'m posting an excerpt from the first chapter of Yu Hua\'s novel <em>To Live</em> 《活着》, which is one of his most well-known works, and a classic of modern literature. Normally I\'d like to start at the beginning, but the first few paragraphs of Chapter One are told from the viewpoint of a narrator who comes to a small village to collect folksongs and stories from the locals. In a field there he meets an old man - the protagonist of the novel - who recounts his life for remainder of the book, and we don\'t really hear from the narrator again in any meaningful way. So, I\'ll skip the narrator\'s intro, and I\'ll be starting from where the old man begins to tell his tale.\r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThis novel begins while feudalism was breathing its last gasp in China, before the country sank into decades of war and upheaval, so some of the words use are things that no longer exist, like 佃户 [pinyin]dian4 hu4[/pinyin], which is a tenant farmer on a lord\'s land, and 私塾 [pinyin]si1 shu2[/pinyin], a classical style private school where one master would be paid to instruct usually a small group of students. \r\n\r\nA couple of the sentences are also a little rough:\r\n\r\n“好好听着，爹给你念一段。”: The protagonist says this to his schoolmaster. On the surface, it looks like it means \"Listen well, your father is going to read aloud.\" But 爹 in this case doesn\'t really mean \"father\", it\'s being used as an insult. A child is saying it to an elder gentleman, which is extremely disrespectful, so you could better translate this as something like, \"Listen up, your better is going to read to you.\" The point is that the protagonist is being a sassy little jerk. \r\n\r\n朽木不可雕也: This is an old-school idiom, it comes from the <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Analects</a></em> of Confucius. Literally, it means \"you can\'t carve rotten wood\". Practically, it means that some people are just hopeless and can\'t be taught anything, and is an excellent burn for any occasion. \r\n \r\n我是徐家仅有的一根香火: Again, double-meaning here. Literally: \"I was the Xu family\'s only stick of incense.\" Actual meaning: \"I was the Xu family\'s only son.\"\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《活着》第一章</h4>\r\n<em>这位老人后来和我一起坐在了那棵茂盛的树下，在那个充满阳光的下午，他向我讲述了自己。</em>\r\n\r\n四十多年前，我爹常在这里走来走去，他穿着一身黑颜色的绸衣，总是把双手背在身后，他出门时常对我娘说：\r\n\r\n“我到自己的地上去走走。”\r\n\r\n我爹走在自己的田产上，干活的佃户见了，都要双手握住锄头恭敬地叫一声：\r\n\r\n“老爷。”\r\n\r\n我爹走到了城里，城里人见了都叫他先生。我爹是很有身份的人，可他拉屎时就像个穷人了。他不爱在屋里床边的马桶上拉屎，跟牲畜似的喜欢到野地里去拉屎。每天到了傍晚的时候，我爹打着饱嗝，那声响和青蛙叫唤差不多，走出屋去，慢吞吞地朝村口的粪缸走去。\r\n\r\n走到了粪缸旁，他嫌缸沿脏，就抬脚踩上去蹲在上面。我爹年纪大了，屎也跟着老了，出来不容易，那时候我们全家人都会听到他在村口嗷嗷叫着。\r\n\r\n几十年来我爹一直这样拉屎，到了六十多岁还能在粪缸上一蹲就是半晌，那两条腿就和鸟爪一样有劲。我爹喜欢看着天色慢慢黑下来，罩住他的田地。我女儿凤霞到了三、四岁，常跑到村口去看她爷爷拉屎，我爹毕竟年纪大了，蹲在粪缸上腿有些哆嗦，凤霞就问他：\r\n\r\n“爷爷，你为什么动呀？”\r\n\r\n我爹说：“是风吹的。”\r\n\r\n那时候我们家境还没有败落，我们徐家有一百多亩地，从这里一直到那边工厂的烟囱，都是我家的。我爹和我，是远近闻名的阔老爷和阔少爷，我们走路时鞋子的声响，都像是铜钱碰来撞去的。我女人家珍，是城里米行老板的女儿，她也是有钱人家出生的。有钱人嫁给有钱人，就是把钱堆起来，钱在钱上面哗哗地流，这样的声音我有四十年没有听到了。\r\n\r\n我是我们徐家的败家子，用我爹的话说，我是他的孽子。\r\n\r\n我念过几年私塾，穿长衫的私塾先生叫我念一段书时，是我最高兴的。我站起来，拿着本线装的《千字文》，对私塾先生说：\r\n\r\n“好好听着，爹给你念一段。”\r\n\r\n年过花甲的私塾先生对我爹说：\r\n\r\n“你家少爷长大了准能当个二流子。”\r\n\r\n我从小就不可救药，这是我爹的话。私塾先生说我是朽木不可雕也。现在想想他们都说对了，当初我可不这么想，我想我有钱呵，我是徐家仅有的一根香火，我要是灭了，徐家就得断子绝孙。\r\n\r\n上私塾时我从来不走路，都是我家一个雇工背着我去，放学时他已经恭恭敬敬地弯腰蹲在那里了，我骑上去后拍拍雇工的脑袋，说一声：\r\n\r\n“长根，跑呀。”\r\n\r\n雇工长根就跑起来，我在上面一颠一颠的，像是一只在树梢上的麻雀。我说一声：\r\n\r\n“飞呀。”\r\n\r\n长根就一步一跳，做出一副飞的样子。\r\n\r\n我长大以后喜欢往城里跑，常常是十天半月不回家。我穿着白色的丝绸衣衫，头发抹得光滑透亮，往镜子前一站，我看到自己满脑袋的黑油漆，一副有钱人的样子。\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buy it on Amazon</a>\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n<em>Later, this old man sat down with me beneath the verdant trees, and on that sunlit afternoon, he told me of himself.</em>\r\n\r\nForty-odd years ago, my father would often walk around out here, wearing a black silk robe, always with both hands behind his back, and whenever he went out he would say to my mother: \r\n\r\n\"I\'m going to walk around my place.\"\r\n\r\nMy father would walk on his estate, and when the tenant farmers saw him, they would hold their shovels still in between two hands and say respectfully: \r\n\r\n\"Master.\" \r\n\r\nWhenever my father walked into town, the townsfolk called him \"Mister\". My father was a personage of some repute, but when he moved his bowels, he did it like a poor man. He didn\'t like to relieve himself in the toilet by the bed, and preferred to shit in the wilds like a farm animal. Every evening, my father let out a belch, a sound like a croaking frog, and left the house, walking sluggishly towards the manure vat at the mouth of the village. \r\n\r\nHe\'d arrive at the manure vat, and finding the filth around its edges distasteful, he\'d go up on tiptoe and squat above it. My father was old, and his feces were as old as he was, they didn\'t come out easily, and everyone in the house could hear him grunting.  \r\n\r\nFor many years this is how my father moved his bowels, at 60 years old he could still squat over the manure pit for half the day, his two legs had the strength of a bird\'s claws. My father like to watch the sky slowly fade to black, covering his fields. When my daughter Feng Xia was three or four, she would often run to the mouth of the village to watch grandpa poop, after all my father was getting on in years, and as he was squatting there his legs would tremble a bit, and Feng Xia would ask: \r\n\r\n\"Grandpa, why are you moving?\" \r\n\r\nAnd my dad would say: \"It\'s the wind.\"  \r\n\r\nAt that time our family\'s situation hadn\'t yet deteriorated, the Xu\'s had 100-plus <em>mu</em> of land, from here all the way to that factory\'s smokestack, all of it was our family\'s. My dad and I, were famous near and far as the Rich Old Master and the Rich Young Master, when we walked on the road, the sound of our shoes was like the sound of copper cash striking. My wife Jia Zhen, was the daughter of a rice industry bigwig in town, she also came from a wealthy family. A wealthy woman marrying a wealthy man, money piled on money, swishing in a great stream, I haven\'t heard that sound in 40 years. \r\n\r\nI was the Xu family wastrel, or in my father\'s world, I was his unfilial son.\r\n\r\nI went to private school for a couple of years, and when the school master in his long silk gown called on me to read a passage aloud, that\'s when I was happiest. I would stand up, holding a string-bound copy of <em>Qianzi Wen</em>, and say to him:\r\n\r\n\"Listen up, your elder is going to read you a passage.\"   \r\n\r\nThe schoolmaster, who was over sixty, would say to my father:\r\n\r\n\"Your family\'s young master is going to be a loafer when he grows up.\" \r\n\r\nEver since I was little, I\'ve been incorrigable, that\'s what my father said. The schoolmaster said I was \"rotten wood that couldn\'t be carved\". Now that I think on it they were both right, but at the time I didn\'t think this was so, I thought I had money, I was the Xu family\'s only son, if something happened to me, the family would be without heirs.\r\n\r\nWhen I went to school I never walked, it was always our hired worker that carried me there on his back, and when I got off, he always respectfully crouched over there, and when I jumped on I patted his head and said: \r\n\r\n\"Run, Changgen!\"\r\n\r\nThe worker Changgen would run, and I would bounce along, like a sparrow sitting on a tree branch. I\'d say:\r\n\r\n\"Fly.\"\r\n\r\nAnd Changgun would walk one step and jump one step, and make as if he was flying. \r\n\r\nAfter I grew up I like to go into the city, and often wouldn\'t come back for 10 days or half a month. I\'d wear a white silk shirt, my hair sleek and shiny, standing in front of the mirror, I\'d see the black oil in my hair, the picture of a wealthy man.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start Reading \"To Live\" 《活着》by Yu Hua', 'Yu Hua (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua\'s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 13:04:16', '2020-04-25 17:04:16', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2063, 1, '2020-04-25 13:07:27', '2020-04-25 17:07:27', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">In the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/tag/novels/\">Novels</a> series, I get you started reading the first few paragraphs of classic Chinese fiction. If you like the beginning, you can <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Yu Hua</a> (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua\'s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable. \r\n\r\nI\'m posting an excerpt from the first chapter of Yu Hua\'s novel <em>To Live</em> 《活着》, which is one of his most well-known works, and a classic of modern literature. Normally I\'d like to start at the beginning, but the first few paragraphs of Chapter One are told from the viewpoint of a narrator who comes to a small village to collect folksongs and stories from the locals. In a field there he meets an old man - the protagonist of the novel - who recounts his life for remainder of the book, and we don\'t really hear from the narrator again in any meaningful way. So, I\'ll skip the narrator\'s intro, and I\'ll be starting from where the old man begins to tell his tale.\r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThis novel begins while feudalism was breathing its last gasp in China, before the country sank into decades of war and upheaval, so some of the words use are things that no longer exist, like 佃户 [pinyin]dian4 hu4[/pinyin], which is a tenant farmer on a lord\'s land, and 私塾 [pinyin]si1 shu2[/pinyin], a classical style private school where one master would be paid to instruct usually a small group of students. \r\n\r\nA couple of the sentences are also a little rough:\r\n\r\n“好好听着，爹给你念一段。”: The protagonist says this to his schoolmaster. On the surface, it looks like it means \"Listen well, your father is going to read aloud.\" But 爹 in this case doesn\'t really mean \"father\", it\'s being used as an insult. A child is saying it to an elder gentleman, which is extremely disrespectful, so you could better translate this as something like, \"Listen up, your better is going to read to you.\" The point is that the protagonist is being a sassy little jerk. \r\n\r\n朽木不可雕也: This is an old-school idiom, it comes from the <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Analects</a></em> of Confucius. Literally, it means \"you can\'t carve rotten wood\". Practically, it means that some people are just hopeless and can\'t be taught anything, and is an excellent burn for any occasion. \r\n \r\n我是徐家仅有的一根香火: Again, double-meaning here. Literally: \"I was the Xu family\'s only stick of incense.\" Actual meaning: \"I was the Xu family\'s only son.\"\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《活着》第一章</h4>\r\n<em>这位老人后来和我一起坐在了那棵茂盛的树下，在那个充满阳光的下午，他向我讲述了自己。</em>\r\n\r\n四十多年前，我爹常在这里走来走去，他穿着一身黑颜色的绸衣，总是把双手背在身后，他出门时常对我娘说：\r\n\r\n“我到自己的地上去走走。”\r\n\r\n我爹走在自己的田产上，干活的佃户见了，都要双手握住锄头恭敬地叫一声：\r\n\r\n“老爷。”\r\n\r\n我爹走到了城里，城里人见了都叫他先生。我爹是很有身份的人，可他拉屎时就像个穷人了。他不爱在屋里床边的马桶上拉屎，跟牲畜似的喜欢到野地里去拉屎。每天到了傍晚的时候，我爹打着饱嗝，那声响和青蛙叫唤差不多，走出屋去，慢吞吞地朝村口的粪缸走去。\r\n\r\n走到了粪缸旁，他嫌缸沿脏，就抬脚踩上去蹲在上面。我爹年纪大了，屎也跟着老了，出来不容易，那时候我们全家人都会听到他在村口嗷嗷叫着。\r\n\r\n几十年来我爹一直这样拉屎，到了六十多岁还能在粪缸上一蹲就是半晌，那两条腿就和鸟爪一样有劲。我爹喜欢看着天色慢慢黑下来，罩住他的田地。我女儿凤霞到了三、四岁，常跑到村口去看她爷爷拉屎，我爹毕竟年纪大了，蹲在粪缸上腿有些哆嗦，凤霞就问他：\r\n\r\n“爷爷，你为什么动呀？”\r\n\r\n我爹说：“是风吹的。”\r\n\r\n那时候我们家境还没有败落，我们徐家有一百多亩地，从这里一直到那边工厂的烟囱，都是我家的。我爹和我，是远近闻名的阔老爷和阔少爷，我们走路时鞋子的声响，都像是铜钱碰来撞去的。我女人家珍，是城里米行老板的女儿，她也是有钱人家出生的。有钱人嫁给有钱人，就是把钱堆起来，钱在钱上面哗哗地流，这样的声音我有四十年没有听到了。\r\n\r\n我是我们徐家的败家子，用我爹的话说，我是他的孽子。\r\n\r\n我念过几年私塾，穿长衫的私塾先生叫我念一段书时，是我最高兴的。我站起来，拿着本线装的《千字文》，对私塾先生说：\r\n\r\n“好好听着，爹给你念一段。”\r\n\r\n年过花甲的私塾先生对我爹说：\r\n\r\n“你家少爷长大了准能当个二流子。”\r\n\r\n我从小就不可救药，这是我爹的话。私塾先生说我是朽木不可雕也。现在想想他们都说对了，当初我可不这么想，我想我有钱呵，我是徐家仅有的一根香火，我要是灭了，徐家就得断子绝孙。\r\n\r\n上私塾时我从来不走路，都是我家一个雇工背着我去，放学时他已经恭恭敬敬地弯腰蹲在那里了，我骑上去后拍拍雇工的脑袋，说一声：\r\n\r\n“长根，跑呀。”\r\n\r\n雇工长根就跑起来，我在上面一颠一颠的，像是一只在树梢上的麻雀。我说一声：\r\n\r\n“飞呀。”\r\n\r\n长根就一步一跳，做出一副飞的样子。\r\n\r\n我长大以后喜欢往城里跑，常常是十天半月不回家。我穿着白色的丝绸衣衫，头发抹得光滑透亮，往镜子前一站，我看到自己满脑袋的黑油漆，一副有钱人的样子。\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buy it on Amazon</a>\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n<em>Later, this old man sat down with me beneath the verdant trees, and on that sunlit afternoon, he told me of himself.</em>\r\n\r\nForty-odd years ago, my father would often walk around out here, wearing a black silk robe, always with both hands behind his back, and whenever he went out he would say to my mother: \r\n\r\n\"I\'m going to walk around my place.\"\r\n\r\nMy father would walk on his estate, and when the tenant farmers saw him, they would hold their shovels still in between two hands and say respectfully: \r\n\r\n\"Master.\" \r\n\r\nWhenever my father walked into town, the townsfolk called him \"Mister\". My father was a personage of some repute, but when he moved his bowels, he did it like a poor man. He didn\'t like to relieve himself in the toilet by the bed, and preferred to shit in the wilds like a farm animal. Every evening, my father let out a belch, a sound like a croaking frog, and left the house, walking sluggishly towards the manure vat at the mouth of the village. \r\n\r\nHe\'d arrive at the manure vat, and finding the filth around its edges distasteful, he\'d go up on tiptoe and squat above it. My father was old, and his feces were as old as he was, they didn\'t come out easily, and everyone in the house could hear him grunting.  \r\n\r\nFor many years this is how my father moved his bowels, at 60 years old he could still squat over the manure pit for half the day, his two legs had the strength of a bird\'s claws. My father like to watch the sky slowly fade to black, covering his fields. When my daughter Feng Xia was three or four, she would often run to the mouth of the village to watch grandpa poop, after all my father was getting on in years, and as he was squatting there his legs would tremble a bit, and Feng Xia would ask: \r\n\r\n\"Grandpa, why are you moving?\" \r\n\r\nAnd my dad would say: \"It\'s the wind.\"  \r\n\r\nAt that time our family\'s situation hadn\'t yet deteriorated, the Xu\'s had 100-plus <em>mu</em> of land, from here all the way to that factory\'s smokestack, all of it was our family\'s. My dad and I, were famous near and far as the Rich Old Master and the Rich Young Master, when we walked on the road, the sound of our shoes was like the sound of copper cash striking. My wife Jia Zhen, was the daughter of a rice industry bigwig in town, she also came from a wealthy family. A wealthy woman marrying a wealthy man, money piled on money, swishing in a great stream, I haven\'t heard that sound in 40 years. \r\n\r\nI was the Xu family wastrel, or in my father\'s words, I was his unfilial son.\r\n\r\nI went to private school for a couple of years, and when the school master in his long silk gown called on me to read a passage aloud, that\'s when I was happiest. I would stand up, holding a string-bound copy of <em>Qianzi Wen</em>, and say to him:\r\n\r\n\"Listen up, your elder is going to read you a passage.\"   \r\n\r\nThe schoolmaster, who was over sixty, would say to my father:\r\n\r\n\"Your family\'s young master is going to be a loafer when he grows up.\" \r\n\r\nEver since I was little, I\'ve been incorrigable, that\'s what my father said. The schoolmaster said I was \"rotten wood that couldn\'t be carved\". Now that I think on it they were both right, but at the time I didn\'t think this was so, I thought I had money, I was the Xu family\'s only son, if something happened to me, the family would be without heirs.\r\n\r\nWhen I went to school I never walked, it was always our hired worker that carried me there on his back, and when I got off, he always respectfully crouched over there, and when I jumped on I patted his head and said: \r\n\r\n\"Run, Changgen!\"\r\n\r\nThe worker Changgen would run, and I would bounce along, like a sparrow sitting on a tree branch. I\'d say:\r\n\r\n\"Fly.\"\r\n\r\nAnd Changgun would walk one step and jump one step, and make as if he was flying. \r\n\r\nAfter I grew up I like to go into the city, and often wouldn\'t come back for 10 days or half a month. I\'d wear a white silk shirt, my hair sleek and shiny, standing in front of the mirror, I\'d see the black oil in my hair, the picture of a wealthy man.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start Reading \"To Live\" 《活着》by Yu Hua', 'Yu Hua (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua\'s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 13:07:27', '2020-04-25 17:07:27', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2065, 1, '2020-04-30 00:01:25', '2020-04-30 04:01:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nPoor little Mile (米乐) is so shy (害羞 - [pinyin]hai4 xiu1[/pinyin]), she never speaks, and her face turns bright red whenever someone speaks to her. This story is upper-beginner, and is much longer than most beginner reads on this site. It will be a reasonably comfortable read at around HSK 4, and a do-able read at HSK 3 with a bit of effort.  \r\n\r\nSooooo, this is an actual picture book for kids, available in print, from a French author and a Chinese illustrator. I\'m not 100% sure about the copyright on this story. I <a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/385988976_751590\">found it</a> floating all around on dozens of sites on the Chinese internet, but considering lax copyright protection in China, that doesn\'t mean it\'s not stolen. I hope not... but if you like it, I found one print copy of the Chinese version on Amazon, so <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2YkIIDw\">go buy it</a> to read aloud to young readers at home or in the classroom. It\'s better with pictures. If you are the copyright owner, <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/about/\">contact me</a>. \r\n\r\nAnyway, this is a sweet story that also includes a little bit of story-ception. At one point, Mile has to read a story to her class, so you get two beginner stories for the price of one. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\nAs with most of these pieces, a few advanced phrases have snuck in, so let\'s take a look at those before we get going:\r\n\r\n<strong>小得不能再小</strong> [pinyin]xiao3 de bu4 neng2 zai4 xiao3[/pinyin]  - This structure actually just came up in my <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/29/essay-the-ugly-rock-by-jia-pingwa/\">last advanced post</a>, so it\'s pretty commonly used. Let\'s break it down: \r\n\r\n小 - Small \r\n得 - To the point that / to the degree that\r\n不能 - Cannot\r\n再 - Again\r\n小 - Small\r\n\r\nYikes. Hard to piece that together, even though we know the definition of each character. It means \"small to the point that it could not be any smaller\", or in better English, \"so small it could not be smaller\" / \"extremely small\". We can use this structure with many different adjectives. In the advanced post, the phrasing was: 丑得不能再丑, or \"so ugly it couldn\'t be uglier\". \r\n\r\n<strong>不知所措</strong> [pinyin]bu4 zhi1 suo3 cuo4[/pinyin] - To be at one\'s wit\'s end, to not know what to do. \r\n\r\n<strong>硬着头皮</strong> [pinyin]ying4 zhe tou2 pi2[/pinyin] - This one cracks me up. 头皮 is the skin on the top of your head over your skull. 硬, as we know, is usually an adjective which means \"hard\", as in \"a hard surface\". In this case,  硬 is being used as a verb, as in \"to harden\". But, \"to harden the skin over one\'s head\" still doesn\'t make any sense in English. That\'s because in Chinese, hardening one\'s head-skin is used to describe \"bracing oneself to do something scary or difficult\". For example, you\'ve got to 硬头皮 before you walk out on stage to give a performance, or before you have a hard conversation with your significant other, or before you walk into a job interview. 着 is a grammar word indicating something is continually happening. You can\'t just brace yourself for a second. You\'ve got to brace, and then hold onto that courage to go forth and complete whatever task you had to brace yourself for, so 着 shows us that this is a continual state. \r\n\r\n<strong>腿发软</strong> - [pinyin]tui3 fa1 ruan3[/pinyin] Three easy characters that seem to make no sense together. Let\'s look at each:\r\n\r\n腿 - Legs\r\n发 - To radiate, to send out\r\n软 - Soft\r\n\r\nLegs send out soft?! Clearly, the hard part here is the appearance of the character 发. In Chinese, 发 can be used to describe a kind of discomfort that radiates out from some part of the body. For example, after a workout, your muscles can 发酸 [pinyin]fa1 suan1[/pinyin], \"radiate ache\", or in better English \"be sore\". When you\'re sick, you may 发烧 [pinyin]fa1 shao1[/pinyin], \"radiate burn\", or in better English \"have a fever\". If a cut gets infected, it may 发炎 [pinyin]fa1 yan2[/pinyin], \"radiate heat\" or \"become inflamed\". If you\'re terrified, you may 发抖 [pinyin]fa1 dou3[/pinyin], \"radiate twitches\", or \"tremble\". So, all together, 腿发软 is equivalent to the English for \"to go weak in the knees\" or when ones \"legs go soft\" from fear. \r\n\r\n<strong>以为</strong> [pinyin]yi3 wei2[/pinyin] - And last but not least, 以为 means \"to think\", but not \"to think\" in the sense of sitting around pondering something, like \"to think up a solution\" or \"to think about a friend\". It means to have the wrong idea about something, or to believe something false, as in, \"Did you really think you could beat <em>me</em>?\" or \"Do you think this is some kind of joke?\" or \"I really thought I turned that paper in already!\" \r\n\r\nAlright, ready? On with the Chinese.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《西红柿女孩》</h4>\r\n\r\n这个小姑娘叫米乐。她非常，非常，非常害羞。只要有人叫她的名字，她就会变得满脸通红！可怜的米乐！\r\n\r\n在学校的操场上，同学们最喜欢的游戏，就是米乐的脸变颜色。米乐的脸会从淡粉色变成玫瑰红。从“米乐”变成“西红柿”。\r\n\r\n上课的时候，如果老师叫到她的名字，她会马上心跳加速，呼吸困难。虽然她明明知道答案，但是答案却总是躲在脑子里，不肯出来。没有一个人听到过米乐<span class=\"highlightText\">小得不能再小</span>的声音。从来没有！\r\n\r\n在面包店的阿姨面前（那是常常送糖给她的阿姨哦），米乐也说不出一个字。邻居家的小姑娘来米乐家玩，米乐也害羞得<span class=\"highlightText\">不知所措</span>。\r\n\r\n可怜的米乐，她从来不敢和同学们一起玩跳房子，同学们也不愿意和米乐一起玩。\r\n\r\n这些还不算什么。最最可怕、最最悲惨、最最让人担心的，这辈子最让米乐害怕的，是明天。因为明天她要在全班同学面前背诗！\r\n\r\n米乐度过了一个可怕的晚上。她在床上翻来覆去，先是怎么也睡不着，接着又做了许多的噩梦。\r\n\r\n可是第二天，米乐不得不硬着头皮去上学......\r\n\r\n“西红柿！”\r\n\r\n“米乐，该你了！”\r\n\r\n米乐的<span class=\"highlightText\">腿发软</span>、心乱跳，她恨不得自己能马上消失。\r\n\r\n“她的脸好红呀！”\r\n\r\n“西红柿！”\r\n\r\n老师说，“怎么这么吵！你们<span class=\"highlightText\">以为</span>这里是动物园吗? 是菜市场吗? 你们这些捣蛋鬼，不觉得难为情吗？她叫米乐。不叫西红柿！” \r\n\r\n米乐这才发现同学们的脸和她的一样红！突然，米乐张开了嘴。\r\n\r\n“小鸟\r\n一只小鸟，\r\n并不美丽，\r\n所有的动物都嘲笑它。\r\n它的颜色很奇怪，\r\n羽毛也不柔软。\r\n一天早上，在清晨的阳光里，\r\n小鸟唱起了动听的歌，\r\n所有的动物都伸长了耳朵，\r\n原来在并不耀眼的羽毛下，\r\n藏着最美丽的歌喉！”\r\n\r\n完。\r\n\r\n“太棒了！”\r\n\r\n“真好！”\r\n\r\n“真了不起！”\r\n\r\n从那天起，米乐有一个新外号，“米乐小百灵”。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://www.sohu.com/a/385988976_751590\">Tomato Girl 《西红柿女孩》</a>\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThis little girl is named Mile. She is very, very, very shy. One only needs to call her name, and her whole face will turn red! Poor Mile!\r\n\r\nOn the school playground, her classmates\' favorite game, is to make Mile\'s face change color. Mile\'s face will change from light pink to rose red. From \"Mile\" she becomes \"Tomato\". \r\n\r\nDuring classtime, if the teacher calls her name, her heartbeat immediately speeds up, and it\'s difficult to breathe. Although she clearly knows the answer, the answer always hides in her brain, unwilling to come out. Not one person has ever heard Mile\'s small [so small it couldn\'t be smaller] voice. Never! \r\n\r\nIn front of the lady [lit: auntie] at the bakery (that\'s the lady that always gives her some candy), Mile still can\'t speak a word. The neighbor\'s little girl came to Mila\'s house to play, and Mile was so shy she was at her wit\'s end. \r\n\r\nPoor Mile, she had never dared to play hopscotch with her classmates, and her classmates also weren\'t willing to play with her. \r\n\r\nBut all this was nothing. Most most frightening of all, most most miserable, most most worrisome, was tomorrow. Because tomorrow she had to read aloud in front of the whole class! \r\n\r\nMile spent the whole night terrified. She tossed and turned on her bed, first she couldn\'t sleep, and then she had many nightmares. \r\n\r\nBut on the second day, Mile had to brace herself and go to school... \r\n\r\n\"Tomato!\"\r\n\r\n\"Mile, it\'s your turn!\"\r\n\r\nMile\'s legs went soft, her heart beat madly, and she wished she could immediately disappear. \r\n\r\n\"Her face is so red!\" \r\n\r\n\"Tomato!\" \r\n\r\nThe teacher said, \"How are you all this noisy? Do you think this is a zoo?! That it\'s a vegetable market? You troublemakers, aren\'t you ashamed? Her name is Mile. Not Tomato!\"  \r\n\r\nAt this time, Mile discovered all her classmate\'s faces were as red as hers! Suddenly, Mile opened her mouth. \r\n\r\n“Little bird,\r\nOne little bird,\r\nNot at all pretty, \r\nAll the animals made fun of it.\r\nIt\'s color was very strange,\r\nAnd its feathers were not soft.\r\nOne morning, in the light of the dawn,\r\nThe little bird sang a pleasant song,\r\nAll the animals perked up their ears,\r\nFor it turned out that under unremarkable feathers,\r\nThere was hidden the most beautiful song!\"\r\n\r\nShe finished.\r\n\r\n\"So great!\"\r\n\r\n\"Well done!\" \r\n\r\n\"Really impressive!\" \r\n\r\nFrom that day on, Mile had a new nickname, \"Mile the Little Lark\". \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《西红柿女孩》Tomato Girl', 'Poor little Mile (米乐) is so shy (害羞 - [pinyin]hai4 xiu1[/pinyin]), she never speaks, and her face turns bright red whenever someone speaks to her. This story is upper-beginner, will be a reasonably comfortable read at around HSK 4, and a do-able read at HSK 3 with a bit of effort. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-childrens-stories-tomato-girl', '', '', '2020-04-30 20:26:05', '2020-05-01 00:26:05', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2065', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(2066, 1, '2020-04-25 21:44:40', '2020-04-26 01:44:40', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nhttps://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA4NTI3NzgwMg==&mid=2652210557&idx=2&sn=136968ca0e86b5f97958d52214fcfb69&chksm=843b4878b34cc16e10cb1b3e01aa187774e3dd27ceaaae6d357ded8a105a919e61bff8a17aaf&mpshare=1&scene=1&srcid=0426IqgK9cxAcfunR2MjP74X&sharer_sharetime=1587864851532&sharer_shareid=fd85dcda3230db6e5236fe000328aeb9&exportkey=ATYzChNz1KkHlWKo4Y5Dw5Y%3D&pass_ticket=qyvpvzX5Hk3%2Bm8uSGO1IqKESoUXkEwrLEOUdvelQW6YhiDYen54nkVRKDnG2qZyg#rd\r\n\r\namazon link:\r\nhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=9787540585075&ref=nb_sb_noss\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《西红柿女孩》</h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n这个小姑娘叫米乐。她非常，非常，非常害羞。只要有人叫她的名字，她就会变得满脸通红！可怜的米乐！\r\n\r\n\r\n在学校的操场上，同学们最喜欢的游戏，就是米乐的脸变颜色。米乐的脸会从淡粉色变成玫瑰红。从“米乐”变成“西红柿”。\r\n\r\n\r\n上课的时候，如果老师叫到她的名字，她会马上心跳加速，呼吸困难。虽然她明明知道答案，但是答案却总是躲在脑子里，不肯出来。没有一个人听到过米乐小得不能再小的声音。从来没有！\r\n\r\n在面包店的阿姨面前（那是常常送糖给她的阿姨哦），米乐也说不出一个字。领居家的小姑娘来米乐家玩，米乐也害羞得不知所措。\r\n\r\n可怜的米乐，她从来不敢和同学们一起玩跳房子，同学们也不愿意和米乐一起玩。\r\n\r\n这些还不算什么。最最可怕、最最悲惨、最最让人担心的，这辈子最让米乐害怕的，是明天。因为明天她要在全班同学面前背诗！\r\n\r\n米乐度过了一个可怕的晚上。她在床上翻来覆去，先是怎么也睡不着，接着又做了许多的噩梦。\r\n\r\n可是第二天，米乐不得不硬着头皮去上学......\r\n\r\n“西红柿！”\r\n\r\n“米乐，该你了！”\r\n\r\n米乐的腿发软、心乱跳，她恨不得自己能马上消失。\r\n\r\n“她的脸好红呀！”\r\n\r\n“西红柿！”\r\n\r\n老师说，“怎么这么吵！你们以为这里是动物园吗！是菜市场吗！你们这些捣蛋鬼，不觉得难为情吗？她叫米乐。不叫西红柿！” \r\n\r\n米乐这才发现同学们的脸和她的一样红！突然，米乐张开了嘴。\r\n\r\n“小鸟\r\n\r\n一只小鸟，\r\n\r\n并不美丽，\r\n\r\n所有的动物都嘲笑它。\r\n\r\n它的颜色很奇怪，\r\n\r\n羽毛也不柔软。\r\n\r\n一天早上，在清晨的阳光里，\r\n\r\n小鸟唱起了动听的歌，\r\n\r\n所有的动物都伸长了耳朵，\r\n\r\n原来在并不耀眼的羽毛下，\r\n\r\n藏着最美丽的歌喉！”\r\n\r\n完。\r\n\r\n“太棒了！”\r\n\r\n“真好！”\r\n\r\n“真了不起！”\r\n\r\n从那天起，米乐有一个新外号，“米乐小百灵”。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\r\nhttps://www.amazon.com/%E8%92%B2%E8%92%B2%E5%85%B0%E7%BB%98%E6%9C%AC%E9%A6%86-%E8%A5%BF%E7%BA%A2%E6%9F%BF%E5%A5%B3%E5%AD%A9-%E6%AD%A6%E5%A8%9F-%E6%B3%95-%E9%9C%B2%E8%8D%B7%C2%B7%E8%92%99%E8%B7%AF%E5%B8%83/dp/B00LA0MRSC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=9787540585075&qid=1587864776&sr=8-1\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nRespected Mr. Yoshino, Hello!\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《西红柿女孩》Tomato Girl', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2065-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-25 21:44:40', '2020-04-26 01:44:40', '', 2065, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/25/2065-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2068, 1, '2020-04-27 20:05:42', '2020-04-28 00:05:42', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nJia Pingwa 贾平凹\r\n\r\nI couldn\'t love this essay any more. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n想以它垒山墙\r\n槐\r\n我们这些做孩子的\r\n每每到了十五的夜晚\r\n丑得不能再丑的丑石\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《丑石》</h4>\r\n\r\n我常常遗憾我家门前的那块丑石呢：它黑黝黝地卧在那里，牛似的模样；谁也不知道是什么时候留在这里的，谁也不去理会它。只是麦收时节，门前摊了麦子，奶奶总是要说：这块丑石，多碍地面哟，多时把它搬走吧。\r\n\r\n于是，伯父家盖房，想以它垒山墙，但苦于它极不规则，没棱角儿，也没平面儿；用錾破开吧，又懒得花那么大气力，因为河滩并不甚远，随便去掮一块回来，哪一块也比它强。房盖起来，压铺台阶，伯父也没有看上它。有一年，来了一个石匠，为我家洗一台石磨，奶奶又说：用这块丑石吧，省得从远处搬动。石匠看了看，摇着头，嫌它石质太细，不太采用。\r\n\r\n它不像汉白玉那样的细腻，可以凿下刻字雕花，也不像大青石那样的光滑，可以供来浣纱捶布；它静静地卧在那里，院边的槐荫没有庇覆它，花儿也不再在它身边生长。荒草便繁衍出来，枝蔓上下，慢慢地，竟锈上了绿苔、黑斑。我们这些做孩子的，也讨厌起它来，曾合伙要搬走它，但力气又不足；虽时时咒骂它，嫌弃它，也无可奈何，只好任它留在那里去了。\r\n\r\n稍稍能安慰我们的，是在那石上有一个不大不小的坑凹儿，雨天就盛满了水。常常雨过三天了，地上已经干燥，那石凹里水儿还有，鸡儿便去那里渴饮。每每到了十五的夜晚，我们盼着满月出来，就爬到其上，翘望天边；奶奶总是要骂的，害怕我们摔下来。果然那一次就摔了下来，磕破了我的膝盖呢。\r\n\r\n人都骂它是丑石，它真是丑得不能再丑的丑石了。\r\n\r\n终有一日，村子里来了一个天文学家。他在我家门前路过，突然发现了这块石头，眼光立即就拉直了。他再没有走去，就住了下来；以后又来了好些人，说这是一块陨石，从天上落下来已经有二三百年了，是一件了不起的东西。不久便来了车，小心翼翼地将它运走了。\r\n\r\n这使我们都很惊奇！这又怪又丑的石头，原来是天上的呢！它补过天，在天上发过热，闪过光，我们的先祖或许仰望过它，它给了他们光明，向往，憧憬；而它落下来了，在污土里，荒草里，一躺就是几百年了？！\r\n\r\n奶奶说：“真看不出！它那么不一般，却怎么连墙也垒不成，台阶也垒不成呢？”\r\n\r\n “它是太丑了。”天文学家说。\r\n\r\n“真的，是太丑了。”\r\n\r\n“可这正是它的美!”天文学家说，“它是以丑为美的。”\r\n\r\n“以丑为美？”\r\n\r\n“是的，丑到极处，便是美到极处。正因为它不是一般的顽石，当然不能去做墙，做台阶，不能去雕刻，捶布。它不是做这些玩意儿的，所以常常就遭到一般世俗的讥讽。”\r\n\r\n奶奶脸红了，我也脸红了。\r\n\r\n我感到自己的可耻，也感到了丑石的伟大；我甚至怨恨它这么多年竟会默默地忍受着这一切，而我又立即深深地感到它那种不屈于误解的寂寞的生存的伟大。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI often think regretfully of that ugly rock outside the door of our home: it lay there darkly, looking like a cow; no one knew when it had been left there, and no one paid it any attention. It was only in harvest season, when wheat was spread before the door, that grandma would always say: That ugly rock, takes up all the [space on the] ground, we should move it before long. \r\n\r\nAnd so, [when] my uncle was building a house [there], he wanted to use it as a base for the gables, but was troubled that it was uneven, it had no edges and corners, and wasn\'t flat; he [could have] used a chisel to break it open, but was too lazy to expend that much effort, because the riverbank wasn\'t far away, he could carry a rock back from there on his shoulders, and any one of [those rocks by the river] were better than it. [Once] the house was built, [uncle was] laying the stairs, and [for this] also didn\'t see it as [suitable]. One year, a stonemason came to fashion a millstone for our family, and grandma said again: How about you use that ugly rock, save [yourself the effort] of bringing one from far away. The stonemason gave it a lookover, shook his head, disliking the smooth quality of the stone, which wasn\'t of much use. \r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t fine like marble, which could be engraved with letters and flowers, and it wasn\'t as smooth as limestone, which could be used to wash cloth, it lay there silently, the shade of the scholartrees didn\'t cover it, and flowers wouldn\'t grow at its side. Weeds [sprouted] out in profusion, branches and tendrils all over, and slowly, it rusted over with green moss and black stripes. We kids also began to hate it, and we once banded together to move it away, but we weren\'t strong enough; so sometimes we would curse it, or avoid it, but we had no choice, we had to allow it to stay there.  \r\n\r\nWhat comforted us a little was that the top of the rock had a pit in it neither large nor small, which would fill up with water on a rainy day. Often three days after a rain had passed, the ground was already dry, but the pit in that rock still had water in it, and the birds would go there to drink. Whenever it reached the middle night of the month, we would watch the full moon come out, and climb on top of it, to gaze up at the sky; grandma always yelled [at us], afraid we would fall off. Naturally it happened, and I smashed open my knee.\r\n\r\nEveryone cursed it as an ugly rock, an ugly rock so ugly it couldn\'t be uglier. \r\n\r\nFinally one day, an astronomer came to the village. He passed in front of our house, and suddenly saw this stone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to it. he didn\'t keep walking, but stopped there; later many more people arrived, saying this was a meteorite, which had fallen from the sky and had already been here for two or three hundred years, that it was a praiseworthy thing. Soon a car came, and carefully took it away. \r\n\r\nThis shocked us all! As it turned out, this strange and ugly rock was from the heavens! It had mended the sky [NOTE: A reference to a mythological story in which a goddess uses molten rocks to mend a tear in the sky], it had burned in the firmament, had sparkled with light, our ancestors may have looked upon it, it had given them radiance, hope, yearning; but it fell here, in the filth, in the weeds, and lay there several hundred years?!  \r\n\r\nGrandma said: \"You couldn\'t tell by looking at it! So unique, yet it couldn\'t brace a gable, or be used to make stairs?\" \r\n\r\n\"It\'s too ugly,\" the astronomer said. \r\n\r\n\"Yes, too ugly.\" \r\n\r\n\"But this is its beauty!\" the astronomer said, \"It\'s beauty comes from its ugliness.\" \r\n\r\n\"Beauty from ugliness?\" \r\n\r\n\"Yes, when ugliness reaches its extreme, it also reaches the extreme of beauty. Precisely because it isn\'t average stone, of course it can\'t [be used to] make a wall, or [be used to] make stairs, and can\'t be carved or wash cloth. It\'s not made to do those things, so it often suffers common ridicule.\"\r\n\r\nGrandma\'s face reddened, my face reddened also. \r\n\r\nI felt my own humiliation, and felt the rock\'s greatness. I even resented it for silently enduring everything for years, and I deeply felt the greatness of its lonely existence unbent for having been misunderstood. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1983-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-27 20:05:42', '2020-04-28 00:05:42', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2069, 1, '2020-04-27 20:08:31', '2020-04-28 00:08:31', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nJia Pingwa 贾平凹\r\n\r\nI couldn\'t love this essay any more. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n想以它垒山墙\r\n洗一台石磨 - in this case does not mean \"wash\". The process of making a millstone involves carving a pit out of rock and rinsing it off as you go. \r\n槐\r\n我们这些做孩子的\r\n每每到了十五的夜晚\r\n丑得不能再丑的丑石\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《丑石》</h4>\r\n\r\n我常常遗憾我家门前的那块丑石呢：它黑黝黝地卧在那里，牛似的模样；谁也不知道是什么时候留在这里的，谁也不去理会它。只是麦收时节，门前摊了麦子，奶奶总是要说：这块丑石，多碍地面哟，多时把它搬走吧。\r\n\r\n于是，伯父家盖房，想以它垒山墙，但苦于它极不规则，没棱角儿，也没平面儿；用錾破开吧，又懒得花那么大气力，因为河滩并不甚远，随便去掮一块回来，哪一块也比它强。房盖起来，压铺台阶，伯父也没有看上它。有一年，来了一个石匠，为我家洗一台石磨，奶奶又说：用这块丑石吧，省得从远处搬动。石匠看了看，摇着头，嫌它石质太细，不太采用。\r\n\r\n它不像汉白玉那样的细腻，可以凿下刻字雕花，也不像大青石那样的光滑，可以供来浣纱捶布；它静静地卧在那里，院边的槐荫没有庇覆它，花儿也不再在它身边生长。荒草便繁衍出来，枝蔓上下，慢慢地，竟锈上了绿苔、黑斑。我们这些做孩子的，也讨厌起它来，曾合伙要搬走它，但力气又不足；虽时时咒骂它，嫌弃它，也无可奈何，只好任它留在那里去了。\r\n\r\n稍稍能安慰我们的，是在那石上有一个不大不小的坑凹儿，雨天就盛满了水。常常雨过三天了，地上已经干燥，那石凹里水儿还有，鸡儿便去那里渴饮。每每到了十五的夜晚，我们盼着满月出来，就爬到其上，翘望天边；奶奶总是要骂的，害怕我们摔下来。果然那一次就摔了下来，磕破了我的膝盖呢。\r\n\r\n人都骂它是丑石，它真是丑得不能再丑的丑石了。\r\n\r\n终有一日，村子里来了一个天文学家。他在我家门前路过，突然发现了这块石头，眼光立即就拉直了。他再没有走去，就住了下来；以后又来了好些人，说这是一块陨石，从天上落下来已经有二三百年了，是一件了不起的东西。不久便来了车，小心翼翼地将它运走了。\r\n\r\n这使我们都很惊奇！这又怪又丑的石头，原来是天上的呢！它补过天，在天上发过热，闪过光，我们的先祖或许仰望过它，它给了他们光明，向往，憧憬；而它落下来了，在污土里，荒草里，一躺就是几百年了？！\r\n\r\n奶奶说：“真看不出！它那么不一般，却怎么连墙也垒不成，台阶也垒不成呢？”\r\n\r\n “它是太丑了。”天文学家说。\r\n\r\n“真的，是太丑了。”\r\n\r\n“可这正是它的美!”天文学家说，“它是以丑为美的。”\r\n\r\n“以丑为美？”\r\n\r\n“是的，丑到极处，便是美到极处。正因为它不是一般的顽石，当然不能去做墙，做台阶，不能去雕刻，捶布。它不是做这些玩意儿的，所以常常就遭到一般世俗的讥讽。”\r\n\r\n奶奶脸红了，我也脸红了。\r\n\r\n我感到自己的可耻，也感到了丑石的伟大；我甚至怨恨它这么多年竟会默默地忍受着这一切，而我又立即深深地感到它那种不屈于误解的寂寞的生存的伟大。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI often think regretfully of that ugly rock outside the door of our home: it lay there darkly, looking like a cow; no one knew when it had been left there, and no one paid it any attention. It was only in harvest season, when wheat was spread before the door, that grandma would always say: That ugly rock, takes up all the [space on the] ground, we should move it before long. \r\n\r\nAnd so, [when] my uncle was building a house [there], he wanted to use it as a base for the gables, but was troubled that it was uneven, it had no edges and corners, and wasn\'t flat; he [could have] used a chisel to break it open, but was too lazy to expend that much effort, because the riverbank wasn\'t far away, he could carry a rock back from there on his shoulders, and any one of [those rocks by the river] were better than it. [Once] the house was built, [uncle was] laying the stairs, and [for this] also didn\'t see it as [suitable]. One year, a stonemason came to fashion a millstone for our family, and grandma said again: How about you use that ugly rock, save [yourself the effort] of bringing one from far away. The stonemason gave it a lookover, shook his head, disliking the smooth quality of the stone, which wasn\'t of much use. \r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t fine like marble, which could be engraved with letters and flowers, and it wasn\'t as smooth as limestone, which could be used to wash cloth, it lay there silently, the shade of the scholartrees didn\'t cover it, and flowers wouldn\'t grow at its side. Weeds [sprouted] out in profusion, branches and tendrils all over, and slowly, it rusted over with green moss and black stripes. We kids also began to hate it, and we once banded together to move it away, but we weren\'t strong enough; so sometimes we would curse it, or avoid it, but we had no choice, we had to allow it to stay there.  \r\n\r\nWhat comforted us a little was that the top of the rock had a pit in it neither large nor small, which would fill up with water on a rainy day. Often three days after a rain had passed, the ground was already dry, but the pit in that rock still had water in it, and the birds would go there to drink. Whenever it reached the middle night of the month, we would watch the full moon come out, and climb on top of it, to gaze up at the sky; grandma always yelled [at us], afraid we would fall off. Naturally it happened, and I smashed open my knee.\r\n\r\nEveryone cursed it as an ugly rock, an ugly rock so ugly it couldn\'t be uglier. \r\n\r\nFinally one day, an astronomer came to the village. He passed in front of our house, and suddenly saw this stone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to it. he didn\'t keep walking, but stopped there; later many more people arrived, saying this was a meteorite, which had fallen from the sky and had already been here for two or three hundred years, that it was a praiseworthy thing. Soon a car came, and carefully took it away. \r\n\r\nThis shocked us all! As it turned out, this strange and ugly rock was from the heavens! It had mended the sky [NOTE: A reference to a mythological story in which a goddess uses molten rocks to mend a tear in the sky], it had burned in the firmament, had sparkled with light, our ancestors may have looked upon it, it had given them radiance, hope, yearning; but it fell here, in the filth, in the weeds, and lay there several hundred years?!  \r\n\r\nGrandma said: \"You couldn\'t tell by looking at it! So unique, yet it couldn\'t brace a gable, or be used to make stairs?\" \r\n\r\n\"It\'s too ugly,\" the astronomer said. \r\n\r\n\"Yes, too ugly.\" \r\n\r\n\"But this is its beauty!\" the astronomer said, \"It\'s beauty comes from its ugliness.\" \r\n\r\n\"Beauty from ugliness?\" \r\n\r\n\"Yes, when ugliness reaches its extreme, it also reaches the extreme of beauty. Precisely because it isn\'t average stone, of course it can\'t [be used to] make a wall, or [be used to] make stairs, and can\'t be carved or wash cloth. It\'s not made to do those things, so it often suffers common ridicule.\"\r\n\r\nGrandma\'s face reddened, my face reddened also. \r\n\r\nI felt my own humiliation, and felt the rock\'s greatness. I even resented it for silently enduring everything for years, and I deeply felt the greatness of its lonely existence unbent for having been misunderstood. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1983-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-27 20:08:31', '2020-04-28 00:08:31', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2070, 1, '2020-04-27 20:19:33', '2020-04-28 00:19:33', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nJia Pingwa 贾平凹 is one of China\'s modern literary greats, and in this short story, it shows. I don\'t know how this guy crammed so many insights on the human condition into a few paragraphs about a rock, but he did. \r\n\r\nI couldn\'t love this essay any more. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n想以它垒山墙\r\n洗一台石磨 - in this case does not mean \"wash\". The process of making a millstone involves carving a pit out of rock and rinsing it off as you go. \r\n槐\r\n我们这些做孩子的\r\n每每到了十五的夜晚\r\n丑得不能再丑的丑石\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《丑石》</h4>\r\n\r\n我常常遗憾我家门前的那块丑石呢：它黑黝黝地卧在那里，牛似的模样；谁也不知道是什么时候留在这里的，谁也不去理会它。只是麦收时节，门前摊了麦子，奶奶总是要说：这块丑石，多碍地面哟，多时把它搬走吧。\r\n\r\n于是，伯父家盖房，想以它垒山墙，但苦于它极不规则，没棱角儿，也没平面儿；用錾破开吧，又懒得花那么大气力，因为河滩并不甚远，随便去掮一块回来，哪一块也比它强。房盖起来，压铺台阶，伯父也没有看上它。有一年，来了一个石匠，为我家洗一台石磨，奶奶又说：用这块丑石吧，省得从远处搬动。石匠看了看，摇着头，嫌它石质太细，不太采用。\r\n\r\n它不像汉白玉那样的细腻，可以凿下刻字雕花，也不像大青石那样的光滑，可以供来浣纱捶布；它静静地卧在那里，院边的槐荫没有庇覆它，花儿也不再在它身边生长。荒草便繁衍出来，枝蔓上下，慢慢地，竟锈上了绿苔、黑斑。我们这些做孩子的，也讨厌起它来，曾合伙要搬走它，但力气又不足；虽时时咒骂它，嫌弃它，也无可奈何，只好任它留在那里去了。\r\n\r\n稍稍能安慰我们的，是在那石上有一个不大不小的坑凹儿，雨天就盛满了水。常常雨过三天了，地上已经干燥，那石凹里水儿还有，鸡儿便去那里渴饮。每每到了十五的夜晚，我们盼着满月出来，就爬到其上，翘望天边；奶奶总是要骂的，害怕我们摔下来。果然那一次就摔了下来，磕破了我的膝盖呢。\r\n\r\n人都骂它是丑石，它真是丑得不能再丑的丑石了。\r\n\r\n终有一日，村子里来了一个天文学家。他在我家门前路过，突然发现了这块石头，眼光立即就拉直了。他再没有走去，就住了下来；以后又来了好些人，说这是一块陨石，从天上落下来已经有二三百年了，是一件了不起的东西。不久便来了车，小心翼翼地将它运走了。\r\n\r\n这使我们都很惊奇！这又怪又丑的石头，原来是天上的呢！它补过天，在天上发过热，闪过光，我们的先祖或许仰望过它，它给了他们光明，向往，憧憬；而它落下来了，在污土里，荒草里，一躺就是几百年了？！\r\n\r\n奶奶说：“真看不出！它那么不一般，却怎么连墙也垒不成，台阶也垒不成呢？”\r\n\r\n “它是太丑了。”天文学家说。\r\n\r\n“真的，是太丑了。”\r\n\r\n“可这正是它的美!”天文学家说，“它是以丑为美的。”\r\n\r\n“以丑为美？”\r\n\r\n“是的，丑到极处，便是美到极处。正因为它不是一般的顽石，当然不能去做墙，做台阶，不能去雕刻，捶布。它不是做这些玩意儿的，所以常常就遭到一般世俗的讥讽。”\r\n\r\n奶奶脸红了，我也脸红了。\r\n\r\n我感到自己的可耻，也感到了丑石的伟大；我甚至怨恨它这么多年竟会默默地忍受着这一切，而我又立即深深地感到它那种不屈于误解的寂寞的生存的伟大。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI often think regretfully of that ugly rock outside the door of our home: it lay there darkly, looking like a cow; no one knew when it had been left there, and no one paid it any attention. It was only in harvest season, when wheat was spread before the door, that grandma would always say: That ugly rock, takes up all the [space on the] ground, we should move it before long. \r\n\r\nAnd so, [when] my uncle was building a house [there], he wanted to use it as a base for the gables, but was troubled that it was uneven, it had no edges and corners, and wasn\'t flat; he [could have] used a chisel to break it open, but was too lazy to expend that much effort, because the riverbank wasn\'t far away, he could carry a rock back from there on his shoulders, and any one of [those rocks by the river] were better than it. [Once] the house was built, [uncle was] laying the stairs, and [for this] also didn\'t see it as [suitable]. One year, a stonemason came to fashion a millstone for our family, and grandma said again: How about you use that ugly rock, save [yourself the effort] of bringing one from far away. The stonemason gave it a lookover, shook his head, disliking the smooth quality of the stone, which wasn\'t of much use. \r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t fine like marble, which could be engraved with letters and flowers, and it wasn\'t as smooth as limestone, which could be used to wash cloth, it lay there silently, the shade of the scholartrees didn\'t cover it, and flowers wouldn\'t grow at its side. Weeds [sprouted] out in profusion, branches and tendrils all over, and slowly, it rusted over with green moss and black stripes. We kids also began to hate it, and we once banded together to move it away, but we weren\'t strong enough; so sometimes we would curse it, or avoid it, but we had no choice, we had to allow it to stay there.  \r\n\r\nWhat comforted us a little was that the top of the rock had a pit in it neither large nor small, which would fill up with water on a rainy day. Often three days after a rain had passed, the ground was already dry, but the pit in that rock still had water in it, and the birds would go there to drink. Whenever it reached the middle night of the month, we would watch the full moon come out, and climb on top of it, to gaze up at the sky; grandma always yelled [at us], afraid we would fall off. Naturally it happened, and I smashed open my knee.\r\n\r\nEveryone cursed it as an ugly rock, an ugly rock so ugly it couldn\'t be uglier. \r\n\r\nFinally one day, an astronomer came to the village. He passed in front of our house, and suddenly saw this stone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to it. he didn\'t keep walking, but stopped there; later many more people arrived, saying this was a meteorite, which had fallen from the sky and had already been here for two or three hundred years, that it was a praiseworthy thing. Soon a car came, and carefully took it away. \r\n\r\nThis shocked us all! As it turned out, this strange and ugly rock was from the heavens! It had mended the sky [NOTE: A reference to a mythological story in which a goddess uses molten rocks to mend a tear in the sky], it had burned in the firmament, had sparkled with light, our ancestors may have looked upon it, it had given them radiance, hope, yearning; but it fell here, in the filth, in the weeds, and lay there several hundred years?!  \r\n\r\nGrandma said: \"You couldn\'t tell by looking at it! So unique, yet it couldn\'t brace a gable, or be used to make stairs?\" \r\n\r\n\"It\'s too ugly,\" the astronomer said. \r\n\r\n\"Yes, too ugly.\" \r\n\r\n\"But this is its beauty!\" the astronomer said, \"It\'s beauty comes from its ugliness.\" \r\n\r\n\"Beauty from ugliness?\" \r\n\r\n\"Yes, when ugliness reaches its extreme, it also reaches the extreme of beauty. Precisely because it isn\'t average stone, of course it can\'t [be used to] make a wall, or [be used to] make stairs, and can\'t be carved or wash cloth. It\'s not made to do those things, so it often suffers common ridicule.\"\r\n\r\nGrandma\'s face reddened, my face reddened also. \r\n\r\nI felt my own humiliation, and felt the rock\'s greatness. I even resented it for silently enduring everything for years, and I deeply felt the greatness of its lonely existence unbent for having been misunderstood. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1983-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-27 20:19:33', '2020-04-28 00:19:33', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2071, 1, '2020-04-27 20:28:58', '2020-04-28 00:28:58', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nJia Pingwa 贾平凹 is one of China\'s modern literary greats, and in this short story, it shows. I don\'t know how this guy crammed so many insights on the human condition into a few paragraphs about a rock, but he undeniably did. \r\n\r\nI\'ve read one of Jia Pingwa\'s novels, which though solid didn\'t blow me away, but I couldn\'t love this little piece any more. In it, you\'ll sympathize with an inanimate object, wonder at the grandness of the night sky, shake your head at your own small-mindedness,  \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n想以它垒山墙\r\n洗一台石磨 - in this case does not mean \"wash\". The process of making a millstone involves carving a pit out of rock and rinsing it off as you go. \r\n槐\r\n我们这些做孩子的\r\n每每到了十五的夜晚\r\n丑得不能再丑的丑石\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《丑石》</h4>\r\n\r\n我常常遗憾我家门前的那块丑石呢：它黑黝黝地卧在那里，牛似的模样；谁也不知道是什么时候留在这里的，谁也不去理会它。只是麦收时节，门前摊了麦子，奶奶总是要说：这块丑石，多碍地面哟，多时把它搬走吧。\r\n\r\n于是，伯父家盖房，想以它垒山墙，但苦于它极不规则，没棱角儿，也没平面儿；用錾破开吧，又懒得花那么大气力，因为河滩并不甚远，随便去掮一块回来，哪一块也比它强。房盖起来，压铺台阶，伯父也没有看上它。有一年，来了一个石匠，为我家洗一台石磨，奶奶又说：用这块丑石吧，省得从远处搬动。石匠看了看，摇着头，嫌它石质太细，不太采用。\r\n\r\n它不像汉白玉那样的细腻，可以凿下刻字雕花，也不像大青石那样的光滑，可以供来浣纱捶布；它静静地卧在那里，院边的槐荫没有庇覆它，花儿也不再在它身边生长。荒草便繁衍出来，枝蔓上下，慢慢地，竟锈上了绿苔、黑斑。我们这些做孩子的，也讨厌起它来，曾合伙要搬走它，但力气又不足；虽时时咒骂它，嫌弃它，也无可奈何，只好任它留在那里去了。\r\n\r\n稍稍能安慰我们的，是在那石上有一个不大不小的坑凹儿，雨天就盛满了水。常常雨过三天了，地上已经干燥，那石凹里水儿还有，鸡儿便去那里渴饮。每每到了十五的夜晚，我们盼着满月出来，就爬到其上，翘望天边；奶奶总是要骂的，害怕我们摔下来。果然那一次就摔了下来，磕破了我的膝盖呢。\r\n\r\n人都骂它是丑石，它真是丑得不能再丑的丑石了。\r\n\r\n终有一日，村子里来了一个天文学家。他在我家门前路过，突然发现了这块石头，眼光立即就拉直了。他再没有走去，就住了下来；以后又来了好些人，说这是一块陨石，从天上落下来已经有二三百年了，是一件了不起的东西。不久便来了车，小心翼翼地将它运走了。\r\n\r\n这使我们都很惊奇！这又怪又丑的石头，原来是天上的呢！它补过天，在天上发过热，闪过光，我们的先祖或许仰望过它，它给了他们光明，向往，憧憬；而它落下来了，在污土里，荒草里，一躺就是几百年了？！\r\n\r\n奶奶说：“真看不出！它那么不一般，却怎么连墙也垒不成，台阶也垒不成呢？”\r\n\r\n “它是太丑了。”天文学家说。\r\n\r\n“真的，是太丑了。”\r\n\r\n“可这正是它的美!”天文学家说，“它是以丑为美的。”\r\n\r\n“以丑为美？”\r\n\r\n“是的，丑到极处，便是美到极处。正因为它不是一般的顽石，当然不能去做墙，做台阶，不能去雕刻，捶布。它不是做这些玩意儿的，所以常常就遭到一般世俗的讥讽。”\r\n\r\n奶奶脸红了，我也脸红了。\r\n\r\n我感到自己的可耻，也感到了丑石的伟大；我甚至怨恨它这么多年竟会默默地忍受着这一切，而我又立即深深地感到它那种不屈于误解的寂寞的生存的伟大。\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI often think regretfully of that ugly rock outside the door of our home: it lay there darkly, looking like a cow; no one knew when it had been left there, and no one paid it any attention. It was only in harvest season, when wheat was spread before the door, that grandma would always say: That ugly rock, takes up all the [space on the] ground, we should move it before long. \r\n\r\nAnd so, [when] my uncle was building a house [there], he wanted to use it as a base for the gables, but was troubled that it was uneven, it had no edges and corners, and wasn\'t flat; he [could have] used a chisel to break it open, but was too lazy to expend that much effort, because the riverbank wasn\'t far away, he could carry a rock back from there on his shoulders, and any one of [those rocks by the river] were better than it. [Once] the house was built, [uncle was] laying the stairs, and [for this] also didn\'t see it as [suitable]. One year, a stonemason came to fashion a millstone for our family, and grandma said again: How about you use that ugly rock, save [yourself the effort] of bringing one from far away. The stonemason gave it a lookover, shook his head, disliking the smooth quality of the stone, which wasn\'t of much use. \r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t fine like marble, which could be engraved with letters and flowers, and it wasn\'t as smooth as limestone, which could be used to wash cloth, it lay there silently, the shade of the scholartrees didn\'t cover it, and flowers wouldn\'t grow at its side. Weeds [sprouted] out in profusion, branches and tendrils all over, and slowly, it rusted over with green moss and black stripes. We kids also began to hate it, and we once banded together to move it away, but we weren\'t strong enough; so sometimes we would curse it, or avoid it, but we had no choice, we had to allow it to stay there.  \r\n\r\nWhat comforted us a little was that the top of the rock had a pit in it neither large nor small, which would fill up with water on a rainy day. Often three days after a rain had passed, the ground was already dry, but the pit in that rock still had water in it, and the birds would go there to drink. Whenever it reached the middle night of the month, we would watch the full moon come out, and climb on top of it, to gaze up at the sky; grandma always yelled [at us], afraid we would fall off. Naturally it happened, and I smashed open my knee.\r\n\r\nEveryone cursed it as an ugly rock, an ugly rock so ugly it couldn\'t be uglier. \r\n\r\nFinally one day, an astronomer came to the village. He passed in front of our house, and suddenly saw this stone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to it. he didn\'t keep walking, but stopped there; later many more people arrived, saying this was a meteorite, which had fallen from the sky and had already been here for two or three hundred years, that it was a praiseworthy thing. Soon a car came, and carefully took it away. \r\n\r\nThis shocked us all! As it turned out, this strange and ugly rock was from the heavens! It had mended the sky [NOTE: A reference to a mythological story in which a goddess uses molten rocks to mend a tear in the sky], it had burned in the firmament, had sparkled with light, our ancestors may have looked upon it, it had given them radiance, hope, yearning; but it fell here, in the filth, in the weeds, and lay there several hundred years?!  \r\n\r\nGrandma said: \"You couldn\'t tell by looking at it! So unique, yet it couldn\'t brace a gable, or be used to make stairs?\" \r\n\r\n\"It\'s too ugly,\" the astronomer said. \r\n\r\n\"Yes, too ugly.\" \r\n\r\n\"But this is its beauty!\" the astronomer said, \"It\'s beauty comes from its ugliness.\" \r\n\r\n\"Beauty from ugliness?\" \r\n\r\n\"Yes, when ugliness reaches its extreme, it also reaches the extreme of beauty. Precisely because it isn\'t average stone, of course it can\'t [be used to] make a wall, or [be used to] make stairs, and can\'t be carved or wash cloth. It\'s not made to do those things, so it often suffers common ridicule.\"\r\n\r\nGrandma\'s face reddened, my face reddened also. \r\n\r\nI felt my own humiliation, and felt the rock\'s greatness. I even resented it for silently enduring everything for years, and I deeply felt the greatness of its lonely existence unbent for having been misunderstood. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1983-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-27 20:28:58', '2020-04-28 00:28:58', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` (`ID`, `post_author`, `post_date`, `post_date_gmt`, `post_content`, `post_title`, `post_excerpt`, `post_status`, `comment_status`, `ping_status`, `post_password`, `post_name`, `to_ping`, `pinged`, `post_modified`, `post_modified_gmt`, `post_content_filtered`, `post_parent`, `guid`, `menu_order`, `post_type`, `post_mime_type`, `comment_count`) VALUES
(2073, 1, '2020-04-28 19:20:25', '2020-04-28 23:20:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jia_Pingwa\">Jia Pingwa</a> (贾平凹) is one of China\'s modern literary greats, and in this short story, it shows. I don\'t know how this guy crammed so many insights on the human condition into a few paragraphs about a rock, but he undeniably did. \r\n\r\nI\'ve read one of Jia Pingwa\'s more recent works,<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3eZEKGd\">《自在独行》<em>Walking Alone Freely</em></a>, which was pretty solid, but I still haven\'t read his most famous novel, 《废都》 <em>Ruined City</em>, which was banned for 13 years in China due to sexual content.\r\n\r\nAnyway, I couldn\'t love this little story any more. In it, you\'ll sympathize with an inanimate object, wonder at the glory of the night sky, shake your head at your own small-mindedness, and wonder whether or not this constitutes satirical commentary on the art world or a jab at those who judge by appearances.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThe difficult language here mostly isn\'t grammatically difficult, it\'s just referencing stuff we don\'t see in daily life outside of China, so it\'s hard to imagine the scene, or it\'s colloquial Chinese that doesn\'t show up in the dictionary. \r\n\r\n<strong>想以它垒山墙</strong> - In paragraph two, the narrator is talking about ways the ugly rock was to be used, and he mentions that uncle \"wanted to use it to lay (垒) the gables (山墙)\". I had to look up pictures of 山墙-style gables to understand what they were talking about, because western gables don\'t require stone. <a href=\"http://image.baidu.com/search/index?tn=baiduimage&ps=1&ct=201326592&lm=-1&cl=2&nc=1&ie=utf-8&word=%E5%B1%B1%E5%A2%99&ie=utf-8\">Take a look</a>, makes a lot more sense if you do. \r\n\r\n<strong>洗一台石磨</strong> - Same kind of thing here: this says, \"to wash a millstone\". But \"washing a millstone\" doesn\'t make sense in context. Turns out 洗 in this case does not mean \"wash\". The process of making a millstone involves carving a pit out of rock and rinsing it off as you go. So, in the context of the story, this means \"to make a millstone\". \r\n\r\n<strong>我们这些做孩子的</strong> - Colloquial Chinese, meaning \"we kids\". \r\n\r\n<strong>每每到了十五的夜晚</strong> - Literally, \"Every time it reached the 15 night.\" Took me a sec to figure out what he meant by 十五, since he doesn\'t say 十五日， or 十五天, but in context, he\'s talking about the night of the full moon, so the \"15\" is in reference to the 15th of the month, or the middle of the month, around which time the full moon appears. \r\n\r\n<strong>丑得不能再丑的丑石</strong> - Also colloquial phrasing. Let\'s break this one down real quick:\r\n\r\n丑 - Ugly\r\n得 - To the point that\r\n不能 - Could not\r\n再 - Again\r\n丑的 - Ugly\r\n丑石 - Ugly rock. \r\n\r\nThat\'s a whole lot of ugly. This is equivalent to the English phrase \"An ugly rock so ugly that it couldn\'t be uglier.\" You can use this phrasing with many different descriptors. \"美不能再美\" = \"Couldn\'t be more beautiful\", or \"普通不能再普通\" = \"Couldn\'t be more ordinary\".\r\n\r\n<strong>以丑为美</strong> - This construction is little difficult because both 以 and 为 have so many meanings in Chinese. In this case 以 means \"on the basis of\", and 为 is \"to be\". In English, we\'d probably flip this around: \"To attain beauty through ugliness\", or \"To be beautiful because of one\'s ugliness\".\r\n\r\nIf you want more Jia Pingwa, you can pick up <em>Ruined City</em> in <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2W53bcV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinese</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3aMNlZu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English</a>. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《丑石》</h4>\r\n\r\n我常常遗憾我家门前的那块丑石呢：它黑黝黝地卧在那里，牛似的模样；谁也不知道是什么时候留在这里的，谁也不去理会它。只是麦收时节，门前摊了麦子，奶奶总是要说：这块丑石，多碍地面哟，多时把它搬走吧。\r\n\r\n于是，伯父家盖房，<span class=\"highlightText\">想以它垒山墙</span>，但苦于它极不规则，没棱角儿，也没平面儿；用錾破开吧，又懒得花那么大气力，因为河滩并不甚远，随便去掮一块回来，哪一块也比它强。房盖起来，压铺台阶，伯父也没有看上它。有一年，来了一个石匠，为我家<span class=\"highlightText\">洗一台石磨</span>，奶奶又说：用这块丑石吧，省得从远处搬动。石匠看了看，摇着头，嫌它石质太细，不太采用。\r\n\r\n它不像汉白玉那样的细腻，可以凿下刻字雕花，也不像大青石那样的光滑，可以供来浣纱捶布；它静静地卧在那里，院边的槐荫没有庇覆它，花儿也不再在它身边生长。荒草便繁衍出来，枝蔓上下，慢慢地，竟锈上了绿苔、黑斑。我们这些做孩子的，也讨厌起它来，曾合伙要搬走它，但力气又不足；虽时时咒骂它，嫌弃它，也无可奈何，只好任它留在那里去了。\r\n\r\n稍稍能安慰我们的，是在那石上有一个不大不小的坑凹儿，雨天就盛满了水。常常雨过三天了，地上已经干燥，那石凹里水儿还有，鸡儿便去那里渴饮。<span class=\"highlightText\">每每到了十五的夜晚</span>，我们盼着满月出来，就爬到其上，翘望天边；奶奶总是要骂的，害怕我们摔下来。果然那一次就摔了下来，磕破了我的膝盖呢。\r\n\r\n人都骂它是丑石，它真是<span class=\"highlightText\">丑得不能再丑的丑石</span>了。\r\n\r\n终有一日，村子里来了一个天文学家。他在我家门前路过，突然发现了这块石头，眼光立即就拉直了。他再没有走去，就住了下来；以后又来了好些人，说这是一块陨石，从天上落下来已经有二三百年了，是一件了不起的东西。不久便来了车，小心翼翼地将它运走了。\r\n\r\n这使我们都很惊奇！这又怪又丑的石头，原来是天上的呢！它补过天，在天上发过热，闪过光，我们的先祖或许仰望过它，它给了他们光明，向往，憧憬；而它落下来了，在污土里，荒草里，一躺就是几百年了？！\r\n\r\n奶奶说：“真看不出！它那么不一般，却怎么连墙也垒不成，台阶也垒不成呢？”\r\n\r\n “它是太丑了。”天文学家说。\r\n\r\n“真的，是太丑了。”\r\n\r\n“可这正是它的美!”天文学家说，“它是<span class=\"highlightText\">以丑为美</span>的。”\r\n\r\n“以丑为美？”\r\n\r\n“是的，丑到极处，便是美到极处。正因为它不是一般的顽石，当然不能去做墙，做台阶，不能去雕刻，捶布。它不是做这些玩意儿的，所以常常就遭到一般世俗的讥讽。”\r\n\r\n奶奶脸红了，我也脸红了。\r\n\r\n我感到自己的可耻，也感到了丑石的伟大；我甚至怨恨它这么多年竟会默默地忍受着这一切，而我又立即深深地感到它那种不屈于误解的寂寞的生存的伟大。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy on Amazon</h6>\r\n<em>Ruined City</em> in <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2W53bcV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinese</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3aMNlZu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English</a>. \r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI often think regretfully of that ugly rock outside the door of our home: it lay there darkly, looking like a cow; no one knew when it had been left there, and no one paid it any attention. It was only in harvest season, when wheat was spread before the door, that grandma would always say: That ugly rock, takes up all the [space on the] ground, we should move it before long. \r\n\r\nAnd so, [when] my uncle was building a house [there], he wanted to use it to lay the gables, but was troubled that it was uneven, it had no edges and corners, and wasn\'t flat; he [could have] used a chisel to break it open, but was too lazy to expend that much effort, because the riverbank wasn\'t far away, he could carry a rock back from there on his shoulders, and any one of [those rocks by the river] were better than it. [Once] the house was built, [uncle was] laying the stairs, and [for this] also didn\'t see it as [suitable]. One year, a stonemason came to fashion a millstone for our family, and grandma said again: How about you use that ugly rock, save [yourself the effort] of bringing one from far away. The stonemason gave it a lookover, shook his head, disliking the smooth quality of the stone, which wasn\'t of much use. \r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t fine like marble, which could be engraved with letters and flowers, and it wasn\'t as smooth as limestone, which could be used to wash cloth, it lay there silently, the shade of the scholartrees didn\'t cover it, and flowers wouldn\'t grow at its side. Weeds [sprouted] out in profusion, branches and tendrils all over, and slowly, it rusted over with green moss and black stripes. We kids also began to hate it, and we once banded together to move it away, but we weren\'t strong enough; so sometimes we would curse it, or avoid it, but we had no choice, we had to allow it to stay there.  \r\n\r\nWhat comforted us a little was that the top of the rock had a pit in it neither large nor small, which would fill up with water on a rainy day. Often three days after a rain had passed, the ground was already dry, but the pit in that rock still had water in it, and the birds would go there to drink. Whenever it reached the middle night of the month, we would watch the full moon come out, and climb on top of it, to gaze up at the sky; grandma always yelled [at us], afraid we would fall off. Naturally it happened, and I smashed open my knee.\r\n\r\nEveryone cursed it as an ugly rock, an ugly rock so ugly it couldn\'t be uglier. \r\n\r\nFinally one day, an astronomer came to the village. He passed in front of our house, and suddenly saw this stone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to it. he didn\'t keep walking, but stopped there; later many more people arrived, saying this was a meteorite, which had fallen from the sky and had already been here for two or three hundred years, that it was a praiseworthy thing. Soon a car came, and carefully took it away. \r\n\r\nThis shocked us all! As it turned out, this strange and ugly rock was from the heavens! It had mended the sky [NOTE: A reference to a mythological story in which a goddess uses molten rocks to mend a tear in the sky], it had burned in the firmament, had sparkled with light, our ancestors may have looked upon it, it had given them radiance, hope, yearning; but it fell here, in the filth, in the weeds, and lay there several hundred years?!  \r\n\r\nGrandma said: \"You couldn\'t tell by looking at it! So unique, yet it couldn\'t brace a gable, or be used to make stairs?\" \r\n\r\n\"It\'s too ugly,\" the astronomer said. \r\n\r\n\"Yes, too ugly.\" \r\n\r\n\"But this is its beauty!\" the astronomer said, \"It\'s beauty comes from its ugliness.\" \r\n\r\n\"Beauty from ugliness?\" \r\n\r\n\"Yes, when ugliness reaches its extreme, it also reaches the extreme of beauty. Precisely because it isn\'t average stone, of course it can\'t [be used to] make a wall, or [be used to] make stairs, and can\'t be carved or wash cloth. It\'s not made to do those things, so it often suffers common ridicule.\"\r\n\r\nGrandma\'s face reddened, my face reddened also. \r\n\r\nI felt my own humiliation, and felt the rock\'s greatness. I even resented it for silently enduring everything for years, and I deeply felt the greatness of its lonely existence unbent for having been misunderstood. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa', 'Jia Pingwa (贾平凹) is one of China\'s modern literary greats, and in this short story, it shows. I don\'t know how this guy crammed so many insights on the human condition into a few paragraphs about a rock, but he undeniably did. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1983-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:20:25', '2020-04-28 23:20:25', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2074, 1, '2020-04-28 19:26:32', '2020-04-28 23:26:32', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nA very short children\'s story about a bear\'s search for a new home. Source: <a href=\"http://www.gushi365.com/info/5568.html\">GuShi365.com</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小熊住山洞</h4>\r\n\r\n小熊一家住在山<strong>洞</strong>里。熊爷爷对小熊说,“你去<strong>造</strong>间木头房子住吧!\"\r\n\r\n春天，小熊走进树林。树上长满了绿叶，他舍不得砍。\r\n\r\n夏天，小熊又走进了树林。树上开满了鲜花，小熊<strong>舍不得砍</strong>。\r\n\r\n秋天，小熊走进树林，树上<strong>挂</strong>满了果实。小熊舍不得砍。\r\n\r\n冬天，小熊走进了树林。树上站着许多小鸟，小熊舍不得砍。\r\n\r\n一年又一年，小熊没有砍树造房子，还是高高兴兴地住在山洞里……\r\n\r\n树林里的小动物非常感谢小熊，他们送给小熊一束束美丽的鲜花.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nLittle bear lived in a mountain cave. Grandfather bear said to Little Bear: \"Go and build a wooden house to live in!\"\r\n\r\nIn spring, little bear went into the forest. The trees were full of green leaves, and he couldn\'t bear to cut them down.\r\n\r\nIn summer, little bear again went into the forest. The trees were full of fresh flowers, and he couldn\'t bear to cut them down.\r\n\r\nIn autumn, little bear went into the forest. The trees were full of hanging fruit, and he couldn\'t bear to cut them down.\r\n\r\nIn winter, little bear went into the forest. Many little birds were living in the trees, and he couldn\'t bear to cut them down.\r\n\r\nYears passed, and little bear still hadn\'t made a home out of the trees. He was still living happily in his mountain cave.\r\n\r\nThe little forest animals thanked Little Bear very much, and they gave him a bunch of beautiful fresh flowers.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Little Bear Lived in a Mountain Cave', 'A very short children\'s story about a bear\'s search for a new home.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '7-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:26:32', '2020-04-28 23:26:32', '', 7, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/7-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2075, 1, '2020-04-28 19:27:50', '2020-04-28 23:27:50', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis is a very short beginner children\'s joke. <a href=\"http://www.tom61.com/ertongwenxue/ertongxiaoxiaohua/2011-04-26/22880.html\">Read the original on Tom61</a>\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>沙漠</h4>\r\n老师: “<strong>沙漠</strong>是一块又长又<strong>宽</strong>的地方，上面光光的，什么东西都不长。”\r\n小学生: “老师，我明白了。我爸爸的<strong>秃</strong>头就是一片沙漠。”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nTeacher: \"A desert is a long, wide place, its surface is very bright, and not a single thing grows there.\" \r\nPrimary School Student: \"Teacher, I understand. My father\'s bald head is a strip of desert.\" \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n', 'Joke: The Desert', 'This is a very short beginner children\'s joke. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '713-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:27:50', '2020-04-28 23:27:50', '', 713, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/713-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2076, 1, '2020-04-28 19:29:12', '2020-04-28 23:29:12', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA story about a young elephant who learns a valuable life lesson. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThere is one particularly difficult sentence here, and that\'s  小象爬到树去学飞“哎哟”一声，摔了一个大跟头. The words themselves aren\'t too hard, but the sentence arrangement doesn\'t make a lot of sense when directly translated into English. Let\'s take it step by step:\r\n\r\n小象 - Little Elephant\r\n爬到 - Climbed to / climbed up\r\n树 - tree\r\n去 - go\r\n学飞 - learn to fly\r\n“哎哟” - \'Ai yo!\' Sound which means \"Yikes!\" or \"Ow!\" \r\n一声 - Noise, sound\r\n摔了 - to fall\r\n一个大 - a big\r\n跟头 - Fall, trip and fall.\r\n\r\nIf you look at all these words together, you can more easily process the overall meaning of the sentence, which is, \"In order to learn to fly, Little Elephant climbed a tree and, with a yelp of \"Ai Yo!\", fell heavily to the ground.\" \r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>小象也要飞</h4>\r\n\r\n小象生下来的第三天，跟妈妈来到<strong>小河</strong>边，看见一只小鸟在天空<strong>飞来飞去</strong>。小象想：“要是我也会飞，可以看到更多的东西，多好呀！”\r\n\r\n小象<strong>爬</strong>到树去学飞“哎哟”一声，摔了一个大<strong>跟头</strong>。\r\n\r\n蛇看见了说:“小象，我们有自己的<strong>本事</strong>。我不会飞，可是，我会在树上睡觉。”\r\n\r\n狮子说:“我也不会飞，可是，我能跳过<strong>宽</strong>宽的大河。”\r\n\r\n老虎说:“我不会飞，可是我会游泳！”\r\n\r\n爸爸妈妈对小象说:“我们象的力气大，这是小鸟<strong>不能比的</strong>。”小象明白了。他用长鼻子一钩，大木头就搬走了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nOn the third day after he was born, Little Elephant went with his mother to the banks of a stream, and there he saw a bird in the sky flying here and there. Little Elephant said: \"If I could fly, I could see even more things, it would be great!\"\r\n\r\nIn order to learn to fly, Little Elephant climbed a tree and, with a yelp of \"Ai Yo!\", fell heavily to the ground.\r\n\r\nSeeing this, the snake said: \"Little elephant, we all have our own abilities. I can\'t fly, but I can sleep in a tree.\"\r\n\r\nLion said: \"I also can\'t fly, but I can jump across a wide river.\"\r\n\r\nTiger said, \"I can\'t fly, but I can swim!\"\r\n\r\nLittle Elephant\'s father and mother said to him, \"We elephants have great strength, incomparably greater than that little bird\'s.\"\r\n\r\nLittle Elephant understood. He used his long nose as a hook and moved a large branch.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>\r\n', 'Children\'s Stories: The Little Elephant that Wanted to Fly', 'A story about a young elephant who learns a valuable life lesson. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '688-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:29:12', '2020-04-28 23:29:12', '', 688, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/688-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2077, 1, '2020-04-28 19:32:01', '2020-04-28 23:32:01', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nFeels like it\'s been a hundred years since I threw something up here. Rest assured I carry the shame of an un-updated blog around with me constantly, so - yay, guilt. I\'m actually taking intensive classes in Chinese (yet again) to push my reading level higher, hence the lack of posts. I\'m more active on here when I\'m not studying anywhere else. Anyhoo, this is another one I nabbed from Sina user <a href=\"http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6ace1efa0100kltk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zifengling\'s personal blog</a>. I tried to convince myself that this was beginner, but I just couldn\'t. The words are mostly OK, but there are one too many wibble-wobbly sentence configurations.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThis is also a perfect example of a fairly easy story that had one phrase I spent an hour trying to sort out, and a perfect example of the reason I started this blog in the first damn place - you start reading and then one word trips you up and you can\'t get past it. 99% sure I figured it out, but don\'t hesitate to correct me in the comments if you have intelligence to the contrary. The word was 香草娃娃 [pinyin]xiang1 cao3 wa2 wa2[/pinyin]. Uh, well, [pinyin]xiang1 cao3[/pinyin] means \"vanilla\" and [pinyin]wa2 wa2[/pinyin] is \"baby\", so... vanilla baby? Really? In the story, 香草娃娃 is used as a toy\'s name, so I thought, maybe there\'s a toy called a Vanilla Baby? \r\n\r\nUPDATE: Thanks to our native Chinese readers, we sorted out this is probably \"straw\" or \"grass\". So, \"straw doll\" is probably the most accurate definition we can get - gonna go with that one.\r\n\r\nThere\'s one other very useful phrase here that\'s very commonly used in everyday language: 太过分了！Directly translated, this means \"Too excessive!\", but this phrase doesn\'t usually actually refer to a large amount of things. It\'s more often used to refer to a circumstance or someone\'s behavior, like, \"That is just too much to bear!\". If someone was very mean to you, you could say, \"太过分了!\" or if an interview process was super rough and you got raked over the coals, also \"太过分了!\" \r\n\r\nEnjoy this one, and consider it good practicing in very colloquial story building.\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>玩具跳舞</h4>\r\n新年快到了，玩具王国决定举行一场盛大的舞会，准备邀请全国的玩具都来参加。舞会那天，玩具们都不停地跳着、笑着，整个舞场热闹<strong>非凡</strong>。可是在一个角落里，谁也没有注意到，有一只紫色的香草娃娃正一声不吭地望着<strong>舞池</strong>，她的眼神呆呆的，显得十分孤独。这时，一只小白熊正好从她面前经过，它看到了这一切，就走过去问香草娃娃：“娃娃，你为什么不去跳舞呢？”香草娃娃难过地低下了头，轻轻地说：“玩具们都嫌我个子小，不愿意请我跳舞。”说完流下了眼泪。小白熊听了很<strong>气愤</strong>，说：“他们怎么能这样<strong>对待</strong>你呢？难道他们不懂得要团结友爱吗！太过分了！”小白熊拉起香草娃娃的手，说，“娃娃，不要难过了。走，我请你跳舞。”香草娃娃听了这话，脸上顿时露出了<strong>灿烂</strong>的笑容，她连忙擦掉脸上的泪水，高兴地说：“太好了！太好了！”娃娃和小白熊在舞池里又跳又笑，一起度过了一个愉快的夜晚。\r\n \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe new year had almost arrived, and the Toy Kingdom planned to invite everyone to a grand ball. The day of the dance, the toys were all dancing and laughing, and the whole ballroom was extraordinarily lively. But off in one corner, receiving no attention from anyone, there was an old purple straw doll silently gazing at the dance floor, her eyes were blank and she looked lonely. Just then, a white polar bear in front of her saw this, walked over and asked the straw doll, \"Doll, why don\'t you go dance?\" The straw doll lowered her head sadly, saying in a small voice, \"The [other] toys all say I\'m too short, they\'re not willing to dance with me.\"  Saying this, she began to cry. Polar Bear was furious when he heard this, and said: \"How could they treat you this way? Don\'t they understand solidarity? That\'s just too much!\" Little Bear pulled on the baby doll\'s hand, and said: \"Doll, don\'t be sad. Come on, I\'m asking you to dance with me.\" The straw doll heard these words, and a brilliant smile immediately lit up her face. She quickly wiped the tears off her face and said happily, \"Wonderful! Wonderful!\" On the dance floor, Doll and Bear danced and laughed, and passed a lovely evening together. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'The Little Polar Bear and the Doll Dance Together', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1566-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:32:01', '2020-04-28 23:32:01', '', 1566, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/1566-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2078, 1, '2020-04-28 19:32:37', '2020-04-28 23:32:37', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nA short news item from Beijing Youth Daily talks of the tragic January 14th stampede in a temple in India. <a href=\"http://bjyouth.ynet.com/article.jsp?oid=76203872\">Read the original news item</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>新闻</h4>\r\n印度西南<strong>喀拉拉邦</strong>14日晚发生重大踩踏事件，目前造成至少104人死亡。踩踏事件是在信众参加印度教庆祝活动后返回时发生的。印度总理<strong>辛格</strong>决定，为每位<strong>遇难</strong>者的家属提供10万卢比（1美元约合45卢比）的抚恤金，为每位伤者提供5万卢比的补偿金。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA major stampede took place the night of [January] 14th in India\'s southwestern Kerala state, leaving at least 104 people dead. The trampling incident happened when a crowd participating in a Hindu festival left. Indian Prime Minister Singh is offering 100,000 rupees in compensation to the family members of each of the deceased (1 US Dollar is approximately 45 rupees), and 50,000 rupees in compensation to the injured.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', '100 Killed in India Temple Stampede', 'A short news item from Beijing Youth Daily talks of the tragic January 14th stampede in a temple in India. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '279-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:32:37', '2020-04-28 23:32:37', '', 279, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/279-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2079, 1, '2020-04-28 19:34:47', '2020-04-28 23:34:47', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\r\nMy heart goes out to the many who lost their family, friends or homes in Japan this week. This straightforward Chinese article reviews the Japanese death tolls in the recent earthquake. \r\n\r\nThe tragedy in Japan has been big news in Asia (as it has been everywhere in the world), particularly as many fear the radiation from the failed nuclear reactors will hit their shores. This article is chalk full of words you hate to read but which newspapers seems to love so much: fatality, refugee camp, disaster, missing persons, etc.\r\n\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>日本地震已致7653人死亡11746人失踪</h4>\r\n\r\n中新网3月20日电  据“中央社”报道，日本3月11日<strong>强震</strong>和<strong>海啸</strong>灾难，今天迈入第10天，警察厅指出，<strong>截至</strong>19日深夜11时为止，确认死亡人数达7653人，<strong>下落不明</strong>者增至1万1746人，死亡和失踪人数合计1万9399人。\r\n\r\n警察厅指出，<strong>罹难</strong>者遍布12都县，其中宫城县4449人、岩手县2501人、福岛县647人，此3县<strong>沿海地区</strong>遭海啸侵袭，灾情最惨重。警方接获的行踪不明者通报，岩手县有4253人、福岛县4503人、宫城县2895人，另外3县也有人失踪。\r\n\r\n此外，仍栖身<strong>避难所</strong>的灾民总数约36万3000人。其中宫城县约有15万5000人、福岛县约13万2000人、岩手县约4万9000人。很多人因避难生活长期化而健康恶化，灾民依然处于严峻状况下。 \r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\n<strong>China News Service, March 20 via [Taiwan] Central News Agency Report:</strong> The March 11 Japan mega-quake disaster is entering its 10th day and according to Japan\'s National Police Agency has confirmed that, as of [March] 19th at 11:00p.m., the death toll has reached 7653 people, and the number of persons unaccounted for has increased to 11,746 people, with the missing and dead totaling 19,399 people.   \r\n\r\nThe National Police Agency reports that the fatalities are spread over 12 districts, included among these are Miyagi with 4449 people, Iwate with 2501 people, and Fukushima with 647 people - these three districts are coastal areas where the tsunami was most disastrous. The police recieved reports of 4253 missing persons in Iwate, 4503 in Fukushima, and 2895 in Miyagi. Three other districts additionally have [reported] missing persons. \r\n\r\nIn addition, there are still 363,000 victims living in refugee shelters. That number includes 155,000 people in Miyagi, 132,000 people in Fukushima, and 49,000 from Iwate. Due to long-term stays in the shelters, the health of many refugees is worsening, leaving many in a grim situation. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'News: 7653 Dead in Japan Earthquake and 11746 Missing', 'My heart goes out to the many who lost their family, friends or homes in Japan this week. This straightforward Chinese article reviews the Japanese death tolls in the recent earthquake. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '564-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:34:47', '2020-04-28 23:34:47', '', 564, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/564-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2081, 1, '2020-04-28 19:37:43', '2020-04-28 23:37:43', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis excerpt is from the modern militant action novel \"Coldspike\", or 《冷刺》, written by 天地飘鸥. You\'ll be reading the first part of Chapter 1: King of the Commandos (特种兵之王). \r\n\r\nThe language here is very heavy on the cheesy military slang, so if you like action movies and thrillers, you\'ll be able to catch quite a few of the cliches. If you\'d like to finish reading the book after you finish this first bit, the <a href=\"http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/index_162000.html\">full text is available online from Sina.com</a>\'s book archive.  \r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《冷刺》</h4>\r\n韩枫静静地伏在厚厚的落叶下，一动不动，安静得如同一条<strong>冬眠</strong>的蛇，不，他比蛇还要无声无息，谁也不会想到<strong>斑驳</strong>腐烂的落叶堆里会有这样坚强的生命存在，仿佛亘古就是如此。真是无法想象一个人能在这样的环境中<strong>潜伏</strong>两天两夜，不吃不喝，<strong>纹丝不动</strong>。在苍茫的原始丛林中，空气<strong>闷热</strong>得令人窒息，浑身就像霉烂了似的，湿漉漉的感觉别提有多难受了，何况韩枫的身上还捂着这么厚的一堆落叶，真是连气也喘不过来了。\r\n\r\n韩枫就这样无声无息地潜伏着，安静得几乎连生命的体征也消失了，身边来来往往已经过去了几个特种小组，就连最擅长<strong>追踪</strong>的“灵狐”特战小组也没有发现他。\r\n\r\n他不能动，也不敢动，因为他知道林中还有不少<strong>特战</strong>高手在伺机<strong>狙</strong>杀，他要做最有耐心的猎人而不是成为别人的猎物。他们这一组除了他，其他人都“挂”了，在三天前残酷的“<strong>杀戮</strong>”中先后“阵亡”，而他，凭着超强的第六感和<strong>匪夷所思</strong>的身手不但逃过了对方的狙杀，而且还“杀”了数名富有经验的特战精英，居然毫发无伤。在十多个特战精英小组的攻击下能做到这一点，真是奇迹！\r\n\r\n这次的特种兵大<strong>比武</strong>，是五年一度的全国“特种兵”对抗大赛，来自全国七大<strong>军区</strong>的特战精英，个个都是身经百战的高手，随便挑出一个，横扫一个普通连队绝不是痴人说梦。这次的特种兵大比武是实兵对抗，一切从实战出发，除了弹药是空包弹外，其他都是特种部队必需的武器装备。十天为限，没有后援，没有给养，各自为战，淘汰者<strong>出局</strong>。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nHan Feng silently hid beneath a thick pile of dead leaves, motionless, as calm as a hibernating snake; no, he was even more silent than a snake. No one would think that a strong life could exist inside such a motley, rotten pile of dead leaves, it was as if [the pile] had always been this way. There was no way to imagine  that a person could hide in this environment for two days without food or drink, not moving a whisker. In this vast primeval forest, the weather was so stiflingly hot as to make men suffocate, as if they were rotting from head to toe; needless to say the clamminess was very uncomfortable, moreso since Han Feng was covered in a thick pile of dead leaves - it was difficult to even draw breath. \r\n\r\nAnd so Han Feng hid there not making a sound, his very sense of life nearly fading away, as special units came and went around him; even the most expert trackers, the \"Quick Foxes\" special forces unit, didn\'t discover his position.\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t move, he didn\'t dare, because he knew that in the forest special forces experts were laying in wait to ambush him. He must be the most patient hunter, or else he would become someone else\'s prey. Everyone else in his group had already been \"hung\". In the \"massacre\" three days before, they\'d \"died\" in battle one after the other. But he, relying on his superior sixth sense and freakish agility, had escaped his opponent\'s ambush, and had also \"killed\" more than a few of supremely experienced special forces elite, somehow taking no wounds himself. It was a real miracle that he\'d managed this under attack from 10-plus special forces elite groups!\r\n\r\nTo this Commando Competition, an international \"special forces soldier\" face-off held once every five years, came elite commandos from the world\'s seven major military regions. Each [soldier] had [proven themselves] in numerous battles - it would not be unrealistic to say that any one you picked out of the bunch could single-handedly wipe out a whole unit of regular soldiers. This Commando Competition was a real military engagement, everything was like a real war, except for the fact that blanks are used for ammunition, all other equipment was special forces standard issue. A ten day limit, no reinforcements, no support, every man for himself, anyone eliminated is out of the running. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>\r\n', 'Novels: Start reading 《冷刺》Coldspike', 'Get your dose of cheesy militaristic language in this excerpt is from the modern militant action novel \"Coldspike\", or 冷刺, written by 天地飘鸥. You\'ll be reading the first part of Chapter 1: King of the Commandos (特种兵之王). ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '630-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:37:43', '2020-04-28 23:37:43', '', 630, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/630-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2082, 1, '2020-04-28 19:38:25', '2020-04-28 23:38:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis not-too-dirty-but-not-really-clean joke comes from a great blog on the Sina blog network, the Chinese equivalent of Blogger. The joke is about a woman whose new parrot can\'t seem to stop saying one particular come-hither phrase. The phrase so embarrasses the woman that she tries to take action, but her plan doesn\'t quite work out the way she wanted. \r\n\r\nI had a bit of trouble translating the phrase 近朱者赤, which appears to mean \"If you stand next to something red, you\'ll become red yourself.\" This idiom isn\'t in the dictionary, but I believe it means that people are influenced by the things in their environment. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>两只鹦鹉</h4>\r\n\r\n话说某位女士一时兴起，买了一只母<strong>鹦鹉</strong>。没想到带回家里，它说的第一句话就是: “想跟我<strong>上床</strong>吗？”\r\n\r\n女士一听，心想: 坏了，外人还以为这话是我教的呢，这不把我的<strong>淑女</strong>形象全给毁了。于是她想尽办法，想教那只鹦鹉说些<strong>高雅</strong>的东西，可是那只母鹦鹉算是铁了心了，只会说一句话: “想跟我上床吗？”\r\n\r\n　　…… 怎么办呢？在那位女士失去主张的时候，听说<strong>神父</strong>那儿也养了一只鹦鹉（公的），而且那只鹦鹉，不但不讲<strong>粗话</strong>，反而是个虔诚的教徒，每天大部分时间里都在<strong>祷告</strong>。于是那位女士去找神父求助。神父明白她的来意之后，面色微难的说:“这个，很难办呀，其实那只鹦鹉，也并没有刻意的教它什么，它之所以这么虔诚，也可能是长期在此受熏陶的缘故吧。”\r\n\r\n神父见女士很失落，便说道: “这样吧，你把那只鹦鹉带到我这里来，我把它们放在一起。希望经过一段时间，你那只鹦鹉能够被<strong>感化</strong>。我只能做这些了，有没有效果，就看神的旨意了……”\r\n\r\n女士一听，也只能这样了，不是有句话叫: <strong>近朱者赤</strong>吗？试试吧。于是她把鹦鹉带到神父那里。神父依照诺言把两只鹦鹉放在了一起。开始母鹦鹉还有些拘谨，看那只公鹦鹉在笼子的一角，默默的祷告，还真不忍心打扰。可是她还是管不住自己，终于朗声说道:“想跟我上床吗？“\r\n\r\n公鹦鹉听到这话，停止了祷告，转身看了看母鹦鹉，忽然泪如雨下: “感谢上帝，我祷告这么多年的愿望终于<strong>实现</strong>了……”\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\nThere once was a woman who bought a female parrot. But little did she know, when she brought the parrot home she found it could only say one sentence: \"Will you sleep with me?\"\r\n\r\nAs soon as the woman heard this, she thought: \"Oh no! If anyone else hears the parrot speak they\'ll think I taught the parrot to say that, it\'ll destroy my reputation as a virtuous woman.\" By way of a solution, she thought maybe she could teach the parrot to say something dainty instead, but it seemed the parrot had a heart of iron, it would only say one thing, \"Will you sleep with me?\"　\r\n\r\nWhat was she to do? Just when she had about given up, she heard of a priest who also owned a parrot (a male one), and moreover his parrot not only didn\'t say vulgar things, it was actually a devout disciple; it spent most of its time in prayer. So the women went to see the priest. When the priest understood the woman\'s reason for coming, he said a little sadly, \"This is a hard problem to solve. In actual fact, I didn\'t teach my parrot anything, maybe the reason it\'s like that is because it\'s spent a long time in this [church] environment.\"　　\r\n\r\nThe priest saw the woman\'s disappointment, so he said, \"How about this: bring your parrot here to me, I\'ll put it with my own. We can hope that after a little while, your parrot will be correctively influenced by mine. This is all I can do, whether it will work or not is up to God...\"　\r\n\r\nThe woman listened [to his suggestions], and [also thought] that this was her only option, after all, isn\'t there a saying: \"Proximity to red will turn you red\"? She figured she might as well try it. So the woman brought her parrot to the priest. The priest honored his promise and put the two birds together. At first, the female parrot was a little cautious, seeing the male bird over in one corner of the cage, silently praying, she didn\'t have the heart to disturb him. But [after a while] she couldn\'t help herself, and finaly said, \"Will you sleep with me?\"\r\n\r\nThe male parrot heard her say this, stopped praying, turned around and looked at her, and suddenly with tears streaming down its face said, \"Thank you God, the thing I\'ve prayed for all of these long years has finally happened...\" \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n', 'Joke: The Two Parrots', 'This not-too-dirty-but-not-really-clean joke comes from a great blog on the Sina blog network, the Chinese equivalent of Blogger. The joke is about a woman whose new parrot can\'t seem to stop saying one particular come-hither phrase. The phrase so embarrasses the woman that she tries to take action, but her plan doesn\'t quite work out the way she wanted. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '519-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:38:25', '2020-04-28 23:38:25', '', 519, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/519-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2083, 1, '2020-04-28 19:39:27', '2020-04-28 23:39:27', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA quick child\'s essay about two toy bears - a present from mom. If this article is on or just above your reading level, you may have trouble with the phrase 让人喜欢得不得了. Let\'s take it piece by piece: \r\n\r\n让人 - Makes one / makes people / Causes people to feel (as in \"That makes people mad.\")\r\n喜欢 - to like\r\n得 - Grammatical word tacked on to \"喜欢 \" that can be loosely translated into \"that is\" or \"they are\". \r\n不得了 - Extremely\r\n\r\nSo the whole phrase really means, \"They\'re extremely likeable\", but I\'ve translated it a little more directly in the actual body of the translation so it\'s easier to track with the sentence. \r\n\r\nAlso worth a quick mention is the word 胖乎乎, meaning \"chubby\", but this word sounds very endearing, not insulting - a baby, for example, would be 胖乎乎. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.tom61.com/youxiuzuowen/xiaoxueernianjizuowen/2011-08-12/1313140910230695.html\">You can find the original story on Tom61. </a>\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>我的玩具熊</h4>\r\n今天，妈妈下班回来，<strong>神秘兮兮</strong>地对我说: “聪聪，<strong>猜</strong>猜看，我给你买什么了？我猜了好几次，妈妈都连连摇头。她看我<strong>急不可耐</strong>的样子，从背包里拿出一样东西，我<strong>兴高采烈</strong>地接过一看，啊，原来是一对可爱的玩具熊。\r\n\r\n这两只玩具熊全身雪白雪白的，它们紧紧<strong>挨</strong>在一起，像一对亲密的小姐妹。半圆形的耳朵，小小的鼻子向前<strong>翘</strong>着，一双眼睛像两颗黑<strong>珍珠</strong>，<strong>胖乎乎</strong>的身体，圆圆的脑袋，<strong>让人喜欢得不得了</strong>。\r\n\r\n更有趣的是，如果用手拍它的<strong>胳膊</strong>，它就会发出悦耳动听的音乐来，真是好玩极了。\r\n\r\n两只玩具熊像我的好朋友，它们天天陪伴着我，给我家带来<strong>无穷</strong>的欢乐。我喜欢我的玩具熊。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nToday, mother came back from work, and very mysteriously said to me: \"Congcong, guess what I have bought for you?\" I guessed many times, but mother repeatedly shook her head. Seeing my impatience, she took something from her backpack, I happily and excitedly took it from her and looked, ah! It was a pair of cute toy bears.\r\n\r\nThese two toy bears\' bodies were white as snow, they were pressed close together like a pair of dear sisters. Half-circle ears, small noses pointed outwards, a pair of eyes like two black pearls, chubby bodies, round head, all make them very lovable. \r\n\r\nMost interesting is that if you use your hand to pat their arms, they automatically play some sweet-sounding music, it\'s really wonderful! \r\n\r\nThese two toys are like my good friends, they accompany me every day, and they bring lots of fun to my family. I like my toy bears. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'My Toy Bears', 'A quick child\'s essay about two toy bears - a present from mom.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '794-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:39:27', '2020-04-28 23:39:27', '', 794, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/794-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2084, 1, '2020-04-28 19:39:53', '2020-04-28 23:39:53', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nWhile we\'re busy prepping for our holiday season, I figured I\'d post something about a Chinese holiday. This is a culturally-rich and comfortably intermediate essay describing how one family celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节 [pinyin]duan1 wu3 jie2[/pinyin]. If you\'re curious what the typical Chinese household does on this late-spring holiday (held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar), you\'ll love this read. The customs described are quite unlike any holidays in the West. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duanwu_Festival\">dragon boat festival</a> is held in remembrance of poet Qu Yuan\'s death. Qu Yuan was a faithful servant of his emperor, but was falsely accused of being a traitor. He drowned himself in a river after several decades in exile, but the local people loved him and remember him fondly. Sounds morbid, but actually the festival is a joyous one, where dragon boats are raced on the river (to commemorate the search for Qu Yuan\'s body) and 粽子 [pinyin]zong4 zi5[/pinyin] (boiled triangular rice balls wrapped in leaves) are eaten (when he died, it\'s said that 粽子 were thrown into the river to feed him in the afterlife - other stories have it that people threw 粽子 into the river to keep the fish from eating his body before they could find it).\r\n\r\nA couple of words in this essay are not in the dictionary, and need explaining: namely 艾香. I this case, 艾香 [pinyin]ai4 xiang1[/pinyin] means \"the smell of wormwood\", and it refers to the smell produced by bouquets of wormwood (艾草) that people hang on their door during the Dragon Boat Festival to drive away bad luck.\r\n\r\nAnother word here is 雄黄酒, something that I\'ve seen but never tried, and while there is an English word for this, I\'ve never heard this spoken in English. 雄黄酒 is \"realgar wine\", whatever the heck realgar is. If you\'re curious, <a href=\"http://english.sina.com/life/p/2009/0527/244239.html\">this article</a> has more information on realgar wine and it\'s association with the Dragon Boat Festival. \r\n\r\nAnd finally, there\'s 趟露水, literally \"to wade in the dew\", and it refers to (what I think is a) regional custom of going out on an early morning walk and anointing one\'s face with dew drops. \r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>我家的端午节</h4>\r\n今天是端午节，我们一家人五点就起床，按照<strong>习俗</strong>上山去趟露水。一路上我用双手<strong>捧</strong>起<strong>晶莹</strong>的<strong>露珠</strong>往眼睛上抹，一时间我觉得眼睛好像亮了好多。直到坐在教室读书时还觉得眼睛特别亮，什么字都能看清楚。\r\n\r\n放学后，我<strong>撒</strong>开腿就往家里跑。刚到门口就闻到粽子香，一进门就看见爸爸做了一桌子好菜专门等我回家吃。我洗过手来到饭桌前，先给爸爸妈妈一人<strong>解</strong>了一个粽子，<strong>撒</strong>上白糖，然后给我自己解了一个漂亮的三角粽子，撒上白糖就<strong>津津有味</strong>地吃起来。饭桌上，我们一家边吃边聊，屋子里充满了端午节的快乐气氛，<strong>弥漫</strong>着<strong>香喷喷</strong>的粽子味和浓浓的艾香。\r\n\r\n吃完饭，妈妈给我耳朵上抹了雄黄酒，给我嘴上摸了<strong>唇膏</strong>，给我手腕上戴了红线<strong>绳</strong>，把我打扮得和粽子一样香，就让我到学校去学习。\r\n\r\n我爱吃粽子，爱过端午节，爱享受节日的欢乐气氛。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nToday is the Dragon Boat Festival, my family got out of bed at 5:00, and in accordance with local customs, when up the mountain to wade in the dew. On the road, I used both hands to cup sparkling dewdrops and smear them on my eyes, for a moment I felt as if they [my eyes] were considerably brightened. I felt they remained extremely bright as I sat in the classroom and read books; I could see every word clearly. \r\n\r\nWhen school let out, I let my legs loose and ran towards home. As soon as I reached the door I could smell the scent of zongzi, and as I entered I saw my father had made a whole table of delicious food that was just waiting for me to come home and eat it. I washed my hands and went to the dining table, first I broke open one <em>zongzi</em> each for father and mother and sprinkled them with white sugar, then I broke open a beautiful triangular zongzi for myself, sprinkled it with white sugar and heartily began eating.  At the dining table, our family ate and chatted, the woom was full of Dragon Boat Festival good cheer, suffused with the savory smell of zongzi and thick with the smell of wormwood.\r\n\r\nAfter we\'d had eaten, mother spread realgar wine on my ears, put lipstick on my lips, placed [bracelets of] red rope around my wrists, and made sure I smelled as sweetly as a <em>zongzi</em>, then sent me off back to school to study. \r\n\r\nI love eating zongzi, I loved the Dragon Boat Festival, and I love enjoying the holiday cheer. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: My Family\'s Dragon Boat Festival', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '940-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:39:53', '2020-04-28 23:39:53', '', 940, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/940-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2085, 1, '2020-04-28 19:40:08', '2020-04-28 23:40:08', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA short, easy (very) beginner read about a child going ice-skating. The word \"ice skating\" appears about a bazillion times in the space of these few sentences, so, after reading this, you may expect to recognize the word for the rest of your natural life. <!--more-->\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/20111210-INLINE.jpg\" alt=\"Beginner Simplified Chinese Essay - Chinese Reading Passage\" title=\"Beginner Simplified Chinese Essay - Chinese Reading Passage\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" class=\"imgborder alignleft\" />A note: The characters 周井寒 which appear in this essay are a person\'s name. The person is referred to twice, first by their given name, 井寒, then by their full name, 周井寒. The person\'s relationship to the author isn\'t really specified. This clearly isn\'t the name of the child\'s mother, as 周井寒 is referred to as a \"he\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.tom61.com/youxiuzuowen/xiaoxueyinianjizuowen/2011-11-28/1322449584234905.html\">And here\'s the original source</a>\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>快乐的我</h4>\r\n早上，我把<strong>作业</strong>写好了，妈妈起来了，我对妈妈说: “妈妈，我把作业都做好了。”吃过<strong>早饭</strong>后，妈妈<strong>带</strong>我去<strong>溜冰</strong>。到了<strong>溜冰场</strong>，我穿好<strong>溜冰鞋</strong>，开始溜冰了。溜冰的时候，我一不小心<strong>摔倒</strong>了，井寒把我<strong>扶</strong>起来了，我<strong>连声</strong>说: “谢谢你，周井寒。”周井寒摔倒了，我也把他扶起来。　　\r\n\r\n今天，你帮我，我帮你，我们<strong>互相</strong>帮助，我们真快乐啊！　　\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nIn the morning, I finished my homework, and [when] mother got up, I said to her: \"Mama, I finished all my homework.\" After we ate breakfast, mama took me ice skating. When we got to the ice rink, I put on my ice skates and began ice skating. When I was ice skating, I wasn\'t being careful and fell down, and Jing Han helped me back up, I repeatedly said: \"Thank you, Zhou Jing Han.\" Zhou Jing Han fell down, and I also helped him up.  \r\n\r\nToday, you help me, I help you, we help each other, we\'re so happy! \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: Happy Me!', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '933-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:40:08', '2020-04-28 23:40:08', '', 933, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/933-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
