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(1895, 1, '2020-04-20 10:56:48', '2020-04-20 14:56:48', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn 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 buy the book and keep reading. \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 is 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\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>《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</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', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 10:56:48', '2020-04-20 14:56:48', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1896, 1, '2020-04-20 11:00:00', '2020-04-20 15:00:00', '[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 buy the book 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 is 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\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>《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</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', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:00:00', '2020-04-20 15:00:00', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1897, 1, '2020-04-20 11:11:39', '2020-04-20 15:11:39', '[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/2Kl3DhO\">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 is 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/2Kl3DhO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buy the book on Amazon</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\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', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:11:39', '2020-04-20 15:11:39', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1898, 1, '2020-04-20 11:16:56', '2020-04-20 15:16:56', '[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 is 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[su_button url=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\" target=\"blank\" style=\"flat\" background=\"#b31ffd\" radius=\"0\"]Buy it on Amazon[/su_button]\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', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:16:56', '2020-04-20 15:16:56', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1899, 1, '2020-04-20 11:18:46', '2020-04-20 15:18:46', '[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 is 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[su_button url=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\" target=\"blank\" size=\"5\" style=\"flat\" background=\"#b31ffd\" radius=\"0\"]Buy it on Amazon[/su_button]\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', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1882-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:18:46', '2020-04-20 15:18:46', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1900, 1, '2020-04-20 11:20:48', '2020-04-20 15:20:48', '[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 is 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[su_button url=\"https://amzn.to/2Y239oT\" target=\"blank\" size=\"5\" style=\"flat\" background=\"#b31ffd\" radius=\"0\"]Buy it on Amazon[/su_button]\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', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:20:48', '2020-04-20 15:20:48', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1901, 1, '2020-04-20 11:22:33', '2020-04-20 15:22:33', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div style=\"background-color:#ffeaee; padding: 25px; font-style:italic; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 20px;\">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 buy the book and keep reading.</div>  \r\nMo Yan is a legendary novelist. My Chinese lit teacher said: sex, violence, and vulgarity. \r\n\r\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sorghum_(novel)\r\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Yan\r\nhttps://www.kanunu8.com/book3/8256/182711.html\r\nhttps://www.penguin.com/ajax/books/excerpt/9780140168549\r\nHere\'s Big Tits fat ass: https://www.kanunu8.com/book3/8255/182597.html\r\n\r\nI know that when you first start reading, it\'s hard to hold a narrative thread through a longer post, but give this one a try - 6 short paragraphs, all of them very straightforward. This one has mostly very beginner language, with a couple of intermediate or upper-intermediate words. The grammar, rather than the vocab, is probably the hard part of this post, which is an great survey of every basic Chinese sentence structure. If you can read this, your foundation in Chinese grammar is very solid. <!--more-->\r\n\r\n<h3>A few notable points:</h3>\r\n\r\n他过的很快乐，时光飞快地过去了。\r\n\r\nI figure that might be confusing for new readers, since there are two different uses of the word 过 [pinyin]guo4[/pinyin] here. I tend to find that the easiest way to remember what 过 means in every context is that it almost always means either \"past\" or \"pass\", or one of many variations thereon. Let\'s look a few usages of 过.\r\n\r\n1) In the most common usage, the one we see earliest in our learning, 过, when used after an action, means that the action has \"been done before\", or \"has been done in the past\", as in \"Have you ever been to Shanghai (in the past)?\" （你去过上海吗?), or \"Have you ever eaten this type of fish (in the past)?\" (你吃过这种鱼吗?). \r\n\r\n2) Usage two, 过去, means \"to pass by\", as in “The days passed one by one\" (一关一天就过去了). \r\n\r\n3) Usage three, also 过去, means \"The Past\", a noun, as in the opposite of the future. \"To forget the past is a betrayal.\" (忘记过去，就意味着背叛)\r\n\r\n4) The fourth usage is \"to pass (time)\", or \"to pass one\'s days\" (过日子), or to \"How were you [how did you pass] the last few days?\" (这些天过得怎么样？). \r\n\r\n5) Another 过去 - to \"pass across\", \"to cross\" (as in a river or street).\r\n\r\n6) 过去 \"to pass by\" (someone or something). \r\n\r\nAnd on and on. In our sentence here, we\'re using #4 first, and then #2. \r\n\r\n他<strong>过</strong>的很快乐，时光飞快地<strong>过</strong>去了。\r\n\r\n\"He <strong>passed</strong> [his days] very happily, time flew <strong>past</strong>.\"\r\n\r\nMake sense? Hope so, because several different usages of 过去 come up in this post, so keep an eye out. \r\n\r\n<h3>One more thing:</h3>\r\n\r\n咱们 [pinyin]zan2 men5[/pinyin]. This means \"us\" or \"we\". I know, I know, you learned that 我们 means \"us\" and \"we\", and it does.  咱们 only refers to \"us\" and \"we\" when the speaker is including the person they\'re talking to. So 咱们 means really \"You and I\", not \"we\". Confusing, right? Here are some examples：\r\n\r\n我们： \"Sorry, you can\'t come with us, we\'re going to see a movie alone.\" (The person being spoken to is not included in the \"we\".)\r\n咱们： \"Why don\'t we see a movie this afternoon?” （The speaker is including the person spoken to in the \"we\".)\r\n\r\n我们： \"I\'ll call you as soon as we get back.\" (The person being spoken to is not included in the \"we\".)\r\n咱们： \"What should we do when we get back?” （The speaker is including the person spoken to in the \"we\".)\r\n\r\n我们： \"We\'re not home right now, leave a message!\" (The person being spoken to is not included in the \"we\".)\r\n咱们： \"We could go home right now and check the messages.” （The speaker is including the person spoken to in the \"we\".)\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>小马过河</h4>\r\n小马和他的妈妈住在小河边。他过的很快乐，时光飞快地过去了。有一天，妈妈把小马叫到身边说：“小马，你已经长大了，可以帮妈妈做事了。今天你把这袋<strong>粮食</strong>送到河对<strong>岸</strong>的村子里去吧。”\r\n\r\n小马非常高兴地答应了。他<strong>驮</strong>着粮食飞快地来到了小河边。可是河上没有桥，只能自己<strong>淌</strong>过去。可又不知道河水有多深呢？<strong>犹豫</strong>中的小马一抬头，看见了正在不远处吃草的牛伯伯。小马赶紧跑过去问到：“牛伯伯，您知道那河里的水深不深呀？”\r\n\r\n牛伯伯挺起他那高大的身体笑着说：“不深，不深。才到我的小腿。”\r\n\r\n小马高兴地跑回河边准备淌过河去。他刚一<strong>迈</strong>腿，忽然听见一个声音说：“小马，小马别下去，这河可深啦。”小马低头一看，原来是小松鼠。小松鼠<strong>翘</strong>着她漂亮的尾巴，睁着圆圆的眼睛，很认真地说：“前两天我的一个伙伴不小心掉进了河里，河水就把他<strong>卷</strong>走了。”\r\n\r\n小马一听没主意了。牛伯伯说河水浅，小松鼠说河水深，这可怎么办呀？只好回去问妈妈。马妈妈老远地就看见小马低着头驮着粮食又回来了。心想他一定是遇到困难了，就迎过去问小马。小马哭着把牛伯伯和小松鼠的话告诉了妈妈。妈妈安慰小马说：“没关系，<strong>咱们</strong>一起去看看吧。”\r\n\r\n小马和妈妈又一次来到河边，妈妈让小马自己去试探一下河水有多深。小马小心地试探着，一步一步地淌过了河。噢，他明白了，河水既没有牛伯伯说的那么浅，也没有小松鼠说的那么深。只有自己亲自试过才知道。\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\nLittle Horse and his mother lived by the river. He passed his days happily, and time flew by. One day, Mother called little horse to her side and said: \"Little Horse, you\'re all grown up, you can help mother with a few things. Today, take that sack of grain and take it to the village on the opposite riverbank.\" \r\n\r\nLittle Horse happily agreed. Carrying the grain on his back he flew to the river. But there was no bridge over the river, he could only wade across. But he didn\'t know how deep the river was.(?) While he was hesitating he lifted his head, and saw Uncle Ox eating grass not far away. Little horse hurriedly ran over and asked: \"Uncle Ox, do you know if the river is deep or not?\" \r\n\r\nUncle Ox straightened his big, tall body and laughing, said: \"Not deep, not deep. It only comes up to my calf.\" \r\n\r\nLittle Horse happily ran back to the riverside and prepared to wade across. He\'d just taken one step, when suddenly he heard a voice say: \"Little Horse, Little Horse, don\'t go in, this river is so deep!\" Little Horse lowered his head and looked down, and saw it was Little Squirrel. Little Squirrel raised her pretty tail, round eyes opened wide, and spoke earnestly: \"Two days ago my companion accidentally fell into the river, and the water swept him away.\" \r\n\r\nLittle Horse had no idea. Uncle Ox said the water was shallow, Little Squirrel said the water was deep, what was he to do? He had to go back and ask Mother. From a distance, Mother Horse saw Little Horse returning with a lowered head and carrying the sack of grain. She knew in her heart that he must have run into trouble, so she went to welcome Little Horse and ask. Little horse, crying, told Mother what Uncle Ox and Little Squirrel had said. Mother consoled Little Horse, saying: \"Don\'t worry, let\'s go together and have a look.\" \r\n\r\nLittle Horse and Mother went back to the riverbank again, and Mother let little horse test out how deep the water was. Little Horse carefully tried it out, and step by step waded across the river. Hey, he understood, the river on the one hand wasn\'t as shallow as Uncle Ox said, and also wasn\'t as deep as Little Squirrel said. You only know if you find out for yourself. \r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'Novels: Start Reading \"Red Sorghum\" 《红高粱家族》by Mo Yan', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1881-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:22:33', '2020-04-20 15:22:33', '', 1881, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1881-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2416, 1, '2020-05-29 00:00:11', '2020-05-29 04:00:11', '[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;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments – positive, negative, or neutral – are not allowed, and will be deleted. Dinner table rules, please.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve really made the rounds on Communist folk tales this week: we\'ve had <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/28/communist-folk-tales-zhu-des-carrying-pole/\">a story about Zhu De</a>, founder of the Red Army, <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/25/communist-folk-tales-the-good-deeds-of-lei-feng/\">one about socialist boy scout Lei Feng</a>, and now, we\'re going to read one about the man himself, Chairman Mao (毛主席). I didn\'t start out the week intending to illustrate a point, but a theme has definitely emerged. Taken as a whole, these stories underscore the friendly, paternalistic role that China\'s founding fathers were painted into at the time, described in populist stories as approachable, proletarian helpers of the common folk. Today\'s tale really drives that one home.\r\n\r\nWe also get a taste of the exaggeration that often surrounds autocratic leaders. The last bit of the story describes Mao as \"tall and stalwart\". Mao Zedong was around 5\'8\" (1.72-1.75m), not a short man, but not an exceptionally tall one either. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThe way characters are named in this story is quite Chinese: they\'re mostly referred to by their title or place in society. First, the characters: we\'ve got Auntie Yang (杨大娘). 大娘 means \"wife of father\'s elder brother\", but it can also just be used as a polite way to refer to an older woman, and it\'s unclear which definition is being used here. We\'ve also got Second Brother\'s Wife (二婶), and same deal: 婶 means \"wife of father\'s younger brother\", but can also just be a polite form of address. The thing is, in Chinese societies, especially rural communities, the difference doesn\'t really demand clarification. \r\n\r\nWe\'ve also got <strong>代耕队长</strong> [pinyin]dai4 geng1 dui4 zhang3[/pinyin]. When a farming family doesn\'t have enough human labor to cultivate their fields, especially when a farmer has to go away to fight a war during harvest season, a 代耕 is a laborer that farms in their stead. 队, as you probably know means \"team\" and 长 means \"captain\" or \"leader\" or \"chief\". So, 代耕队长 is the head of the team helping this family farm their land in the absence of the male head of household (in this case, the eldest son). \r\n\r\nAnd of course, there\'s Chairman Mao (毛泽东).\r\n\r\nSome other points:\r\n\r\n<strong>怎么回事?</strong> [pinyin]zen3 me hui2 shi4[/pinyin] - Means \"How can that be?\" or \"What\'s going on here?\"\r\n\r\n<strong>下地</strong> [pinyin]xia4 di4[/pinyin] - To go down to the fields (usually to farm). \r\n\r\n<strong>两竿</strong> [pinyin]liang2 gan1[/pinyin] - 竿 literally means \"pole\", like a rod or staff. But it\'s also used to describe how far the sun has risen or set. It\'s not a standard measurement, it\'s more of a generalized measure, so \"两竿 from the mountains\" means that the sun isn\'t very far above the mountains (either rising or setting).\r\n\r\n<strong>接着</strong> [pinyin]jie1 zhe[/pinyin] - Means \"after that...\", or \"And then...\"\r\n\r\n<strong>丢了个眼色</strong> [pinyin]diu1 le ge yan3 se4[/pinyin] - To shoot someone a knowing look, or to give them a wink. \r\n\r\n<strong>撞个满怀</strong> [pinyin]zhuang4 ge man3 huai2[/pinyin] - 撞 means to \"run into\" or \"bump up against\", 满 means \"full\" or \"fully\", and 怀, in this case, means \"(a person\'s) chest\". Altogether, this means to \"bump someone full in the chest\", or in better English, to \"run smack into someone\". \r\n\r\n<strong>非...不可</strong> [pinyin]fei1 ... bu4 ke3[/pinyin] - This means \"must\", \"have no choice but to\", or \"to insist on doing\", like \"弟弟<strong>非</strong>要妈妈抱<strong>不可</strong>\", or \"little brother insists on having mother hold him\". This sentence structure underpins a popular Chinese meme about Facebook. The English word \"Facebook\" sounds a lot like the Chinese phrase 非死不可: \"insist on dropping dead\". So, Facebook is sometimes jokingly referred to this way within China. \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>《水缸的秘密》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">杨大娘</span>是红军家属。大儿子参加红军以后，家里少了一个劳动力，里里外外什么事都要她自己操心。\r\n\r\n1933年7月的一个傍晚，杨大娘浇完菜园，回家准备挑水做饭。她刚拿起扁担，却发现水缸里的水满满的。大娘奇怪了：前天水缸满，昨天水缸满，今天水缸又满了。这是<span class=\"highlightText\">怎么回事</span>？她问小儿子：“下午你挑水了吗？”\r\n\r\n11岁的儿子摇头说：“我没挑。”\r\n\r\n杨大娘越想越觉得奇怪，就跑到田头问<span class=\"highlightText\">代耕队长</span>：“我屋里那口水缸，天天都满满的。是你派人给我家挑水了吧？”\r\n\r\n“没有啊，”代耕队长也感到奇怪， “真有这样的事？”\r\n\r\n正说着，<span class=\"highlightText\">二婶</span>也提着菜蓝子走过来说：“是啊，我屋里的水缸也是干了又会满，不知道是谁在做好事。”\r\n\r\n代耕队长笑笑说：“毛主席主张调查研究，你们该去调查调查呀！”\r\n\r\n杨大娘和二婶觉得这话有道理，俩人商量了一阵，就各自回家了。\r\n\r\n第二天，杨大娘擦桌子、洗衣服，不到下午，满满一缸水就用完了。她故意不去挑，也不下地干活，拿起一双鞋底，坐在门口，和二婶一起纳起鞋底来。她俩四只耳朵听动静，两双眼睛观八方，边做针线活，边搞起“调查”来。\r\n\r\n太阳离西山只有两竿高的时候，杨大娘忽然听见屋里的后门响了，<span class=\"highlightText\">接着</span>又听到水桶铁钩碰撞的声音。她俩惊喜地互相<span class=\"highlightText\">丢了个眼色</span>，不约而同地喊了出来：“这回捉到了！”说着站起身就往屋里跑。\r\n\r\n杨大娘刚进门，差点跟一个挑着水桶的人<span class=\"highlightText\">撞个满怀</span>。她抬头一看，见这人身材高大魁梧，穿一身红军制服，正冲着她和二婶笑。望着他那双明亮的大眼睛，她觉得很面熟，但是又记不起在什么地方见过。二婶一下就认出来了：“呀，这不是<span class=\"highlightText\">毛主席</span>吗！”\r\n\r\n二婶拉着毛主席坐下，杨大娘赶忙端上一碗茶，说：“毛主席，你来这里不久，可处处爱护体贴老百姓，叫我们怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n毛主席喝着茶，和两位红军家属聊起家常来，问她们：生活有没有困难？房子漏雨不漏雨？小孩子在小学的功课好不好？一直谈到天擦黑，毛主席又要去挑水，<span class=\"highlightText\">非</span>要把水缸挑满<span class=\"highlightText\">不可</span>。杨大娘拗不过，只好答应了。 \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\nAunt Yang was from a Red Army family. After her elder son went to join the Red Army, there was one less laborer at home, so she had to look after everything herself.\r\n\r\nOne night in July 1933, Aunt Yang had finished irrigating the vegetable garden, and returned home to fetch water for cooking. She had just picked up the carrying pole, when she noticed that the water jug was [already] full. Auntie thought this was strange: two days ago the water jug was full, yesterday the water jug was full, and now today the water jug was full again. How could this be? She asked her son, \"Did you fetch water this afternoon?\" \r\n\r\nHer 11-year-old son shook his head and said, \"I didn\'t fetch it.\"\r\n\r\nThe more Auntie Yang thought about it the more strange it seemed, so she ran to the field and asked the head contract laborer: \"The water jug in my rooms, they\'re full every day. Did you send someone to fetch water for our family?\" \r\n\r\n\"I didn\'t,\" the head contract laborer also thought this was strange, \"Did that really happen?\"\r\n\r\nJust as he said this, Second Brother\'s Wife walked over carrying a vegetable basket and said: \"Yes, the water jug in my room also fills up as soon as it goes dry, I don\'t know who\'s doing these good deeds.\"  \r\n\r\nThe head contract laborer smiled and said, \"Chairman Mao encourages us to investigate and research, you two should look into it!\" \r\n\r\nAuntie Yang and Second Brother\'s Wife thought what he said made sense, so they discussed it for a bit, and then each went back to their home. \r\n\r\nThe second day, Auntie Yang wiped the table, washed the clothes, and before the afternoon had come, all the water in the full water jug had been used up. She purposefully didn\'t go fetch any more, nor did she go to the fields to work, but took up a pair of shoe soles, and sitting by the door with Second Brothers Wife, began to stitch the soles. The two of them listened with all four ears for any sounds of movement, and with two pairs of eyes looked about in all directions, sewing while \"investigating\".\r\n\r\nWhen the sun [had sunk close] to the western mountains, Auntie Yang suddenly heard the back door of the house make a sound, and soon after she heard the iron hook of the water pot clang. Pleasantly excited, they shot each other a knowing look, and shouted in unison, \"We\'ve got him this time!\" As they spoke they stood up and ran into the house. \r\n\r\nAs soon as Auntie Yang entered the house, she almost ran smack into the person who was fetching water. She lifted her head up to look, and saw this person was tall and stalwart, wearing the uniform of the Red Army, and was smiling at her and Second Brother\'s Wife. Looking at that pair of big, bright eyes, she thought he seemed a little familiar, but she couldn\'t remember where she\'d seen him before. [But] Second Brother\'s Wife recognized him: \"Ah! If it isn\'t Chairman Mao!\" \r\n\r\nSecond Brother\'s Wife pulled Chairman Mao into a seat, and Auntie Yang quickly brought some tea and said, \"Chairman Mao, you haven\'t been [in town] long, but everywhere you go, you are caring and considerate towards the common people, tell us how can we ever thank you!\"  \r\n\r\nChairman Mao drank his tea, and chatted with the two [ladies] from Red Army families about their daily lives, asking them: \"Are there any difficulties in your lives? Is your [roof] leaking water? How\'s your children\'s primary schoolwork?\" They talked until darkness swept over the sky, and then Chairman Mao once again made to go fetch water, insisting on filling the water jugs again. Auntie Yang couldn\'t talk him out of it, and she had to agree.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales: 《水缸的秘密》- The secret of the water jug', 'Our last Communist-themed post for the week: a classic revolutionary-era story about the man himself, Chairman Mao. HSK 4-5.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'communist-folk-tales-the-secret-of-the-water-jug', '', '', '2020-05-29 03:51:05', '2020-05-29 07:51:05', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2416', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(1903, 1, '2020-04-20 11:23:09', '2020-04-20 15:23:09', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more {background-color: #ffec39;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #000;\n	font-weight: bold;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover {cursor:pointer;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:23:09', '2020-04-20 15:23:09', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1905, 1, '2020-04-20 11:23:49', '2020-04-20 15:23:49', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #ffec39;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #000;\n	font-weight: bold;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover {cursor:pointer;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:23:49', '2020-04-20 15:23:49', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1906, 1, '2020-04-20 11:24:35', '2020-04-20 15:24:35', '[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 is 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', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:24:35', '2020-04-20 15:24:35', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1908, 1, '2020-04-20 11:25:58', '2020-04-20 15:25:58', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover {cursor:pointer;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:25:58', '2020-04-20 15:25:58', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2417, 1, '2020-05-26 09:17:07', '2020-05-26 13:17:07', '[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;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments – positive, negative, or neutral – are not allowed, and will be deleted. Dinner table rules, please.\r\n\r\nXXX\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nxxx\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>《水缸的秘密》</h4>\r\n杨大娘是红军家属。大儿子参加红军以后，家里少了一个劳动力，里里外外什么事都要她自己操心。\r\n\r\n1933年7月的一个傍晚，杨大娘浇完菜园，回家准备挑水做饭。她刚拿起扁担，却发现水缸里的水满满的。大娘奇怪了：前天水缸满，昨天水缸满，今天水缸又满了。这是怎么回事？她问小儿子：“下午你挑水了吗？”\r\n\r\n11岁的儿子摇头说：“我没挑。”\r\n\r\n杨大娘越想越觉得奇怪，就跑到田头问代耕队长：“我屋里那口水缸，天天都满满的。是你派人给我家挑水了吧？”\r\n“没有啊，”代耕队长也感到奇怪， “真有这样的事？”\r\n\r\n正说着，上屋的二婶也提着菜蓝子走过来说：“是啊，我屋里的水缸也是干了又会满，不知道是谁在做好事。”\r\n代耕队长笑笑说：“毛主席主张调查研究，你们该去调查调查呀！”\r\n\r\n杨大娘和二婶觉得这话有道理，俩人商量了一阵，就各自回家了。\r\n\r\n第二天，杨大娘擦桌子、洗衣服，不到下午，满满一缸水就用完了。她故意不去挑，也不下地干活，拿起一双鞋底，坐在门口，和二婶一起纳起鞋底来。她俩四只耳朵听动静，两双眼睛观八方，边做针线活，边搞起“调查”来。\r\n\r\n太阳离西山只有两竿高的时候，杨大娘忽然听见屋里的后门响了，接着又听到水桶铁钩碰撞的声音。她俩惊喜地互相丢了个眼色，不约而同地喊了出来：“这回捉到了！”说着站起身就往屋里跑。\r\n\r\n杨大娘刚进门，差点跟一个挑着水桶的人撞个满怀。她抬头一看，见这人身材高大魁梧，穿一身红军制服，正冲着她和二婶笑。望着他那双明亮的大眼睛，她觉得很面熟，但是又记不起在什么地方见过。二婶一下就认出来了：“呀，这不是毛主席吗！”\r\n\r\n二婶拉着毛主席坐下，杨大娘赶忙端上一碗茶，说：“毛主席，你来这里不久，可处处爱护体贴老百姓，叫我们怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n毛主席喝着茶，和两位红军家属聊起家常来，问她们：生活有没有困难？房子漏雨不漏雨？小孩子在小学的功课好不好？一直谈到天擦黑，毛主席又要去挑水，非要把水缸挑满不可。杨大娘拗不过，只好答应了。 \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\nAunt Yang was from a Red Army family. After her elder son went to join the Red Army, there was one less laborer at home, so she had to look after everything herself.\r\n\r\nOne night in July 1933, Aunt Yang had finished irrigating the vegetable garden, and returned home to fetch water for cooking. 杨大娘浇完菜园，回家准备挑水做饭。她刚拿起扁担，却发现水缸里的水满满的。大娘奇怪了：前天水缸满，昨天水缸满，今天水缸又满了。这是怎么回事？她问小儿子：“下午你挑水了吗？”\r\n\r\n11岁的儿子摇头说：“我没挑。”\r\n\r\n杨大娘越想越觉得奇怪，就跑到田头问代耕队长：“我屋里那口水缸，天天都满满的。是你派人给我家挑水了吧？”\r\n“没有啊，”代耕队长也感到奇怪， “真有这样的事？”\r\n\r\n正说着，上屋的二婶也提着菜蓝子走过来说：“是啊，我屋里的水缸也是干了又会满，不知道是谁在做好事。”\r\n代耕队长笑笑说：“毛主席主张调查研究，你们该去调查调查呀！”\r\n\r\n杨大娘和二婶觉得这话有道理，俩人商量了一阵，就各自回家了。\r\n\r\n第二天，杨大娘擦桌子、洗衣服，不到下午，满满一缸水就用完了。她故意不去挑，也不下地干活，拿起一双鞋底，坐在门口，和二婶一起纳起鞋底来。她俩四只耳朵听动静，两双眼睛观八方，边做针线活，边搞起“调查”来。\r\n\r\n太阳离西山只有两竿高的时候，杨大娘忽然听见屋里的后门响了，接着又听到水桶铁钩碰撞的声音。她俩惊喜地互相丢了个眼色，不约而同地喊了出来：“这回捉到了！”说着站起身就往屋里跑。\r\n\r\n杨大娘刚进门，差点跟一个挑着水桶的人撞个满怀。她抬头一看，见这人身材高大魁梧，穿一身红军制服，正冲着她和二婶笑。望着他那双明亮的大眼睛，她觉得很面熟，但是又记不起在什么地方见过。二婶一下就认出来了：“呀，这不是毛主席吗！”\r\n\r\n二婶拉着毛主席坐下，杨大娘赶忙端上一碗茶，说：“毛主席，你来这里不久，可处处爱护体贴老百姓，叫我们怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n毛主席喝着茶，和两位红军家属聊起家常来，问她们：生活有没有困难？房子漏雨不漏雨？小孩子在小学的功课好不好？一直谈到天擦黑，毛主席又要去挑水，非要把水缸挑满不可。杨大娘拗不过，只好答应了。 \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales: 《水缸的秘密》- The secret of the water jug', 'Zhu De (朱德) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军), also called the Red Army (红军). This popular revolutionary story highlights his willingness to toil alongside the rank and file soldiers. HSK 3-4. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2416-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 09:17:07', '2020-05-26 13:17:07', '', 2416, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2416-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1910, 1, '2020-04-20 11:26:24', '2020-04-20 15:26:24', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover {cursor:pointer;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:26:24', '2020-04-20 15:26:24', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1912, 1, '2020-04-20 11:28:05', '2020-04-20 15:28:05', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover, .inline-link-button {cursor:pointer;, background-color: #9f00fc;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:28:05', '2020-04-20 15:28:05', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1914, 1, '2020-04-20 11:29:49', '2020-04-20 15:29:49', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover, .inline-link-button {cursor:pointer;, background-color: #9f00fc;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.single-post .intro-text {display:none;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:29:49', '2020-04-20 15:29:49', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1929, 1, '2020-04-20 20:24:47', '2020-04-21 00:24:47', '<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 Story</h3>\r\nReading 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 I\'ve always found that finding reading materials is the most difficult and frustrating part of the process. Everything I pick up tends to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard. Particularly when I was just starting out, I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. Even worse, 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. Annoy-ing! \r\n\r\nAs someone who starts a website every time I have a thought, 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>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me, and 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\nI am not a linguist and I don\'t follow academic translation guidelines. I\'ll often change the order of wording in a sentence so that it makes sense or reads well in English. You\'ll also notice that I often remove commas, split long Chinese sentences into two or more English sentences, or rearrange the order of clauses, which is necessary to accommodate Chinese grammar.  The translation is meant as a guidepost to help point you in the right direction and keep you grounded in the text when needed - it\'s up to you to dissect sentence structure.\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 all Chinese text. 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>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nNothing on this site is truly beginner reading. If you just picked up Chinese yesterday, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually must involve some higher-level grammar or vocabulary. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (Ni hao! Ni hao ma? Wo hen hao!) as opposed to actual stories.\r\n\r\nSo, I don\'t entirely classify on the basis of vocabulary or HSK levels. You will have to look up quite a few words in most of these texts - many beginner texts include a little advanced vocab. Instead, I classify by length, how complicated the grammar is or isn\'t, and the density of high-level words. \r\n\r\nUltimately, my classifications are pretty arbitrary, but I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. In other words, if a beginner could puzzle through a particular piece if they focus and look up some vocab, or the piece is short enough that a beginner can study it in a reasonable amount of time, then it goes in \"beginner\". But if something is so challenging that it would presumably require a beginner to look up every character, or includes regular use of more complex grammar, it will go in \"intermediate\". If it\'s long, full of difficult grammar, and includes many advanced words, it goes in \"advanced\".\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 20:24:47', '2020-04-21 00:24:47', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1915, 1, '2020-04-20 11:56:11', '2020-04-20 15:56:11', '<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 Story</h3>\r\nReading 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 I\'ve always found that finding reading materials is the most difficult and frustrating part of the process. Everything I pick up tends to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard. Particularly when I was just starting out, I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. Even worse, 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. Annoy-ing! \r\n\r\nAs someone who starts a website every time I have a thought, 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>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me, and 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\nI am not a linguist and I don\'t follow academic translation guidelines. I\'ll often change the order of wording in a sentence so that it makes sense or reads well in English. You\'ll also notice that I often remove commas, split long Chinese sentences into two or more English sentences, or rearrange the order of clauses, which is necessary to accommodate Chinese grammar.  The translation is meant as a guidepost to help point you in the right direction and keep you grounded in the text when needed - it\'s up to you to dissect sentence structure.\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 all Chinese text. 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>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nUltimately, my classifications are pretty arbitrary, but I\'ll try to lay out some of my basic reasoning here.\r\n\r\n<strong>Beginner</strong> - Very very few of these texts are actually beginner texts. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually must involve some intermediate grammar or intermediate vocabulary. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (Ni hao! Ni hao ma? Wo hen hao!) as opposed to actual stories. In order to do any real reading, you\'ve got to at least know the basics of sentence structure. I will classify something as beginner if at least a couple of the following criteria are met:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The sentence structure is easy throughout</li>\r\n	<li>It contains mostly simpler words that are in the dictionary</li>\r\n	<li>There is no modern slang</li>\r\n	<li>The subject matter is basic / or for children</li>\r\n	<li>It\'s not too long</li>\r\n	<li>It contains few or no idioms</li>\r\n<li>It contains intermediate vocabulary but the story structure is very repetitive, so you can pick up the thread more easily as you go along.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<strong>Intermediate</strong> - I classify something as intermediate if:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>It\'s a longer piece that you have to hold a narrative thread through.</li>\r\n<li>The language is intermediate or upper-intermediate.</li>\r\n<li>There are some light idioms.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<strong>Advanced</strong> - Most of what\'s out there online is advanced reading. That\'s why as of now, there are more advanced texts on here than anything else. I classify something as advanced if:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>It contains many specialized or technical words (technology, health, beauty, geography, etc.)</li>\r\n<li>It contains high-level structures, like newspaper-y or literary writing styles.</li>\r\n<li>It contains any archaic words.</li>\r\n<li>The sentence structure is very complicated.</li>\r\n<li>It contains a lot of modern slang.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 11:56:11', '2020-04-20 15:56:11', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1916, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'By topic', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'by-topic', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:57', '2020-05-20 05:32:57', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1916', 4, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
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(1918, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'Essays', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'essays', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1918', 7, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1920, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'Idioms', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'idioms', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1920', 8, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1921, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'History', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'history', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1921', 9, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1922, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'Jokes', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'jokes', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1922', 10, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1923, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'Myths & Fables', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'mythology', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1923', 11, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1924, 1, '2020-04-20 12:05:19', '2020-04-20 16:05:19', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis very short blurb from Sina.com features an announcement by Twitter chairman Jack Dorsey that Twitter has now exceeded 200 Million users. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nI find that when wading through Chinese newsspeak, knowing the word 称 [pinyin]cheng1[/pinyin] makes all the difference. This is the formal / newspaper version of the word 说　[pinyin]shuo1[/pinyin], both words meaning \"to say\".\r\n\r\nIt\'s also interesting to note that the phrase \"脱口秀\" - Talk show - is actually transliterated into Chinese from English. In other words, instead of translating its meaning into something like, \"Talking Presenter Program\" or similar, they used Chinese characters that sound similar to the English phrase \"talk show\" - [pinyin]tuo1 kou1 xiu4[/pinyin]. This literally translates into \"Blurt it out performance\", which I\'d like to think is a way more accurate description of what usually happens on talk shows. Transliteration FTW.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://tech.sina.com.cn/i/2011-01-12/17495087422.shtml\">See the original article</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>Twitter董事长称全球用户数已突破2亿</h4>\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n北京时间1月12日下午消息，Twitter董事长杰克·多尔西(Jack Dorsey)周二表示，Twitter全球用户数量已突破2亿，并且将来有望超越Facebook。\r\n\r\n多尔西周二在接受美国脱口秀主持人查理·罗斯（Charlie Rose）采访时称，目前有2亿人在使用Twitter，尽管与Facebook的约5亿用户还有一定差距，但相信Twitter用户数量将来完全可以超越Facebook。\r\n\r\n此外，多尔西还表示，Twitter目前已经有稳定收入。\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\nBEIJING TIME - JANUARY 12 - AFTERNOON NEWS: On Tuesday, Twitter\'s Chairman of the Board Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter\'s global user base now exceeds 200,000,000, and is projected to exceed Facebook in the future.\r\n\r\nTuesday, during an interview with American talk show host Charlie Rose, Dorsey said that right now 200,000,000 people use Twitter, and although there\'s a big gap between that number and Facebook\'s 500,000,000 users, he believes Twitter\'s user base will eventually exceed that of Facebook.\r\n\r\nDorsey also stated that Twitter\'s revenue is currently stable.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Twitter Chairman Says Users Now Exceed 200 Million', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '154-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 12:05:19', '2020-04-20 16:05:19', '', 154, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/154-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1925, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'News', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'news', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1925', 12, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1926, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'Novels', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'novels', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1926', 13, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1927, 1, '2020-04-20 12:08:14', '2020-04-20 16:08:14', '', 'Poetry', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'poetry', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1927', 14, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(2092, 1, '2020-04-28 19:47:46', '2020-04-28 23:47:46', '[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]', 'Fable: The Two Lazybones', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1086-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-28 19:47:46', '2020-04-28 23:47:46', '', 1086, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/28/1086-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1931, 1, '2020-04-20 22:37:33', '2020-04-21 02:37:33', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:37:33', '2020-04-21 02:37:33', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1932, 1, '2020-04-20 22:40:02', '2020-04-21 02:40:02', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:40:02', '2020-04-21 02:40:02', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1930, 1, '2020-04-20 20:29:14', '2020-04-21 00:29:14', '<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 Story</h3>\r\nReading 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 I\'ve always found that finding reading materials is the most difficult and frustrating part of the process. Everything I pick up tends to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard. Particularly when I was just starting out, I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. Even worse, 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. Annoy-ing! \r\n\r\nAs someone who starts a website every time I have a thought, 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>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me, and 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\nI am not a linguist and I don\'t follow academic translation guidelines. I\'ll often change the order of wording in a sentence so that it makes sense or reads well in English. You\'ll also notice that I often remove commas, split long Chinese sentences into two or more English sentences, or rearrange the order of clauses, which is necessary to accommodate Chinese grammar.  The translation is meant as a guidepost to help point you in the right direction and keep you grounded in the text when needed - it\'s up to you to dissect sentence structure.\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 all Chinese text. 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>How I Classify Reading Levels</h4>\r\nNothing on this site is truly beginner reading. If you just picked up Chinese yesterday, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually must involve some higher-level grammar or vocabulary. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (Ni hao! Ni hao ma? Wo hen hao!) as opposed to actual stories.\r\n\r\nSo, I don\'t entirely classify on the basis of vocabulary or HSK levels. You will have to look up quite a few words in most of these texts - many beginner texts include a little advanced vocab. Instead, I classify by length, how complicated the grammar is or isn\'t, and the density of high-level words. \r\n\r\nUltimately, my classifications are pretty arbitrary, but I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. In other words, if a beginner could puzzle through a particular piece if they focus and look up some vocab, or the piece is short enough that a beginner can study it in a reasonable amount of time, then it goes in \"beginner\". But if something is so challenging that it would presumably require a beginner to look up every character, or includes regular use of more complex grammar, it will go in a higher classification. If it\'s long, full of difficult grammar, and includes many advanced words, it goes in \"advanced\".\r\n\r\nEnjoy, and good luck with your studies.', 'About', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 20:29:14', '2020-04-21 00:29:14', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1934, 1, '2020-04-20 22:41:29', '2020-04-21 02:41:29', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover, .inline-link-button {cursor:pointer;, background-color: #9f00fc;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.single-post .intro-text {display:none;}\n.site-description {display: none;}\nspan .highlightText {background-color: #ffec39;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:41:29', '2020-04-21 02:41:29', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1935, 1, '2020-04-20 22:44:09', '2020-04-21 02:44:09', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:44:09', '2020-04-21 02:44:09', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1936, 1, '2020-04-20 22:45:03', '2020-04-21 02:45:03', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:45:03', '2020-04-21 02:45:03', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1937, 1, '2020-04-20 22:50:18', '2020-04-21 02:50:18', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \n\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \n\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \n\n<h4>The language</h4>\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \n\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\n\nOne point of grammatical order: the character 为 is used differently in this passage than it commonly is. In this case, 为 means \"become / int\n\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\n\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:50:18', '2020-04-21 02:50:18', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1950, 1, '2020-04-20 23:08:50', '2020-04-21 03:08:50', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is the transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originates from Fajiu Mountain，and flows east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:08:50', '2020-04-21 03:08:50', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1938, 1, '2020-04-20 22:51:35', '2020-04-21 02:51:35', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne point of grammatical order: this passages uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:51:35', '2020-04-21 02:51:35', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1939, 1, '2020-04-20 22:52:12', '2020-04-21 02:52:12', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai2 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:52:12', '2020-04-21 02:52:12', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1940, 1, '2020-04-20 22:54:21', '2020-04-21 02:54:21', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive mean: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:54:21', '2020-04-21 02:54:21', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1941, 1, '2020-04-20 22:59:59', '2020-04-21 02:59:59', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 22:59:59', '2020-04-21 02:59:59', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2370, 1, '2020-05-22 22:39:34', '2020-05-23 02:39:34', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. Hcredited as the main for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to re-integrate Hong Kong when .  \r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, outlining China\'s views on the \"One Country, Two Systems\" policy - the experimental idea that different political systems could concurrently be implemented under one government. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words are a fascinating look into the past.\r\n\r\nBecause Hong Kong is such an incredibly sensitive topic, I feel the need to make some caveats here: I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, <em>not because I am promoting any political viewpoint</em>. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section, I will delete it, whether it\'s angry, patriotic, or neutral. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港特区政府派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n　　我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n　　“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，全国人民代表大会已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n　　我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n　　“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n　　要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。目前中英谈判的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是国务院总理在第六届全国人民代表大会第二次会议的政府工作报告中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n　　港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n　　到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\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[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Premier Li Keqiang at the 2020 Two Sessions', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2369-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-22 22:39:34', '2020-05-23 02:39:34', '', 2369, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/22/2369-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1943, 1, '2020-04-20 23:01:22', '2020-04-21 03:01:22', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover, .inline-link-button {cursor:pointer;, background-color: #9f00fc;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.single-post .intro-text {display:none;}\n.site-description {display: none;}\nspan.highlightText {background-color: #ffec39;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:01:22', '2020-04-21 03:01:22', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1944, 1, '2020-04-20 23:02:42', '2020-04-21 03:02:42', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is the transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originate from Fajiu Mountain，and flow east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:02:42', '2020-04-21 03:02:42', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1945, 1, '2020-04-20 23:03:24', '2020-04-21 03:03:24', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" class=\"inline-link-button\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In English</a><br />\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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is the transformed daughter of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originates from Fajiu Mountain，and flows east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:03:24', '2020-04-21 03:03:24', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1947, 1, '2020-04-20 23:04:11', '2020-04-21 03:04:11', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover, .inline-link-button {cursor:pointer;, background-color: #9f00fc;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.single-post .intro-text {display:none;}\n.site-description {display: none;}\nspan.highlightText {background-color: #ffd7ba;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:04:11', '2020-04-21 03:04:11', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1949, 1, '2020-04-20 23:07:17', '2020-04-21 03:07:17', 'h1.entry-title, h2.entry-title {text-align:left;}\nh2.entry-title {font-size: 4.2rem;}\n.section-inner.medium, .section-inner {max-width:100%;}\nh2.widget-title {font-size: 16px}\n.featured-media {display:none;}\n.entry-categories-inner {justify-content: left; }\n.archive-header-inner {text-align:left;}\n.post-meta-single-top .post-meta {justify-content: left;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {max-width: 100%;}\nul.primary-menu {font-size: 16px;}\n.post-meta-wrapper {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.post-inner {padding-top: 3rem;}\n.entry-content > *:not(.alignwide):not(.alignfull):not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.is-style-wide) {\n    max-width: 100%;\n	width: calc(100% - 8rem);}\n	\n	#mandarinspot-tip {padding: 15px!important; border-radius: 0 !important; border: none !important; background-color: #000 !important; color: #fff !important;}\n.sub-menu li a {font-size: 12px;}\n.hide-this-part-more, .inline-link-button {background-color: #b31ffd;\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 12px;\n    color: #fff;\n	font-weight: bold;\n	text-decoration:none;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;}\n.hide-this-part-more:hover, .inline-link-button {cursor:pointer;, background-color: #9f00fc;}\n.readingPassage {padding: 40px; background-color: #fffbcc;}\n.entry-content #chinesetext h4 {margin-top: 0;}\n.post-meta-wrapper.post-meta-single-bottom  {margin-top: 1rem;}\n.single-post .intro-text {display:none;}\n.site-description {display: none;}\nspan.highlightText {background-color: #d3fbcc;}', 'twentytwenty', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1649-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:07:17', '2020-04-21 03:07:17', '', 1649, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1649-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1951, 1, '2020-04-20 23:10:56', '2020-04-21 03:10:56', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>道。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is the reincarnation of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>\'s daughter, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originates from Fajiu Mountain，and flows east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:10:56', '2020-04-21 03:10:56', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1952, 1, '2020-04-20 23:11:26', '2020-04-21 03:11:26', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头知部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is the reincarnation of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>\'s daughter, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originates from Fajiu Mountain，and flows east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:11:26', '2020-04-21 03:11:26', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1953, 1, '2020-05-15 00:00:40', '2020-05-15 04:00:40', '[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/2zEEBIo\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Liu Cixin</a> (刘慈欣) is China\'s most famous contemporary science fiction writer, and is most well-known as the author of <em>The Three Body Problem</em>, which won significant critical acclaim worldwide, and spawned a series of movies. \r\n\r\nBut Liu Cixin has written several other novels and short stories, of which《赡养人类》<em>Support Human Beings</em> is one. It\'s good fiction, if you like spaceships, but more than that, it\'s super short - only around 70 pages or so - so if you\'d like to try your hand at finishing a whole novel, this is a pretty solid choice. You can pick up the book on Amazon (<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">kindle</a>). China actually has a great tradition of novella-length fiction in a way that the West seems to lack. Modern authors often put out works longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel, which lowers the barrier to entry nicely.\r\n\r\nIn this post, we\'ll read the first part of Chapter One, which introduces one of the main characters: the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛). When we first him, he\'s in the process of taking on a new hit. \r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nFirst, the proper nouns: We\'ve got the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛), a wealthy tech magnate named Zhu Hanyang (朱汉杨), who owns Huaruan Group (华软集团), we\'ve got some guy named Yage (齿哥), and we\'ve got a mention of the Forbes Fortune 500 list (福布斯财富500排行). There\'s also mention of a person only named 哥哥, Big Brother, who\'s a central character in the rest of the book, but only comes up for a second in this passage. \r\n\r\n玩艺儿 [pinyin]wan2 yi4 er[/pinyin] - Another pretty useful and commonly-used word. When the you add the 儿, 玩艺 does not mean \"toy\", it becomes the colloquial equivalent to 东西, \"thing\". It\'s often used derogatorily, like \"Ew, what is that thing you\'re wearing?\", or dismissively, as in, \"Hand me that thing.\" In this passage, Smoothbore uses this word to describe some ostentatious jewelry that a flashy rich guy wears, so the use of 玩艺儿 adds a note of contempt to the sentence.\r\n\r\nParagraph five highlights the essential difficulty of reading sci-fi in a foreign language: it\'s hard to know if you got it right when what is being described is a made-up thing, so you can\'t gut-check your understanding against reality. You may have to check the translation here. \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>《赡养人类》第一章</h4>\r\n\r\n业务就是业务，无关其他。这是滑膛所遵循的原则，但这一次，客户却让他感到了困惑。\r\n\r\n首先客户的委托方式不对，他要与自己面谈，在这个行业中，这可是件很稀奇的事。三年前，滑膛听教官不止一次地说过，他们与客户的关系，应该是前额与后脑勺的关系，永世不得见面，这当然是为了双方的利益考虑。见面的地点更令滑膛吃惊，是在这座大城市中最豪华的五星级酒店中最豪华的总统大厅，那可是世界上最不适合委托这种业务的地方。据对方透露，这次委托加工的工件有三个，这倒无所谓，再多些他也不在乎。\r\n\r\n服务生拉开了总统大厅镶金的大门，滑膛在走进去前，不为人察觉地把手向夹克里探了一下，轻轻拉开了左腋下枪套的按扣。其实这没有必要，没人会在这种地方对他干太意外的事。\r\n\r\n大厅金碧辉煌，仿佛是与外面现实毫无关系的另一个世界，巨型水晶吊灯就是这个世界的太阳，猩红色的地毯就是这个世界的草原。这里初看很空旷，但滑膛还是很快发现了人，他们围在大厅一角的两个落地窗前，撩开厚重的窗帘向外面的天空看，滑膛扫了一眼，立刻数出竟有十三个人。客户是他们而不是他，也出乎滑膛的预料，教官说过，客户与他们还像情人关系一一尽管可能有多个，但每次只能与他们中的一人接触。\r\n\r\n[SCI-FI PART]滑膛知道他们在看什么：<span class=\"highlightText\">哥哥</span>飞船又移到南半球上空了，现在可以清晰地看到。上帝文明离开地球已经三年了，那次来自宇宙的大规模造访，使人类对外星文明的心理承受能力增强了许多，况且，上帝文明有铺天盖地的两万多艘飞船，而这次到来的哥哥飞船只有一艘。它的形状也没有上帝文明的飞船那么奇特，只是一个两头圆的柱体，像是宇宙中的一粒感冒胶囊。\r\n\r\n看到滑膛进来，那十三个人都离开窗子，回到了大厅中央的大圆桌旁。滑膛认出了他们中的大部分，立刻感觉这间华丽的大厅变得寒碜了。这些人中最引入注目的是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱汉杨</span>，他的<span class=\"highlightText\">华软集团</span>的“东方3000”操作系统正在全球范围内取代老朽的WINDOWS。其他的人，也都在<span class=\"highlightText\">福布斯财富500排行</span>的前50内，这些人每年的收益，可能相当于一个中等国家的GDP，滑膛处于一个小型版的全球财富论坛中。\r\n\r\n这些人与<span class=\"highlightText\">齿哥</span>是绝对不一样的，滑膛暗想，齿哥是一夜的富豪，他们则是三代修成的贵族，虽然真正的时间远没有那么长，但他们确实是贵族，财富在他们这里已转化成内敛的高贵，就像朱汉杨手上的那枚钻戒，纤细精致，在他修长的手指上若隐若现，只是偶尔闪一下温润的柔光，但它的价值，也许能买几十个齿哥手指上那颗核桃大小金光四射的<span class=\"highlightText\">玩艺儿</span>。\r\n\r\n但现在，这十三名高贵的财界精英聚在这里，却是要雇职业杀手杀人，而且要杀三个人，据首次联系的人说，这还只是第一批。\r\n\r\nBy <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">Kindle</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\nBusiness is business, and nothing else. This was the principle by which Smoothbore abided, but this time, the client had left him feeling puzzled.\r\n\r\nFirst of all, the way the client commissioned him was wrong, he wanted to meet face-to-face, and in this business, that was a curious matter. Three years earlier, Smoothbore had heard his drillmaster say more than once, their relationship with their clients was like the relationship between the forehead and the back of the head, never to see one another in this world, and this of course was out of consideration for the interests of both parties. The meeting place surprised Smoothbore even more, it was in the most luxurious presidential hall of the city\'s most luxurious five-star hotel, which was the least suitable place in the world for commissioning this type of work. According to what the client let slip, this job had three parts, though that was no big deal, even if it had been a few more [Smoothbore] wouldn\'t have minded.\r\n\r\nThe server pulled open the gold-inlayed door of the presidential hall, and before Smoothbore walked in, he surreptitiously moved his hands inside his jacket, lightly flicking open the snap of the gun holster beneath his left armpit. In truth this was unnecessary, no one would do anything too untoward to him in a place like this.\r\n\r\nThe hall was magnificent, as if it had no connection to the outside world, the huge crystal chandelier was this world\'s sun, and the crimson carpet was this world\'s grass. At first glance the place was open and spacious, but Smoothbore quickly found the people [inside], they gathered around the floor-to-ceiling windows in one corner of the hall, pushing aside the thick curtains to look at the sky outside, and Smoothbore swept his gaze around [the room], quickly counting that there were 13 people there. That the clients were many and not just one was also unexpected, as the drillmaster had said, the relationship between themselves and their clients was like the relationship between lovers - though there may be several, at each meeting you only have contact with one.\r\n\r\nSmoothbore knew what they were looking at: Big Brother\'s spaceship had taken off to move to the southern hemisphere again, and now it could be seen clearly. It had already been three years since the gods left Earth, and that big visit from outer space [lit: the universe] greatly strengthened mankind\'s psychological acceptance of alien civilizations, besides, the gods\' civilization had 20,000 spaceships that blanketed the sky, and this time Big Brother only had one. [The spaceship\'s] shape also wasn\'t as peculiar as the ones the gods had, it was just a big pillar rounded at both ends, like a big cold [medicine] capsule [out there] in the universe.\r\n\r\nWhen they saw Smoothbore enter, those 13 people all left the window, and came back to the big round table in the center of the hall. Smoothbore recognized most of them, and immediately felt that the resplendent hall had become shabby [in comparison to them]. The most interesting person among them was Zhu Hanyang, his Huaruan Group\'s \"Oriental 3000\" operating system had already replaced decrepit WINDOWS the world over. As for everyone else, they were all in the Forbes Fortune 500 Top 50, and their annual profits were probably equal to a middling country\'s GDP, so Smoothbore was [standing] in a small forum of world\'s wealthy.\r\n\r\nThese people were completely different from Yage, Smoothbore thought to himself, Yage was <em>nouveau riche</em>, but these guys were from three generations of nobility, and although the timeline [probably] wasn\'t really that long, they were nobility indeed, they transformed riches into a reserved moral elevation, just like the diamond ring on Zhu Hanyang\'s hand, fine and exquisite, understated on his slender finger, occasionally glinting with a soft, gentle light, but it was worth several of the gaudily-glittering walnut-sized things [that] Yage [wore on his] hand. \r\n\r\nBut right now, these thirteen noble magnates were collected here to hire an assassin to commit murder, moreover to kill three people, and according to his first contact, that was just the first part [of the job].\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start reading Chinese sci-fi novella 《赡养人类》by Liu Cixin', 'Assassins and spaceships and evil doings! Start reading Chapter One of the novel <em>Support Human Beings</em> by Liu Cixin, author of China\'s most famous sci-fi <em>Three Body Problem</em>. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'novels-start-reading-chinese-sci-fi-novella-support-human-beings-by-liu-cixin', '', '', '2020-05-16 22:02:21', '2020-05-17 02:02:21', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1953', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(2258, 1, '2020-05-07 17:36:11', '2020-05-07 21:36:11', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nStory behind the Chinese idiom 专心致志 [pinyin]zhuan1 xin1 zhi4 zhi4[/pinyin], which means \"to do something with single-minded devotion\". <!--more-->\r\n\r\nSometimes these idiom stories do a good job tying themselves into the history of the idiom; sometimes they\'re more just a vaguely-related tale that will help you remember the idiom. This is one of the latter. This idiom story actually contains 2 other idioms (see the vocab list), so, hey, idiom party.\r\n\r\nYou might be interested in the way that the author of this story talks about chess. To \"play chess\" is written like this: 下棋 - [pinyin]xia4 qi2[/pinyin], or literally \"to put down chess pieces\". But when we\'re talking about someone\'s skill level of chess play - in otherwords, the level of chess mastery - the author uses 棋艺 - [pinyin]qi2 yi4[/pinyin], or literally \"chess art\". So 下棋 is a verb, \"to play chess\", while 棋艺 is a noun, as in \"mad chess skillz\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.tom61.com/ertongwenxue/chengyugushi/2014-07-14/43769.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Here\'s the original text</a> on tom61.com. \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>专心致志</h4>\r\n从前有一个<strong>下棋</strong>能手名叫秋，他的<strong>棋艺</strong>非常高超。\r\n\r\n秋有两个学生，一起跟他学习下棋，其中一个学生非常<strong>专心</strong>集中精力跟老师学习。另一个却不这样，他认为学下棋很容易，用不着认真。老师讲解的时候，他虽然坐在那里，眼睛也好像在看着棋子可心里却想着：“要是现在到野外射下一只<strong>鸿雁</strong>，美餐一顿该多好。 ”因为他总是<strong>胡思乱想</strong><strong>心不在焉</strong>，老师的讲解一点也没听进去。\r\n\r\n结果，虽然两个学生同是一个名师<strong>传授</strong>，但是，一个进步很快，成了棋艺高强的名手，另一个却没学到一点本事。 \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 ago there was a chess master named Qiu whose chess skills were superlative. \r\n\r\nQiu had two students who studied chess with him, one student studied with concentrated focus and energy. The other, however, wasn\'t like that, he thought studying chess was very easy, and there was no need to take it seriously. When the teacher was explaining, although the [the student] sat there, his eyes seemed to be on the chess pieces, he was actually thinking: \"If I go to the countryside right now and shoot a goose, I\'ll have a lovely dinner.\" Because he was always indulging in flights of fancy and absent-mindedness, nothing the teacher said ever sunk in.\r\n\r\nAs a result, although the two students studied were taught at the same time by the same master, one improved quickly and became a superior chess player, while the other never learned much at all. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'Story Behind the Idiom: 专心致志 - Single-minded devotion', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1526-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-07 17:36:11', '2020-05-07 21:36:11', '', 1526, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/07/1526-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1954, 1, '2020-04-20 23:56:52', '2020-04-21 03:56:52', '[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=“#\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Liu Cixin</a> (刘慈欣) is China\'s most famous contemporary science fiction writer, and is most well-known as the author of <em>The Three Body Problem</em>, which won significant critical acclaim worldwide, and spawned a series of movies. \r\n\r\nBut Liu Cixin has written several other novels and short stories, of which《赡养人类》 is one. It\'s good fiction, if you like spaceships, but more than that, it\'s super short - only around 70 pages or so - so if you\'d like to try your hand at finishing a whole novel, this is a pretty solid choice. You can pick up the book on Amazon. \r\n\r\nIn this post, we\'ll read the first part of Chapter One, which introduces one of the main characters: the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛). When we first him, he\'s in the process of taking on a new hit. \r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\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>《赡养人类》第一章</h4>\r\n\r\n业务就是业务，无关其他。这是滑膛所遵循的原则，但这一次，客户却让他感到了困惑。\r\n\r\n首先客户的委托方式不对，他要与自己面谈，在这个行业中，这可是件很稀奇的事。三年前，滑膛听教官不止一次地说过，他们与客户的关系，应该是前额与后脑勺的关系，永世不得见面，这当然是为了双方的利益考虑。见面的地点更令滑膛吃惊，是在这座大城市中最豪华的五星级酒店中最豪华的总统大厅，那可是世界上最不适合委托这种业务的地方。据对方透露，这次委托加工的工件有三个，这倒无所谓，再多些他也不在乎。\r\n\r\n服务生拉开了总统大厅镶金的大门，滑膛在走进去前，不为人察觉地把手向夹克里探了一下，轻轻拉开了左腋下枪套的按扣。其实这没有必要，没人会在这种地方对他干太意外的事。\r\n\r\n大厅金碧辉煌，仿佛是与外面现实毫无关系的另一个世界，巨型水晶吊灯就是这个世界的太阳，猩红色的地毯就是这个世界的草原。这里初看很空旷，但滑膛还是很快发现了人，他们围在大厅一角的两个落地窗前，撩开厚重的窗帘向外面的天空看，滑膛扫了一眼，立刻数出竟有十三个人。客户是他们而不是他，也出乎滑膛的预料，教官说过，客户与他们还像情人关系一一尽管可能有多个，但每次只能与他们中的一人接触。\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滑膛知道他们在看什么：哥哥飞船又移到南半球上空了，现在可以清晰地看到。上帝文明离开地球已经三年了，那次来自宇宙的大规模造访，使人类对外星文明的心理承受能力增强了许多，况且，上帝文明有铺天盖地的两万多艘飞船，而这次到来的哥哥飞船只有一艘。它的形状也没有上帝文明的飞船那么奇特，只是一个两头圆的柱体，像是宇宙中的一粒感冒胶囊。\r\n\r\n看到滑膛进来，那十三个人都离开窗子，回到了大厅中央的大圆桌旁。滑膛认出了他们中的大部分，立刻感觉这间华丽的大厅变得寒碜了。这些人中最引入注目的是朱汉杨，他的华软集团的“东方3000”操作系统正在全球范围内取代老朽的WINDOWS。其他的人，也都在福布斯财富500排行的前50内，这些人每年的收益，可能相当于一个中等国家的GDP，滑膛处于一个小型版的全球财富论坛中。\r\n\r\n这些人与齿哥是绝对不一样的，滑堂暗想，齿哥是一夜的富豪，他们则是三代修成的贵族，虽然真正的时间远没有那么长，但他们确实是贵族，财富在他们这里已转化成内敛的高贵，就像朱汉杨手上的那枚钻戒，纤细精致，在他修长的手指上若隐若现，只是偶尔闪一下温润的柔光，但它的价值，也许能买几十个齿哥手指上那颗核桃大小金光四射的玩艺儿。\r\n\r\n但现在，这十三名高贵的财界精英聚在这里，却是要雇职业杀手杀人，而且要杀三个人，据首次联系的人说，这还只是第一批。\r\n\r\n其实滑膛并没有去注意那枚钻戒，他看的是朱汉杨手上的那三张照片，那显然就是委托加工的工件了。朱汉杨起身越过圆桌，将三张照片推到他面前。\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 Chinese sci-fi novella 《赡养人类》by Liu Cixin', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1953-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-20 23:56:52', '2020-04-21 03:56:52', '', 1953, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/20/1953-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1955, 1, '2020-04-21 00:01:47', '2020-04-21 04:01:47', '[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. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinas-most-famous-poem-by-li-bai', '', '', '2020-04-24 22:52:07', '2020-04-25 02:52:07', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1955', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(1956, 1, '2020-04-21 01:31:34', '2020-04-21 05:31:34', '[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 haven\'t posted it until now may be a sign of early-onset dementia. \r\n\r\nThe main themes of《静夜思》[pinyin]jing4 ye4 si1[/pinyin], or <em>Quiet Night Thought</em>, are the moon and homesickness, and this 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.\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 single 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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 \"like\". so when the poem reads 疑是, \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character usually related to doubt or suspicion, that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\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 moon\'s bright glow, \r\nis 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:31:34', '2020-04-21 05:31:34', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1957, 1, '2020-04-21 01:35:47', '2020-04-21 05:35:47', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\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. \n\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. \n\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], falls right int <em>Quiet Night Thought</em>, are the moon and homesickness.\n\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 single word, and which concepts should be understood together. The original, however, has no spacing.\n\n<h4>The language</h4>\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.\n\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy characters, but there\'s an advanced word or two sprinkled in. Probably most difficult is this one: \n\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 \"like\". so when the poem reads 疑是, \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character usually related to doubt or suspicion, that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\n\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>.\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>《静夜思》</h4>\n床前 明月 光，\n疑是 地上 霜。\n举头 望 明月，\n低头 思 故乡。\n\n<h6>Buy on Amazon:</h6>\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>.\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nBefore my bed the moon\'s bright glow, \nis like frost on the ground.\nI raise my head and gaze at the bright moon, \nI lower my head and think of my hometown.\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\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-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:35:47', '2020-04-21 05:35:47', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1958, 1, '2020-04-21 01:36:15', '2020-04-21 05:36:15', '[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 single 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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 \"like\". so when the poem reads 疑是, \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character usually related to doubt or suspicion, that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\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 moon\'s bright glow, \r\nis 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:36:15', '2020-04-21 05:36:15', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1959, 1, '2020-04-21 01:37:34', '2020-04-21 05:37:34', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 \"like\". so when the poem reads 疑是, \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character usually related to doubt or suspicion, that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\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 moon\'s bright glow, \r\nis 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:37:34', '2020-04-21 05:37:34', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1960, 1, '2020-04-21 01:38:45', '2020-04-21 05:38:45', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 \"like\". So 疑是 means \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character usually related to doubt or suspicion, that\'s not the way it\'s being used here.\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 moon\'s bright glow, \r\nis 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:38:45', '2020-04-21 05:38:45', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1961, 1, '2020-04-21 01:40:54', '2020-04-21 05:40:54', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 \"like\". So 疑是 means \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character usually related to doubt or suspicion, 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 moon\'s bright glow, \r\nis 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:40:54', '2020-04-21 05:40:54', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1962, 1, '2020-04-21 01:43:46', '2020-04-21 05:43:46', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 \"like\". So 疑是 means \"As if it is _______\" or \"Like it is _______\". It\'s a little difficult because in modern Chinese, this character 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 moon\'s bright glow, \r\nis 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:43:46', '2020-04-21 05:43:46', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1963, 1, '2020-04-21 01:44:22', '2020-04-21 05:44:22', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 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 moon\'s bright 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:44:22', '2020-04-21 05:44:22', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1964, 1, '2020-04-21 01:45:23', '2020-04-21 05:45:23', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 moon\'s bright 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:45:23', '2020-04-21 05:45:23', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1965, 1, '2020-04-21 01:45:43', '2020-04-21 05:45:43', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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 moon\'s bright 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:45:43', '2020-04-21 05:45:43', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1966, 1, '2020-04-21 01:47:31', '2020-04-21 05:47:31', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nHey guys. Been a while. I\'m studying Chinese IRL, so I\'ve got less reason to focus on the blog, but I have been getting all the letters - thank you all. I\'ve also received two guest posts that I\'m embarrassed to say I haven\'t put up yet. Apologies, it may be a while, but they\'re coming. Right, on with the poetry.\r\n\r\nKinda kills me how little information is available on the modern Chinese writers, you know? A few of the most famous works have been translated, but most have only cursory mentions. Even the Wikipedia pages don\'t have nearly the amount of content that the Chinese encyclopedias offer. <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Wangshu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dai Wangshu</a>, for example, is relatively unknown in the west. So who is this guy?\r\n\r\nDai Wangshu (戴望舒) was a famously-depressed modern Chinese symbolist poet, born in 1905, died from an accidental overdose of asthma medication in 1950 - asthma which he contracted when he was thrown in jail by the Japanese for advocating revolution. Seriously, this guy spent his entire life having the sadz. He threatened to kill himself a couple of times, once to force his girlfriend to marry him (she agreed, but then ran off with a refrigerator salesman, cuz I guess refrigerators were a big deal at the time), and once when his first wife fell in love with another man and asked for a divorce.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n《雨巷》, Dai Wangshu\'s representative work was written in 1927 when he was 22. He\'d just broken it off with his girlfriend and was spending much of his time in seclusion at a friend\'s house. This was also written soon after the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_massacre_of_1927\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 12 Incident</a>, during which the KMT (Guomindang) slaughtered a bunch of Communists in Shanghai, where Dai Wangshu was living, so we\'re talking a period of political uncertainty and upheaval. Because of this, there\'s been speculation that the poem has political overtones, but I don\'t think so. \r\n\r\nLike most of Dai Wangshu\'s work, 《雨巷》 is wistful, lovely and sad, and also a bit misty and dreamlike. It describes a single scene in which a woman, dressed in purple and holding an oil paper umbrella, passes the author on a silent rainy road. You\'ll see the word 丁香 appear frequently - that\'s a \"lilac\". Lilacs come up a lot here. The language is difficult at first, but then gets repetitive, as he uses the same words again and again in different configurations, until in the last stanza, there\'s no new vocabulary. \r\n\r\nI don\'t love the <a href=\"http://www.zg-wh.com/2014/03/a-lane-in-rain-poem-by-dai-wangshu.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">translation that\'s available</a> for this, so I made own translation below - it\'s not perfect. Like most Chinese poetry, if you translate with exact faithfulness, it sounds crappy in English, so small liberties have been taken. You may like the other version better, go check it out. Regardless of the translation, I think this piece loses its beauty in the English version. If you read the poem out loud in Chinese, you\'ll notice it\'s got a lovely cadence, with some off-tempo rhymes that get lost in any other language, so try reciting it, if you can.\r\n\r\n彷徨 is interesting in that it has two meanings. One is to pace back and forth - a Chinese synonym for this might be 徘徊. But it also means \"to hesitate\". I personally used both definitions, one in the first stanza, a different one a little later on, so don\'t let that trip you up. In fact, I do something similar in a couple of places, use different definitions of the same word to make it sound a bit better in English. \r\n\r\nLittle side note, these Chinese punctuation marks 《》 indicate the name of a book, movie, poem, or other written work - we use quotes or italics for this in English. \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>《雨巷》</h4>\r\n撑着油纸伞，独自\r\n<strong>彷徨</strong>在悠长，悠长\r\n又<strong>寂寥</strong>的雨巷，\r\n我希望逢着\r\n一个<strong>丁香</strong>一样的\r\n结着<strong>愁怨</strong>的姑娘。\r\n\r\n她是有\r\n丁香一样的颜色，\r\n丁香一样的<strong>芬芳</strong>，\r\n丁香一样的忧愁，\r\n在雨中<strong>哀怨</strong>，\r\n哀怨又彷徨；\r\n\r\n她彷徨在这寂寥的雨巷，\r\n撑着油纸伞\r\n像我一样，\r\n像我一样地\r\n默默<strong>彳亍</strong>着，\r\n冷漠，<strong>凄清</strong>，又惆怅。\r\n\r\n她静默地走近\r\n走近，又投出\r\n<strong>太息</strong>一般的眼光，\r\n她飘过\r\n像梦一般的，\r\n像梦一般的<strong>凄婉</strong>迷茫。\r\n\r\n像梦中飘过\r\n一枝丁香的，\r\n我身旁飘过这女郎；\r\n她静默地远了，远了，\r\n到了<strong>颓圮</strong>的篱墙，\r\n走尽这雨巷。\r\n\r\n在雨的<strong>哀曲</strong>里，\r\n消了她的颜色，\r\n散了她的芬芳\r\n消散了，甚至她的\r\n太息般的眼光，\r\n丁香般的惆怅。\r\n\r\n撑着油纸伞，独自\r\n彷徨在悠长，悠长\r\n又寂寥的雨巷，\r\n我希望飘过\r\n一个<strong>丁香</strong>一样的\r\n结着愁怨的姑娘。\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\nHolding an oil paper umbrella, I\r\npace through a long, long, \r\nand solitary rainy alley.\r\nI hope to come upon\r\nA girl like lilacs, \r\nDistressed and grudging.\r\n\r\nShe has\r\nThe color of lilacs\r\nThe scent of lilacs\r\nAnd a lilac\'s concerns,\r\nGrudging in the rain,\r\nResentful and hesitating. \r\n\r\nShe paces in the drizzling, desolate lane,\r\nHolding her oil paper umbrella,\r\nAs I do,\r\nJust as I do, \r\nSoundlessly wending,\r\nAloof, cheerless, and unhappy.\r\n\r\nShe walks quietly closer,\r\nWalks closer, casting\r\nA glance like a sigh,\r\nShe floats past,\r\nAs a dream does,\r\nAs a dream does, indistinctly bittersweet.\r\n\r\nFloats by as a dream does, \r\nA single lilac,\r\nThe girl who floats past me, \r\nShe is getting farther, farther,\r\nReaches the toppled fence,\r\nWalks out of this drizzling alley.\r\n\r\nIn the rain\'s plaintive song,\r\nHer color is washed away\r\nHer scent dissipates\r\nWashed out and dissipated, even her\r\nSighing eyes\r\nHer lilac melancholy.\r\n\r\nHolding an oil paper umbrella, I\r\npace through a long, long, \r\nand desolate rainy alley.\r\nI hope to float by\r\nA girl like lilacs, \r\nDistressed and grudging.\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]', 'Modern Chinese Poetry: 《雨巷》by Dai Wangshu', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1587-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 01:47:31', '2020-04-21 05:47:31', '', 1587, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1587-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1967, 1, '2020-04-28 20:01:09', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis famous herdsman\'s folksong originates in the Northern Dynasties, nearly 2000 years ago. \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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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>《敕勒歌》</h4>\r\n敕勒川，\r\n阴山下。\r\n\r\n天似穹庐，\r\n笼盖四野。\r\n\r\n天苍苍，野茫茫，\r\n风吹草低见牛羊。\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\n敕勒川，\r\n阴山下。\r\nSomething river, \r\nbeneath the shady mountain. \r\n\r\n天似穹庐，\r\n笼盖四野。\r\nThe sky is like a YURT,\r\ncovering the four wilds. \r\n\r\n天苍苍，野茫茫，\r\n风吹草低见牛羊。\r\nThe sky is SOMETHING, the wilderness is vast.\r\nThe wind blows the grass down revealing the oxen and sheep.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Poem: 《敕勒歌》Folk verse from the wild steppes', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2020-04-28 20:01:09', '2020-04-29 00:01:09', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1967', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(1968, 1, '2020-04-21 02:03:22', '2020-04-21 06:03:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis famous herdsman\'s folksong originates in the Northern Dynasties, nearly 2000 years ago. \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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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>《敕勒歌》</h4>\r\n敕勒川，\r\n阴山下。\r\n\r\n天似穹庐，\r\n笼盖四野。\r\n\r\n天苍苍，野茫茫，\r\n风吹草低见牛羊。\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\n敕勒川，\r\n阴山下。\r\nSomething river, \r\nbeneath the shady mountain. \r\n\r\n天似穹庐，\r\n笼盖四野。\r\nThe sky is like a YURT,\r\ncovering the four wilds. \r\n\r\n天苍苍，野茫茫，\r\n风吹草低见牛羊。\r\nThe sky is SOMETHING, the wilderness is vast.\r\nThe wind blows the grass down revealing the oxen and sheep.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Poetry: 《敕勒歌》Folk verse from the wild steppes', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1967-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 02:03:22', '2020-04-21 06:03:22', '', 1967, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1967-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1969, 1, '2020-04-21 02:09:35', '2020-04-21 06:09:35', '[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\nMostly, this poem is comprised of surprisingly easy 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', '', '', '2020-04-21 02:09:35', '2020-04-21 06:09:35', '', 1955, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1955-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2368, 1, '2020-05-21 20:37:25', '2020-05-22 00:37:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nI had an impossible time finding beginner Communist history , so we\'ll have to settle for this patriotic essay\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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>国庆节作文</h4>\r\n国庆节到了，我们国家成立五十九周年了，机关、学校、工厂、社区、各单位门前挂着红布，上面写着“庆祝国庆”四个大字。\r\n\r\n为了庆祝这一天，我们国家放七天长假，让大家高高兴兴的休息。有的人带着孩子去旅游，有的带着孩子去秋游，还有的带着孩子去超市、逛大街、进公园，大家都玩的特别开心。回家时大家都提着大包小包，有吃的，有穿的，有用的，还有学习用品和书籍。爸爸妈妈告诉我，现在生活真幸福，好像芝麻开花节节高，这应该感谢党的改革开放政策好。\r\n\r\n国庆节的夜晚更加美丽，街上有各种各样的宫灯，五彩缤纷，还有人行道上火树银花星星点点，闪闪发光，使人看后流连忘返。\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 East is Red, the sun is rising\r\nChina GAVE BIRTH to Mao Zedong\r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\n\r\nChairman Mao loves the people\r\nHe is our guide\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\n\r\nThe Communist Party is like the sun\r\nWherever it shines, there is light\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 国庆节 - National Day', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2366-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-21 20:37:25', '2020-05-22 00:37:25', '', 2366, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/21/2366-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2369, 1, '2020-05-22 22:39:34', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. Hcredited as the main for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to re-integrate Hong Kong when .  \r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, outlining China\'s views on the \"One Country, Two Systems\" policy - the experimental idea that different political systems could concurrently be implemented under one government. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words are a fascinating look into the past.\r\n\r\nBecause Hong Kong is such an incredibly sensitive topic, I feel the need to make some caveats here: I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, <em>not because I am promoting any political viewpoint</em>. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section, I will delete it, whether it\'s angry, patriotic, or neutral. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港特区政府派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n　　我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n　　“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，全国人民代表大会已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n　　我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n　　“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n　　要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。目前中英谈判的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是国务院总理在第六届全国人民代表大会第二次会议的政府工作报告中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n　　港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n　　到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\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[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Premier Li Keqiang at the 2020 Two Sessions', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2020-05-22 22:39:34', '2020-05-23 02:39:34', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2369', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(1971, 1, '2020-04-25 10:34:29', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[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', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2020-04-25 10:34:29', '2020-04-25 14:34:29', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1971', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(1990, 1, '2020-04-21 20:02:22', '2020-04-22 00:02:22', '<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. \r\nEverything 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 20:02:22', '2020-04-22 00:02:22', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1972, 1, '2020-04-21 03:33:43', '2020-04-21 07:33:43', '<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 Story</h3>\r\nReading 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 I\'ve always found that finding reading materials is the most difficult and frustrating part of the process. Everything I pick up tends to be too long, too short, too easy, or too hard. Particularly when I was just starting out, I ended up spending more time looking for something that was suitable than actually doing any reading. Even worse, 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. Annoy-ing! \r\n\r\nAs someone who starts a website every time I have a thought, 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>About the Translations</h4>\r\nMost (but not all) of the translations on this site are done by me, and 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\nI am not a linguist and I don\'t follow academic translation guidelines. I\'ll often change the order of wording in a sentence so that it makes sense or reads well in English. You\'ll also notice that I often remove commas, split long Chinese sentences into two or more English sentences, or rearrange the order of clauses, which is necessary to accommodate Chinese grammar.  The translation is meant as a guidepost to help point you in the right direction and keep you grounded in the text when needed - it\'s up to you to dissect sentence structure.\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, even the beginner stuff is going to be a rough ride for you. This is because for any story, article or essay to really take shape, it usually must involve some higher-level grammar or vocabulary. This is why most truly beginner textbooks stick to dialogs (Ni hao! Ni hao ma? Wo hen hao!) as opposed to actual stories.\r\n\r\nSo, I don\'t entirely classify on the basis of vocabulary or HSK levels. You will have to look up quite a few words in most of these texts - many beginner texts include a little advanced vocab. Instead, I classify by length, how complicated the grammar is or isn\'t, and the density of high-level words. \r\n\r\nUltimately, my classifications are pretty arbitrary, but I try to put texts into the lowest level at which someone, with a little work, might be able to figure the text out. In other words, if a beginner could puzzle through a particular piece if they focus and look up some vocab, or the piece is short enough that a beginner can study it in a reasonable amount of time, then it goes in \"beginner\". But if something is so challenging that it would presumably require a beginner to look up every character, or includes regular use of more complex grammar, it will go in a higher classification. If it\'s long, full of difficult grammar, and includes many advanced words, it goes in \"advanced\".\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 all Chinese text. 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\nThis is my kingdom, and I moderate the comments as I see fit. I 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 03:33:43', '2020-04-21 07:33:43', '', 2, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/2-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1973, 1, '2020-04-23 00:01:10', '2020-04-23 04:01:10', '[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>', 'Letter: 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.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'letters-famous-20th-century-author-lu-xun-writes-to-his-friend', '', '', '2020-04-28 20:00:53', '2020-04-29 00:00:53', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1973', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(1974, 1, '2020-04-21 04:15:27', '2020-04-21 08:15:27', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\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<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\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[/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', '', '', '2020-04-21 04:15:27', '2020-04-21 08:15:27', '', 1971, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1971-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1975, 1, '2020-04-21 06:57:57', '2020-04-21 10:57:57', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nLu Xun (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 honor and dignity that was 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\nLu Xun\'s original 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 recounts in this letter, he saw 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<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 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\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nSo, fair 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<ul>\r\n<li>Lu 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. </li>\r\n<li>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. </li>\r\n<li>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\".</li>\r\n<li>I 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.</li>\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，象形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[/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 food-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,  我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕首，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 Japanese friend', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1973-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 06:57:57', '2020-04-21 10:57:57', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1976, 1, '2020-04-21 07:01:06', '2020-04-21 11:01:06', '[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 honor and dignity that was 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\nLu Xun\'s original 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 recounts in this letter, he saw 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<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 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\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nSo, fair 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<ul>\r\n<li>Lu 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. </li>\r\n<li>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. </li>\r\n<li>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\".</li>\r\n<li>I 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.</li>\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，象形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[/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 food-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,  我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕首，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', '<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', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:01:06', '2020-04-21 11:01:06', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1977, 1, '2020-04-21 07:02:50', '2020-04-21 11:02:50', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. \r\n\r\nThe《山海经》is kind of a zoologist\'s manual of magical creatures: it describes where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and sometimes, how they came to exist. This particular passage is the origin story of the famous 精卫 [pinyin]jing1 wei4[/pinyin], a mystic bird that spends its time trying to fill up the ocean (填海) with sticks and pebbles. \r\n\r\nBut 精卫填海 is not just a story from antiquity, it has also become an idiom in modern times. Filling up the sea with pebbles is, obviously, a futile, pointless, and never-ending job, which is exactly what this phrase now describes. In other words, the 精卫 is the Chinese equivalent of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the king cursed by Zeus to roll a bolder up a hill for all eternity, and \"精卫填海\" describes a similarly Sisyphean task. But sometimes it can have a positive meaning: dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds. \r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\r\nBooks written prior to around 1920 are mostly written in classical Chinese, which is kind of like Shakespearean English. Because this language can be difficult even for native speakers, classic texts are often translated into modern Chinese. The version of 《精卫填海》 that we\'re going to read today is the modern Chinese translation of the classical Chinese. \r\n\r\nThere are a few proper names of people and places, which I\'ve highlighted in the Chinese text. One god mentioned in passing here is 炎帝 [pinyin]Yan2 di4[/pinyin], the Fire Emperor, a semi-mythical figure from ancient history.\r\n\r\nOne note on grammar: this passage uses a less well-known definition of the character 为. In this case, 为 means \"become\" or \"into\", so the phrase 化为 mean \"transform into\".\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy this story, and want more mythology, you can pick up either the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chinese version</a> or the <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">English version</a> of the 《山海经》on Amazon.\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>《精卫填海》</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，山上长了很多柘树。有一种鸟，它的形状像乌鸦，头部有花纹，白色的嘴，红色的脚，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">精卫</span>，它的叫声像在呼唤自己的名字。传说这种鸟是<span class=\"highlightText\">炎帝</span>小女儿的化身，名叫<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>。有一次，<span class=\"highlightText\">女娃</span>去东海游泳，溺水身亡，再也没有回来，所以化为精卫版鸟。经常口衔西山上的树枝和石块，用来填塞东海。<span class=\"highlightText\">浊漳河</span>就发源于<span class=\"highlightText\">发鸠山</span>，向东流去，引入<span class=\"highlightText\">黄河</span>。\r\n\r\n<h6>Buy it on Amazon:</h6>\r\n<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3blphOC\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Chinese</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2XYAxwm\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">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\nFajiu Mountain - upon the mountain grew many mulberry trees. There is a kind of bird there, whose shape is like a raven, with a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, which is called the Jingwei, and its name sounds like its cry. According to legend, this bird is the reincarnation of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Emperor\">Yan Emperor</a>\'s daughter, her name was Nvwa. Once, Nvwa went swimming in the Eastern Sea, where she drowned and died, never to return, so she transformed into the Jingwei. [The Jingwei] often carries sticks and stones from the Western mountains in its mouth, and tries to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhuozhang River originates from Fajiu Mountain，and flows east, into the Yellow River.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 《精卫填海》 from the Classic of Mountains and Seas', 'This one\'s pretty cool, guys. Today, we\'re going to take look at a short text that\'s almost 2000 years old. This passage comes from the 《山海经》[pinyin]shan1 hai3 jing1[/pinyin], or <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas\">The Classic of Mountains and Seas</a></em>, an ancient compendium of mythological beasts that was formalized during the Han Dynasty - that\'s around the same time as the Roman Empire. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1928-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:02:50', '2020-04-21 11:02:50', '', 1928, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1928-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1982, 1, '2020-04-21 07:13:23', '2020-04-21 11:13:23', '[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，象形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', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:13:23', '2020-04-21 11:13:23', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1978, 1, '2020-04-21 07:06:58', '2020-04-21 11:06:58', '[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<ul>\r\n<li>Lu 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. </li>\r\n<li>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. </li>\r\n<li>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\".</li>\r\n<li>I 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.</li>\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，象形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[/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 food-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,  我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕首，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', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:06:58', '2020-04-21 11:06:58', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1980, 1, '2020-04-21 07:12:15', '2020-04-21 11:12:15', '[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，象形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 food-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,  我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕首，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', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:12:15', '2020-04-21 11:12:15', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1979, 1, '2020-04-21 07:09:50', '2020-04-21 11:09:50', '[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<ul>\r\n<li>Lu 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. </li>\r\n<li>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. </li>\r\n<li>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\".</li>\r\n<li>I 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.</li>\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，象形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 food-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,  我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕首，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', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:09:50', '2020-04-21 11:09:50', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(1981, 1, '2020-04-21 07:12:43', '2020-04-21 11:12:43', '[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，象形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,  我决心与我的通道们奋力呐喊，一笔为抢、为匕首，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', '', '', '2020-04-21 07:12:43', '2020-04-21 11:12:43', '', 1973, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1973-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1983, 1, '2020-04-29 00:01:49', '2020-04-29 04:01:49', '[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, and 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 purpose he] 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, and save [yourself the effort] of bringing one from far away. The stonemason gave it a look over, 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; and 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. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'essay-the-ugly-rock-by-jia-pingwa', '', '', '2020-05-01 10:53:51', '2020-05-01 14:53:51', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1983', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2020, 1, '2020-04-23 11:09:15', '2020-04-23 15:09:15', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nhttp://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.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>鲁迅写给藤野先生的信</h4>\r\n\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\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: The Ugly Rock', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1983-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 11:09:15', '2020-04-23 15:09:15', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2021, 1, '2020-04-23 19:25:37', '2020-04-23 23:25:37', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nhttp://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.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>鲁迅写给藤野先生的信</h4>\r\n\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\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', '', '', '2020-04-23 19:25:37', '2020-04-23 23:25:37', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2022, 1, '2020-04-23 19:40:02', '2020-04-23 23:40:02', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nhttp://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201308/16709.htm\r\ncollected essays: \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>鲁迅写给藤野先生的信</h4>\r\n\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\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', '', '', '2020-04-23 19:40:02', '2020-04-23 23:40:02', '', 1983, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/1983-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2023, 1, '2020-04-23 19:54:37', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\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>《荷塘月色》</h4>\r\n\r\n　　这几天心里颇不宁静。今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，忽然想起日日走过的荷塘，在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了；妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。\r\n\r\n　　沿着荷塘，是一条曲折的小煤屑路。这是一条幽僻的路；白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。荷塘四面，长着许多树，蓊蓊郁郁的。路的一旁，是些杨柳，和一些不知道名字的树。没有月光的晚上，这路上阴森森的，有些怕人。今晚却很好，虽然月光也还是淡淡的。\r\n\r\n　　路上只我一个人，背着手踱着。这一片天地好像是我的；我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一世界里。我爱热闹，也爱冷静；爱群居，也爱独处。像今晚上，一个人在这苍茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，便觉是个自由的人。白天里一定要做的事，一定要说的话，现在都可不理。这是独处的妙处，我且受用这无边的荷香月色好了。\r\n\r\n　　曲曲折折的荷塘上面，弥望的是田田的叶子。叶子出水很高，像亭亭的舞女的裙。层层的叶子中间，零星地点缀着些白花，有袅娜地开着的，有羞涩地打着朵儿的；正如一粒粒的明珠，又如碧天里的星星，又如刚出浴的美人。微风过处，送来缕缕清香，仿佛远处高楼上渺茫的歌声似的。这时候叶子与花也有一丝的颤动，像闪电般，霎时传过荷塘的那边去了。叶子本是肩并肩密密地挨着，这便宛然有了一道凝碧的波痕。叶子底下是脉脉的流水，遮住了，不能见一些颜色；而叶子却更见风致了。\r\n\r\n　　月光如流水一般，静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样；又像笼着轻纱的梦。虽然是满月，天上却有一层淡淡的云，所以不能朗照；但我以为这恰是到了好处——酣眠固不可少，小睡也别有风味的。月光是隔了树照过来的，高处丛生的灌木，落下参差的斑驳的黑影，峭楞楞如鬼一般；弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影，却又像是画在荷叶上。塘中的月色并不均匀；但光与影有着和谐的旋律，如梵婀玲上奏着的名曲。\r\n\r\n　　荷塘的四面，远远近近，高高低低都是树，而杨柳最多。这些树将一片荷塘重重围住；只在小路一旁，漏着几段空隙，像是特为月光留下的。树色一例是阴阴的，乍看像一团烟雾；但杨柳的丰姿，便在烟雾里也辨得出。树梢上隐隐约约的是一带远山，只有些大意罢了。树缝里也漏着一两点路灯光，没精打采的，是渴睡人的眼。这时候最热闹的，要数树上的蝉声与水里的蛙声；但热闹是它们的，我什么也没有。\r\n\r\n　　忽然想起采莲的事情来了。采莲是江南的旧俗，似乎很早就有，而六朝时为盛；从诗歌里可以约略知道。采莲的是少年的女子，她们是荡着小船，唱着艳歌去的。采莲人不用说很多，还有看采莲的人。那是一个热闹的季节，也是一个风流的季节。梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好：\r\n\r\n　　于是妖童媛女，荡舟心许；鷁首徐回，兼传羽杯；欋将移而藻挂，船欲动而萍开。尔其纤腰束素，迁延顾步；夏始春余，叶嫩花初，恐沾裳而浅笑，畏倾船而敛裾。\r\n\r\n　　可见当时嬉游的光景了。这真是有趣的事，可惜我们现在早已无福消受了。\r\n\r\n　　于是又记起《西洲曲》里的句子：\r\n\r\n　　采莲南塘秋，莲花过人头；低头弄莲子，莲子清如水。\r\n\r\n今晚若有采莲人，这儿的莲花也算得“过人头”了；只不见一些流水的影子，是不行的。这令我到底惦着江南了。——这样想着，猛一抬头，不觉已是自己的门前；轻轻地推门进去，什么声息也没有，妻已睡熟好久了。\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\nENGLSIH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Famous Essay: 《荷塘月色》by Zhu Ziqing', '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', 'famous-essay-by-zhu-ziqing', '', '', '2020-04-23 19:54:37', '2020-04-23 23:54:37', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2023', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2024, 1, '2020-04-23 19:48:37', '2020-04-23 23:48:37', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n\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>《荷塘月色》</h4>\r\n\r\n　　这几天心里颇不宁静。今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，忽然想起日日走过的荷塘，在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了；妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。\r\n\r\n　　沿着荷塘，是一条曲折的小煤屑路。这是一条幽僻的路；白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。荷塘四面，长着许多树，蓊蓊郁郁的。路的一旁，是些杨柳，和一些不知道名字的树。没有月光的晚上，这路上阴森森的，有些怕人。今晚却很好，虽然月光也还是淡淡的。\r\n\r\n　　路上只我一个人，背着手踱着。这一片天地好像是我的；我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一世界里。我爱热闹，也爱冷静；爱群居，也爱独处。像今晚上，一个人在这苍茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，便觉是个自由的人。白天里一定要做的事，一定要说的话，现在都可不理。这是独处的妙处，我且受用这无边的荷香月色好了。\r\n\r\n　　曲曲折折的荷塘上面，弥望的是田田的叶子。叶子出水很高，像亭亭的舞女的裙。层层的叶子中间，零星地点缀着些白花，有袅娜地开着的，有羞涩地打着朵儿的；正如一粒粒的明珠，又如碧天里的星星，又如刚出浴的美人。微风过处，送来缕缕清香，仿佛远处高楼上渺茫的歌声似的。这时候叶子与花也有一丝的颤动，像闪电般，霎时传过荷塘的那边去了。叶子本是肩并肩密密地挨着，这便宛然有了一道凝碧的波痕。叶子底下是脉脉的流水，遮住了，不能见一些颜色；而叶子却更见风致了。\r\n\r\n　　月光如流水一般，静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样；又像笼着轻纱的梦。虽然是满月，天上却有一层淡淡的云，所以不能朗照；但我以为这恰是到了好处——酣眠固不可少，小睡也别有风味的。月光是隔了树照过来的，高处丛生的灌木，落下参差的斑驳的黑影，峭楞楞如鬼一般；弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影，却又像是画在荷叶上。塘中的月色并不均匀；但光与影有着和谐的旋律，如梵婀玲上奏着的名曲。\r\n\r\n　　荷塘的四面，远远近近，高高低低都是树，而杨柳最多。这些树将一片荷塘重重围住；只在小路一旁，漏着几段空隙，像是特为月光留下的。树色一例是阴阴的，乍看像一团烟雾；但杨柳的丰姿，便在烟雾里也辨得出。树梢上隐隐约约的是一带远山，只有些大意罢了。树缝里也漏着一两点路灯光，没精打采的，是渴睡人的眼。这时候最热闹的，要数树上的蝉声与水里的蛙声；但热闹是它们的，我什么也没有。\r\n\r\n　　忽然想起采莲的事情来了。采莲是江南的旧俗，似乎很早就有，而六朝时为盛；从诗歌里可以约略知道。采莲的是少年的女子，她们是荡着小船，唱着艳歌去的。采莲人不用说很多，还有看采莲的人。那是一个热闹的季节，也是一个风流的季节。梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好：\r\n\r\n　　于是妖童媛女，荡舟心许；鷁首徐回，兼传羽杯；欋将移而藻挂，船欲动而萍开。尔其纤腰束素，迁延顾步；夏始春余，叶嫩花初，恐沾裳而浅笑，畏倾船而敛裾。\r\n\r\n　　可见当时嬉游的光景了。这真是有趣的事，可惜我们现在早已无福消受了。\r\n\r\n　　于是又记起《西洲曲》里的句子：\r\n\r\n　　采莲南塘秋，莲花过人头；低头弄莲子，莲子清如水。\r\n\r\n今晚若有采莲人，这儿的莲花也算得“过人头”了；只不见一些流水的影子，是不行的。这令我到底惦着江南了。——这样想着，猛一抬头，不觉已是自己的门前；轻轻地推门进去，什么声息也没有，妻已睡熟好久了。\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\nENGLSIH\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Famous Essay: 《荷塘月色》by Zhu Ziqing', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2023-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-23 19:48:37', '2020-04-23 23:48:37', '', 2023, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/23/2023-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1984, 1, '2020-04-21 08:44:31', '2020-04-21 12:44:31', '', 'Biography', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'biography', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:57', '2020-05-20 05:32:57', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1984', 5, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(1985, 1, '2020-04-22 00:01:56', '2020-04-22 04:01:56', '[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 Story: 《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.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'childrens-stories-grandpa-tree', '', '', '2020-04-28 20:00:59', '2020-04-29 00:00:59', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=1985', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(1987, 1, '2020-04-21 08:56:58', '2020-04-21 12:56:58', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nnotes\r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\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>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做游戏，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、小花狗，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，变成了一棵棵绿油油的小树苗。\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\n\r\n\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 08:56:58', '2020-04-21 12:56:58', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1986, 1, '2020-04-21 08:54:21', '2020-04-21 12:54:21', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nnotes\r\n\r\n<h4>The language</h4>\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>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做游戏，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、小花狗，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，变成了一棵棵绿油油的小树苗。\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\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>', 'Children\'s Stories: 《大树公公》Grandpa Tree', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1985-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-04-21 08:54:21', '2020-04-21 12:54:21', '', 1985, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1985-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(1988, 1, '2020-04-21 08:58:14', '2020-04-21 12:58:14', '[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 is 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 08:58:14', '2020-04-21 12:58:14', '', 1882, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/21/1882-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
