Beginner Level 初级 chūjí
"I like watching sports games." What does "like" mean in Chinese? A. 讨厌 B. 喜欢 C. 羡慕 D. 愿意
Intermediate Level 中级 zhōngjí
The weekend is coming and you will go shopping with your friends. 逛街 is the Chinese meaning of going shopping. Do you know the Chinese pinyin of 逛街? A. Guàngjiē B. Guòjié C. Guāngmíng D. Guăngzhōu
Advanced Level 高级 gāojí
In China, parents always say to their children: "你不要总把我的话当作耳旁风." Do you know the meaning of Chinese phrase 耳旁风? A. Deceive oneself B. Walls have ears C. What you hear may be false D. Turn a deaf ear to something
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Chinese Stories for Children
小马过河(Xiăomă Guòhé)A Little Horse Crosses a River (Part II)
小马吃惊地问:“水很深吗?” Xiăomă chījīng de wèn: "Shuĭ hěn shēn ma?"
"Is the water very deep?" The little horse asked the squirrel with curiosity.
松鼠认真地说:“当然啦!昨天,我的一个伙伴就是在这条河里淹死的!” Sōngshŭ rènzhēn de shuō: "Dāngrán lā! Zuótiān, wŏ de yí gè huŏbàn jiù shì zài zhè tiáo hé lĭ yān sĭ de!"
The squirrel said earnestly: "Of course! Just yesterday one of my friends drowned in this very same river."
小马连忙收住脚步,不知道怎么办好。他叹了口气说:“唉!还是回家问问妈妈吧!” 小马甩甩尾巴,跑回了家。 Xiăomă liánmáng shōu zhù jiăobù, bù zhīdào zěnme bàn hăo. Tā tàn le kŏu qì shuō: "Ài! Háishì huíjiā wènwen māma ba!" Xiăomă shuăishuăi wěiba, păo huí le jiā.
The little horse stopped at once and didn't know what to do. He sighed and said: "Well, it's better to go home and ask mother." So he went home with his tail between his legs.
妈妈问:“怎么回来啦?” Māma wèn: "Zěnme huí lái la?"
His mother asked: "Why have you come back?"
小马难为情地说:“有一条河挡住了去路,过……过不去。” Xiăomă nánwéiqíng de shuō: "Yŏu yì tiáo hé dăng zhù le qù lù, guò...guò bú qù."
The little horse said embarrassedly: "There is a river and I cannot cross it."
妈妈说:“那条河不是很浅吗?” Māma shuō: "Nà tiáo hé bú shì hěn qiăn ma?"
His mother said: "But that river is shallow."
小马说:“是呀!牛伯伯也是这么说的。可是松鼠说河水很深,还淹死过他的伙伴呢。” Xiăomă shuō: "Shì ya! Niú bóbo yě shì zhème shuō de. Kěshì sōngshŭ shuō héshuĭ hěn shēn, hái yān sĭ guò tā de huŏbàn ne."
The little horse replied: "Yes! Uncle Bull also thought it was shallow but the squirrel said it was deep and one of his friends had drowned in it."
妈妈说:“那么到底是深还是浅?你仔细想过他们的话吗?” Māma shuō: "Nàme dàodĭ shì shēn hái shì qiăn? Nĭ zĭxì xiăng guò tāmen de huà ma?"
His mother said: "So is the water deep or shallow? Have you thought carefully about their words?"
小马低下了头,说:“没……没想过。” Xiăomă dī xià le tóu, shuō: "Méi...méi xiăng guò."
The little horse lowered his head and said: "No, I didn't think about it."
妈妈亲切地对小马说:“孩子,光听别人说,自己不动脑筋,不去试试,是不行的,你去试一试,就会明白了。” Māma qīnqiè de duì xiăomă shuō: "Háizi, guāng tīng biérén shuō, zìjĭ bú dòng năojīn, bú qù shìshi, shì bù xíng de, nĭ qù shì yi shì, jiù huì míngbai le."
His mother said kindly to him: "My son, it won't do if you just listen to others and don't think for yourself. You should try and learn from the experience."
小马回到河边,刚刚抬起前蹄,松鼠又大叫起来:“怎么,你不要命了?” Xiăomă huí dào hébiān, gānggāng tái qĭ qiántí, sōngshŭ yòu dà jiào qĭ lái: "Zěnme, nĭ bú yào mìng le?"
The little horse came back to the riverside and was ready to cross the river. Then the squirrel shouted loudly: "You don't want to live?"
“让我自己试试吧。”小马一面回答,一面下了河,小心地过去了。原来河水既不像老牛说的那样浅,也不像松鼠说的那样深。 "Ràng wŏ zìjĭ shìshi ba." Xiăomă yí miàn huídá, yí miàn xià le hé, xiăoxīn de guò qù le. Yuánlái héshuĭ jì bú xiàng lăoniú shuō de nà yàng qiăn, yě bú xiàng sōngshŭ shuō de nà yàng shēn.
"I want to try it myself." The little horse said as he was crossing the river. The water was not as shallow as the bull had said but also not as deep as the squirrel had described.
扁 担 宽 板 凳 长,扁 担 想 绑 在 板 凳 上。 Biăndan kuān băndèng cháng, biăndan xiăng băng zài băndèng shàng.
The shoulder-pole is wide and the bench is long. The shoulder-pole wants to be tied on the bench.
伦 敦 玛 莉 莲 买 了 件 旗 袍 送 妈 妈。 Lúndūn MăLìlián măi le jiàn qípáo sòng māma.
London's Marilyn bought a qipao for her mother.
莫 斯 科 的 夫 司 基 爱 上 牛 肉 面 疙 瘩。 Mòsīkē de Fūsījī ài shàng niúròu miàn gēda.
Moscow's Fusky fell in love with beef couscous noodles.
各 种 颜 色 的 皮 肤 各 种 颜 色 的 头 发, Gè zhŏng yánsè de pífū gè zhŏng yánsè de tóufa.
People with skin and hair of all colors.
嘴 里 念 的 说 的 开 始 流 行 中 国 话。 Zuĭlĭ niàn de shuō de kāishĭ liúxíng Zhōngguóhuà.
Speak the increasingly popular Chinese language.
多 少 年 我 们 苦 练 英 文 发 音 和 文 法。 Duōshăo nián wŏmen kŭliàn yīngwén fāyīn hé wénfă.
We have slaved away at English pronunciation and grammar for many years.
这 几 年 换 他 们 卷 着 舌 头 学 平 上 去 入 的 变 化。 Zhè jĭ nián huàn tāmen juăn zhe shétou xué píng shàng qù rù de biànhuà.
It's their turn to learn how to roll their tongues and learn the different intonations these few years.
平 平 仄 仄 平 平 仄 Píng píng zè zè píng píng zè
Ping ping ze ze ping ping ze (Just pronunciation sounds)
好 聪 明 的 中 国 人 好 优 美 的 中 国 话。 Hăo cōngmíng de Zhōngguórén hăo yōumĕi de Zhōngguóhuà.
The Chinese are such smart people, and the Chinese language is so beautiful.
扁 担 宽 板 凳 长,扁 担 想 绑 在 板 凳 上。 Biăndan kuān băndèng cháng, biăndan xiăng băng zài băndèng shàng.
The shoulder-pole is wide and the bench is long. The shoulder-pole wants to be tied on the bench.
板 凳 不 让 扁 担 绑 在 板 凳 上。 Băndèng bú ràng biăndan băng zài băndèng shàng.
The bench refuses to let the shoulder-pole be tied on itself.
扁 担 偏 要 绑 在 板 凳 上。 Biăndan piān yào băng zài băndèng shàng.
The shoulder-pole insists on tying itself on the bench.
板 凳 偏 偏 不 让 扁 担 绑 在 那 板 凳 上。 Băndèng piān piān bú ràng biăndan băng zài nà băndèng shàng.
The bench simply refuses to let the shoulder-pole be tied on itself.
到 底 扁 担 宽 还 是 板 凳 长? Dàodĭ biăndan kuān hái shì băndèng cháng?
So in the end, is the shoulder-pole wider, or the bench longer?
哥 哥 弟 弟 坡 前 坐,坡 上 卧 着 一 只 鹅。 Gēge dìdi pō qián zuò, pō shàng wò zhe yì zhī é.
Elder and younger brothers sat on a hill where a goose lied.
坡 下 流 着 一 条 河,哥 哥 说 宽 宽 的 河。 Pō xià liú zhe yì tiáo hé, gēge shuō kuān kuān de hé.
At the hill's foot a river runs. The elder brother says: "The river is wide."
弟 弟 说 白 白 的 鹅,鹅 要 过 河 河 要 渡 鹅。 Dìdi shuō bái bái de é, é yào guòhé hé yào dù é.
The younger brother says: "The goose is white." The goose wants to cross the river, while the river wants to carry the goose across.
不 知 是 那 鹅 过 河,还 是 河 渡 鹅。 Bù zhī shì nà é guòhé, hái shì hé dù é.
It is unknown whether the goose crossed the river, or the river carried the goose across.
全 世 界 都 在 学 中 国 话, Quán shìjiè dōu zài xué Zhōngguóhuà.
The entire world is learning Chinese.
孔 夫 子 的 话 越 来 越 国 际 化。 Kŏngfūzĭ de huà yuè lái yuè guójìhuà.
The language of Confucius is becoming increasingly internationalized.
全 世 界 都 在 讲 中 国 话, Quán shìjiè dōu zài jiăng Zhōngguóhuà.
The entire world is speaking Chinese.
我 们 说 的 话 让 世 界 都 认 真 听 话。 Wŏmen shuō de huà ràng shìjiè dōu rènzhēn tīnghuà.
The language that we speak commands respect from the world.
有 个 小 孩 叫 小杜,上 街 打 醋 又 买 布。 Yŏu gè xiăohái jiào Xiăo Dù, shàngjiē dăcù yòu măibù.
There's a child called Little Du who went out to buy vinegar and cloth.
买 了 布 打 了 醋,回 头 看 见 鹰 抓 兔。 Măi le bù dăle cù, huítóu kànjiàn yīng zhuā tù.
After he bought his cloth and vinegar, he turned around and saw an eagle snatching up a rabbit.
放 下 布 搁 下 醋,上 前 去 追 鹰 和 兔。 Fàng xià bù gē xià cù, shàng qián qù zhuī yīng hé tù.
Putting down his cloth and vinegar, he dashed forward to catch the eagle and rabbit.
飞 了 鹰 跑 了 兔,洒 了 醋 湿 了 布。 Fēi le yīng păo le tù, să le cù shī le bù.
The eagle flew away, while the rabbit ran away. The vinegar was spilled, and the cloth got wet.
嘴 说 腿 腿 说 嘴,嘴 说 腿 爱 跑 腿。 Zuĭ shuō tuĭ tuĭ shuō zuĭ, zuĭ shuō tuĭ ài páo tuĭ.
The mouth complained about the legs, while the legs complained about the mouth. The mouth complained about the legs for vamoosing at the slightest hint of trouble.
腿 说 嘴 爱 卖 嘴,光 动 嘴 不 动 腿。 Tuĭ shuō zuĭ ài mài zuĭ, guāng dòng zuĭ bú dòng tuĭ.
The legs complained about the mouth for boasting too often, just moving the mouth and leaving the legs untouched.
光 动 腿 不 动 嘴 不 如 不 长 腿 和 嘴。 Guāng dòng tuĭ bú dòng zuĭ bù rú bù cháng tuĭ hé zuĭ.
If we just move the legs and leave the mouth unused, we may as well not have legs and mouth.
到 底 是 那 嘴 说 腿 还 是 腿 说 嘴。 Dàodĭ shì nà zuĭ shuō tuĭ hái shì tuĭ shuō zuĭ.
In the end, did the mouth complain about the legs, or did the legs complain about the mouth.
全 世 界 都 在 学 中 国 话, Quán shìjiè dōu zài xué Zhōngguóhuà.
The entire world is learning Chinese.
孔 夫 子 的 话 越 来 越 国 际 化, Kŏngfūzĭ de huà yuè lái yuè guójìhuà.
The language of Confucius is becoming increasingly internationalized.
全 世 界 都 在 讲 中 国 话, Quán shìjiè dōu zài jiăng Zhōngguóhuà.
The entire world is speaking Chinese.
我 们 说 的 话 让 世 界 都 认 真 听 话。 Wŏmen shuō de huà ràng shìjiè dōu rènzhēn tīnghuà.
The language that we speak commands respect from the world.
Windows 7 was released in China on October 23rd. Because of the incompatibility problems, its preceding edition Vista was questioned and 戏称(xìchēng) jokingly called 围死它(wéi sĭ tā) besiege it to death by some Chinese users. The pronunciation of Vista sounds like the pronunciation of a Chinese expression 围死它(wéi sĭ tā). Windows 7 highlights real improvements of the problem riddled vista version. Firstly, the Aero (Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open) User Interface of Windows 7 is more aesthetically pleasing than Vista's. Secondly, the power 消耗(xiāohào) consumption of Windows 7 is far lower than Vista's with each window being reduced to 50%. What's more, laptop battery life has been significantly prolonged with Windows 7.
A Touch Pack is included in Windows 7. This innovative technology allows you to point at a 触摸(chùmō) touch-sensitive screen and move things around by hand. This means Windows 操作系统(cāozuò xìtŏng) operating system is no longer restricted by the use of a keyboard or mouse. With the introduction of Windows 7 Microsoft is full of confidence to retrieve the declining standards caused by Vista. Whether Windows 7 can make it or not, let's 拭目以待(shìmùyĭdài) wait and see what will happen.
生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:
戏称(xìchēng): v to be jokingly called
消耗(xiāohào): v/n to consume/consumption
触摸(chùmō): v to touch
操作系统(cāozuò xìtŏng): n operating system
拭目以待(shìmùyĭdài): v to wait and see what will happen
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