花木兰 Hua Mulan

花木兰 (huāmùlán) Hua Mulan

Key Learning Points (Preview):

考验 (kǎoyàn): n ordeal or test   

毅力 (yìlì): n willpower 

Do you remember the popular cartoon movie Mulan made by Disney in 1998? Recently, the same story that a courageous girl pretending to be a male soldier joined the army and defeated the trespassers was made onto the big screen again in China. The new movie 花木兰 (Huāmùlán) Hua Mulan stars ZhaoWei, Chen Kun, and Fang Zuming, the son of Jackie Chan. There are important differences in the description of Mulan in the two movies. In Disney’s version, Mulan didn’t wage face-to-face fights with opponents, but won victories by her strategic moves. She became a “大将 (dàjiàng) General” in the army by standing up all sorts of grim “考验 (kǎoyàn) tests” with her strong “毅力 (yìlì) willpower.” Now in this new movie, Mulan fought with trespassers and won battles again and again with her excellent “武术 (wǔshù) martial arts,” which attracted the deputy commander’s attention. She was eventually promoted to be a General for her tenaciousness and “无畏 (wúwèi) fearlessness, ”  which are highly valued in traditional Chinese culture. 

Key Learning Points:

考验 (kǎoyàn): n ordeal or test   

Example:

你要珍惜这次机会，这是对你能力的考验。

Nǐ yào zhēnxī zhècì jīhuì, zhè shì duì nǐ nénglì de kǎoyàn.

You should cherish this opportunity and it’s a test of your ability.

毅力 (yìlì): n willpower 

Example:

他是个有毅力的人。

Tā shì gè yǒu yìli de rén.

He is a man with a strong willpower.

生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary:

考验 (kǎoyàn): n ordeal or test   

毅力 (yìlì): n willpower 

武术 (wǔshù): n martial arts  

大将 (dàjiàng): n general  

无畏 (wúwèi): n. fearlessness 

问题：

1. 请对“木兰”的人物形象进行分析。

2. “花木兰”的故事反映了当时什么样的社会环境？

General Chinese (Beginner Level)

General Chinese (Intermediate Level)