Buying shoes 郑人买履

Buying shoes
A man of the state of Zheng wanted to buy a pair of shoes. He measured his foot and put the measurement on a chair. When he set out for the market he forgot to bring it along. It was after he had found the pair he wanted that this occurred to him.
"I forgot the measurement",said he.
He went home to get it but when he returned the market had broken up and he did not get his shoes after all.
"Why didn't you try on the shoes with your feet? " He was asked " I 'd rather trust the measurement han trust myself." (《Hanfeizi》)

郑人买履
从前，郑国有个人想买双鞋。他量好了自己脚的尺码，把它放在了椅子上。可当他赶往市集时，却忘了带量好的尺码。他要买鞋时，才想了起来。
他说：“我忘带尺码了。”
他回家去取量好的尺码。 等他赶回来时，市集已经关了，他还是没能买到鞋。
有人问：“为什么不用你自己的脚去量鞋子呢？”
他说：“我宁愿相信尺码也不相信我自己的脚。”(《韩非子》)
履 shoe
量 measure
脚 foot
尺码 measurement
椅子 chair
市集 market
忘 forget
宁愿 would rather
相信 believe

Do not burn you house to get rid of a mouse 投鼠忌器

Do not burn you house to get rid of a mouse There is a story in "Hanshu" telling of a rich man, who being a lover of s and had a large collection. Among them was a rare vase made of jade. The vase of exquisite workmanship and of historical value and he loved it dearly. One night he noticed a mouse passing near the precious vase. The mouse jumped into the vase and was trying to eat some food which the man had carelessly left there. The sigh infuriated the man and in a fit of rage he threw a stone at the mouse. For sure, the mouse was killed, but the precious vase was broken also. The loss of the vase pained the man greatly and he deeply regretted his own thoughtlessness, which bought him this unrecoverable loss. He now realized that any one, who cares for the present and overlooks consequences is apt to bring disasters upon himself. So he exclaimed to warn people by saying do not burn you house to get rid of a mouse.

《汉书》中有这么个故事：有个富人，很喜欢古董并收藏了很多。其中有一件稀有的玉盂，工艺精湛，具有很高的历史价值，深受这个富人的喜爱。一天晚上，一只老鼠跳进了这个玉盂，想去吃里边的一些剩菜，正巧被这个富人看到了。他非常恼火，盛怒之下，他拿了块石头砸向老鼠。当然，老鼠是被砸死了，可是那个珍贵的玉盂也被打破了。这件事使富人非常难过，他深深后悔自己的鲁莽带来的不可挽回的损失。他认识到只考虑眼前，而忽视后果，将给自己带来灾难。 他向世人发出警告，不要为了除掉一只老鼠而烧毁自己的房子。
古董 antique
稀有 rare
盂 vase
工艺 workmanship
老鼠 mouse
盛怒 rage
后悔 regret
不可挽回的 unrecoverable
损失 loss
灾难 disaster
警告 warn

刻舟求剑 Making his mark

Making his mark
A man from the state from Chu was crossing a river. In the boat, his sword fell into the water by his carelessness. Immediately he made a mark on the boat.
"This is where my sword fell off", he said.
When the boat stopped moving, he went into the water to look for his sword at the place where he had marked the boat.
The boat had moved but the sword had not. Is this not a very foolish way to look for a sword?
from L_shi chunqiu


刻舟求剑
　　从前，一个楚国人在坐船过河时，不小心把他的剑掉入了水中。他马上在船上做了个记号。“这是我的剑掉下去的地方”，他说。船停下来后，他就根据船上的记号跳入水中寻找他的剑。
船在移动但他的剑并没有。用这种方式来找剑难道不是非常愚蠢的吗？
选自《吕式春秋》
不小心 carelessness
掉 fall
马上 immediately
做记号 mark
愚蠢 foolish

Goddess Nvwa Patches the Sky·女娲补天

Since Goddness Nvwa craeted men and women,the world became increasingly lively and beautiful.But one day,Gonggong(the water god) and Zhurong(the fire god) had a fight.They fought from the heaven to the earth and finally Zhurong won.The defeated Gonggong was so angry that he headed toward the Buzhou Moutain,a pillar supporting the sky,and knocked it down.Half of the sky then collapsed and a giant hole appeared in the sky;the earth broke into cracks,fire broke out in forests,flood emerged from underground and drowned tens of thousands of people.

Goddness Nvwa's heart ached at seeing this and determined to stop the sufferings. She chose a pile of rocks of five colors from the river and melted them into magma to patch the holes in the sky. Then she caught a giant tortoise and cut its four legs to support the collapsed half sky as pillars.

With the effort of the goddness,the sky was patched and the flood was stopped.People lived happily again.But the sky no longer as before and inclined to the west.That's why the sun, the moon and all the stars naturally go down to the west. In addition, since the land inclines to the southeast, all the rivers flow eastward to the sea. While the rocks of five colours turned into colourful clouds beautifying the sky.

Goddess Nvwa Cteates Men and Women·女娲造人

Since Pangu created the universe,the sun,the moon and the stars dominated the sky and mountains,rivers,plants,fishes and insects decorated the earth.The world was beautiful and lively.Then a great Goddness named Nvwa appeared.

Nvwa was a kind goddness.One day at dusk,she walked alone over the wild plain and felt extremly lonely.She thought:how nice would it be if there were other lively creatures like her in the universe. Then she walked to the river and saw her own reflection on the water. Suddenly her eyes brightened and she had an idea. She grasped a handful of yellow dust from the river bed and mixed it with the water.She used the clay to create a little creature like herself and then blew life to it.The little clay thing walked around and Goddness Nvwa was overjoyed. She made more of them and soon was surrounded by a group of jumping and laughing little creatures. Goddness Nvwa called them human beings.

The goddness went on making more human beings,had no time resting and was soon tired out. She got another idea:She took a tree branch, dipped it into the mud beside the river and was then struck the muddy branch against the land.

All the muddy dots splashed down from the branch turned into human beings. This method was efficient, yet the only problem was that the human beings tured from mud dots were not as clever and strong as those sculptured by the goddness in the hands. That's why there are clever people and stupid ones in the world.

Then why there were men and women? Because goddness Nvwa blew masculine breath into some clay figures and they turned into men;she breath feminine breath into some clay figures they then turned into women. In order to make human beings multiply themselves generation after generation, the goddness let men and women fall in love with each other, get married and given birth to more children.

From then on, human beings live in the world freely. They work when the sun rises and rest when the sun goes down, leading a happy and peaceful life ever after.

盘古开天辟地 The Great Myth of the Creation of Man in Ancient China

Where were the Chinese ancestos from? Legend has it that a long long time ago,heaven and earth were a chaotic of air masses, just like an egg. A man named Pangu axed the heaven off from the earth with a huge axe.

Standig right in between the heaven and the earth, hands holding out the sky, feet stamping on the ground, he became taller and taller, hence the sky became higher and higher while the ground became lower and lower, this lasted for 18,000 years. As a result, the Heaven and the Earth were finally driven away from each oher to a vast distance of 90,000 li,and Pangu became a giant with his head holding up the heaven and his feet stamping on the ground. After his death, his eyes became the sun and the moon, his four limbs, the mountaints, blood, rivers,lakes and seas,his sinews, the fields, his artries, the roas and ways, his hairs and moustaches, the stars in the sky, his skin and body hairs,flowers, grass and woods,his teeth and bones, the shining metals,hard stones, glittering pearls and precious stones, his aweats, the dews.

What is miraculous is that many of the small insects on his body became human beings.This is the legend of Pangu creating the Heaven and the Earth. This myth has been passed on generation after generation until our time in China.

Yi Shoots Down Nine Suns

A long time ago,there were suddenly ten suns in the sky. They were actually ten sons of Celestial Ruler, who order them to shine on earth in the sky everyday and one by one.But they were disobedient and always came out together for fun. Then sun dried up both plants and rivers;people suffered a lot in the unbearable heat and could hardly breathe.

红豆(Love Pea)

Hóng dòu shēng nán guó, chūn lái fā jǐ zhī?
红 豆 生 南 国, 春 来 发 几 枝?
Yuàn jūn duō cǎi jié, cǐ wù zuì xiāng sī.
愿 君 多 采 撷, 此 物 最 相 思。
General meaning:
Love peas live in south China, how many buddsappear on the trees in spring?
May you pick more, for it´s exactly for love.

春晓(a Spring Dawn)

Chūn mián bù jué xiǎo， chù chù wén tí niǎo。春 眠 不 觉 晓， 处 处 闻 啼 鸟。Yè lái fēng yǔ shēng， huā luò zhī duō shǎo。夜 来 风 雨 声， 花 落 知 多 少。A spring dawn (Mèng Hàorán, a poet live in the Tang dynasty)When enjoying a sweet sleep in spring, I even can’t feel the dawn has come, but the time I hear the cry of birds.Remembering the storm yesterday, I wonder how many flowers have dropped.

静夜思(Long for my hometown in a quiet night)

Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng, yí shì dì shàng shuāng.
床 前 明 月 光， 疑 是 地 上 霜。
Jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè, dī tóu sī gù xiāng.
举 头 望 明 月， 低 头 思 故 乡。
General meaning:
White and luminous moonlight shine on my bed, but I take it as the frost on the earth.
The time I raise my head and see the moon in the sky, I can’t help being homesick.

草(the Weeds)

Lí　lí　yuán　shàng　cǎo,　yí　suì　yì　kū　róng. 离　离　原　　上　　　草，　一 　岁　一　枯　荣。The luxuriant weeds in the vast and open plain, bear and die year by year.Yě　huǒ　shāo　bú　jìn,　chūn　fēng　chuī　yòu　shēng.野　火　　烧　　不　尽，　　春　风　　　吹　又　　生。But the wild fire can’t burn them out, for every year they renascence in the spring breeze.

咏鹅(Ode to the Goose)

é， é， é， qū xiàng xiàng tiān gē.鹅， 鹅， 鹅， 曲 项 向 天 歌。Bái máo fú lǜ shuǐ , hóng zhǎng bō qīng bō.白 毛 浮 绿 水， 红 掌 拨 清 波。General meaning：Goose, goose, goose, bend its neck to sing a song.While white feather floating on the surface of the green water,red palms push the clear waves.

送友人Seeing Off My Friend， a poem from li bai（李白）,who lived in Tang Dynasty

qīng shān héng běi guō
青山横北郭，
bái shuǐ rào dōng chéng
白水绕东城。
cí dì yì wéi bié
此地一为别，
gū péng wàn lǐ zhēng
孤蓬万里征。
fú yún yóu zǐ yì
浮云游子意，
luò rì gù rén qíng
落日故人情。
huī shǒu zì zī qù
挥手自兹去，
xiāo xiāo bān mǎ míng
萧萧班马鸣。

Chinese Humor 中文幽默

Text:
老张问老王：“我爸爸妈妈的孩子，不是我哥哥，也不是我弟弟，不是我姐姐，也不是我妹妹，这是谁？”老王说：“我不知道。”老丈说“这是我。”老王回家问他爱人：“我爸爸妈妈的孩子，不是我哥哥，也不是我弟弟，不是我姐姐，也不是我妹妹，这是谁？”他爱人说：“我不知道。”老王说：“是我的朋友老张。”

Exercise: 根据文章回答问题 Answer the question based on Reading
1.老张问谁？
2.老张爸爸妈妈的孩子是老张的哥哥、弟弟吗？
3.老张爸爸妈妈的孩子是老张的姐姐、妹妹吗？
4.老王说，这是谁？
5.老王回家问谁？
6.老王说，这是谁？

How to Say a Person’s English Name in Chinese

People’s English names, in most cases, are transliterated into Chinese characters, which means they are translated into the Chinese characters which sound like the original English pronunciation. For instance, Jack is translated into Jie Ke, which sounds very close to the pronunciation of “Jack” in English. Therefore, when you introduce yourself or others to a Chinese, you don’t even have to bother to translate the English names. Yes, simply say them in English!

If you work among Chinese or even in China and choose to mingle with them, you may adopt a Chinese-looking and sounding name (usually three syllables, with first one as family name and the last two as first name), and the name has to be based on the sounding of all or part of the original English names, such as those of the former US Ambassadors to China: James Sasser was known to the Chinese as Shang Mujie and James R. Lilley as Li Jieming.

Chinese given names usually have some meanings, bearing the cultural background and idiosyncracy of those, usually their parents or grandparents, who name them.

Audio of Basic Chinese:Chinese Pronunciation -Traveling , Listen to Chinese online

English	Chinese Pronunciation	Sound
(bus, train) station	che1 zhan4
a double room	shuang1 ren2 fang2 jian1
air ticket	ji1 piao4
airliner	ban1 ji1
airport	ji1 chang3
At the intersection of West Street and North Road.	Zai4 Xi1 Jie1 he2 Bei3 Lu4 de jiao1 jie1 chu4.
bathing beach	hai3 bin1 yu4 chang3
book a ticket	ding4 piao4
by boat	cheng4 chuan2
By bus or on foot?	Shi4 zuo4 che1 hai2 shi bu4 xing2?
check in	ban4 li3 zhu4 dian4 shou3 xu4
check out	ban4 li3 li2 dian4 shou3 xu4
consulate	ling3 guan3
customs	hai3 guan1
declare	bao4 guan1
Excuse me, could you tell me where People's Park is?	Qing3 wen4, Ren2 Min2 Gong1 Yuan2 zai4 na3 li3?
Fare, please.	Da3 piao4.
flight	hang2 ban1
get on a bus (get into a car, etc.)	shang4 che1
get on board a plane	deng1 ji1
Go straight ahead.	Chao2 qian2 yi4 zhi2 zou3.
goods exempt from tax	mian3 shui4 shang1 pin4
Great Wall, the	Chang2 Cheng2
Grottoes, the	Shi2 Ku1
guesthouse	bin1 guan3
historical places	li4 shi3 gu3 ji4
historical relics	li4 shi3 wen2 wu4
hotel	fan4 dian4
How can I get to the Great Wall Hotel?	Dao4 Chang2 Cheng2 Fan4 Dian4 zen3 me zou3?
How long does it take to get there?	Yao4 duo1 jiu3 cai2 neng2 dao4 na4 li3?
I am lost.	Wo3 mi2 lu4 le.
Is there a post office nearby?	Fu4 jin4 you3 you2 ju2 ma?
lounge (at airport)	hou4 ji1 shi4
lounge (at railway station)	hou4 che1 shi4
luggage	xing2 li
On Beijing Road	Zai4 Bei3 Jing1 Lu4 shang.
parking lot	ting2 che1 chang3
passport	hu4 zhao4
pay taxes	shang4 shui4
Please don't park here.	Qing2 bu2 yao4 ba3 che1 ting2 zai4 zhe4.
Please give me a single room.	Qing3 gei3 wo3 kai1 yi2 ge4 dan1 jian1.
ride a bike (or by bike)	qi2 zi4 xing2 che1
scenic spots	feng1 jing3
Silk Road	Si1 Chou2 Zhi1 Lu4
subway	di4 tie3
take a bus (or by bus)	zuo4 gong1 gong4 qi4 che1
take a taxi	Zuo4 chu1 zu1 che1
take a taxi (more popular among young people, clone from Cantonese)	da3 di1
Take the Number 1 bus and get off at the terminal.	Cheng4 yi2 lu4 gong1 gong4 qi4 che1 dao4 tou2 xia4.
Terricota Soldiers & Horses, the	Bing1 Ma3 Yong3
There is only ten munites' walk.	Bu4 xing2 shi2 fen1 zhong1 jiu4 dao4 le.
Three Gorges of the Yangtze, the	chang2 jiang1 san1 xia2
tour boat	luu3 you2 chuan2
train ticket	huo3 che1 piao4
Transfer to Bus 20 and get off at the Chang An Street.	Dao4 er4 shi2 lu4 zai4 Chang2 An1 Jie1 xia4 che1.
travel agency	luu3 xing2 she1
Turn left at the next block.	Dao4 di4 er4 ge lu4 kou3 xiang4 zuo3 guai3.
Turn right at the next traffic light.	Dao4 qian2 bian1 hong2 luu4 deng1 chu4 xiang4 you4 guai3
visa	qian1 zheng4