听故事学中文 Learning Chinese through Stories

乌鸦 wūyā Noun, crow 口渴 kǒu kě Adj, (mouth is) thirsty or 渴 到处 dàochù Adv, everywhere 瓶子 píngzi Noun, bottle 可是 kěshì Conjunction word, but; however. Or 但是，然而 瓶口 píng kǒu Noun, the mouth of a bottle 着 zháo Particle word, an action to be complete. Verb + (不 )+着。 喝(得)着,can get to drink… 喝不着，cannot get to drink… 怎么办 zěnme bàn What should (I/he/she/they) do now? 呢 ne Question particle word, at the end of this sentence softens it and makes it more polite. 你喝水呢还是喝可乐呢？Would you like to drink water or coca? 旁边 pángbiān Noun, (someone or some object’s )side 她在我的旁边。She is next to me. 小石子 xiǎo shízǐ Noun, pebble(s) Or 小石子儿 办法 bànfǎ Noun, solution 放（进） fàng (jìn) Verb, to put… ( inside…) 把小石子放进瓶子里。Put pebbles inside the bottle. 渐渐 jiànjiàn Adv, gradually; little by little 升高 shēng gāo Verb, to go up 降低(jiàngdī)is the anonym New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time! Please find the new word list on our website: www.learningchinesethroughstories.com

乌鸦 wūyā Noun, crow 口渴 kǒu kě Adj, (mouth is) thirsty or 渴 到处 dàochù Adv, everywhere 瓶子 píngzi Noun, bottle 可是 kěshì Conjunction word, but; however. Or 但是，然而 瓶口 píng kǒu Noun, the mouth of a bottle 着 zháo Particle word, an action to be complete. Verb + (不 )+着。 喝(得)着,can get to drink… 喝不着，cannot get to drink… 怎么办 zěnme bàn What should (I/he/she/they) do now? 呢 ne Question particle word, at the end of this sentence softens it and makes it more polite. 你喝水呢还是喝可乐呢？Would you like to drink water or coca? 旁边 pángbiān Noun, (someone or some object’s )side 她在我的旁边。She is next to me. 小石子 xiǎo shízǐ Noun, pebble(s) Or 小石子儿 办法 bànfǎ Noun, solution 放（进） fàng (jìn) Verb, to put… ( inside…) 把小石子放进瓶子里。Put pebbles inside the bottle. 渐渐 jiànjiàn Adv, gradually; little by little 升高 shēng gāo Verb, to go up 降低(jiàngdī)is the anonym New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time! Please find the new word list on our website: www.learningchinesethroughstories.com

This is a classic fable story about a thirsty crow trying to figure out how to get a drink from a water bottle that only has a little bit water inside. 一只乌鸦 口渴了，到处找水喝。乌鸦看见一个瓶子，瓶子里有水。可是，瓶子里水不多，瓶口又小，乌鸦喝不着水。怎么办呢？ 乌鸦看见旁边有许多小石子，想出办法来了。 乌鸦把小石子一个一个地放进瓶子里。瓶子里的水渐渐升高，乌鸦就喝着水了。 ——摘自小学一年级语文课本

This is a classic fable story about a thirsty crow trying to figure out how to get a drink from a water bottle that only has a little bit water inside. 一只乌鸦 口渴了，到处找水喝。乌鸦看见一个瓶子，瓶子里有水。可是，瓶子里水不多，瓶口又小，乌鸦喝不着水。怎么办呢？ 乌鸦看见旁边有许多小石子，想出办法来了。 乌鸦把小石子一个一个地放进瓶子里。瓶子里的水渐渐升高，乌鸦就喝着水了。 ——摘自小学一年级语文课本

从前 cóngqián Noun, long time ago 挂着 guàzhe Verb phrase, (something) is hanging on (somewhere) 门上挂着一个铃铛。 墙上挂着一幅画。 铃铛 língdāng Noun, bell 偷 tōu Verb, to steal 小偷，thief 明明 míngmíng Adv, (someone knows something)clearly 她明明知道吃巧克力会发胖，晚上还吃了两包巧克力。 碰 pèng Verb, to touch (usually without permission) 别碰我！Don’t touch me! 丁零丁零 dīngling dīngling Onomatopoeia, the sound of a bell 铃铛“丁零丁零”地响。 响 xiǎng Verb, (alarm, instrument) make a certain sound 被 bèi Passive word, Object + 被 + subject + verb/verb phrase. 铃铛被人偷了。The bell is stole by someone. 发觉 fājué Verb, to come to know; to be aware that… 掩 yǎn Verb, to cover 伸 shēn Verb, to stick out 捂 wǔ Verb, to cover 比喻 bǐyù Verb, to analogize; Noun, analogy 这个成语比喻做事要实事求是。This idiom analogizes that one should seek the truth from facts. 欺骗 qīpiàn Verb, to lie to; to cheat or 骗 却 què Conjunction word, but; however or 可是，但是 了 liǎo Particle word, action is complete 去得了，can go(the action of going can be complete) 去不了, cannot go(the action of going cannot be complete) 自欺欺人 zìqīqīrén Chengyu, deceive oneself and [as well as] others New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time! Please find the new word list on our website: www.learningchinesethroughstories.com

从前 cóngqián Noun, long time ago 挂着 guàzhe Verb phrase, (something) is hanging on (somewhere) 门上挂着一个铃铛。 墙上挂着一幅画。 铃铛 língdāng Noun, bell 偷 tōu Verb, to steal 小偷，thief 明明 míngmíng Adv, (someone knows something)clearly 她明明知道吃巧克力会发胖，晚上还吃了两包巧克力。 碰 pèng Verb, to touch (usually without permission) 别碰我！Don’t touch me! 丁零丁零 dīngling dīngling Onomatopoeia, the sound of a bell 铃铛“丁零丁零”地响。 响 xiǎng Verb, (alarm, instrument) make a certain sound 被 bèi Passive word, Object + 被 + subject + verb/verb phrase. 铃铛被人偷了。The bell is stole by someone. 发觉 fājué Verb, to come to know; to be aware that… 掩 yǎn Verb, to cover 伸 shēn Verb, to stick out 捂 wǔ Verb, to cover 比喻 bǐyù Verb, to analogize; Noun, analogy 这个成语比喻做事要实事求是。This idiom analogizes that one should seek the truth from facts. 欺骗 qīpiàn Verb, to lie to; to cheat or 骗 却 què Conjunction word, but; however or 可是，但是 了 liǎo Particle word, action is complete 去得了，can go(the action of going can be complete) 去不了, cannot go(the action of going cannot be complete) 自欺欺人 zìqīqīrén Chengyu, deceive oneself and [as well as] others New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time! Please find the new word list on our website: www.learningchinesethroughstories.com

This Chengyu (Chinese idiom) story is about a thief who was stealing a bell with a hand covering his ear. He thought if he covered his ear, then the bell owner would not hear the bell ring either. This Chengyu is used to describe someone who is being dishonest with himself/herself. 从前，有一个人，看见人家大门上挂着一个铃铛，想把它偷走。他明明知道，那个铃铛只要用手一碰，就会丁零丁零地响起来，就会被人发觉。可是他想：响声要耳朵才能听见，如果把耳朵掩起来，不是就听不见了吗？他掩住了自己的 耳朵，伸手去偷那个铃铛。谁知手刚碰到铃铛，就被人发觉了。 掩耳盗铃：捂住耳朵去偷铃。比喻自己欺骗自己，却骗不了别人。做人、做事都不能自欺欺人。

This Chengyu (Chinese idiom) story is about a thief who was stealing a bell with a hand covering his ear. He thought if he covered his ear, then the bell owner would not hear the bell ring either. This Chengyu is used to describe someone who is being dishonest with himself/herself. 从前，有一个人，看见人家大门上挂着一个铃铛，想把它偷走。他明明知道，那个铃铛只要用手一碰，就会丁零丁零地响起来，就会被人发觉。可是他想：响声要耳朵才能听见，如果把耳朵掩起来，不是就听不见了吗？他掩住了自己的 耳朵，伸手去偷那个铃铛。谁知手刚碰到铃铛，就被人发觉了。 掩耳盗铃：捂住耳朵去偷铃。比喻自己欺骗自己，却骗不了别人。做人、做事都不能自欺欺人。

古时候 gǔ shíhòu Noun phrase, ancient times 古代的时候 朝代 cháodài, noun,dynasty 矛 máo Noun, spear 长矛, long spear 盾 dùn Noun, shield the same with 盾牌(pái) 街上 jiē shàng On the street 街上，有人卖水果，有人卖衣服。 叫卖 jiàomài Verb, to announce publicly as for sale 举 jǔ Verb, to hold up 举手，have one’s hand up 举起…来， to raise…up 夸口 kuākǒu Verb, to brag; to boast or夸下海口 锐利 ruìlì Adj, sharp (this word is used to describe sharp weapons, such as spear, knife and etc.) 不论什么……都…… búlùn shénme……dōu…… Conjunction, all of …(noun) apply to ...(verb/adj phrase) 不论什么巧克力我都吃过。I have tasted all sorts of chocolates. 戳穿 chuōchuān Verb phrase, to pierce through 戳得穿, can be pierced through 戳不穿，cannot be pierced through 坚固 jiāngù Adj, sturdy 哑口无言 yǎ kǒu wú yán Chengyu, speechless 比喻 bǐyù Verb, to analogize; Noun, analogy 这个成语比喻做事要实事求是。This idiom analogizes that one should seek the truth from facts. 前后不符 qiánhòu bùfú Verb phrase, the latter statement does not correspond with the former statement 你说的这些前后不符。What you said has not been consistent. 互相 hùxiāng Adv, Multually or 相互 抵触 dǐchù Verb, to be in conflict 实事求是 shíshìqiúshì Chengyu, be honest about what one’s doing/working on; seek the truth from facts 夸大其词 kuādàqící Chengyu, to extravagate what one is talking about boast; to brag 否则 fǒuzé Conjunction, or else… New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time!

古时候 gǔ shíhòu Noun phrase, ancient times 古代的时候 朝代 cháodài, noun,dynasty 矛 máo Noun, spear 长矛, long spear 盾 dùn Noun, shield the same with 盾牌(pái) 街上 jiē shàng On the street 街上，有人卖水果，有人卖衣服。 叫卖 jiàomài Verb, to announce publicly as for sale 举 jǔ Verb, to hold up 举手，have one’s hand up 举起…来， to raise…up 夸口 kuākǒu Verb, to brag; to boast or夸下海口 锐利 ruìlì Adj, sharp (this word is used to describe sharp weapons, such as spear, knife and etc.) 不论什么……都…… búlùn shénme……dōu…… Conjunction, all of …(noun) apply to ...(verb/adj phrase) 不论什么巧克力我都吃过。I have tasted all sorts of chocolates. 戳穿 chuōchuān Verb phrase, to pierce through 戳得穿, can be pierced through 戳不穿，cannot be pierced through 坚固 jiāngù Adj, sturdy 哑口无言 yǎ kǒu wú yán Chengyu, speechless 比喻 bǐyù Verb, to analogize; Noun, analogy 这个成语比喻做事要实事求是。This idiom analogizes that one should seek the truth from facts. 前后不符 qiánhòu bùfú Verb phrase, the latter statement does not correspond with the former statement 你说的这些前后不符。What you said has not been consistent. 互相 hùxiāng Adv, Multually or 相互 抵触 dǐchù Verb, to be in conflict 实事求是 shíshìqiúshì Chengyu, be honest about what one’s doing/working on; seek the truth from facts 夸大其词 kuādàqící Chengyu, to extravagate what one is talking about boast; to brag 否则 fǒuzé Conjunction, or else… New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time!

This is an Chengyu (Chinese idiom) story about an ancient street vendor who was being inconsistent while advertising for his spear and shield. Spear and shield were thus used to describe contradictions since then. 古时候，有一个人，一手拿着矛， 一手拿着盾，在街上叫卖。他举起矛，向人夸口说：“我的矛 锐利得很，不论什么盾都戳得穿！”接着又举起盾，向人夸口说：“我的盾坚 固得很，不论什么矛都戳不穿它！” 有人问他：“用你的矛戳你的 盾，会怎么样呢？”他哑口无言， 回答不出来了。自相矛盾：用自己的矛戳自己的盾。 比喻说话、做事前后不符，互相抵触。说话、做事要实事求是， 不能夸大其词，否则只会自相矛盾。

This is an Chengyu (Chinese idiom) story about an ancient street vendor who was being inconsistent while advertising for his spear and shield. Spear and shield were thus used to describe contradictions since then. 古时候，有一个人，一手拿着矛， 一手拿着盾，在街上叫卖。他举起矛，向人夸口说：“我的矛 锐利得很，不论什么盾都戳得穿！”接着又举起盾，向人夸口说：“我的盾坚 固得很，不论什么矛都戳不穿它！” 有人问他：“用你的矛戳你的 盾，会怎么样呢？”他哑口无言， 回答不出来了。自相矛盾：用自己的矛戳自己的盾。 比喻说话、做事前后不符，互相抵触。说话、做事要实事求是， 不能夸大其词，否则只会自相矛盾。

上海 Shànghǎi Chinese metropolitan city, Shanghai 70后 70 hòu Noun phrase, people who were born during 1970-1979 80后，90后，00后，10后 城管 chéngguǎn Noun, Chinese urban management officer 次 cì Noun, time(s) 一次，once 两次， twice 三次， three times 无偿 wúcháng Adv, voluntarily 献血 xiànxiě Verb phrase, to donate blood 救 jiù Verb, to save one’s life “救命(mìng)！”means “Help!” 眭 Suī Noun, surname (uncommonly seen) 区 qū Noun, district 土生土长 tǔshēngtǔzhǎng Adj, to be born and grow up in the local community 个头 gètóu Noun, a person’s height synonym or 个子 黝黑 yǒuhēi Adj, tanned skin color (usually caused by outdoor physical work) 话语 huàyǔ Noun, utterance 话语不多， quiet 留着 liúzhe Verb phrase, 留着 +name of hair style 留着长发/短发/平头 小平头 xiǎo píngtóu Noun phrase, flat(hair style) or平头 坚持 jiānchí Verb, to persist; to keep doing without quitting 再坚持一下! Be persistent, you will finish it soon. 来 lái Particle word, a period of time word+来 : in the past a period of time 10年来，in the past ten years 捐献 juānxiàn Verb, to donate 这个公司给学校捐献了10万元钱。This company donated 100,000 dollars to the school. 全血 quánxiě Noun, whole blood 累计 lěijì Verb, to add up 毫升 Háoshēng Noun, milliliter 升，liter 血小板 xuèxiǎobǎn Noun,Blood platelet 人份 rénfèn Noun, serving 5人份，servings for 5 people 熟悉 shúxī Adj, familiar 我和他不熟悉。I am not familiar with him. 传为佳话 chuán wèi jiāhuà chengyu，to become a favorite tale 制服 zhìfú Noun, uniform 穿梭 chuānsuō Verb, to walk through 穿梭在城市里, to walk through the city 街头 jiētóu Noun, street 队员 duìyuán Noun, team player 脱下 tuō xià Verb phrase, to take off (clothing items) 瘦小 shòuxiǎo Adj, skinny and small (use to describe a figure) 微不足道 wēibùzúdào 成语，too tiny/ordinary to be noticed/mentioned 普普通通 pǔ pǔtōng tōng Adj, orginal form is 普通，ordinary 啥 shá Pronoun, (colloquial form) what? Origins from dialect word in northeast part of China 做什么？=干啥？ 憨厚 hānhòu Adj, simple and honest New words, sayings and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time!

上海 Shànghǎi Chinese metropolitan city, Shanghai 70后 70 hòu Noun phrase, people who were born during 1970-1979 80后，90后，00后，10后 城管 chéngguǎn Noun, Chinese urban management officer 次 cì Noun, time(s) 一次，once 两次， twice 三次， three times 无偿 wúcháng Adv, voluntarily 献血 xiànxiě Verb phrase, to donate blood 救 jiù Verb, to save one’s life “救命(mìng)！”means “Help!” 眭 Suī Noun, surname (uncommonly seen) 区 qū Noun, district 土生土长 tǔshēngtǔzhǎng Adj, to be born and grow up in the local community 个头 gètóu Noun, a person’s height synonym or 个子 黝黑 yǒuhēi Adj, tanned skin color (usually caused by outdoor physical work) 话语 huàyǔ Noun, utterance 话语不多， quiet 留着 liúzhe Verb phrase, 留着 +name of hair style 留着长发/短发/平头 小平头 xiǎo píngtóu Noun phrase, flat(hair style) or平头 坚持 jiānchí Verb, to persist; to keep doing without quitting 再坚持一下! Be persistent, you will finish it soon. 来 lái Particle word, a period of time word+来 : in the past a period of time 10年来，in the past ten years 捐献 juānxiàn Verb, to donate 这个公司给学校捐献了10万元钱。This company donated 100,000 dollars to the school. 全血 quánxiě Noun, whole blood 累计 lěijì Verb, to add up 毫升 Háoshēng Noun, milliliter 升，liter 血小板 xuèxiǎobǎn Noun,Blood platelet 人份 rénfèn Noun, serving 5人份，servings for 5 people 熟悉 shúxī Adj, familiar 我和他不熟悉。I am not familiar with him. 传为佳话 chuán wèi jiāhuà chengyu，to become a favorite tale 制服 zhìfú Noun, uniform 穿梭 chuānsuō Verb, to walk through 穿梭在城市里, to walk through the city 街头 jiētóu Noun, street 队员 duìyuán Noun, team player 脱下 tuō xià Verb phrase, to take off (clothing items) 瘦小 shòuxiǎo Adj, skinny and small (use to describe a figure) 微不足道 wēibùzúdào 成语，too tiny/ordinary to be noticed/mentioned 普普通通 pǔ pǔtōng tōng Adj, orginal form is 普通，ordinary 啥 shá Pronoun, (colloquial form) what? Origins from dialect word in northeast part of China 做什么？=干啥？ 憨厚 hānhòu Adj, simple and honest New words, sayings and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time!

Chinese Chengguan (urban management officers) usually have a very bad reputation. Check at today's news story about an awesome Chengguan doing good deeds by donating blood for 101 times in 10 years and the reason why he is doing this. 上海“70后”城管101次无偿献血救人 2016年8月29日，上海，眭庆是一名城管，在静安新城十区工作。37岁的他是土生土长的上海人，个头不高，黝黑的脸，话语不多，留着 小平头。从2006年起，眭庆坚持 无偿 献血，10年来，眭庆已捐献 全血7次累计2600毫升，血小板94次累计178人份，在熟悉他的人中传为佳话。 眭庆，穿上城管制服，他是穿梭在城市街头的一名城管队员；脱下制服，瘦小的他显得微不足道,普普通通。就是这样一个普通的年轻人，101次无偿献血救人。 要问眭庆献血到底为了啥？憨厚的他笑着说：“不为别的，想着能救人一命就觉得快乐。” ——摘自腾讯新闻http://news.qq.com/a/20160901/007808.htm#p=1