2. (Bèn niǎo xiān fēi)

Clumsy Birds Have to Start Flying Early

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Shù shàng yì zhī niǎo māma fū chū le liù zhī niǎo bǎobao,

A bird hatches six baby birds,

Xiǎoliù yòu shòu yòu xiǎo, gēge jiějie men dōu qīfu tā;

Xiaoliu is very weak and small; his sisters and brothers usually bully him.

Jīngcháng cóng tā zuǐlǐ qiǎng chóngzi, xiǎoliù zhǐ děi è zhe dùzi.

The other birds usually rob food from his mouth, and Xiaoliu suffers from hunger.

Gēge jiějie men jiào tā “bèn niǎo.”

Sisters and Brothers call him “clumsy bird.”

Yúshì tā juéxīn duànliàn hǎo shēntǐ, ràng gēge jiějie men bú zài cháoxiào zìjǐ.

He decides to exercise more to be healthier, in order to not be teased by his sisters and brothers.

Tā zhìqì fēicháng dà, měitiān dōu qǐ de hěn zǎo,

Xiaoliu has a strong will and gets up very early every day.

Děng gēge jiějie men xǐnglái, tā yǐjīng pǎo wán bù, chī wán chóngzi le.

He always finishes exercising and eating worms by the time his sisters and brothers wake up.

Dōngtiān dào le, niǎoqún yào nán fēi le; bènniǎo shì niǎoqún zhōng dì yī gè fēi wǎng nánfāng de.

When the winter is coming and the bird flock prepares to fly to the south, the “clumsy bird” is the first one to start flying.

Key Learning Points

1. (Bènniǎoxiānfēi) Clumsy birds have to start flying early.

Usage:

“ (bènniǎoxiānfēi) Clumsy birds have to start flying early” is used to describe someone who compensates for his/her weaknesses by working hard. The character “ (bèn)” means clumsy. “ (niǎo)” means bird; “ (xiān)” means first and “ (fēi)” means to fly.

Example:

Wǒ xiāngxìn tōngguò nǔlì wǒ huì dádào mùbiāo de, bènniǎoxiānfēi ma!

A slow bird should make an early start; I believe I can reach my goal through hard work.

2. (juéxīn): v. To resolve.

Example:

Tā juéxīn zhècì yào kǎo quánbān dìyī.

She resolves to win the first place in this examination.

3. (zhìqì): n. Aspiration.

Example:

Bié zhèyàng, yǒu zhìqì diǎnr, chóngxīn zhènzuò qǐlái

Don’t be like that; please cheer up again with a strong aspiration.

1. (cháoxiào): n./v. Laugh.

2. (qīfu): v. To bully.

3. (duànliàn): v. To exercise.

4. (niǎoqún): n. Bird flock.