Top 10 Chinese Idioms with Origin Stories by eChineseLearning - HTML preview

PLEASE NOTE: This is an HTML preview only and some elements such as links or page numbers may be incorrect.
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.

 

5. img5.png(Huà shé tiān zú)

Draw a Snake and Add Feet to It

 

Listen to the whole storyimg94.png

Note: If you are reading this story via Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader or PDF-XChange, you can listen to the audio files by scrolling over the red speaker button and double-clicking.

Chǔguó yǒu gè guìzú.

img95.png

During the Chu dynasty, there was an aristocrat.

Jì guò zǔzong yǐhòu, tā bǎ yì hú jì jiǔ shǎng gěi bāngmáng de púrén.

img96.png

After worshiping the ancestors (on one day), he gave a jug of libation to the servants who helped him.

Púrén shāngliang shuō: “Wǒmen dōu lái huà shé, shuí xiān huà hǎo, shuí jiù hē zhè hú jiǔ.”

img97.png

The servants discussed among themselves and said: “Every servant would draw a snake on the ground. The man who finished first would drink the wine.”

Yǒu yí gè rén hěn kuài bǎ shé huà hǎo le.

img98.png

One man finished very quickly.

Tā duān qǐ jiǔhú zhèng yào hē, kàn dào biérén hái zài máng zhe huà shé, jiù déyì de shuō: “Wǒ nénggòu zài gěi shé tiān shàng jǐ zhī jiǎo ne!”

img99.png

He was about to drink the wine. However, when he saw others were still busy drawing, he said in triumph: “I can add feet to my snake.”

Kěshì méi děng tā bǎ jiǎo huà wán, lìng yí gè rén yǐjīng bǎ shé huà chéng le.

img100.png

However, before he finished drawing the feet, another man finished drawing a snake.

Nà rén bǎ nà hú jiǔ qiǎng guòqù, shuō: “Shé běnlái shì méiyǒu jiǎo de, nǐ zěnme néng gěi tā tiān shàng jiǎo ne?”

img101.png

That man grabbed the jar and said: “Who has ever seen a snake with feet? How do you add feet to it?”

Shuō wán, biàn bǎ hú zhōng de jiǔ hē le xiàqù.

img102.png

Then, he drank up the wine.

Nàgè gěi shé huà jiǎo de rén zuìzhōng méiyǒu hē dào jiǔ.

img103.png

The man who added feet to the snake didn’t get the wine in the end.

img42.jpgKey Learning Points

1. img104.png (shé): n. Snake.

Example:

Tā hěn hàipà shé.

img105.png

She was afraid of snakes.

2. img106.png (huà): v./n. To draw/picture.

Examples:

Verb:

A: Nǐ zài huà shénme ne?

A: img107.png

A: What are you drawing?

B: Wǒ zài huà nà zhī māo.

B: img108.png

B: I’m drawing that cat.

Noun:

Tā bǎ gāng mǎi de huà guà zài le qiáng shàng.

img109.png

He hangs the picture he just bought on the wall.