Clever Kids of Old China · chapter 1 of 4
Sima Guang Smashes the Vat
司马光砸缸
When show-off Xiao Hu tumbles into a giant water vat, the other children run for help. Seven-year-old Sima Guang stays behind, and has a very unusual idea.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 差不多一千年前，有一个七岁的孩子，叫司马光。他最爱看书。
Chàbuduō yìqiān nián qián, yǒu yí gè qī suì de háizi, jiào Sīmǎ Guāng. Tā zuì ài kàn shū.
Almost a thousand years ago, there was a seven-year-old boy named Sima Guang. More than anything, he loved to read.
- Xiao Yue 司马光，别看书了！我们都在院子里玩呢！
Sīmǎ Guāng, bié kàn shū le! Wǒmen dōu zài yuànzi lǐ wán ne!
Sima Guang, put that book down! We're all out in the courtyard playing!
- Sima Guang 好，好，我来了……小虎呢？他在哪儿？
Hǎo, hǎo, wǒ lái le… Xiǎo Hǔ ne? Tā zài nǎr?
Okay, okay, I'm coming… Where's Xiao Hu? Where did he go?
- Xiao Hu 我在这儿！你们看，我上了大缸，我最高！
Wǒ zài zhèr! Nǐmen kàn, wǒ shàng le dà gāng, wǒ zuì gāo!
Up here! Look, everyone, I climbed the big vat! I'm the tallest!
- Sima Guang 小虎，快下来！缸里都是水！
Xiǎo Hǔ, kuài xiàlái! Gāng lǐ dōu shì shuǐ!
Xiao Hu, get down, quick! That vat is full of water!
- Xiao Hu 没事！我不怕水……啊！
Méishì! Wǒ bú pà shuǐ… A!
Relax! I'm not scared of water… aaah!
- Xiao Yue 小虎掉进去了！怎么办？怎么办？
Xiǎo Hǔ diào jìnqù le! Zěnme bàn? Zěnme bàn?
Xiao Hu fell in! What do we do? What do we do?
- Sima Guang 小月，快！我们拉他出来！
Xiǎo Yuè, kuài! Wǒmen lā tā chūlái!
Xiao Yue, quick! Let's pull him out!
- Xiao Yue 缸太高了，我的手够不到！我去叫大人！
Gāng tài gāo le, wǒ de shǒu gòu bú dào! Wǒ qù jiào dàrén!
The vat's too tall. I can't reach him! I'm going to get the grown-ups!
- Narrator 孩子们都跑了。可是，司马光没有跑。
Háizimen dōu pǎo le. Kěshì, Sīmǎ Guāng méiyǒu pǎo.
The children all ran off. But Sima Guang did not run.
- Sima Guang 别急，别急，我想一想……大人太远了，小虎不能等。
Bié jí, bié jí, wǒ xiǎng yi xiǎng… Dàrén tài yuǎn le, Xiǎo Hǔ bù néng děng.
Don't panic, don't panic. Let me think… The grown-ups are too far away. Xiao Hu can't wait.
- Sima Guang 小虎出不来……那就让水出来！
Xiǎo Hǔ chū bù lái… Nà jiù ràng shuǐ chūlái!
Xiao Hu can't get out… so I'll let the water out instead!
- Narrator 司马光拿起一块大石头，用力砸缸。
Sīmǎ Guāng náqǐ yí kuài dà shítou, yònglì zá gāng.
Sima Guang picked up a big stone and struck the vat with all his strength.
- Sima Guang 一！二！三！
Yī! Èr! Sān!
One! Two! Three!
- Narrator 缸破了。水都流了出来，小虎也出来了。
Gāng pò le. Shuǐ dōu liú le chūlái, Xiǎo Hǔ yě chūlái le.
The vat cracked open. All the water came pouring out, and out came Xiao Hu with it.
- Xiao Hu 水……好多水！我……我出来了！
Shuǐ… hǎo duō shuǐ! Wǒ… wǒ chūlái le!
Water… so much water! I'm… I'm out!
- Sima Guang 小虎！你没事吧？
Xiǎo Hǔ! Nǐ méishì ba?
Xiao Hu! Are you all right?
- Xiao Hu 没事，没事！司马光，谢谢你！
Méishì, méishì! Sīmǎ Guāng, xièxie nǐ!
I'm fine, I'm fine! Sima Guang, thank you!
- Sima Chi 孩子们！小虎在哪儿？
Háizimen! Xiǎo Hǔ zài nǎr?
Children! Where's Xiao Hu?
- Xiao Yue 他出来了！司马光砸了缸！
Tā chūlái le! Sīmǎ Guāng zá le gāng!
He's out! Sima Guang smashed the vat!
- Sima Guang 爸爸，对不起。缸……是我砸的。
Bàba, duìbuqǐ. Gāng… shì wǒ zá de.
Father, I'm sorry. The vat… I'm the one who broke it.
- Sima Chi 光儿，缸破了，可以再买。小虎只有一个啊！
Guāng'ér, gāng pò le, kěyǐ zài mǎi. Xiǎo Hǔ zhǐyǒu yí gè a!
Guang'er, we can always buy another vat. There's only one Xiao Hu!
- Xiao Hu 对！我只有一个！
Duì! Wǒ zhǐyǒu yí gè!
That's right! There's only one of me!
- Narrator 那天晚上，司马光的爸爸给他讲了一个故事。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Sīmǎ Guāng de bàba gěi tā jiǎng le yí gè gùshi.
That night, Sima Guang's father told him a story.
- Sima Chi 光儿，你很聪明。可是以前有一个孩子，也是七岁，比你还聪明！
Guāng'ér, nǐ hěn cōngming. Kěshì yǐqián yǒu yí gè háizi, yě shì qī suì, bǐ nǐ hái cōngming!
Guang'er, you're a clever boy. But long ago there was another boy, seven just like you, who was even cleverer!
- Sima Guang 比我还聪明？他做了什么？
Bǐ wǒ hái cōngming? Tā zuò le shénme?
Even cleverer than me? What did he do?
- Sima Chi 他叫王戎。路边的树上都是李子，他没吃，就知道李子不好吃！
Tā jiào Wáng Róng. Lùbiān de shù shang dōu shì lǐzi, tā méi chī, jiù zhīdào lǐzi bù hǎochī!
His name was Wang Rong. There was a tree by the road, covered in plums. He didn't eat a single one, but he knew they were no good!
- Sima Guang 没吃，怎么知道？爸爸，快告诉我！
Méi chī, zěnme zhīdào? Bàba, kuài gàosu wǒ!
Without eating one? Then how did he know? Father, tell me, quick!
- Sima Chi 明天晚上再讲。你也是聪明的孩子，你先想一想！
Míngtiān wǎnshang zài jiǎng. Nǐ yě shì cōngming de háizi, nǐ xiān xiǎng yi xiǎng!
I'll tell you tomorrow night. You're a clever boy too, so see if you can work it out first!
- Sima Guang 路边的李子……他没吃，怎么知道呢？
Lùbiān de lǐzi… tā méi chī, zěnme zhīdào ne?
The plums by the road… He didn't eat one. So how did he know?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Xiao Hu climb onto the big vat?
“你们看，我上了大缸，我最高！”
- Why can't Xiao Yue pull Xiao Hu out?
“缸太高了，我的手够不到！”
- What is Sima Guang's idea?
“小虎出不来……那就让水出来！”
- How does Sima Guang's father feel about the broken vat?
“缸破了，可以再买。小虎只有一个啊！”
- What puzzles Sima Guang at bedtime?
“他没吃，就知道李子不好吃！……没吃，怎么知道？”