Traditional Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin
Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing
姜太公钓鱼
Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing (姜太公钓鱼, Jiāng Tàigōng diào yú) is a Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin as a 4-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 1 (Beginner).
Retold from the Chinese legends of Jiang Ziya and the novel Creation of the Gods: an old man fishes with a straight, bare hook, waiting for a king who dreamed of a flying bear.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — A warm storyteller who opens the tale by the river.
- Jiang Ziya · 姜太公 — A calm, wise old man who fishes with a straight hook and waits for the right king.
- King Wen · 文王 — The kind, humble king of Zhou who looks for a great helper.
- Wu Ji · 吴吉 — A cheerful woodcutter who laughs at the old man, then becomes his friend.
- San Yisheng · 散宜生 — The king's careful, clever minister.
4 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Straight Hook
直直的钩
A woodcutter laughs at an old man who fishes with a straight, bare hook above the water. Then the old man says a king is coming tomorrow.
Free to read
Chapter 2: The King's Dream
大王的梦
King Wen wakes from a dream of a flying bear. His minister says it means a great helper is near, and they set out for the river.
Free to read
Chapter 3: The Old Man and the King
大王来了
The king finds the old fisherman and asks for his help. Jiang says he must come again. The king washes, waits, and makes a plan.
Free to read
Chapter 4: Eight Hundred Steps
八百步
The king returns and pulls Jiang's cart as far as he can. Jiang promises a long future for Zhou, then warns of a danger in the north.
Free to read
Key words in Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing
Behind the story
Jiang Ziya, also called Jiang Taigong, is a wise old adviser in Chinese legend. Stories about him were told for hundreds of years, and the novel Creation of the Gods (封神演义) made him famous as the helper of the Zhou kings against the last Shang king.
The saying “姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩” is still used today. It means that if someone freely chooses to take part, no one needs to push them. Chinese people use it for anything from job offers to bargains.
Did you know?
- Jiang Taigong is said to have been about seventy when King Wen of Zhou found him by the Wei River.
- In the legend, the Zhou dynasty lasted about eight hundred years, one year for each step the king pulled the cart.
- Creation of the Gods (封神演义) is one of the great Chinese classic novels of gods and spirits.