hsk5 上 lesson 4 with pinyin and English translation

Lesson 4   子路背米  Zilu Carrying Rice

Cóngqián, dàgài zài jù jīn liǎng qiān wǔbǎi duō nián qián de chūnqiū shíqí, 

从前, 大概在距今两千五百多年前的春秋时期, 

Once upon a time, during the Spring and Autumn Period, about 2,500 years ago, 

yǒu yī gè rén jiào Zǐ Lù, tā shì kǒngzǐ zuì nián zhǎng de xuéshēng.

有一个人叫子路, 他是孔子最年长的学生。

there was a man named Zilu, who was the oldest student of Confucius.

Liúchuán zhìjīn de “bǎi lǐ bèi mǐ” jiǎng de jiùshì tā xiàojìng fùmǔ de gùshì.

流传至今的 “百里背米” 讲的就是他孝敬父母的故事。

The "Bai Li Bei Mi" that has been passed down to this day tells the story of his filial piety to his parents.

Zǐ Lù de fùmǔ dōu shì nóngmín.

子路的父母都是农民。

Zilu's parents were farmers.

Yóuyú liánnián de zhànzhēng, jiālǐ shēnghuó fēicháng kùnnán.

由于连年的战争, 家里生活非常困难。

Due to years of war, family life was very difficult.

Yītiān, Zǐ Lù cóng wàimiàn huílái, tīng dào fùmǔ zài wū li shuōhuà:

一天, 子路从外面回来, 听到父母在屋里说话: 

One day, Zilu came back from outside and heard his parents talking in the house:

“Huóle dàbàn bèizile, bié shuō yúròu, zhǐyào néng bǎo bǎo de chī shàng yī dùn mǐfàn, yě jiù mǎnzú la!”

“活了大半輩子了, 别说鱼肉, 只要能饱饱地吃上一顿米饭, 也就满足啦!” 

"We have lived for most of my life, let alone fish, as long as I can eat a meal of rice to my fullness, I will be satisfied!"

Zǐ Lù tīngle, xīnlǐ juédé shífēn cánkuì.

子路听了, 心里觉得十分慚愧。

Zilu felt very ashamed when he heard it.

Tā ànxià juéxīn: 

他暗下决心: 

He secretly made up his mind: 

“Yīdìng yào ràng fùmǔ chī shàng mǐfàn, bùnéng zài wěiqu tāmen le!”

“一定要让父母吃上米饭, 不能再委屈他们了!”

"You must let your parents eat rice, and you can't feel them wrong anymore!"

Zǐ Lù dǎtīng dào bǎi lǐ zhī wài yǒu gè yǒu qián rén, jiālǐ quē gàn huó er de rén, juédìng qù shì yī shì.

子路打听到百里之外有个有钱人, 家里缺干活儿的人, 决定去试一试。

Zilu found out that there was a rich man a hundred miles away, who was short of workers at home, he decided to give it a try.

Nà jiā zhǔrén jiàn tā shēntǐ jiēshi, jiù liú xiàle tā.

那家主人见他身体结实, 就留下了他。

The host saw that he was strong, so he keep him.

Zǐ Lù gàn qǐ huó lái shífēn qínfèn, zhǔrén hěn xǐhuān zhège xiǎohuǒzi.

子路干起活来十分勤奋, 主人很喜欢这个小伙子。

Zilu was very diligent in his work, and the owner liked this young man very much.

Bànnián hòu, dāng Zǐ Lù yào huí jiā shí, 

半年后, 当子路要回家时, 

Half a year later, when Zilu was about to go home, 

fāxiàn zhǔrén gěi de yínzi bǐ tā yīnggāi dédào de duōle xǔduō, 

发现主人给的银子比他应该得到的多了许多, 

he found that the master had given him a lot more money than he should have received. 

Zǐ Lù lǎo lǎoshí shídì gàosùle zhǔrén.

子路老老实实地告诉了主人。

Zilu honestly told his master.

Zhǔrén xiàozhe shuō: “Háizi, gōngqián méi suàn cuò, 

主人笑着说: “孩子, 工钱没算错, 

The host smiled and said: "My child, the wages are not wrong. 

nǐ zuòshì qínkuài, zhè shì wǒ gěi nǐ jiā de jiǎngjīn.”

你做事勤快, 这是我给你加的奖金。”

You are diligent. This is the bonus I gave you."

Xièguò zhǔrén, Zǐ Lù gāoxìng de shàng lùle.

谢过主人, 子路高兴地上路了。

Thanks to the master, Zilu went on the road happily.

Lùguò zhèn shàng, tā mǎile yī dài mǐ, yīkuài ròu, liǎng tiáo yú, bèi zài hòu bèi shàng.

路过镇上, 他买了一袋米、一块肉、两条鱼, 背在后背上。

Passing through the town, he bought a bag of rice, a piece of meat, and two fish, and carried it on his back.

Tiānqì fēicháng hánlěng, xuědì hěn huá, Zǐ Lù bù xiǎoxīn huále yīxià, bèi shàng de mǐdài chàdiǎnr bèi shuǎi chūqù.

天气非常寒冷, 雪地很滑, 子路不小心滑了一下, 背上的米袋差点儿被甩出去。

The weather was very cold, the snow was very slippery, Zilu slipped accidentally, and the rice bag on his back was almost thrown out.

Tā dǐngzhe dàxuě wǎng qián zǒu, fúzhe mǐdài de shuāng shǒu dòng de bùxíng, jiù tíng xiàlái nuǎn nuǎn, zài jìxù gǎnlù.

他顶着大雪往前走, 扶着米袋的双手冻得不行, 就停下来暖暖, 再继续赶路。

He walked forward under the heavy snow, his hands holding the rice bag were too cold, so he stopped to warm himself, and then continued on the road.

Zhōngyú dàojiā le, jiàn dào fùmǔ, Zǐ Lù bǎ gěi tāmen mǎi de dōngxu jí shèng xià de gōngqián dōu jiāo gěile tāmen.

终于到家了, 见到父母, 子路把给他们买的东西及剩下的工钱都交给了他们。

He finally got home. Seeing his parents, Zilu gave them all the things he bought for them and the remaining wages.

Yījiā rén gāogāo xìngxìng de shēnghuǒ zuò fàn, bǎo bǎo de chīle dùn tuányuán fàn.

一家人高高兴兴地生火做饭, 饱饱地吃了顿团圆饭。

The family happily lit a fire to cook, and had a reunion dinner to their fullest.

Hòulái Zǐ Lù de fùmǔ qùshìle, tā yě nánxià dàole chǔ guó.

后来子路的父母去世了, 他也南下到了楚国。

Later, Zilu's parents died, and he also went south to Chu State.

Chǔ guó guójūn juédé tā hěn yǒu běnlǐng, shìgè réncái, jiù liú tā zuòle guān, bìng gěi tā hěn yōuhòu de dàiyù.

楚国国君觉得他很有本领, 是个人才, 就留他做了官, 并给他很优厚的待遇。

The monarch of the Kingdom of Chu felt that he was very capable and a talent, so he kept him as an official and gave him very generous treatment.

Dàn tā bìng méiyǒu yīnwèi wùzhí tiáojiàn hǎo ér gǎndào huānxǐ, fǎn'ér chángcháng chéngkěn de shuō:

但他并没有因为物质条件好而感到欢喜, 反而常常诚恳地说: 

But he did not feel happy because of good material conditions, often said sincerely:

“Duōme xīwàng fùmǔ néng hé wǒ yīqǐguò hǎo rìzi! 

“多么希望父母能和我一起过好日子! 

"How I hope my parents can live a good life with me! 

Wǒ xiànzài yǒule yīdiǎnr chéngjiù, kě tāmen yǐjīng bùzàile, 

我现在有了一点儿成就, 可他们已经不在了, 

I have achieved a little bit now, but they are no longer there. 

jíshǐ zài xiǎng bèi mǐ bǎi lǐ qù xiàojìng shuāngqīn, yě bù kěnéngle.”

即使再想背米百里去孝敬双亲, 也不可能了。”

Even if I want to carry a hundred miles to honor my parents, it is impossible."

Zhōngguó gǔdài yǒu jù huà jiào “bǎi shànxiào wèi xiān”, 

中国古代有句话叫 “百善孝为先”, 

There is a saying in ancient China that "filial piety comes first", 

yìsi shì shuō, xiàoshùn fùmǔ shì gè zhǒng měidé zhōng zhàn dì yī wèi de.

意思是说, 孝顺父母是各种美德中占第一位的。

which means that filial piety is the first of all virtues.

Zǐ Lù wèile ràng fùmǔ chī dào jiào hǎo de shíwù, bùpà xīnkǔ, 

子路为了让父母吃到较好的食物, 不怕辛苦, 

In order to let parents eat better food, Zilu was not afraid of hard work. 

zhè zhǒng zuòfǎ quèshí zhídé wǒmen xuéxí.

这种做法确实值得我们学习。

This practice is indeed worth learning.

Full Translation:

Zilu Carrying Rice 

Once upon a time, during the Spring and Autumn Period, about 2,500 years ago, there was a man named Zilu, who was the oldest student of Confucius. The "Bai Li Bei Mi" that has been passed down to this day tells the story of his filial piety to his parents. 

Zilu's parents were farmers.Due to years of war, family life was very difficult. One day, Zilu came back from outside and heard his parents talking in the house: "We have lived for most of my life, let alone fish, as long as I can eat a meal of rice to my fullness, I will be satisfied!" Zilu felt very ashamed when he heard it. He secretly made up his mind: "You must let your parents eat rice, and you can't feel them wrong anymore!"

Zilu found out that there was a rich man a hundred miles away, who was short of workers at home, he decided to give it a try. The host saw that he was strong, so he keep him. Zilu was very diligent in his work, and the owner liked this young man very much. Half a year later, when Zilu was about to go home, he found that the master had given him a lot more money than he should have received. Zilu honestly told his master.

The host smiled and said: "My child, the wages are not wrong. You are diligent. This is the bonus I gave you."

Thanks to the master, Zilu went on the road happily. Passing through the town, he bought a bag of rice, a piece of meat, and two fish, and carried it on his back. The weather was very cold, the snow was very slippery, Zilu slipped accidentally, and the rice bag on his back was almost thrown out. He walked forward under the heavy snow, his hands holding the rice bag were too cold, so he stopped to warm himself, and then continued on the road.

He finally got home. Seeing his parents, Zilu gave them all the things he bought for them and the remaining wages. The family happily lit a fire to cook, and had a reunion dinner to their fullest.

Later, Zilu's parents died, and he also went south to Chu State. The monarch of the Kingdom of Chu felt that he was very capable and a talent, so he kept him as an official and gave him very generous treatment. But he did not feel happy because of good material conditions, often said sincerely: "How I hope my parents can live a good life with me! I have achieved a little bit now, but they are no longer there. Even if I want to carry a hundred miles to honor my parents, it is impossible."

There is a saying in ancient China that "filial piety comes first", which means that filial piety is the first of all virtues. In order to let parents eat better food, Zilu was not afraid of hard work. This practice is indeed worth learning.

HSK 5上 lesson 4 audio with pinyin and English translation 👇

#hsk5 #hsk5上  #hsk5StandardCourseTextbook  #hsk5TextBook #hsk5Lesson4