Lesson 18 神奇的丝瓜The magical towel gourd
Shénqí de sīguā神奇的丝瓜The magical towel gourd
Shénqí de sīguā
神奇的丝瓜
The magical towel gourd
Chūntiān, háizimen zài lóu páng kòng dìshàng kāi chū yīgè xiǎo xiǎo de huāyuán,
春天，孩子们在楼旁空地上开出一个小小的花园，
In spring, the children opened a small garden on the open space next to the building,
suíjí zhǒng shàngle yī kē shù,
随即种上了一棵树、
and immediately planted a tree,
jǐ zhū huā hé jǐ lì sīguā zhǒngzi.
几株花和几粒丝瓜种子。
a few flowers, and a few loofah seeds.
Tǔrǎng bùshì hěn féiwò,
土壤不是很肥沃，
The soil is not very fertile,
dàn yǒu shuǐ de zīrùn, yángguāng de zhàoyào, méi jǐ tiān, sīguā jiù cóng tǔ lǐ màole chūlái,
但有水的滋润，阳光的照耀，没几天，丝瓜就从土里冒了出来，
but with water and sunshine, the loofah popped out of the soil within a few days,
jiēzhe wǒ jīngyà de fāxiàn, tā hǎoxiàng měi shí měi kè dōu zài zhǎng dà.
接着我惊讶地发现，它好像每时每刻都在长大。
and then I was surprised to find that it seemed to be growing all the time.
Kànzhe sīguā,
看着丝瓜，
Looking at the loofah,
wǒ xīnzhōng nánmiǎn bu jiě:
我心中难免不解：
I couldn't help but wonder:
Gǔrén shì zěnme xiǎng de,
古人是怎么想的，
what did the ancients think,
lèng shì biān chū gè bámiáozhùzhǎng de gùshì lái?
愣是编出个拔苗助长的故事来？
stupefied to make up a story to promote growth?
Yàoshi wǒ, nìngyuàn yòng bié de bǐyù.
要是我，宁愿用别的比喻。
If it were me, I would rather use another metaphor.
Bù jiě guī bù jiě,
不解归不解，
Confused and puzzled,
wǒ měitiān gōngzuò píjuànle,
我每天工作疲倦了，
I am tired from work every day,
dōu yào qù kàn kàn nà jǐ kē sīguā.
都要去看看那几棵丝瓜。
so I have to look at those loofahs.
Sīguā zhǎng dé hěn kuài,
丝瓜长得很快，
The loofah grows very fast,
zhuǎnyǎn jiān,
转眼间，
and in a blink of an eye,
guā jīng yǐjīng pá shàngle wǒmen zhè chuáng lóu dǒuqiào de lóu qiáng.
瓜茎已经爬上了我们这幢楼陡峭的楼墙。
the gourd stem has climbed up the steep wall of our building.
Jiēzhe, tā cóng yī lóu pá shàngle èr lóu,
接着，它从一楼爬上了二楼，
Then, it climbed from the first floor to the second floor,
yòu cóng èr lóu pá shàngle sān lóu.
又从二楼爬上了三楼。
and from the second floor to the third floor.
Guā jīng zhǐyǒu xì shéng yībān cū,
瓜茎只有细绳一般粗，
The gourd stem is as thick as a string,
què néng shūsòng zúgòu de shuǐfèn hé yǎngliào,
却能输送足够的水分和养料，
but it can transport enough water and nutrients
shǐdé guā jīng tǐngbá, yèzi màoshèng.
使得瓜茎挺拔，叶子茂盛。
to make the melon stem upright and leaves lush.
Nà fùgài zài shuǐní qiáng miàn shàng de yīpiàn nóng lǜ xiǎndé zhāoqì péngbó,
那覆盖在水泥墙面上的一片浓绿显得朝气蓬勃，
The thick green covering the concrete wall appeared vigorous,
chōngmǎnle shēngjī yǔ huólì.
充满了生机与活力。
full of vitality and energy.
Yòuguòle jǐ tiān,
又过了几天，
After a few more days,
sīguā kāihuāle,
丝瓜开花了，
the loofah blossomed,
huángsè de huābàn diǎnzhuì zài lǜyè zhī jiān,
黄色的花瓣点缀在绿叶之间，
and the yellow petals were dotted among the green leaves,
yánsè xiétiáo, róuhé jīngzhì.
颜色协调，柔和精致。
the colors were harmonious, soft and delicate.
Zàiguò jǐ tiān, huánghuā biàn chéngle xiǎo xiǎo de sīguā.
再过几天，黄花变成了小小的丝瓜。
In a few days, the yellow flower turned into a little loofah.
Guā yuè zhǎng yuè zhǎng, fènliàng yě yuè lái yuè zhòng.
瓜越长越长，分量也越来越重。
The longer the gourd, the longer the weight becomes heavier.
Tā xuánguà zài kōngzhōng,
它悬挂在空中，
It hangs in the air,
xì xì de guā jīng hǎoxiàng fùdān bù qǐ guā de zhòngliàng,
细细的瓜茎好像负担不起瓜的重量，
and the thin gourd stem seems to be unable to bear the weight of the gourd,
shíkè dōu yào zhuìluò xiàlái,
时刻都要坠落下来，
and it has to fall down all the time,
wǒ de xīn yě biàn dé chén chóng qǐlái.
我的心也变得沉重起来。
and my heart also becomes heavier.
Bùjiǔ jiù zhèngmíng, wǒ de dānxīn shì duōyú de.
不久就证明，我的担心是多余的。
It soon proved that my worries were unnecessary.
Zuìchū zhǎng chūlái de guā hǎoxiàng hěn yǒu jiézhì,
最初长出来的瓜好像很有节制，
At first, the gourds that grew out seemed to be very restrained,
zhǎng dào yīdìng chéngdù jiù bù cháng le,
长到一定程度就不长了，
and they didn't grow to a certain extent,
ér sān lóu nà jiā de chuāngwài, yòu zhǎng chūlái liǎng gè guā.
而三楼那家的窗外，又长出来两个瓜。
but two more gourds grew out of the window of the third floor home.
Zhè liǎng gè guā kāishǐ zhǐyǒu xiǎo gūniáng de biànzi yībān cūxì,
这两个瓜开始只有小姑娘的辫子一般粗细，
These two gourds were only as thick as a girl’s braids at first,
bùjiǔ jiù zhǎng dé rú xiǎohái bìbǎng yībān cūle.
不久就长得如小孩臂膀一般粗了。
and soon grew as thick as a child’s arm.
Hē, zhè liǎng gè guā jiā qǐlái kǒngpà yǒu wǔliù jīnle,
呵，这两个瓜加起来恐怕有五六斤了，
Oh, these two gourds add up to five or six catties.
nà yī gēn xì xì de jīng zěnme chéngdān dé zhù ne?
那一根细细的茎怎么承担得住呢？
How can that thin stem be able to bear it?
Wǒ de dānxīn yǔrìjùzēng.
我的担心与日俱增。
My worries are increasing day by day.
Méiguò jǐ tiān, wǒ fāxiàn wǒ yòu cuòle,
没过几天，我发现我又错了，
A few days later, I found out that I was wrong again.
liǎng gè guā bùzhī shénme shíhòu wānle qǐlái,
两个瓜不知什么时候弯了起来，
The two gourds bent up at some point
shūshufufu de tǎng zàile nà jiā de chuāngtái shàng.
舒舒服服地躺在了那家的窗台上。
and lay comfortably on the windowsill of that house.
Méi jǐ tiān,
没几天，
Within a few days,
nà liǎng gè dà guā xiàmiàn de guā jīng mòshāo shàng, yòu zhǎng chūlái yīgè guā,
那两个大瓜下面的瓜茎末梢上，又长出来一个瓜，垂直地吊在那里，在风中晃来晃去。
another gourd grew from the ends of the stems under the two big gourds,
chuízhí de diào zài nàlǐ, zài fēng zhōng huǎng lái huǎng qù.
垂直地吊在那里，在风中晃来晃去。
which hung vertically there, dangling in the wind.
Wǒ duàndìng:
我断定：
I concluded:
Zhège guā shàngmiàn gòu bù dào chuāngtái,
这个瓜上面够不到窗台，
The top of this gourd cannot reach the window sill,
xiàmiàn yěshì kōng de,
下面也是空的，
and the bottom is empty.
zǒng yǒu yītiān, guā jīng huì jīnbuzhù guā de fènliàng,
总有一天，瓜茎会禁不住瓜的分量，
One day, the stem of the gourd will be unable to restrain the weight of the gourd,
liántóng shàngmiàn de liǎng gè dà guā yīqǐ zhuìluò dào dìshàng.
连同上面的两个大瓜一起坠落到地上。
and it will fall to the ground together with the two large gourds above.
Zhè tiān yīzǎo, wǒ què kàn dàole qíjī,
这天一早，我却看到了奇迹，
Early that morning, I saw a miracle.
nàgè wǒ duàndìng huì zhuìluò xiàlái de guā,
那个我断定会坠落下来的瓜，
The gourd that I was determined to fall was
yǐjīng tǎng zàile yīgè āotú bùpíng de táizi shàng,
已经躺在了一个凹凸不平的台子上，
already lying on an uneven table
nàgè táizi shì jiāgù qiáng tǐ shí xiūjiàn de.
那个台子是加固墙体时修建的。
that was built when the wall was reinforced.
Zhēnshi bùkěsīyì!
真是不可思议！
It's incredible!
Wǒ páihuái zài sīguā xiàmiàn,
我徘徊在丝瓜下面，
I hover under the loofah,
wǒ juédé sīguā yǒu sīxiǎng,
我觉得丝瓜有思想，
I think the loofah has thoughts,
néng kǎolǜ wèntí,
能考虑问题，
can consider problems,
érqiě hái yǒu xíngdòng.
而且还有行动。
and also has actions.
Tā néng ràng dà guā tíngzhǐ shēngzhǎng;
它能让大瓜停止生长；
It can stop the growth of the big gourd;
tā néng gěi guā zhǎodào chéngdān zhòngliàng de dìfāng.
它能给瓜找到承担重量的地方。
it can find a place to bear the weight for the gourd.
Rúguǒ zhēnshi zhèyàng,
如果真是这样，
If this is the case,
sīguā yòng shénme lái sīkǎo ne?
丝瓜用什么来思考呢？
what does the loofah use to think about?
Sīguā kào shénme lái zhǐdǎo zìjǐ de xíngdòng ne?
丝瓜靠什么来指导自己的行动呢？
What does the loofah rely on to guide its actions?
Wǒ xiǎngle yòu xiǎng,
我想了又想，
I thought and thought,
yuè xiǎng yuè hútú,
越想越糊涂，
the more I thought about it, the more confused I was,
ér sīguā què yīrújìwǎng de hánxiào miàn duì qiū yáng.
而丝瓜却一如既往地含笑面对秋阳。
but the loofah faced sun time with a smile as always.
Gǎibiān zì jìxiànlín tóngmíng wénzhāng
改编自季羡林同名文章
Adapted from Ji Xianlin's article of the same name
Full Translation:
The magical loofah
In spring, the children opened a small garden on the open space next to the building, and immediately planted a tree, a few flowers, and a few loofah seeds. The soil is not very fertile, but with water and sunshine, the loofah popped out of the soil within a few days, and then I was surprised to find that it seemed to be growing all the time. Looking at the loofah, I couldn't help but wonder: what did the ancients think, stupefied to make up a story to promote growth? If it's me, would rather use another analogy.
Confused and puzzled, I am tired from work every day, so I have to look at those loofahs. The loofah grows very fast, and in a blink of an eye, the gourd stem has climbed up the steep wall of our building. Then, it climbed from the first floor to the second floor, and from the second floor to the third floor. The gourd stem is as thick as a string, but it can be transported sufficient water and nutrients make the gourd stems upright and leaves lush.
The thick green covering the concrete wall appeared vigorous, full of vitality and energy. After a few more days, the loofah blossomed, and the yellow petals were dotted among the green leaves, the colors were harmonious, soft and delicate. In a few days, the yellow flower turned into a little loofah. The longer the gourd, the longer the weight becomes heavier. It hangs in the air, and the thin gourd stem seems to be unable to bear the weight of the gourd, and it has to fall down all the time, and my heart also becomes heavier.
It soon proved that my worries were unnecessary. At first, the gourds that grew out seemed to be very restrained, and they didn't grow to a certain extent, but two more gourds grew out of the window of the third floor home. These two gourds were only as thick as a girl’s braids at first, and soon grew as thick as a child’s arm.
Oh, these two gourds add up to five or six catties. How can that thin stem be able to bear it? My worries are increasing day by day. A few days later, I found out that I was wrong again. The two gourds bent up at some point and lay comfortably on the windowsill of that house.
Within a few days, another gourd grew from the ends of the stems under the two big gourds, which hung vertically there, dangling in the wind. I concluded: The top of this gourd cannot reach the window sill, and the bottom is empty. One day, the stem of the gourd will be unable to restrain the weight of the gourd, and it will fall to the ground together with the two large gourds above.
Early that morning, I saw a miracle. The gourd that I was determined to fall was already lying on an uneven table that was built when the wall was reinforced. It's incredible! I hover under the loofah I, I think the loofah has thoughts, can consider problems, and also has actions.
It can stop the growth of the big gourd; it can find a place to bear the weight for the gourd. If this is the case, what does the loofah use to think about? What does the loofah rely on to guide its actions? I thought and thought, the more I thought about it, the more confused I was, but the loofah faced suntime with a smile as always.
Adapted from Ji Xianlin's article of the same name
hsk 6 上 lesson 18 audio with pinyin and English translation 👇
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