06 July 2021

Hsk6 下 standard course textbook lesson 25 with pinyin and English translation

Lesson 25   草船借箭   Borrowing arrows with thatched boat

Cǎo chuán jiè jiàn
草船借箭
Borrowing arrows with thatched boat

Sānguó shíqí, 

三国时期,

During the Three Kingdoms period, 


Dōng Wú dàjiàng Zhōuyú juédé zìjǐ hěn yǒu cái, 

东吴大将周瑜觉得自己很有才,

Soochow General Zhou Yu felt that he was very talented, 


què zǒng bǐ bùguò Zhūgéliàng, xīnlǐ yīzhí bù fúqì.

却总比不过诸葛亮,心里一直不服气。

but he was no better than Zhuge Liang, and he was not convinced.


Yītiān, Zhōuyú qǐng láile Zhūgéliàng, shuō:

一天,周瑜请来了诸葛亮,说:

One day, Zhou Yu invited Zhuge Liang and said, 


“Wǒmen jiù yào gēn cáocāo de jūnduì dǎzhàngle. 

“我们就要跟曹操的军队打仗了。

"We are about to fight Cao Cao's army. 


Shuǐshàng zuòzhàn, yòng shénme wǔqì zuì hǎo?”

水上作战,用什么武器最好?”

What kind of weapon is the best weapon for water warfare?"


Zhūgéliàng shuō: “Gōngjiàn.”

诸葛亮说:“弓箭。”

Zhuge Liang said: "Bows and arrows."


Zhōuyú shuō: “Zhè huà bù jiǎ. 

周瑜说:“这话不假。

Zhou Yu said: "This is true. 


Kě xiànzài wǒmen quē jiàn, 

可现在我们缺箭,

But now we are short of arrows. 


dāngwùzhījí shì gǎn zào shí wàn zhī jiàn, 

当务之急是赶造十万支箭,

The most urgent task is to rush to build 100,000 arrows. 


zào jiàn de shì jiù yóu nín chéngbàn ba.”

造箭的事就由您承办吧。”

You can do the task of building the arrows.  "


Zhūgéliàng shuō: 

诸葛亮说:

Zhuge Liang said: 


“Nín wěituō de shì, dāngrán yào bàn hǎo. 

“您委托的事,当然要办好。

"Of course the things you entrust, must be done well.


Jiàn shénme shíhòu yòng?”

箭什么时候用?”

When do you use the arrow?"


Zhōuyú shuō: “Jíjiāng jiāozhàn, shí tiān zěnme yàng?”

周瑜说:“即将交战,十天怎么样?”

Zhou Yu said: "It's about to fight, how about ten days?"


Zhūgéliàng shuō: “Shíjiān jǐnpò, sān tiān yě xíng.”

诸葛亮说:“时间紧迫,三天也行。”

Zhuge Liang said: "Time is tight, and three days will do."


Zhōuyú shuō: “Zhè shì gōngwù, kě bùnéng kāiwánxiào.”

周瑜说:“这是公务,可不能开玩笑。”

Zhou Yu said: "This is official business, so you can't make a joke."


Zhūgéliàng shuō: “Sān tiān zào bù hǎo jiàn, yuàn shòu chéngfá.”

诸葛亮说:“三天造不好箭,愿受惩罚。”

Zhuge Liang said: "If I can't make arrows in three days, I'm willing to be punished."


Zhōuyú hěn gāoxìng, shè yàn kuǎndài Zhūgéliàng.

周瑜很高兴,设宴款待诸葛亮。

Zhou Yu was very happy and hosted a banquet in honor of Zhuge Liang.


Zhūgéliàng lín zǒushí dīngzhǔ zhōuyú:

诸葛亮临走时叮嘱周瑜:

Before leaving, Zhuge Liang told Zhou Yu: 



“Sān tiān yǐhòu, qǐng pài rén dào jiāng biān lái bān jiàn.”

“三天以后,请派人到江边来搬箭。”

"In three days, please send someone to the river to carry arrows."


Lǔ sù duì zhōuyú shuō:

鲁肃对周瑜说:

Lu Su said to Zhou Yu: 


“Shí wàn zhī jiàn, sān tiān zěnme zào dé chéng? 

“十万支箭,三天怎么造得成?

"How can you make one hundred thousand arrows in three days? 


Zhūgéliàng bù huì shuōhuà bù suànshù ba?”

诸葛亮不会说话不算数吧?”

Zhuge Liang doesn't know how to speak, doesn't it count?"


Zhōuyú shuō: 

周瑜说:

Zhou Yu said: 


“Wǒ yòu méiyǒu bīpò tā, shì tā zìjǐ shuō de.

“我又没有逼迫他,是他自己说的。

"I didn't persecute him, he said it himself.


Wǒ dé fēnfù xiàshǔ, 

我得吩咐下属,

I have to instruct my subordinates 


zào jiàn yòng de cáiliào, bùyào gěi tā zhǔnbèi qíquán, 

造箭用的材料,不要给他准备齐全,

not to provide him with all the materials used to make the arrows, 


yě bùnéng gōngyìng chōngzú, 

也不能供应充足,

nor to supply them in sufficient quantities, 


gùyì gěi tā tuōyán shíjiān.

故意给他拖延时间。

and deliberately delay him.


Dào qíxiàn zào bù chū jiàn, tā jiùhuó gāi shòufále.

到期限造不出箭,他就活该受罚了。

He deserves to be punished if he fails to produce arrows by the deadline.


Nǐ qù tàntīng tàntīng, tā shì zěnme dǎsuàn de, huílái xiàng wǒ huìbào.”

你去探听探听,他是怎么打算的,回来向我汇报。”

You go to inquire, what did he plan, come back and report to me."


Lǔ sù qù tànwàng zhūgéliàng, 

鲁肃去探望诸葛亮,

Lu Su went to visit Zhuge Liang, 


jiànmiàn hánxuān guòhòu, Zhūgéliàng shuō: 

见面寒暄过后,诸葛亮说:

and after the greeting, Zhuge Liang said: 


“Sān tiān, yào shí wàn zhī jiàn, nǐ děi bāng bāng wǒ.”

“三天,要十万支箭,你得帮帮我。”

"Three days, you need 100,000 arrows, you have to help me."


Lǔ sù shuō: “Nǐ bùyào wéinán wǒ, wǒ zěnme bāng dé liǎo nǐ?”

鲁肃说:“你不要为难我,我怎么帮得了你?”

Lu Su said: "Don't embarrass me, how can I help you?"


Zhūgéliàng shuō: “Nǐ jiè gěi wǒ èrshí tiáo chuán, měi tiáo chuánshàng yào sānshí míng shìbīng.

诸葛亮说:“你借给我二十条船,每条船上要三十名士兵。

Zhuge Liang said: "You lend me twenty boats, each with thirty soldiers.


Chuányòng hēi bù zhēdǎng yánmì, 

船用黑布遮挡严密,

The boat was tightly shielded with black cloth, 


zài bǎ cǎo kǔn chéng kǔnr, 

再把草捆成捆儿,

and then the straw was bundled into bundles, 


gòng yào yīqiān gè,  

共要一千个,

a total of one thousand, 


pái zài chuán de cèmiàn, wǒ yǒuyòng.

排在船的侧面,我有用。

lined on the side of the boat is useful for me.


Bùguò zhè shì jīmì, 

不过这是机密,

But this is a secret, 


nǐ děi tì wǒ bǎomì, 

你得替我保密,

you have to keep it secret for me, 


bùyào zǒulòu xiāoxī, 

不要走漏消息,

don't leak the news, 


fǒuzé wǒ xìngmìng nánbǎo.”

否则我性命难保。”

otherwise my life will not be guaranteed."


Lǔ sù dāyìngle, huílái fù gào Zhōuyú, 

鲁肃答应了,回来报告周瑜,

Lu Su agreed, and returned to report to Zhou Yu. 


guǒrán méi tí jiè chuán de shì, 

果然没提借船的事,

As expected, he didn't mention borrowing the ship, 


zhǐ shuō zào jiàn de cáiliào Zhūgéliàng dōu bùyòng.

只说造箭的材料诸葛亮都不用。

only that Zhuge Liang didn't use the materials for making the arrow.


Zhōuyú chénsī liángjiǔ, 

周瑜沉思良久,

Zhou Yu pondered for a long time, 


cāi bù chū Zhūgéliàng de yìtú, 

猜不出诸葛亮的意图,

unable to guess Zhuge Liang's intentions, 


zhǐhǎo děngzhe.

只好等着。

so he had to wait.


Lǔ sù sīzì nòng lái èrshí tiáo kuài chuán, 

鲁肃私自弄来二十条快船,

Lu Su privately obtained 20 clippers 


àn Zhūgéliàng shuō de ānpái tuǒdang.

按诸葛亮说的安排妥当。

and arranged them properly according to Zhuge Liang's words.


Tóu liǎng tiān, 

头两天,

For the first two days, 


Zhūgéliàng nàr háo wú dòngjìng, 

诸葛亮那儿毫无动静,

there was no movement in Zhuge Liang. 


dì sān tiānguòle wǔyè, 

第三天过了午夜,

After midnight on the third day, 


Zhūgéliàng bǎ Lǔsù qǐng dào chuánshàng, 

诸葛亮把鲁肃请到船上,

Zhuge Liang invited Lu Su to the boat 


shuō: “Hé wǒ yīqǐ qù qǔ jiàn.”

说:“和我一起去取箭。”

and said, "Go get arrows with me."


Zhīhòu fēnfù yòng shéngsuǒ bǎ chuán lián zài yīqǐ, 

之后吩咐用绳索把船连在一起,

After that, he ordered the ship to be connected with ropes 


cháo cáocāo zhànlǐng de běi'àn kāi qù.

朝曹操占领的北岸开去。

and headed towards the north bank occupied by Cao Cao.


Cǐ shí, dà wù fēngsuǒle jiāngmiàn, 

此时,大雾封锁了江面,

At this time, the fog blocked the river surface, 


bù yuǎn chù shénme dōu kàn bù qīng, 

不远处什么都看不清,

and nothing could be seen not far away, 


chuán qiāoqiāo de kàojìnle cáocāo de zhùzhá dì.

船悄悄地靠近了曹操的驻扎地。

and the ship quietly approached Cao Cao's station.


Shìbīng zài zhūgéliàng zhǐdìng de dìdiǎn, 

士兵在诸葛亮指定的地点,

At the location designated by Zhuge Liang, 


jiāng chuán tóu cháo xī, chuánwěi cháo dōng, yī zì bǎi kāi.

将船头朝西,船尾朝东,一字摆开。

the soldiers set the bow of the ship to the west and the stern to the east.


Chuánshàng de shìbīng fènlì qiāo gǔ, 

船上的士兵奋力敲鼓,

The soldiers on the ship beat the drums hard 


qí shēnggāo hǎn, shēngyīn néng duō xiǎngliàng jiù duō xiǎngliàng.

齐声高喊,声音能多响亮就多响亮。

and shouted in unison, as loud as they could be.


Lǔ sù chījīng de shuō:

鲁肃吃惊地说:

Lu Su said in surprise, 


“Cáo bīng chūlái zěnme bàn?”

“曹兵出来怎么办?”

"What should I do if Cao Bing comes out?"


Zhūgéliàng xiào dá: 

诸葛亮笑答:

Zhuge Liang smiled and replied: 


“Wù zhème dà, cáocāo bù gǎn pàibīng chūlái.”

“雾这么大,曹操不敢派兵出来。”

"The fog is so big that Cao Cao dare not send out soldiers."


Lǔ sù gēn Zhūgéliàng lái dào chuánshàng, 

鲁肃跟诸葛亮来到船上,

Lu Su and Zhuge Liang came to the boat 


kàn dào cāng zhōng yǐ bǎi xià jiǔcài, 

看到舱中已摆下酒菜,

and saw that the food and beverages were placed in the cabin, 


zhǐdé xīnshén bùdìng de yǔ Zhūgéliàng yǐnjiǔ.

只得心神不定地与诸葛亮饮酒。

so they had to drink with Zhuge Liang unsteadily.


Cáocāo tīng dào gǔ shēng hé jiàohǎn shēngxiǎng chéng yīpiàn, 

曹操听到鼓声和叫喊声响成一片,

Cao Cao heard the sound of drums and shouts, 


zhǔfù xiàshǔ:

嘱咐下属:

and asked his subordinates: 


“Jiāngshàng dà wù mángmáng, 

“江上大雾茫茫,

"The river is thick and foggy. 


wǒmen nòng bù qīng qíngkuàng, 

我们弄不清情况,

We can't figure out the situation. 


bùyào qīngyì chūbīng.”

不要轻易出兵。”

Don't send troops lightly."


Yúshì, 

于是,

As a result, 


diàodòngle shàng wàn míng gōngjiàn shǒu yīqí cháo chuán lái gǔ shēng de fāngwèi fàng jiàn, 

调动了上万名弓箭手一齐朝传来鼓声的方位放箭,

tens of thousands of archers were mobilized to throw arrows toward the direction where the drum sound was heard, 


jiàn xiàng yǔdiǎn yīyàng luò zài chuánshàng.

箭像雨点一样落在船上。

and the arrows fell on the boat like raindrops.


Yīhuìr, 

一会儿,

After a while, 


Zhūgéliàng xiàlìng bǎ chuán diào guòlái, 

诸葛亮下令把船掉过来,

Zhuge Liang ordered the boat to fall over, 


chuán tóu cháo dōng, chuánwěi cháo xī.

船头朝东,船尾朝西。

with the bow facing east and the stern facing west.


Shìbīngmen qíngxù gāozhàng, 

士兵们情绪高涨,

The soldiers were in high spirits, 


yījiù qiāo gǔ gāo hǎn, 

依旧敲鼓高喊,

still beating the drums and shouting, 


bījìn cáojūn qù shòu jiàn.

逼近曹军去受箭。

approaching Cao Jun to receive the arrow.


Cǎo chuán xìn?

草船信?

Grass boat letter?


Língchén, 

凌晨,

In the early morning, 


wù hái lóngzhàozhe jiāngmiàn, 

雾还笼罩着江面,

the fog was still covering the river, 


chuán liǎngbiān de cǎo kǔnr shàng chā mǎnle jiàn.

船两边的草捆儿上插满了箭。

and the bales on both sides of the ship were full of arrows.


Zhūgéliàng mìnglìng shìbīng qǐchéng fǎnháng.

诸葛亮命令士兵启程返航。

Zhuge Liang ordered the soldiers to set off and return.


Cáocāo zhīdao shàngdàngle, 

曹操知道上当了,

Cao Cao knew he had been fooled, 


kě Zhūgéliàng de chuán yǐjīng zǒu yuǎnle.

可诸葛亮的船已经走远了。

but Zhuge Liang's boat had already gone far.


Èrshí tiáo chuán kào àn de shíhòu, 

二十条船靠岸的时候,

When the twenty boats docked, 


zhōuyú pài lái bān jiàn de rén yě dàole.

周瑜派来搬箭的人也到了。

the people Zhou Yu sent to carry the arrows also arrived.


Dàzhì suànle suàn, 

大致算了算,

After all, 


chuánshàng de jiàn gòngyǒu shí wàn duō zhī, 

船上的箭共有十万多支,

there were more than 100,000 arrows on the ship, 


Zhūgéliàng yuánmǎn wánchéngle rènwù.

诸葛亮圆满完成了任务。

and Zhuge Liang successfully completed the task.


Lǔ sù jiànle zhōuyú, gàosù tā jiè jiàn de jīngguò.

鲁肃见了周瑜,告诉他借箭的经过。

Lu Su met Zhou Yu and told him how he borrowed the arrow.


Zhōuyú tànzhe qì shuō:

周瑜叹着气说:

Zhou Yu sighed and said, 


“Āi, tā zhēnshi tiāncái, quèshí bǐ wǒ gāomíng!”

“唉,他真是天才,确实比我高明!”

"Hey, he is really a genius, he is indeed better than me!"

Full Translation:

Using straw boats to borrow arrows


During the Three Kingdoms period, Soochow General Zhou Yu felt that he was very talented, but he was no better than Zhuge Liang, and he was not convinced. One day, Zhou Yu invited Zhuge Liang and said, "We are about to fight Cao Cao's army. 

What kind of weapon is the best weapon for water warfare?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Bows and arrows."

Zhou Yu said: "This is true. But now we are short of arrows. The most urgent task is to rush to build 100,000 arrows. You can do the task of building the arrows."

Zhuge Liang said: "Of course the things you entrust, must be done well. When do you use the arrow?"

Zhou Yu said: "It's about to fight, how about ten days?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Time is tight, and three days will do."

Zhou Yu said: "This is official business, so you can't make a joke."

Zhuge Liang said: "If I can't make arrows in three days, I'm willing to be punished."

Zhou Yu was very happy and hosted a banquet in honor of Zhuge Liang. Before leaving, Zhuge Liang told Zhou Yu: "In three days, please send someone to the river to carry arrows."

Lu Su said to Zhou Yu: "How can you make one hundred thousand arrows in three days? 

Zhuge Liang doesn't know how to speak, doesn't it count?"

Zhou Yu said: "I didn't persecute him, he said it himself. I have to instruct my subordinates not to provide him with all the materials used to make the arrows, nor to supply them in sufficient quantities, and deliberately delay him. He deserves to be punished if he fails to produce arrows by the deadline. You go to inquire, what did he plan, come back and report to me."

Lu Su went to visit Zhuge Liang, and after the greeting, Zhuge Liang said: "Three days, you need 100,000 arrows, you have to help me."

Lu Su said: "Don't embarrass me, how can I help you?"

Zhuge Liang said: "You lend me twenty boats, each with thirty soldiers. The boat was tightly shielded with black cloth, and then the straw was bundled into bundles, a total of one thousand, lined on the side of the boat is useful for me. But this is a secret, you have to keep it secret for me, don't leak the news, otherwise my life will not be guaranteed."

Lu Su agreed, and returned to report to Zhou Yu. As expected, he didn't mention borrowing the ship, only that Zhuge Liang didn't use the materials for making the arrow. Zhou Yu pondered for a long time, unable to guess Zhuge Liang's intentions, so he had to wait. Lu Su privately obtained 20 clippers and arranged them properly according to Zhuge Liang's words.

For the first two days, there was no movement in Zhuge Liang. After midnight on the third day, Zhuge Liang invited Lu Su to the boat and said, "Go get arrows with me." After that, he ordered the ship to be connected with ropes and headed towards the north bank occupied by Cao Cao. At this time, the fog blocked the river surface, and nothing could be seen not far away, and the ship quietly approached Cao Cao's station.

At the location designated by Zhuge Liang, the soldiers set the bow of the ship to the west and the stern to the east. The soldiers on the ship beat the drums hard and shouted in unison, as loud as they could be.

Lu Su said in surprise, "What should I do if Cao Bing comes out?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and replied: "The fog is so big that Cao Cao dare not send out soldiers."

Lu Su and Zhuge Liang came to the boat and saw that the food and beverages were placed in the cabin, so they had to drink with Zhuge Liang unsteadily. Cao Cao heard the sound of drums and shouts, and asked his subordinates: "The river is thick and foggy.  

We can't figure out the situation. Don't send troops lightly."

As a result, tens of thousands of archers were mobilized to throw arrows toward the direction where the drum sound was heard, and the arrows fell on the boat like raindrops.

After a while, Zhuge Liang ordered the boat to fall over, with the bow facing east and the stern facing west. The soldiers were in high spirits, still beating the drums and shouting, approaching Cao Jun to receive the arrow.

Grass boat letter?

In the early morning, the fog was still covering the river, and the bales on both sides of the ship were full of arrows. Zhuge Liang ordered the soldiers to set off and return. Cao Cao knew he had been fooled, but Zhuge Liang's boat had already gone far.

When the twenty boats docked, the people Zhou Yu sent to carry the arrows also arrived. After all, there were more than 100,000 arrows on the ship, and Zhuge Liang successfully completed the task. Lu Su met Zhou Yu and told him how he borrowed the arrow. Zhou Yu sighed and said, "Hey, he is really a genius, he is indeed better than me!"

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