---
title: "草船借箭 | Three Kingdoms in Intermediate Chinese, Episode 13 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats: episode 13 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, retold for intermediate learners of Chinese, with audio."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-arrows-with-straw-boats-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-13"
published: "2026-10-23"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Chapter 13

# 草船借箭

Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats

HSK 4–5 · the same story at every level

第二天，周瑜请诸葛亮来商量事情。他问：“在大江上跟曹军打仗，用什么最好？”诸葛亮说：“在江上，弓箭最好。”周瑜说：“先生说得对。可是现在正缺箭，请先生帮忙做十万支箭，十天能做好吗？”

诸葛亮说：“曹军马上就到，等十天就晚了。我只要三天。”周瑜说：“打仗的事可不能开玩笑。”诸葛亮说：“怎么敢开玩笑？三天以后拿不出箭来，我愿意受罚。”他当场写下保证书，交给了周瑜。

诸葛亮走后，鲁肃问：“他是不是在说大话？”周瑜冷笑道：“这是他自己找死，不是我逼他。我让做箭的人故意慢慢做，东西也不给他准备齐。三天以后箭不够，就按他写的杀了他，谁也说不出什么。”

周瑜让鲁肃去看看诸葛亮在做什么。诸葛亮一见鲁肃就说：“三天做十万支箭，你一定要救我。”鲁肃说：“三天是你自己说的，我怎么救你？”诸葛亮说：“请借给我二十条船，每条船上三十个人，船上用青布围起来，两边各放一千多捆草。我自有办法。可千万不能让都督知道。”鲁肃答应了，回去果然没提借船的事。

船准备好了。第一天，诸葛亮什么也没做；第二天，还是什么也没做。第三天夜里，诸葛亮悄悄把鲁肃请到船上。鲁肃问：“你叫我来干什么？”诸葛亮说：“请你一起去拿箭。”

那天夜里，江上起了大雾，对面都看不见人。诸葛亮让人用长绳把二十条船连在一起，开船往北岸去。天快亮的时候，船已经靠近了曹军的水寨。诸葛亮让船一字排开，船上的人一边打鼓，一边大声喊叫。鲁肃吓坏了：“曹军冲出来怎么办？”诸葛亮笑着说：“雾这么大，曹操一定不敢出来。我们只管喝酒，等雾散了就回去。”

曹操听到鼓声和喊声，说：“雾这么大，对面突然来人，一定有埋伏，千万不能出去。叫弓箭手往江上射！”一万多个弓箭手一起放箭，箭像下雨一样落在船两边的草上。过了一会儿，诸葛亮又让船转过来，让另一边也对着曹军。

太阳出来了，雾慢慢散了，船两边的草上插满了箭。诸葛亮让大家一起大喊：“多谢丞相送箭！”等曹操明白过来，船已经走远了，追也追不上。

回去一数，每条船上都有五六千支箭，一共十万多支。鲁肃问：“你怎么知道今天有大雾？”诸葛亮说：“当大将的，不懂天文，不看地理，怎么行？我三天前就已经算好了今天有大雾，所以才敢说三天。”

周瑜听说以后，叹了一口气说：“孔明真是神机妙算，我不如他！”

过了几天，周瑜又请诸葛亮来，商量怎么打败曹操。两个人说好，先不说出来，各自在手心里写一个字。两只手一打开，两人都笑了：手心里写的是同一个字——“火”。

**828 characters** in this chapter

Chapter 14 of 40**苦肉计**

[Next chapter 苦肉计](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-beaten-general-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-14)

[Back to the series](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/series/three-kingdoms-intermediate)

## Words in this chapter

- [捆kǔnclassifier for bundles](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%8D%86)
- [只管zhǐguǎnjust](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%8F%AA%E7%AE%A1)
- [埋伏máifúambush](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%9F%8B%E4%BC%8F)
- [真是zhēnshireally](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%9C%9F%E6%98%AF)
- [打仗dǎzhàngto fight a battle](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%89%93%E4%BB%97)
- [箭jiànarrow](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%AE%AD)
- [当场dāngchǎngon the spot](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%BD%93%E5%9C%BA)
- [逼bīto force](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%80%BC)
- [杀shāto kill](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%9D%80)
- [布bùcloth](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B8%83)
- [散sànto break up](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%95%A3)
- [射shèto shoot](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B0%84)
- [天文tiānwénastronomy](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A4%A9%E6%96%87)
- [一口气yīkǒuqìa breath](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%80%E5%8F%A3%E6%B0%94)
- [支zhīclassifier for troops, songs, pens and long thin things](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%94%AF)
- [齐qícomplete](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%BD%90)

Chapter 13 · 3 min

## Chapters

1. [1**桃园结义**The Oath in the Peach Garden](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/oath-in-the-peach-garden-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-1)
2. [2**温酒斩华雄**Slaying Hua Xiong Before the Wine Cools](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/slaying-hua-xiong-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-2)
3. [3**三英战吕布**Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/three-heroes-fight-lu-bu-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-3)
4. [4**煮酒论英雄**Heroes Over Warm Wine](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/heroes-over-warm-wine-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-4)
5. [5**千里走单骑**A Thousand Li Alone](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/a-thousand-li-alone-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-5)
6. [6**古城相会**Reunion at the Old City](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/reunion-at-the-old-city-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-6)
7. [7**马跃檀溪**The Leap Across the Tan Stream](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-leap-across-the-tan-stream-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-7)
8. [8**三顾茅庐**Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/three-visits-to-the-thatched-cottage-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-8)
9. [9**单骑救主**Zhao Yun Rides Alone](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhao-yun-rides-alone-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-9)
10. [10**喝断长坂桥**Zhang Fei at Changban Bridge](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhang-fei-at-changban-bridge-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-10)
11. [11**舌战群儒**Zhuge Liang Against the Scholars](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhuge-liang-against-the-scholars-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-11)
12. [12**蒋干盗书**Jiang Gan Steals a Letter](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/jiang-gan-steals-a-letter-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-12)
13. 13**草船借箭**Reading
14. [14**苦肉计**The Beaten General](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-beaten-general-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-14)
15. [15**借东风**Borrowing the East Wind](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-the-east-wind-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-15)
16. [16**华容道**The Huarong Road](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-huarong-road-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-16)

Story series · Intermediate · HSK 4–5