---
title: "借东风 | Three Kingdoms in Intermediate Chinese, Episode 15 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "Borrowing the East Wind: episode 15 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, retold for intermediate learners of Chinese, with audio."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-the-east-wind-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-15"
published: "2026-10-23"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Chapter 15

# 借东风

Borrowing the East Wind

HSK 4–5 · the same story at every level

曹操的大船都连在了一起，在江上就像一座城。一个冬天的晚上，月亮又大又圆，江上一点儿风也没有。曹操在大船上请文武官员喝酒。他喝得很高兴，站在船头唱起了自己写的诗：“对酒当歌，人生几何！”意思是：喝着酒，就该唱歌，人的一生能有多长呢？

过了几天，曹操看着水军在连起来的大船上练习，非常满意。一个叫程昱的谋士提醒他：“船都连在一起，确实很稳。可是对方要是用火，就很难躲开了。”曹操大笑：“用火要靠风。现在是冬天，只有西风、北风，哪里来的东风？我们在西北，他们在东南，他们要是放火，烧的是他们自己！”

江的另一边，周瑜站在山上看曹军，忽然一阵风吹来，把旗子吹到了他的脸上。他想到了这件事，突然大叫起来，往后倒在地上，吐出一口血，从此病倒在床上。

鲁肃急忙去找诸葛亮。诸葛亮来看周瑜，说：“我有一个药方，能治都督的病。”他拿起笔写了十六个字，最后八个字是：“万事俱备，只欠东风。”意思是：什么都准备好了，就差东风。

周瑜吃惊地说：“先生知道我的病！那该怎么办？”诸葛亮说：“我能借来三天三夜的东南风。”周瑜一下子从床上坐了起来：“不要说三天，只要一个晚上就够了！”

诸葛亮让人在山上搭了一座七星坛。到了二十日那天，他脱了鞋，披着头发，一天上去三次，下来三次，可是一点儿东南风也没有。

天黑了，天上很晴朗，一点儿风也没有。周瑜说：“冬天怎么会有东南风？孔明在骗人吧？”快到半夜的时候，忽然听见了风声，旗子都动了起来。周瑜出去一看，旗子都往西北飘——东南风真的来了！

周瑜又惊又怕：“这个人连风都能借来，留着他，一定是东吴的大祸！”他马上派人去七星坛杀诸葛亮。可是他们赶到时，诸葛亮早就走了。原来他早让赵云带着小船在江边接他。周瑜的人坐船追上去，赵云站在船上，一箭射断了他们船上的绳子，帆一下子掉了下来，船就走不动了。

这时，黄盖已经准备好了二十条船，船上装满了干草和干柴，浇上了油，再用青布把船盖好。他早就送信给曹操，说今晚带着运粮的船来投降。

曹操站在大船上，看见一队船顺着东南风开过来，高兴地说：“黄盖来了，老天在帮我！”程昱看了看，忽然说：“不对！运粮的船应该走得很慢，这些船却又轻又快，一定有问题！”可是已经晚了。

离曹军只有两里远的时候，黄盖一声令下，二十条船一起点起火来。火借风势，火船像箭一样冲进了曹军的船里。曹军的船都用铁环连在一起，想跑也跑不了，一条接一条地烧了起来。整个江上都是火，天也被照红了。这就是有名的“火烧赤壁”。

张辽连忙把曹操扶上一条小船，逃到了岸边。曹操回头一看，百万大军，有的死了，有的逃了，身边只剩下几百个人。他骑上马，连夜往北逃去。

可是他不知道，诸葛亮早就派人在每一条路上等着他了。

**933 characters** in this chapter

Chapter 16 of 40**华容道**

[Next chapter 华容道](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-huarong-road-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-16)

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

## Words in this chapter

- [稳wěnsteady](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%A8%B3)
- [药方yàofāngprescription](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%8D%AF%E6%96%B9)
- [备bèito prepare](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A4%87)
- [坛tánaltar](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%9D%9B)
- [绳子shéngzirope](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%BB%B3%E5%AD%90)
- [投降tóuxiángto surrender](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%8A%95%E9%99%8D)
- [连夜liányèthat very night](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%BF%9E%E5%A4%9C)
- [官员guānyuánofficial](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%AE%98%E5%91%98)
- [往后wǎnghòubackward](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%BE%80%E5%90%8E)
- [吐tǔto spit](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%90%90)
- [披pīto drape over one's shoulders](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%8A%AB)
- [晴朗qínglǎngsunny and cloudless](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%99%B4%E6%9C%97)
- [飘piāoto float](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%A3%98)
- [杀shāto kill](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%9D%80)
- [箭jiànarrow](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%AE%AD)
- [射shèto shoot](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B0%84)

## 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**Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-arrows-with-straw-boats-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-13)
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**Reading
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