HSK 2 · Article · 175 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/animals-in-chinese

熊猫是猫吗？

Animals in Chinese: is a panda a cat?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

星期天xīngqītiān，天气tiānqì很hěn好hǎo，我wǒ和hé爷爷yéye一起yìqǐ去qù动物园dòngwùyuán。

我wǒ看见kànjiàn一个yígè很hěn大dà很hěn大dà的de东西dōngxī，坐zuò着zhe吃chī东西dōngxī。“爷爷yéye，那nà是shì猫māo吗ma？”

爷爷yéye笑xiào了le：“那nà是shì熊猫xióngmāo。熊猫xióngmāo不是búshì猫māo，是shì熊xióng。”

“那nà怎么zěnme叫jiào这zhè个gè名字míngzi呢ne？”

爷爷yéye说shuō：“这个zhège，爷爷yéye也yě不bù知道zhīdào！”

中文zhōngwén里，很hěn多duō名字míngzi都dōu是shì两liǎng个gè字zì放fàng在zài一起yìqǐ。

下午xiàwǔ，我们wǒmen去qù看kàn水shuǐ里的de大dà东西dōngxī。

爷爷yéye说shuō：“这个zhège叫jiào河马hémǎ。”

“河马hémǎ是shì马mǎ吗ma？”

“也yě不是búshì。很hěn早zǎo很hěn早zǎo的de时候shíhou，希腊人xīlàrén看见kànjiàn了le，也yě说shuō：这zhè是shì河hé里的de马mǎ！今天jīntiān很hěn多duō外国wàiguó的de名字míngzi，也yě是shì从cóng那儿nàr来lái的de。”

我wǒ高兴gāoxìng地de说shuō：“你nǐ看kàn，中国zhōngguó人rén和hé外国人wàiguórén，想xiǎng的de都dōu一样yíyàng！”

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
星期天xīngqītiānSunday
天气tiānqìweather
好hǎogood; nice
去qùto go
看见kànjiànto see; to catch sight of
很hěnvery; quite
大dàbig; large
东西dōngxīeast and west
坐zuòto sit
吃chīto eat
猫māocat
名字míngziname

English (for the teacher)

It was a lovely Sunday, and Grandpa and I went to the zoo together.

I saw something very, very big, sitting down and eating. “Grandpa, is that a cat?”

Grandpa laughed. “That’s a 熊猫, a ‘bear cat’. A bear cat isn’t a cat. It’s a bear.”

“Then why is it called that?”

Grandpa said, “That one, even Grandpa doesn’t know!”

Lots of Chinese names are just two characters put together: bear + cat.

In the afternoon, we went to see the big thing in the water.

Grandpa said, “This one is called a 河马, a ‘river horse’.”

“Is a river horse a horse?”

“No, not that either. A very, very long time ago, the Greeks saw it and said the same thing: it’s a horse of the river! Many of its names in other countries today, like the English hippopotamus, come from there too.”

I said happily, “See, Chinese people and foreigners think exactly the same way!”