HSK 2 · Story · 205 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/big-and-small-in-chinese

大床和小箱子

Big or small? The cat and the box

Name: ________________ Date: ________

我家wǒjiā的de猫māo，这些zhèxiē天tiān很hěn能néng吃chī，也yě大dà了le很hěn多duō。

爸爸bàba说shuō：“她tā很hěn大dà，要yào睡shuì很hěn大dà的de床chuáng。”他tā买mǎi了le一个yígè很hěn大dà很hěn贵guì的de床chuáng。

她tā看kàn了le看kàn新xīn床chuáng，没有méiyǒu睡shuì。她tā坐zuò进jìn了le旁边pángbiān的de一个yígè小xiǎo箱子xiāngzi里。

妈妈māma说shuō：“那个nàge太tài小xiǎo了le！你nǐ出来chūlái！”她tā不bù出来chūlái。

第二天dì’èrtiān，她tā不bú在zài那nà个gè箱子xiāngzi里了le。我们wǒmen找zhǎo了le一yí个gè上午shàngwǔ，在zài我wǒ的de房间fángjiān找到zhǎodào了le她tā。

她tā在zài一个yígè更gèng小xiǎo的de箱子xiāngzi里，那nà是shì我wǒ放fàng鞋xié的de箱子xiāngzi。

我wǒ说shuō：“你nǐ太tài大dà了le，箱子xiāngzi太tài小xiǎo了le！”她tā不bù听tīng，也yě不bù出来chūlái。

晚上wǎnshang，我们wǒmen听见tīngjiàn箱子xiāngzi里有yǒu小小xiáoxiǎo的de声音shēngyīn。

我们wǒmen一起yìqǐ去qù看kàn：大dà猫māo的de旁边pángbiān，有yǒu四sì只zhī小猫xiǎomāo！

爸爸bàba笑xiào了le：“我wǒ说shuō她tā很hěn大dà，没méi说shuō错cuò吧ba？”

妈妈māma也yě笑xiào了le：“很hěn大dà的de床chuáng，她tā不bù喜欢xǐhuān。她tā要yào一个yígè小小xiáoxiǎo的de家jiā。”

Key words

Lately our cat has been eating a lot, and she has got much bigger.

Dad said, “She’s big, she needs a big bed.” He bought a very big, very expensive bed.

She looked at the new bed and didn’t sleep in it. She sat down in a little box next to it.

Mum said, “That’s too small! Come out!” She didn’t come out.

The next day, she wasn’t in that box any more. We looked all morning and found her in my room.

She was in an even smaller box, the one I keep my shoes in.

I said, “You’re too big, and the box is too small!” She didn’t listen, and she didn’t come out.

That evening, we heard tiny sounds from the box.

We all went to look: next to the big cat were four kittens!

Dad laughed. “I said she was big, didn’t I?”

Mum laughed too. “A big bed? She didn’t like it. She wanted a small, small home.”