HSK 6 · Story · 621 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/bole-and-the-thousand-li-horse

伯乐和千里马

Bole and the thousand-li horse (伯乐相马)

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太行山tàihángshān的de山路shānlù又yòu陡dǒu又yòu窄zhǎi。一yì匹pǐ老马láomǎ拉lā着zhe一yí辆liàng装满zhuāngmǎn盐yán的de马车mǎchē，一yí步bù一yí步bù往wǎng上shàng爬pá。它tā的de蹄子tízi磨破pò了le，膝盖xīgài一次次跪倒guìdǎo，尾巴wěiba湿透shītòu了le，身上shēnshang的de汗hàn不停bùtíng地de往wǎng下xià淌tǎng，滴dī在zài地上dìshang。走zǒu到dào半山腰bànshānyāo，它tā再也zàiyě拉不动lābudòng了le，只能zhǐnéng停tíng在zài那里nàlǐ，进jìn也yě不是búshì，退tuì也yě不是búshì。

这时zhèshí，一yí个gè人rén正好zhènghǎo从cóng这zhè条tiáo山路shānlù经过jīngguò。他tā看见kànjiàn这zhè匹pǐ马mǎ，愣lèng住zhù了le，赶紧gánjǐn从cóng自己zìjǐ的de马车mǎchē上shàng跳tiào下来xiàlai，扶fú着zhe马mǎ哭kū了le起来qǐlai。他tā解jiě下xià身上shēnshang的de麻布mábù衣服yīfu，轻轻qīngqīng地de盖gài在zài马背mǎbèi上shàng。那nà匹pǐ马mǎ低dī着zhe头tóu，鼻子bízi里喷出pēnchū一yì股gǔ热气rèqì，又yòu抬起táiqǐ头tóu，长长zhángzhǎng地de叫jiào了le一声yìshēng。那nà声音shēngyīn一直yìzhí传chuán到dào天上tiānshàng，像xiàng铜tóng钟zhōng和hé石shí磬qìng一样yíyàng清亮qīngliàng。

一yì匹pǐ拉lā盐yán的de老马láomǎ，为什么wèishénme会huì这样zhèyàng叫jiào？因为yīnwèi它tā终于zhōngyú遇到yùdào了le懂dǒng它tā的de人rén。原来yuánlái，这zhè是shì一yì匹pǐ千里马qiānlímǎ，本来běnlái能néng日行千里rìxíng-qiānlǐ，可是kěshì一直yìzhí没有méiyǒu人rén认出rènchū它tā，它tā只好zhíhǎo年复一年niánfù-yìnián地de拉lā着zhe沉重chénzhòng的de马车mǎchē。而ér那个nàge下车xiàchē哭kū它tā的de人rén，就是jiùshì春秋时期chūnqiū-shíqī最zuì懂dǒng马mǎ的de人rén伯乐bólè。

据说jùshuō伯乐bólè本名běnmíng孙阳，因为yīnwèi他tā看kàn马mǎ的de眼光yǎnguāng实在shízài太tài准zhǔn，人们rénmen就jiù用yòng天上tiānshàng专门zhuānmén管理guánlǐ马匹mápǐ的de星xīng官guān“伯乐bólè”来lái称呼chēnghu他tā。这zhè个gè故事gùshi记载jìzǎi在zài《战国策zhànguócè》里li。讲故事jiǎnggùshi的de人rén自己zìjǐ也yě怀才不遇huáicái-búyù，他tā想xiǎng借jiè这zhè匹pǐ马mǎ告诉gàosù春申君：有yǒu才能cáinéng的de人rén如果rúguǒ得不到débudào赏识shǎngshí，就jiù会huì像xiàng这zhè匹pǐ马mǎ一样yíyàng，被bèi埋没máimò在zài沉重chénzhòng的de车子chēzi后面hòumiàn，一辈子yíbèizi默默无闻mòmò-wúwén。

一千多yìqiānduō年nián以后yǐhòu，唐朝tángcháo的de韩愈hányù写xiě了le一yì篇piān很hěn短duǎn的de文章wénzhāng，叫jiào《马说》，里面lǐmiàn有yǒu一句话yíjùhuà后来hòulái家喻户晓jiāyù-hùxiǎo：“千里马qiānlímǎ常cháng有yǒu，而ér伯乐bólè不bù常cháng有yǒu。”他tā说shuō，很hěn多duō千里马qiānlímǎ遇不到yùbudào伯乐bólè，只能zhǐnéng被bèi普通人pǔtōngrén养yǎng在zài马棚mǎpéng里，吃不饱chībubǎo，力气lìqi不足bùzú，最后zuìhòu跟gēn普通pǔtōng的de马mǎ一起yìqǐ默默mòmò地de死去sǐqù。养yǎng马mǎ的de人rén拿ná着zhe鞭子biānzi站zhàn在zài它tā面前miànqián，叹tàn着zhe气qì说shuō：“天下tiānxià根本gēnběn没有méiyǒu千里马qiānlímǎ啊a！”韩愈hányù反问fǎnwèn：真的zhēnde没有méiyǒu千里马qiānlímǎ吗ma？恐怕kǒngpà是shì他们tāmen根本gēnběn不bú认识rènshi千里马qiānlímǎ罢了bàle。

从cóng那nà以后yǐhòu，“伯乐bólè”就jiù成chéng了le一个yígè常用chángyòng词cí。今天jīntiān，中国zhōngguó人rén说shuō一yí位wèi老师lǎoshī或者huòzhě老板láobǎn是shì自己zìjǐ的de“伯乐bólè”，意思yìsi是shì他tā第一dìyī个gè看出kànchū了le自己zìjǐ的de才能cáinéng。也许yéxǔ每měi个gè人rén心里xīnli都dōu有yǒu一yì匹pǐ默默mòmò拉车lāchē的de千里马qiānlímǎ，等děng着zhe那个nàge肯kěn为wèi它tā停tíng下来xiàlai的de人rén。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
窄zhǎinarrow
匹pǐclassifier for horses, mules and bolts of cloth
尾巴wěibatail
退tuìto return; to refund (as in 退货)
扶fúto support with the hand; to help up
盖gàilid; cover; to cover
传chuánto pass on; to transmit
天上tiānshàngin the sky; in heaven
据说jùshuōit is said; reportedly
记载jìzǎito record; to write down; record; account
老板láobǎnboss; owner (of a shop or business)
滴dīplayful spelling of the particle de (as in 好滴)

English (for the teacher)

The road over the Taihang mountains was steep and narrow. An old horse was hauling a cart loaded with salt, climbing step by step. Its hooves were worn raw, its knees buckled again and again, its tail was soaked through, and sweat streamed down its body and dripped onto the ground. Halfway up the mountain it could pull no more; it could only stand there, unable to go forward or back.

Just then a man came along the mountain road. He saw the horse and froze, then quickly jumped down from his own carriage, held the horse and began to weep. He took off his linen robe and laid it gently over the horse's back. The horse kept its head low and blew a warm breath from its nostrils, then raised its head and gave a long neigh. The sound rose all the way to the sky, clear as a bronze bell or a stone chime.

Why would an old horse hauling salt cry out like that? Because at last it had met someone who understood it. It was a thousand-li horse, one that could run a thousand li in a day, but nobody had ever recognised it, so year after year it had to haul heavy carts. And the man who climbed down and wept for it was the greatest judge of horses of the Spring and Autumn period: Bole.

Bole's real name is said to have been Sun Yang; his eye for horses was so sharp that people called him after Bole, the star official in heaven in charge of horses. This story is recorded in the Zhanguo ce, the Strategies of the Warring States. The man who told it was a gifted man nobody had noticed, and through this horse he wanted to tell Lord Chunshen that a talented person who is never appreciated ends up like this horse, buried away behind a heavy cart and unknown all his life.

More than a thousand years later, Han Yu of the Tang dynasty wrote a very short essay called “On Horses”, with a line in it that everyone came to know: “Thousand-li horses are common, but Boles are not.” He said many thousand-li horses never meet a Bole and are kept in the stable by ordinary people, never get enough to eat, lack strength, and in the end die quietly alongside ordinary horses. Their keeper stands before them with a whip and sighs, “There are simply no thousand-li horses in the world!” Han Yu asks back: are there really no thousand-li horses? More likely they just can't recognise one.

Ever since, 伯乐 has been an everyday word. Today, when Chinese people call a teacher or a boss their 伯乐, they mean the first person to see their talent. Perhaps everyone has inside them a thousand-li horse quietly pulling a cart, waiting for the one person willing to stop for it.