HSK 5 · Story · 378 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/cao-chong-cheng-xiang-how-to-weigh-an-elephant

曹冲称象

How Cao Chong weighed an elephant

Name: ________________ Date: ________

一千八百多yìqiānbābǎiduō年nián前qián，曹操cáocāo收到shōudào了le一个yígè很hěn特别tèbié的de礼物lǐwù：南方nánfāng的de孙权sūnquán送sòng来lái了le一yì头tóu大象dàxiàng。

大家dàjiā都dōu围wéi过来guòlai看kàn。这么zhème大dà的de动物dòngwù，到底dàodǐ有yǒu多少duōshao斤jīn呢ne？曹操cáocāo也yě很hěn想xiǎng知道zhīdào。

他tā问wèn身边shēnbiān的de大臣dàchén们men，可是kěshì没有méiyǒu一yí个gè人rén能néng想xiǎng出chū办法bànfǎ。有人yǒurén说shuō：“做zuò一个yígè大dà秤chèng吧ba！”可是kěshì，这么zhème大dà的de秤chèng，谁shéi能néng提得起来tíde-qǐlái？有人yǒurén说shuō：“把bǎ大象dàxiàng切qiē成chéng小xiǎo块kuài，再zài放fàng到dào秤chèng上shàng！”曹操cáocāo听tīng了le，脸liǎn都dōu黑hēi了le：“那nà我wǒ的de大象dàxiàng怎么办zěnmebàn？”

这时候zhèshíhou，曹操cáocāo的de儿子érzi曹冲cáochōng站zhàn了le出来chūlái。他tā还是háishi个gè小孩子xiǎoháizi，可是kěshì从cóng五六wǔliù岁suì开始kāishǐ，就jiù跟gēn大人dàren一样yíyàng聪明cōngming。

他tā说shuō：“先xiān让ràng大象dàxiàng走zǒu到dào一yì条tiáo大船dàchuán上shàng。大象dàxiàng一yí上去shàngqu，船chuán就jiù往wǎng下沉xiàchén了le一点儿yìdiǎnr。我们wǒmen就jiù在zài船chuán边上biānshang，水shuǐ到dào的de地方dìfang，画huà一yì条tiáo线xiàn。”

“然后ránhòu，让ràng大象dàxiàng走zǒu下xià船chuán，再zài往wǎng船chuán上shàng放fàng石头shítou。放fàng啊a放fàng，一直yìzhí放fàng到dào船chuán又yòu沉chén到dào那nà条tiáo线xiàn。”

“最后zuìhòu，把bǎ这些zhèxiē石头shítou放fàng到dào秤chèng上shàng。石头shítou一共yígòng多少duōshao斤jīn，大象dàxiàng就jiù有yǒu多少duōshao斤jīn！”

大臣dàchén们men你nǐ看看kànkan我wǒ，我wǒ看看kànkan你nǐ，都dōu不bù说话shuōhuà了le。曹操cáocāo高兴gāoxìng极了jíle，马上mǎshàng让ràng人rén照zhào他tā说shuō的de去qù做zuò。

今天jīntiān，很hěn多duō中国zhōngguó小学生xiǎoxuéshēng都dōu读dú过guò这zhè个gè故事gùshi。一个yígè太tài大dà的de东西dōngxī放不到fàngbudào秤chèng上shàng，曹冲cáochōng就jiù把bǎ它tā换成huànchéng了le很hěn多duō块kuài小xiǎo石头shítou。所以suóyǐ，遇到yùdào一个yígè很hěn难nán的de大dà问题wèntí，人们rénmen会huì说shuō：“学学xuéxue曹冲cáochōng吧ba，把bǎ它tā变成biànchéng很hěn多duō个gè小xiǎo问题wèntí，一个yígè一个yígè地de解决jiějué。”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
大象	dàxiàng	elephant
围	wéi	to surround; to encircle
切	qiē	to cut; to slice
黑	hēi	black; dark
石头	shítou	stone; rock
大臣	dàchén	minister (of a monarchy); high official
线	xiàn	line
秤	chèng	scale; steelyard (for weighing)

English (for the teacher)

More than eighteen hundred years ago, Cao Cao received a very special gift: Sun Quan in the south sent him an elephant.

Everyone crowded round to look. An animal this big: how many jin could it possibly weigh? Cao Cao wanted to know too.

He asked the ministers around him, but not one of them could think of a way. Someone said, “Let’s build a huge scale!” But who could lift a scale that big? Someone else said, “Cut the elephant into small pieces and put them on the scale!” Cao Cao’s face darkened: “And what happens to my elephant?”

Just then, Cao Cao’s son Cao Chong stepped forward. He was still only a little boy, but from the age of five or six he had been as clever as a grown-up.

He said, “First, let the elephant walk onto a big boat. As soon as the elephant is on, the boat will sink down a little. Then, on the side of the boat, right where the water comes up to, we draw a line.”

“Next, let the elephant walk off the boat and put stones onto the boat instead. Keep adding them until the boat sinks back down to that line.”

“Finally, put the stones on the scale. However many jin the stones weigh altogether, that’s how many jin the elephant weighs!”

The ministers looked at one another and said nothing more. Cao Cao was delighted and had it done exactly as his son said.

Today lots of Chinese primary school pupils have read this story. The elephant was too big to go on a scale, so Cao Chong turned it into lots of small stones. So when people hit a big, hard problem, they say, “Be like Cao Chong: turn it into lots of small problems and solve them one by one.”