井底之蛙
The frog in the well: the frog who had never seen the sea
Name: ________________ Date: ________
很久以前，在一个又破又旧的井底，住着一只青蛙。
青蛙觉得，自己的生活好极了。高兴的时候，它就跳到井边上玩一会儿；累了，就回到井底睡一会儿。井里的水不太深，水下的地软软的，走起来很舒服。井里别的小动物，谁也没有它过得好。
有一天，从东海来了一只海龟，它走到了井边上。青蛙高兴地叫它：“海龟先生，快下来看看！这里的水，全是我一个人的。世界上还有比这更快乐的事吗？”
海龟也想到井里看看。可是它的左脚还没进去，右腿就已经卡住了。它只好慢慢地退了回来。
它对青蛙说：“你见过大海吗？大海有多大？走一千里，也走不到它的另一边。大海有多深？一千座山放进去，也到不了底。”
“很久以前，十年里有九年发大水，大海里的水也没有多一点儿。后来，八年里有七年不下雨，大海里的水也还是那么多。住在大海里，这才是真的快乐。”
青蛙一听，眼睛变得大大的，半天说不出话来。它抬头看了看上面那一小块天，第一次觉得，自己的家好像有点儿小。
这个故事来自两千多年前的《庄子》。今天，人们用“井底之蛙”说那些见过的东西很少、可是以为自己什么都知道的人。也有人这样说自己：“去了一次国外，我才发现，以前的我真是井底之蛙。”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 久 | jiǔ | long (time) |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; previously; formerly |
| 旧 | jiù | old; used; worn |
| 生活 | shēnghuó | life; to live |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to leap |
| 别的 | biéde | other; else |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 世界 | shìjiè | world |
| 山 | shān | mountain; hill |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later |
| 才 | cái | talent; ability |
English (for the teacher)
Long ago, at the bottom of a battered old well, there lived a frog.
The frog thought its life was wonderful. When it felt happy it hopped up onto the edge of the well to play for a while; when it was tired it went back down to the bottom for a nap. The water in the well wasn’t too deep, the ground under the water was soft, and it felt lovely to walk on. None of the other little creatures in the well had it as good.
One day a turtle from the Eastern Sea came along and walked up to the edge of the well. The frog called out happily, “Mr Turtle, come down and have a look! All the water here belongs to me alone. Is there anything in the world happier than this?”
The turtle wanted to have a look inside the well too. But before its left foot was even in, its right leg was already stuck. It had no choice but to back slowly out again.
It said to the frog, “Have you ever seen the sea? How big is the sea? You could walk a thousand li and never reach the other side. How deep is the sea? Drop a thousand mountains into it and they still wouldn’t reach the bottom.”
“Long ago there were floods nine years out of ten, and the sea didn’t rise one bit. Later there was no rain seven years out of eight, and the sea was still just as full. Living in the sea: that’s real happiness.”
When the frog heard this, its eyes went wide and for a long time it couldn’t say a word. It looked up at the little patch of sky above it, and for the first time it felt that its home might be a bit small.
This story comes from the Zhuangzi, written more than two thousand years ago. Today people use 井底之蛙, “the frog at the bottom of the well”, for someone who has seen very little but thinks they know everything. Some people say it about themselves: “It wasn’t until I went abroad that I realised what a frog in a well I used to be.”