HSK 6 · Story · 773 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/jing-ke-assassinate-king-of-qin

荆轲刺秦王

Jing Ke tries to kill the King of Qin

Name: ________________ Date: ________

两千两百多liǎngqiānliángbǎiduō年nián前qián，中国zhōngguó还hái分成fēnchéng好几háojǐ个gè国家guójiā。其中qízhōng最zuì强大qiángdà的de是shì秦国qínguó，秦王qínwáng一个接一个yígèjiēyígè地de打败dǎbài了le别的biéde国家guójiā。北方běifāng的de燕国yānguó比较bǐjiào弱ruò，看起来kànqilai下xià一个yígè就要jiùyào轮lún到dào自己zìjǐ了le。燕国yānguó的de太子tàizǐ决定juédìng做zuò一yí件jiàn非常fēicháng危险wēixiǎn的de事shì：派pài人rén去qù刺杀cìshā秦王qínwáng。

他tā找到zhǎodào的de人rén叫jiào荆轲jīngkē。荆轲jīngkē爱ài读书dúshū，也yě爱ài练liàn剑jiàn，而且érqiě很hěn勇敢yónggǎn。可是kěshì秦王qínwáng身边shēnbiān的de人rén那么nàme多duō，一yí个gè陌生人mòshēngrén根本gēnběn不bù可能kěnéng走zǒu到dào他tā面前miànqián。怎样zěnyàng才能cáinéng见到jiàndào秦王qínwáng呢ne？

荆轲jīngkē想xiǎng出chū了le两liǎng件jiàn“礼物lǐwù”。第一dìyī件jiàn是shì燕国yānguó最好zuìhǎo的de一yí块kuài土地tǔdì的de地图dìtú，表示biǎoshì燕国yānguó愿意yuànyì把bǎ这zhè片piàn土地tǔdì送给sònggěi秦国qínguó。第二dì’èr件jiàn更gèng可怕kěpà：一个yígè从cóng秦国qínguó逃táo到dào燕国yānguó的de将军jiāngjūn的de人头réntóu。秦王qínwáng恨hèn这zhè个gè人rén恨hèn了le很hěn多年duōnián，一直yìzhí想xiǎng抓住zhuāzhù他tā。据jù《史记shǐjì》记载jìzǎi，这zhè位wèi将军jiāngjūn知道zhīdào了le荆轲jīngkē的de计划jìhuà以后yǐhòu，竟然jìngrán毫不犹豫háobù-yóuyù地de自杀zìshā了le，把bǎ自己zìjǐ的de头tóu交给jiāogěi了le荆轲jīngkē。

太子tàizǐ又yòu给gěi他tā准备zhǔnbèi了le匕首bíshǒu，一种yìzhǒng很hěn短duǎn的de刀dāo，上面shàngmiàn还hái有毒yǒudú。他们tāmen把bǎ匕首bíshǒu卷juǎn在zài地图dìtú里面lǐmiàn。只要zhǐyào地图dìtú完全wánquán打开dǎkāi，刀dāo就jiù在zài荆轲jīngkē手边shǒubiān。

出发chūfā那天nàtiān，太子tàizǐ和hé朋友péngyǒu们men都dōu穿chuān着zhe白bái衣服yīfu，一直yìzhí把bǎ他tā送sòng到dào了le一yì条tiáo大dà河边hébiān。大家dàjiā心里xīnli都dōu明白míngbai，荆轲jīngkē这zhè一yí去qù，大概dàgài再也zàiyě回不来huíbulái了le。荆轲jīngkē唱起chàngqǐ了le一yì首shǒu悲伤bēishāng的de歌gē，歌gē里唱chàng的de是shì：风fēng很hěn冷lěng，河水héshuǐ很hěn凉liáng，勇士yǒngshì这zhè一次yícì离开líkāi，就jiù再也zàiyě不会búhuì回到huídào这里zhèlǐ了le。唱chàng完wán，他tā上shàng了le车chē，一次yícì也yě没有méiyǒu回头huítóu。

到dào了le秦国qínguó，秦王qínwáng听说tīngshuō燕国yānguó送sòng来lái了le人头réntóu和hé地图dìtú，非常fēicháng高兴gāoxìng，马上mǎshàng在zài宫gōng里见jiàn他们tāmen。荆轲jīngkē带dài去qù的de助手zhùshǒu本来běnlái是shì一个yígè有名yǒumíng的de勇士yǒngshì，可是kěshì一yí见到jiàndào秦王qínwáng，就jiù吓xià得de脸色liǎnsè都dōu变biàn了le。秦国qínguó的de大臣dàchén们men都dōu觉得juéde奇怪qíguài。荆轲jīngkē笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“乡下xiāngxià孩子háizi，没méi见jiàn过guò这么zhème大dà的de场面chǎngmiàn，所以suóyǐ害怕hàipà。”

秦王qínwáng让ràng荆轲jīngkē把bǎ地图dìtú拿ná上来shànglai。荆轲jīngkē慢慢mànmàn打开dǎkāi地图dìtú，地图dìtú打开dǎkāi到dào最后zuìhòu，匕首bíshǒu露lù了le出来chūlái。荆轲jīngkē左手zuóshǒu一把yìbǎ抓住zhuāzhù秦王qínwáng的de袖子xiùzi，右手yòushǒu拿起náqǐ刀dāo就jiù刺cì。秦王qínwáng吓了一跳xiàle-yítiào，用力yònglì向xiàng后hòu一yì拉lā，袖子xiùzi断duàn了le。

秦王qínwáng想xiǎng拔剑bájiàn，可是kěshì剑jiàn很hěn长cháng，怎么zěnme也yě拔不出来bábu-chūlái，只好zhíhǎo绕rào着zhe柱子zhùzi躲duǒ。按照ànzhào秦国qínguó的de规定guīdìng，大臣dàchén们men在zài秦王qínwáng身边shēnbiān不能bùnéng带dài武器wǔqì，所以suóyǐ大家dàjiā只能zhǐnéng在zài旁边pángbiān干着急gānzháojí。这时候zhèshíhou，一yí位wèi医生yīshēng把bǎ手里shǒuli的de药yào袋dài向xiàng荆轲jīngkē扔rēng了le过去guòqu。有人yǒurén大喊dàhǎn：“快kuài把bǎ剑jiàn推tuī到dào背后bèihòu！”秦王qínwáng这zhè才cái拔出báchū剑jiàn，一yí剑jiàn刺伤cìshāng了le荆轲jīngkē。

荆轲jīngkē倒dǎo在zài地上dìshang，用yòng最后zuìhòu的de力气lìqi把bǎ刀dāo扔rēng向xiàng秦王qínwáng，却què没有méiyǒu打中dǎzhòng秦王qínwáng，只zhǐ打dǎ在zài了le柱子zhùzi上shàng。荆轲jīngkē失败shībài了le，随后suíhòu就jiù被bèi杀死shāsǐ了le。

几jǐ年nián后hòu，燕国yānguó还是háishi被bèi秦国qínguó消灭xiāomiè了le。不久bùjiǔ，秦王qínwáng统一tǒngyī了le中国zhōngguó，成chéng了le秦始皇qínshǐhuáng。今天jīntiān，人们rénmen用yòng“图穷匕见túqióng-bǐxiàn”这个zhège成语chéngyǔ，说shuō事情shìqing到dào了le最后zuìhòu，真正zhēnzhèng的de目的mùdì终于zhōngyú露lù了le出来chūlái。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
强大	qiángdà	powerful; mighty; strong
弱	ruò	weak; feeble
派	pài	to send; to dispatch
土地	tǔdì	land; soil; territory
可怕	kěpà	terrible; frightening; awful
据	jù	according to; based on
记载	jìzǎi	to record; to write down; record; account
白	bái	white
用力	yònglì	to exert oneself; to put effort into
断	duàn	to break; to snap
背后	bèihòu	behind; at the back
随后	suíhòu	soon after; subsequently

English (for the teacher)

More than 2,200 years ago, China was still split into several states. The strongest was Qin, and the King of Qin was defeating the others one after another. In the north, the state of Yan was weak, and it looked as if it would be next. The crown prince of Yan decided to do something extremely dangerous: send someone to assassinate the King of Qin.

The man he found was called Jing Ke. Jing Ke loved books, practised the sword, and was brave. But the King of Qin had so many people around him that a stranger could never get anywhere near him. How could anyone get to see the king?

Jing Ke came up with two “gifts”. The first was a map of Yan’s best land, to show that Yan was willing to hand that land over to Qin. The second was more gruesome: the head of a general who had fled from Qin to Yan. The King of Qin had hated this man for years and had long wanted to catch him. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, when the general heard Jing Ke’s plan he killed himself without a moment’s hesitation and gave Jing Ke his head.

The prince also gave him a dagger, a very short blade, and it was poisoned. They rolled the dagger up inside the map. Once the map was fully opened, the blade would be right at Jing Ke’s hand.

On the day he left, the prince and his friends all wore white and saw him all the way to the bank of a great river. Everyone knew in their hearts that Jing Ke would probably never come back. Jing Ke sang a sad song: the wind is cold, the river is cold, and the hero who leaves now will never return here. When the song was done he got into the carriage and never once looked back.

When they reached Qin, the king heard that Yan had sent the head and the map; delighted, he received them in the palace at once. Jing Ke’s helper had been a famous fighter, but the moment he saw the King of Qin he went pale with fear. The Qin ministers all thought it strange. Jing Ke laughed and said: “He’s a country boy who has never seen anything this grand, so he’s scared.”

The king told Jing Ke to bring the map up to him. Jing Ke slowly unrolled the map, and at the very end of it the dagger came into view. Jing Ke seized the king’s sleeve with his left hand, grabbed the blade with his right and stabbed. The king jumped in fright and pulled back hard, and the sleeve tore off.

He tried to draw his sword, but it was so long he couldn’t get it out, and he had to dodge around a pillar. Under Qin law, ministers could not carry weapons near the king, so all they could do was stand by in helpless panic. Just then a doctor threw the bag of medicine in his hands at Jing Ke. Someone shouted: “Quick, push the sword onto your back!” Only then did the king get his sword out, and with one stroke he wounded Jing Ke.

Jing Ke fell to the ground and, with the last of his strength, threw the blade at the king, but missed, and it only struck the pillar. Jing Ke had failed, and he was killed soon after.

A few years later, Yan was wiped out by Qin all the same. Before long, the King of Qin unified China and became Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor. Today people use the idiom “the map unrolled, the dagger revealed” for the moment when someone’s true purpose finally comes out.