HSK 6 · Story · 534 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/judge-bao-story-the-cut-ox-tongue

牛的舌头

Judge Bao and the case of the cut ox tongue

Name: ________________ Date: ________

一千yìqiān年nián前qián的de宋朝sòngcháo，有yǒu一yí个gè县官xiànguān，叫jiào包拯bāozhěng。那nà时候shíhou，他tā是shì天长县的de县官xiànguān。

一天yìtiān早上zǎoshang，一yí个gè农民nóngmín哭kū着zhe来到láidào了le县里xiànli，一yí进门jìnmén就jiù跪下guìxià了le：“大人，我家wǒjiā的de牛niú被bèi人rén割gē了le舌头shétou！”

原来yuánlái，昨天晚上zuótiān-wǎnshang，有人yǒurén偷偷tōutōu进jìn了le他tā家jiā的de牛棚niúpéng，把bǎ牛niú的de舌头shétou割gē了le下来xiàlai。牛niú没有méiyǒu了le舌头shétou，就jiù不能bùnéng吃chī草cǎo，过不了guòbuliǎo几jǐ天tiān就jiù会huì死sǐ。对duì一个yígè农民nóngmín来lái说shuō，一yì头tóu牛niú差不多chàbuduō就是jiùshì全家quánjiā的de希望xīwàng。

包拯bāozhěng听tīng完wán，想xiǎng了le一会儿yíhuìr，问wèn：“那nà头tóu牛niú还hái活huó着zhe吗ma？”

“还hái活着huózhe，可是kěshì它tā已经yǐjīng什么shénme都dōu吃不了chībuliǎo了le。”

“那nà你nǐ回家huíjiā去qù，把bǎ牛niú杀shā了le，把bǎ肉ròu卖mài了le吧ba。”

农民nóngmín一下子yíxiàzi愣lèng住zhù了le。在zài宋朝sòngcháo，牛niú是shì种地zhòngdì用yòng的de，没有méiyǒu官府guānfǔ同意tóngyì，自己zìjǐ杀shā牛niú是shì犯法fànfǎ的de。他tā小声xiǎoshēng说shuō：“大人dàrén，杀shā牛niú是shì要yào被bèi抓zhuā的de呀ya。”

包拯bāozhěng说shuō：“你nǐ只管zhíguǎn回去huíqù杀shā，别的biéde事shì不用búyòng你nǐ管guǎn。”

农民nóngmín不bù明白míngbai为什么wèishénme，可是kěshì县官xiànguān都dōu这么zhème说shuō了le，他tā只好zhíhǎo回家huíjiā，把bǎ牛niú杀shā了le，然后ránhòu在zài街jiē上shàng卖mài牛肉niúròu。

没méi过guò几jǐ天tiān，又yòu有yǒu一yí个gè人rén来到láidào了le县里xiànli。这zhè个gè人rén一yí进门jìnmén就jiù大声dàshēng说shuō：“大人dàrén，我wǒ要yào告状gàozhuàng！村里cūnlǐ有人yǒurén自己zìjǐ把bǎ牛niú杀shā了le，还hái在zài街jiē上shàng卖肉màiròu，这zhè是shì犯法fànfǎ的de！”

包拯bāozhěng看kàn着zhe他tā，慢慢mànmàn地de说shuō：“你nǐ为什么wèishénme先xiān割gē了le人家牛niú的de舌头shétou，现在xiànzài又yòu来lái说shuō他tā犯法fànfǎ？”

那nà个gè人rén吓xià了le一yí大dà跳tiào，脸色liǎnsè一下子yíxiàzi变得biànde很hěn难看nánkàn。他tā没想到méixiǎngdào县官xiànguān什么shénme都dōu知道zhīdào，只好zhíhǎo跪下guìxià认rèn了le罪zuì。

其实qíshí，包拯bāozhěng的de办法bànfǎ并不bìngbú复杂fùzá。割gē牛niú舌头shétou，对duì割gē舌头shétou的de人rén自己zìjǐ一点儿yìdiǎnr好处hǎochu也yě没有méiyǒu，只zhǐ会huì让ràng别人biéren难过nánguò。做zuò这种zhèzhǒng事shì的de人rén，一定yídìng跟gēn农民nóngmín有yǒu仇chóu。这样zhèyàng的de人rén，看见kànjiàn农民nóngmín杀shā了le牛niú，一定yídìng会huì马上mǎshàng来lái告状gàozhuàng，想xiǎng让ràng他tā也yě受到shòudào惩罚chéngfá。所以suóyǐ，包拯bāozhěng什么shénme都dōu不用búyòng做zuò，只要zhǐyào等děng着zhe就jiù行xíng了le。

这zhè件jiàn事shì写xiě在zài《宋史sòngshǐ》里li。后来hòulái，包拯bāozhěng做zuò了le很hěn多年duōnián的de官guān，一直yìzhí很hěn公正gōngzhèng，老百姓láobǎixìng叫jiào他tā“包青天bāoqīngtiān”。今天jīntiān在zài京剧jīngjù里，他tā还是háishi一yì张zhāng黑脸hēiliǎn，额头étóu上shàng有yǒu一个yígè白色báisè的de月亮yuèliang。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
农民nóngmínpeasant; farmer
抓zhuāto pay close attention to; to take charge of (as in 抓紧)
脸色liǎnsècomplexion; color of one's face
老百姓láobǎixìngordinary people; common folk
割gēto cut; to cut off
舌头shétoutongue
偷偷tōutōusecretly; stealthily
杀shāto kill; to slaughter; (gaming) to kill an opponent
种地zhòngdìto farm; to till the land
吓xiàto frighten; to scare; to be frightened
罪zuìcrime; guilt; sin
惩罚chéngfápunishment; penalty; to punish

English (for the teacher)

A thousand years ago, in the Song dynasty, there was a county magistrate called Bao Zheng. At the time, he was the magistrate of Tianchang county.

One morning, a farmer came to the county office in tears, and fell to his knees the moment he was through the door: “Your Honour, someone has cut out my ox's tongue!”

It turned out that the night before, someone had sneaked into his ox shed and cut out the ox's tongue. Without a tongue, an ox can't eat grass, and in a few days it will die. For a farmer, an ox is almost the whole family's hope.

When he had heard it all, Bao Zheng thought for a moment and asked: “Is that ox still alive?”

“It's still alive, but it can't eat anything any more.”

“Then go home, kill the ox and sell the meat.”

The farmer was stunned. In the Song dynasty oxen were for working the fields, and killing one privately without the government's permission was against the law. He said quietly: “Your Honour, people get arrested for killing an ox.”

Bao Zheng said: “Just go back and kill it; leave everything else to me.”

The farmer didn't understand why, but since the magistrate himself had said so, he had no choice: he went home, killed the ox and then sold the beef in the street.

A few days later, another man came into the county office. The moment he was through the door he said loudly: “Your Honour, I want to bring a charge! Someone in our village has killed his own ox and is selling the meat in the street, and that's against the law!”

Bao Zheng looked at him and said slowly: “Why did you first cut out that man's ox's tongue, and now come to say he broke the law?”

The man got a terrible fright, and his face suddenly turned an awful colour. He had never imagined the magistrate knew everything, and he had no choice but to kneel and confess.

In fact, Bao Zheng's method wasn't complicated. Cutting out an ox's tongue does the one who does it no good at all; it can only make someone else miserable. Whoever does a thing like that must have a grudge against the farmer. A man like that, seeing the farmer kill his ox, would be sure to come straight in and report him, wanting him to be punished too. So Bao Zheng didn't need to do anything; he only had to wait.

This case is written in the History of Song. Later, Bao Zheng served as an official for many years and was always fair, and ordinary people called him “Bao the Clear Sky”. In Peking opera today, he still has a black face, with a white moon on his forehead.