HSK 5 · Story · 659 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/lady-meng-jiang-great-wall-legend

孟姜女哭长城

Lady Meng Jiang cries down the Great Wall

Name: ________________ Date: ________

长城chángchéng是shì用yòng砖zhuān和hé石头shítou修建xiūjiàn的de，非常fēicháng结实jiēshi。可是kěshì在zài中国zhōngguó的de传说chuánshuō里，有yǒu一个yígè女人nǚrén，只用zhǐyòng眼泪yǎnlèi就jiù把bǎ长城chángchéng哭kū倒dǎo了le一yí大段dàduàn。她tā就是jiùshì孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ。

据说jùshuō，孟mèng家jiā在zài院子yuànzi里种zhòng了le一yì棵kē葫芦húlu。葫芦húlu藤téng越yuè爬pá越yuè长cháng，一直yìzhí爬pá过guò墙qiáng，到dào了le隔壁gébì的de姜jiāng家jiā，结出jiéchū了le一个yígè大dà葫芦húlu。两liǎng家人jiārén打开dǎkāi一yí看kàn，里面lǐmiàn竟然jìngrán有yǒu一个yígè可爱kě’ài的de女孩子nǚháizi！两liǎng家jiā都dōu很hěn喜欢xǐhuān她tā，就jiù给gěi她tā取名qǔmíng叫jiào孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ。

孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ长大zhǎngdà以后yǐhòu，嫁jià给gěi了le一个yígè读书人dúshūrén，叫jiào范喜良。那nà时候shíhou，秦始皇qínshǐhuáng正在zhèngzài修建xiūjiàn长城chángchéng，官兵guānbīng到处dàochù把bǎ男人nánrén抓走zhuāzǒu，让ràng他们tāmen去qù干活gànhuó。结婚jiéhūn没méi几jǐ天tiān，范喜良就jiù被bèi官兵guānbīng抓走zhuāzǒu了le。

一yì年nián过去guòqù了le，范喜良还是háishi一点儿yìdiǎnr消息xiāoxi也yě没有méiyǒu。冬天dōngtiān快kuài到dào了le，孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ想xiǎng：“北方běifāng那么nàme冷lěng，他tā只有zhíyǒu夏天xiàtiān的de衣服yīfu，怎么zěnme受得了shòudeliǎo？”于是yúshì，她tā亲手qīnshǒu做zuò了le一套yítào厚厚hòuhòu的de冬衣dōngyī，一yí个gè人rén出发chūfā了le。

她tā走zǒu了le很hěn远yuǎn很hěn远yuǎn的de路lù，翻过fānguò一yí座zuò又yòu一yí座zuò山shān，脚jiǎo都dōu走zǒu破pò了le，终于zhōngyú来到láidào了le长城chángchéng下面xiàmiàn。可是kěshì她tā找zhǎo了le很hěn多duō人rén问wèn，大家dàjiā都dōu摇头yáotóu。最后zuìhòu，一个yígè干活gànhuó的de老人lǎorén告诉gàosù她tā：“范喜良早就zǎojiù累lèi死了sǐle，就jiù埋mái在zài长城chángchéng里面lǐmiàn。”

孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ抱bào着zhe冬衣dōngyī，坐zuò在zài长城chángchéng下面xiàmiàn大哭dàkū起来qǐlai。她tā哭kū了le三sān天tiān三sān夜yè，哭kū得de天空tiānkōng都dōu暗àn了le。忽然hūrán，“轰hōng”的de一声yìshēng，长城chángchéng倒dǎo了le一yí大段dàduàn，露出lùchū了le很hěn多duō白骨báigǔ。

可是kěshì这么zhème多duō白骨báigǔ，哪nǎ一个yígè是shì她tā的de丈夫zhàngfu呢ne？有yǒu一种yìzhǒng说法shuōfǎ是shì，她tā咬yǎo破pò手指shóuzhǐ，把bǎ血xuè滴dī在zài骨头gǔtou上shàng。如果rúguǒ是shì亲人qīnrén的de骨头gǔtou，血xuè就jiù会huì流liú进去jìnqu。就jiù这样zhèyàng，她tā终于zhōngyú找到zhǎodào了le范喜良。

秦始皇qínshǐhuáng听说tīngshuō了le这zhè件jiàn事shì，亲自qīnzì来lái看kàn。他tā一yí见jiàn孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ长得zhǎngde这么zhème美měi，竟然jìngrán想xiǎng让ràng她tā做zuò自己zìjǐ的de妃子fēizi。孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ说shuō：“好hǎo，不过búguò你nǐ要yào答应dāying我wǒ三sān件jiàn事shì：第一dìyī，给gěi我wǒ丈夫zhàngfu办bàn一个yígè隆重lóngzhòng的de葬礼zànglǐ；第二dì’èr，你nǐ要yào亲自qīnzì给gěi他tā戴孝dàixiào；第三dìsān，带dài我wǒ去qù海边hǎibiān看看kànkan。”

秦始皇qínshǐhuáng都dōu答应dāying了le。葬礼zànglǐ办bàn完wán以后yǐhòu，他们tāmen来到láidào海边hǎibiān。孟姜女mèngjiāngnǚ看kàn着zhe大海dàhǎi，突然tūrán跳tiào了le进去jìnqu，再也zàiyě没有méiyǒu出来chūlái。

有意思yǒuyìsi的de是shì，这个zhège故事gùshi最zuì早zǎo的de样子yàngzi，跟gēn长城chángchéng根本gēnběn没有méiyǒu关系guānxì。两千五百多liǎngqiānwúbǎiduō年nián前qián的de古书gǔshū里，只zhǐ写xiě了le一yí位wèi将军jiāngjūn死sǐ在zài了le战场zhànchǎng上shàng，他tā的de夫人fūrén非常fēicháng伤心shāngxīn。后来hòulái的de故事gùshi说shuō，她tā在zài城墙chéngqiáng下xià哭kū了le十shí天tiān，把bǎ城墙chéngqiáng哭kū倒dǎo了le。又yòu过guò了le很hěn多年duōnián，城墙chéngqiáng才cái变成biànchéng了le长城chángchéng，故事gùshi里的de坏人huàirén也yě变成biànchéng了le秦始皇qínshǐhuáng。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
院子yuànzicourtyard; yard
棵kēclassifier for trees, plants and vegetables
干活gànhuóto work; to do manual labor
消息xiāoxinews; word; information; message
座zuòconstellation; zodiac sign (as in 巨蟹座)
破pòto break; to split; broken; damaged; torn
抱bàoto hold in one's arms; to hug; to embrace
夜yènight; evening
石头shítoustone; rock
修建xiūjiànto build; to construct
传说chuánshuōlegend; folklore
眼泪yǎnlèitears

English (for the teacher)

The Great Wall is built of bricks and stone, and it is very solid. Yet in Chinese legend there is a woman who brought down a long stretch of it with nothing but her tears. She is Lady Meng Jiang.

The story goes that the Meng family planted a gourd vine in their courtyard. The vine grew longer and longer until it climbed over the wall into the Jiang family’s yard next door, where it bore one huge gourd. When the two families cut it open, they found, to their amazement, a lovely little girl inside! Both families adored her, so they named her Meng Jiang Nü.

When she grew up, Meng Jiang Nü married a scholar named Fan Xiliang. At that time the First Emperor of Qin was building the Great Wall, and soldiers were seizing men everywhere and making them work. Only a few days after the wedding, Fan Xiliang was dragged away by soldiers.

A year passed, and still there was no word at all from Fan Xiliang. Winter was coming, and Meng Jiang Nü thought: “It’s so cold in the north, and he only has summer clothes. How will he stand it?” So she made a thick set of winter clothes with her own hands and set off alone.

She walked a very long way, crossed one mountain after another until her feet were raw, and at last reached the foot of the Great Wall. But everyone she asked only shook their head. Finally an old labourer told her: “Fan Xiliang worked himself to death long ago. He’s buried inside the wall.”

Meng Jiang Nü sat at the foot of the wall holding the winter clothes and burst into tears. She cried for three days and three nights, until even the sky grew dark. Suddenly, with a great roar, a long stretch of the wall collapsed, revealing heaps of white bones.

But with so many bones, which were her husband’s? One version says she bit her finger and let her blood drip onto the bones. If the bones belonged to someone of her own family, the blood would sink in. In this way she finally found Fan Xiliang.

The First Emperor heard about it and came to see for himself. The moment he saw how beautiful Meng Jiang Nü was, he actually wanted to make her one of his consorts. Meng Jiang Nü said: “All right, but you must promise me three things: first, give my husband a grand funeral; second, wear mourning for him yourself; third, take me to see the sea.”

The emperor agreed to all of it. After the funeral they came to the seashore. Meng Jiang Nü looked at the sea, suddenly jumped in, and never came out again.

The interesting thing is that the oldest form of this story has nothing to do with the Great Wall. In an old book from more than 2,500 years ago, all it says is that a general died on the battlefield and his wife grieved deeply. A later story says she wept beneath a city wall for ten days until the wall fell. Many years after that, the city wall became the Great Wall, and the villain of the story became the First Emperor of Qin.