HSK 5 · Story · 566 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/nuwa-mends-the-sky

女娲补天

Nüwa mends the sky

Name: ________________ Date: ________

很hěn久jiǔ很hěn久jiǔ以前yǐqián，天空tiānkōng和hé大地dàdì已经yǐjīng分开fēnkāi了le。山shān上shàng有yǒu了le树shù，河hé里有yǒu了le鱼yú，可是kěshì世界shìjiè上shàng还hái没有méiyǒu人rén。

女神nǚshén女娲nǚwā一yí个gè人rén走来走去zǒulái-zǒuqù，觉得juéde很hěn孤单gūdān。有yǒu一天yìtiān，她tā坐zuò在zài河边hébiān，看见kànjiàn水shuǐ里自己zìjǐ的de样子yàngzi，忽然hūrán有yǒu了le一yí个gè想法xiángfǎ。

她tā从cóng河边hébiān抓起zhuāqǐ一把yìbǎ黄泥huángní，照zhào着zhe自己zìjǐ的de样子yàngzi，做zuò了le一yí个gè小人xiǎorén。小人xiǎorén一yí放fàng到dào地上dìshang，就jiù活huó了le，还hái冲着chòngzhe她tā又yòu笑xiào又yòu跳tiào。女娲nǚwā高兴gāoxìng极了jíle，又yòu做zuò了le一个yígè，又yòu一个yígè。

可是kěshì世界shìjiè这么zhème大dà，一个yígè一个yígè地de做zuò，要yào做到zuòdào什么shénme时候shíhou？女娲nǚwā的de手shǒu越来越yuèláiyuè累lèi。于是yúshì她tā想xiǎng出chū了le一yí个gè办法bànfǎ：她tā拿ná了le一yì根gēn长cháng绳子shéngzi，放进fàngjìn泥ní里，然后ránhòu一yì甩shuǎi。绳子shéngzi上shàng的de泥ní掉diào到dào地上dìshang，也yě都dōu变成biànchéng了le人rén。

有yǒu一种yìzhǒng说法shuōfǎ是shì，女娲nǚwā用yòng手shǒu做成zuòchéng的de人rén，后来hòulái成chéng了le有钱人yǒuqiánrén；用yòng绳子shéngzi甩shuǎi出来chūlái的de人rén，就jiù成chéng了le普通人pǔtōngrén。

人rén越来越yuèláiyuè多duō，世界shìjiè热闹rènao了le起来qǐlai。可是kěshì有yǒu一天yìtiān，出chū大事dàshì了le。

传说chuánshuō，水神shuǐshén共工gònggōng跟gēn别的biéde神shén打dǎ了le起来qǐlai，结果jiéguǒ打输dǎshū了le。他tā气qì得de用yòng头tóu去qù撞zhuàng不周bùzhōu山shān。这zhè座zuò山shān是shì一yì根gēn撑chēng着zhe天tiān的de大dà柱子zhùzi，被bèi他tā这么zhème一yí撞zhuàng，一下子yíxiàzi就jiù断duàn了le。

天空tiānkōng破pò了le一yí大块dàkuài，出现chūxiàn了le一个yígè大洞dàdòng。地dì也yě裂liè了le。大dà火huǒ烧shāo个ge不停bùtíng，大水dàshuǐ到处dàochù都dōu是shì，可怕kěpà的de动物dòngwù从cóng山shān里跑pǎo出来chūlái吃chī人rén。

女娲nǚwā看kàn着zhe自己zìjǐ的de孩子háizi们men，心疼xīnténg得de不得了bùdeliǎo。她tā找zhǎo来lái红hóng、黄huáng、蓝lán、黑hēi、白bái五wǔ种zhǒng颜色yánsè的de石头shítou，用yòng大dà火烧huǒshāo了le很hěn久jiǔ，把bǎ石头shítou烧shāo化huà了le，再zài慢慢mànmàn地de把bǎ天上tiānshàng的de洞dòng补bǔ好hǎo。

天tiān补bǔ好hǎo了le，可是kěshì没有méiyǒu柱子zhùzi，还hái会huì再zài掉diào下来xiàlai。女娲nǚwā在zài大海dàhǎi里找到zhǎodào一yì只zhī巨大jùdà的de乌龟wūguī，切qiē下xià了le它tā的de四sì条tiáo腿tuǐ，立lì在zài东南西北dōngnán-xīběi四sì个gè角jiǎo上shàng，把bǎ天tiān撑chēng了le起来qǐlai。她tā还hái杀shā了le一yì条tiáo害人hàirén的de黑龙hēilóng，又yòu用yòng草cǎo烧shāo成chéng的de灰huī挡住dǎngzhù了le大水dàshuǐ。

从此cóngcǐ，人们rénmen又yòu过guò上shàng了le安静ānjìng的de日子rìzi。

不过búguò，从cóng那次nàcì以后yǐhòu，天tiān就jiù往wǎng西北xīběi歪wāi了le一点儿yìdiǎnr，地dì也yě往wǎng东南dōngnán低dī了le下去xiàqu。所以suóyǐ传说chuánshuō里，中国zhōngguó的de河水héshuǐ都dōu往wǎng东dōng流liú。你nǐ打开dǎkāi地图dìtú看看kànkan，黄河huánghé和hé长江chángjiāng，是不是shìbúshì真的zhēnde都dōu流liú到dào了le东边dōngbiān的de大海dàhǎi里？

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
样子yàngziappearance; look
忽然hūránsuddenly; all of a sudden
想法xiángfǎidea; thought; opinion
天空tiānkōngsky
根gēnroot (math.)
大事dàshìmajor event; big deal; important matter
传说chuánshuōlegend; folklore
撞zhuàngto hit; to collide with; to bump into
断duànto break; to snap
烧shāoto cook; to roast; to stew (as in 烧鹅, 红烧)
可怕kěpàterrible; frightening; awful
红hóngred

English (for the teacher)

Long, long ago, the sky and the earth had already come apart. There were trees on the mountains and fish in the rivers, but there were no people in the world yet.

The goddess Nüwa wandered about on her own and felt lonely. One day she sat by a river, saw her own reflection in the water, and suddenly had an idea.

She scooped up a handful of yellow mud from the riverbank and shaped a little person in her own likeness. The moment the little figure touched the ground it came alive, laughing and jumping in front of her. Nüwa was delighted, and made another, and another.

But the world was so big: if she made them one at a time, when would she ever finish? Her hands grew more and more tired. So she came up with a trick: she took a long rope, dipped it in the mud and gave it a hard swing. The drops of mud that landed on the ground all turned into people too.

One version says the people she shaped by hand later became the rich, and the ones flicked off the rope became ordinary folk.

There were more and more people, and the world grew lively. Then one day, disaster struck.

The legend says Gonggong, the god of water, went to war with another god and lost. In his rage he rammed his head into Mount Buzhou. That mountain was a great pillar holding up the sky, and when he hit it, with a huge crash, it broke.

A great piece of the sky fell in, leaving an enormous hole. The earth split open too. Fires burned without stopping, floods were everywhere, and wild beasts ran down from the mountains and ate people.

Nüwa looked at her children and her heart ached for them. She gathered stones of five colours, red, yellow, blue, black and white, burned them in a great fire for a long time until they melted, and then patched the hole in the sky bit by bit.

The sky was mended, but without a pillar it would fall again. Nüwa found a gigantic turtle in the sea, cut off its four legs and stood them at the four corners of the earth to hold the sky up. She also killed a black dragon that was harming people, and used the ashes of burned reeds to hold back the flood.

From then on, people lived in peace again.

Still, ever since then the sky has tilted a little to the north-west, and the earth has sunk toward the south-east. That, the legend says, is why China’s rivers all flow east. Open a map and look: do the Yellow River and the Yangtze really both run east to the sea?