HSK 5 · Story · 527 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/pangu-chinese-creation-myth

盘古开天

Pangu separates the sky and the earth

Name: ________________ Date: ________

很hěn久jiǔ很hěn久jiǔ以前yǐqián，没有méiyǒu天tiān，也yě没有méiyǒu地dì，没有méiyǒu白天báitiān，也yě没有méiyǒu晚上wǎnshang。整个zhěnggè世界shìjiè就jiù像xiàng一个yígè大dà鸡蛋jīdàn，里面lǐmiàn又yòu黑hēi又yòu乱luàn。

在zài这个zhège“鸡蛋jīdàn”里li，有yǒu一yí个gè巨人jùrén正在zhèngzài睡觉shuìjiào，他tā的de名字míngzi叫jiào盘古pángǔ。盘古pángǔ一yí睡shuì，就jiù睡shuì了le一万八千yíwàn-bāqiān年nián。

有yǒu一天yìtiān，盘古pángǔ终于zhōngyú醒xǐng了le。他tā睁开zhēngkāi眼睛yǎnjing，什么shénme也yě看不见kànbujiàn。他tā想xiǎng伸shēn个gè懒腰lǎnyāo，可是kěshì手脚shóujiǎo都dōu碰到pèngdào了le蛋壳dànké。“这zhè地方dìfang太tài小xiǎo了le！”盘古pángǔ不bù高兴gāoxìng了le，使劲shǐjìn一yì推tuī，“鸡蛋jīdàn”破pò了le。

蛋dàn里的de东西dōngxī慢慢mànmàn分开fēnkāi了le：轻qīng的de、清qīng的de往wǎng上升shàngshēng，变成biànchéng了le天tiān；重zhòng的de、脏zāng的de往wǎng下沉xiàchén，变成biànchéng了le地。

可是kěshì盘古pángǔ担心dānxīn，天tiān和hé地dì还hái会huì再zài合hé在zài一起yìqǐ。于是yúshì他tā站zhàn在zài中间zhōngjiān，用yòng头顶tóudǐng住zhù天tiān，用yòng脚jiǎo踩cǎi住zhù地dì。

从cóng那天nàtiān起qǐ，天tiān每天měitiān升高shēnggāo一yí丈zhàng，地dì每天měitiān加厚jiāhòu一yí丈zhàng，盘古pángǔ的de个子gèzi也yě每天měitiān高出gāochū一yí丈zhàng。一yí丈zhàng有yǒu三sān米mǐ多duō。就jiù这样zhèyàng，又yòu过guò了le一万八千yíwàn-bāqiān年nián，天tiān已经yǐjīng很hěn高gāo很hěn高gāo，地dì已经yǐjīng很hěn厚hòu很hěn厚hòu，盘古pángǔ也yě成chéng了le一个yígè顶天立地dǐngtiān-lìdì的de巨人jùrén。古书gǔshū上shàng说shuō，天tiān和hé地dì之间zhījiān有yǒu九万jiǔwàn里lǐ那么nàme远yuǎn。

这下zhèxià，天地tiāndì再也zàiyě不会búhuì合hé上shàng了le。可是kěshì盘古pángǔ太tài累lèi了le，他tā慢慢mànmàn地de躺tǎng了le下来xiàlai，再也zàiyě没有méiyǒu起来qǐlái。

就jiù在zài这时zhèshí，奇怪qíguài的de事情shìqing发生fāshēng了le。盘古pángǔ呼出hūchū的de气qì，变成biànchéng了le风fēng和hé云彩yúncai；他tā的de声音shēngyīn，变成biànchéng了le打雷dǎléi的de声音shēngyīn。他tā的de左zuǒ眼yǎn变成biànchéng了le太阳tàiyáng，右yòu眼yǎn变成biànchéng了le月亮yuèliang。他tā的de头发tóufa和hé胡子húzi变成biànchéng了le天上tiānshàng的de星星xīngxing，他tā的de血xuè变成biànchéng了le江河jiānghé，他tā的de肉ròu变成biànchéng了le土地tǔdì，他tā身上shēnshang的de毛máo变成biànchéng了le花草huācǎo树木shùmù，他tā的de汗hàn变成biànchéng了le雨水yúshuǐ。

还有háiyǒu一yí个gè版本bánběn说shuō，盘古pángǔ身上shēnshang的de小xiǎo虫子chóngzi被bèi风fēng一yì吹chuī，变成biànchéng了le最zuì早zǎo的de人rén。所以suóyǐ，按照ànzhào这zhè个gè说法shuōfǎ，我们wǒmen都dōu是shì从cóng盘古pángǔ身上shēnshang的de小xiǎo虫子chóngzi变biàn来lái的de。

很hěn多duō人rén以为yǐwéi，盘古pángǔ是shì用yòng一把yìbǎ大dà斧子fǔzi把bǎ天tiān和hé地dì分开fēnkāi的de。不过búguò，最zuì早zǎo的de古书gǔshū里根本gēnběn没有méiyǒu斧子fǔzi。这zhè把bǎ斧子fǔzi，是shì一千多yìqiānduō年nián以后yǐhòu的de明朝míngcháo小说xiǎoshuō才cái加上jiāshàng去qù的de。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
整个	zhěnggè	whole; entire
醒	xǐng	to wake up
推	tuī	to recommend (as in 推荐)
轻	qīng	soft; gentle
重	zhòng	layer (as in 万重山)
厚	hòu	thick
之间	zhījiān	between; among
躺	tǎng	to lie (down); to recline
星星	xīngxing	star (in the sky)
血	xuè	blood
汗	hàn	speechless; embarrassed (internet reaction)
吹	chuī	to blow

English (for the teacher)

Long, long ago there was no sky and no earth, no day and no night. The whole world was like a giant egg, dark and jumbled inside.

Inside this “egg” slept a giant, and his name was Pangu. Once Pangu fell asleep, he slept for eighteen thousand years.

One day Pangu finally woke up. He opened his eyes and could see nothing at all. He wanted to stretch, but his hands and feet bumped against the shell. “This place is too small!” Pangu was annoyed; he gave a hard push, and the “egg” broke.

What was inside slowly came apart: the light, clear part rose and became the sky, and the heavy, murky part sank and became the earth.

But Pangu worried that the sky and the earth would close up again. So he stood between them, holding up the sky with his head and pressing down the earth with his feet.

From that day on, the sky rose one zhang every day, the earth grew one zhang thicker every day, and Pangu grew one zhang taller every day. A zhang is a little over three metres. And so another eighteen thousand years passed: the sky was very, very high, the earth was very, very thick, and Pangu had become a giant who stood with his head in the sky and his feet on the ground. The old book says the sky and the earth ended up ninety thousand li apart.

Now the sky and the earth would never close again. But Pangu was too tired; he slowly lay down and never got up again.

Just then, something strange happened. The breath Pangu let out became wind and clouds, and his voice became thunder. His left eye became the sun and his right eye the moon. His hair and beard became the stars in the sky, his blood became the rivers, his flesh became the soil, the hair on his body became flowers, grass and trees, and his sweat became the rain.

Another version says the tiny bugs on Pangu’s body were blown by the wind and turned into the first people. So, by that account, we all come from the bugs on Pangu’s body.

Many people think Pangu split the sky and the earth with a big axe. But the oldest books have no axe at all. The axe was only added more than a thousand years later, in a Ming dynasty novel.