古城相会
Reunion at the Old City
Name: ________________ Date: ________
原来，关羽先派了一个人进城去告诉张飞。张飞听了，一句话也没说，马上穿好衣甲，拿起丈八蛇矛，带着一千多人就出了城。
关羽还以为三弟是来接他的，高兴得把大刀交给了身边的人，一个人骑着马迎了上去。没想到张飞瞪着一双大眼睛，胡子都竖了起来，举起丈八蛇矛就朝他刺过来。关羽吓了一跳，连忙躲开：“三弟，这是干什么？难道你忘了桃园结义吗？”
张飞大骂：“你还有脸说桃园结义！你丢下大哥，投降了曹操，还当了大官，现在又来骗我。今天我跟你拼了！”关羽说：“我说了你也不信。两位嫂子就在这里，你自己去问吧。”
两位夫人从车里出来，说：“三弟，你二哥是因为不知道你们在哪里，才在曹操那里住了一段时间。现在知道了你大哥在哪里，他就一路把我们送到了这里。”张飞根本不听：“嫂子别被他骗了！真正的好汉，宁可死，也不会去给别人做事！”
正在这时，远处来了一队人马，朝这边冲了过来，旗子上写着一个大大的“曹”字。张飞更生气了：“你还说没骗我？这些人就是你带来抓我的！”他举起丈八蛇矛，又要刺过去。
关羽说：“三弟先别动手。你看我把这个人杀了，就知道我是真心的。”张飞想了想，说：“好！我在城上敲鼓，敲三遍。三遍敲完以前，你要是做不到，我就不客气了！”
来的人叫蔡阳，是曹操手下的大将。关羽在路上杀了他的外甥，他一直追到这里来报仇。张飞亲自敲鼓。第一遍鼓还没敲完，关羽就骑着马冲了上去，大刀一挥，蔡阳的头已经掉在了地上。
关羽又抓来一个曹操手下的小兵，让他把关羽在许昌和一路上的事都说出来。小兵从头到尾说了一遍，说得清清楚楚。张飞这才明白，二哥一直想着大哥，从来没有背叛过他们。他扔下丈八蛇矛，流着眼泪，跪在关羽面前拜了下去。
接下来，关羽又去找大哥，把他带了过来。刘备骗袁绍说，自己要去南方帮他找帮手，这才离开了袁绍。路上，他们还遇到了年轻的将军赵云。很多年前，赵云在刘备那位老同学的手下做事，那时候就认识了刘备。两个人很合得来，分开的时候都舍不得。这一次，赵云决定跟着刘备，再也不走了。
在古城里，刘备、关羽、张飞三兄弟终于又站在了一起。张飞讲自己这些日子怎么占了这座城，关羽讲自己怎么一路走过来，刘备听着听着，眼泪就流了下来。大家杀牛杀马，拜谢天地，一连几天都在喝酒说话。
可是开心了几天以后，刘备又开始发愁了。关羽、张飞、赵云，个个都是猛将，打起仗来谁也不怕。可是打仗不光要会打，还要会想。他身边一个能替他想办法、定计划的人也没有。没有这样的人，他们还要打多少败仗呢？
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 派 | pài | to send; to dispatch |
| 朝 | cháo | toward; facing |
| 连忙 | liánmáng | hastily; at once |
| 骂 | mà | to scold; to curse; to swear at |
| 骗 | piàn | to deceive; to lie to; to cheat; to swindle |
| 拼 | pīn | to piece together; to put together |
| 一路 | yílù | all the way; throughout the journey |
| 根本 | gēnběn | fundamental; basic; root |
| 冲 | chōng | to rush; to charge |
| 抓 | zhuā | to grab; to seize |
| 动手 | dòngshǒu | to hit; to come to blows |
| 鼓 | gǔ | drum |
Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)
HSK 5 · Reunion at the Old City. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 派 and 朝 in sentences of their own.
Warm-up 5 min
Write 古城相会 on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “Reunion at the Old City”.
Key words 10 min
Teach 派 (pài, to send; to dispatch), 朝 (cháo, toward; facing), 连忙 (liánmáng, hastily; at once), 骂 (mà, to scold; to curse; to swear at), 骗 (piàn, to deceive; to lie to; to cheat; to swindle), 拼 (pīn, to piece together; to put together). Say each one, the class says it back, then ask for its meaning with the word covered. The rest are in the handout’s table.
Listen 10 min
Play it read aloud from mandarinthewild.com/library/read/reunion-at-the-old-city-three-kingdoms-intermediate-chinese-6: once with the text face down, once reading along. Students tap any word there for its meaning.
Read and check 10 min
Students read it alone, then tell a partner in two sentences of Chinese what it says.
Use it 10 min
In pairs, each student writes two sentences of their own, one with 派 and one with 朝, and reads one to the class.
Homework. Students read it again at home and Review its words. Put it in a free class (mandarinthewild.com/teachers/class) and you see who read it.
English (for the teacher)
Guan Yu had sent a man ahead into the city to tell Zhang Fei. When Zhang Fei heard, he didn't say a word; he put on his armour at once, took up his Serpent Spear and rode out of the city with more than a thousand men.
Guan Yu thought his third brother had come to welcome him, and in his joy he handed his blade to the man beside him and rode out alone to meet him. But Zhang Fei glared with his big eyes, his whiskers bristling, raised his Serpent Spear and thrust it at him. Guan Yu jumped in alarm and quickly dodged: "Third brother, what are you doing? Have you forgotten our oath in the Peach Garden?"
Zhang Fei cursed him: "You dare to talk about the Peach Garden oath! You abandoned our eldest brother, surrendered to Cao Cao and became a great official, and now you've come to trick me. Today I'll fight you to the death!" Guan Yu said: "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Our two sisters-in-law are right here; go and ask them yourself."
The two wives came out of the carriage and said: "Third brother, your second brother only stayed with Cao Cao for a while because he didn't know where you were. Now that he knows where your eldest brother is, he has brought us all the way here." Zhang Fei wouldn't listen at all: "Sisters, don't let him fool you! A true hero would rather die than serve another master!"
Just then a troop of soldiers appeared in the distance, charging toward them, with a big character "Cao" written on their banner. Zhang Fei grew even angrier: "And you still say you're not tricking me? You brought these men to catch me!" He raised his Serpent Spear to thrust again.
Guan Yu said: "Hold your hand, third brother. Watch me kill this man, and you'll know I'm sincere." Zhang Fei thought for a moment and said: "Fine! I'll beat the drum on the city wall, three rounds. If you can't do it before the three rounds are over, I'll show you no mercy!"
The man coming was Cai Yang, one of Cao Cao's generals. Guan Yu had killed his nephew on the road, and he had chased him all the way here for revenge. Zhang Fei beat the drum himself. Before the first round was even over, Guan Yu charged out on his horse, his blade flashed, and Cai Yang's head was already on the ground.
Guan Yu then caught one of Cao Cao's soldiers and made him tell everything that had happened to Guan Yu in Xuchang and along the road. The soldier told it all from beginning to end, plainly and clearly. Only then did Zhang Fei understand that his second brother had been thinking of their eldest brother all along and had never betrayed them. He threw down his Serpent Spear and, in tears, knelt and bowed before Guan Yu.
Next, Guan Yu went to find their eldest brother and brought him back. Liu Bei had told Yuan Shao he was going south to find him allies, and that was how he got away from Yuan Shao. On the way they also met a young general, Zhao Yun. Many years before, Zhao Yun had served under Liu Bei's old classmate, and that was when he had come to know Liu Bei. The two of them got on very well, and neither had wanted to part. This time Zhao Yun decided to follow Liu Bei and never leave.
In the Old City, the three brothers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, stood together at last. Zhang Fei told how he had taken the city in these past days, Guan Yu told how he had made his way there, and as Liu Bei listened, the tears ran down his face. They slaughtered oxen and horses, gave thanks to heaven and earth, and spent several days in a row drinking and talking.
But after a few happy days, Liu Bei began to worry again. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun were all fierce warriors, and none of them feared any fight. But war isn't only about fighting; it's about thinking too. There was not one person at his side who could work out a plan for him. Without such a man, how many more battles would they lose?