HSK 4 · Story · 340 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/sima-guang-za-gang-sima-guang-smashes-the-jar

司马光砸缸

Sima Guang smashes the water jar

Name: ________________ Date: ________

一千yìqiān年nián前qián，宋朝sòngcháo有yǒu个gè小男孩xiǎonánhái，叫jiào司马光sīmǎguāng。他tā七qī岁suì的de时候shíhou，就jiù跟gēn大人dàren一样yíyàng懂事dǒngshì，特别tèbié喜欢xǐhuān看书kànshū，看kàn起qǐ书shū来lái，连lián饭fàn都dōu忘wàng了le吃chī。

有yǒu一天yìtiān，司马光sīmǎguāng和hé小朋友xiǎopéngyou们men在zài院子yuànzi里玩wán。院子yuànzi里有yǒu一个yígè很hěn大dà的de水缸shuǐgāng，里面lǐmiàn装满zhuāngmǎn了le水shuǐ。

一个yígè小朋友xiǎopéngyou爬pá到dào缸gāng上去shàngqu玩wán，脚下jiǎoxià一yì滑huá，“扑通pūtōng”一声yìshēng，掉diào进jìn了le缸gāng里！

水shuǐ很hěn深shēn，他tā在zài里面lǐmiàn大声dàshēng地de喊hǎn，他tā的de头tóu一会儿yíhuìr在zài水上shuǐshàng，一会儿yíhuìr在zài水下shuǐxià。

别的biéde小朋友xiǎopéngyou害怕hàipà极了jíle，都dōu跑pǎo了le，只有zhíyǒu司马光sīmǎguāng没有méiyǒu走zǒu。

去qù找zhǎo爸爸bàba妈妈māma？太tài慢màn了le。把bǎ他tā拉lā上来shànglai？太tài高gāo了le，拉不到lābudào。司马光sīmǎguāng看kàn了le看kàn四周sìzhōu，在zài地上dìshang找到zhǎodào一块yíkuài大dà石头shítou。他tā举起júqǐ石头shítou，砸zá在zài了le水缸shuǐgāng上shàng！

水缸shuǐgāng破pò了le一个yígè大洞dàdòng，水shuǐ哗哗huāhuā地de流liú了le出来chūlái。那个nàge小朋友xiǎopéngyou活huó下来xiàlai了le。

这zhè件jiàn事shì很hěn快kuài就jiù传开chuánkāi了le，还有háiyǒu人rén把bǎ它tā画huà成chéng了le画huà。司马光sīmǎguāng长大zhǎngdà以后yǐhòu，写xiě了le一yí部bù很hěn长cháng很hěn长cháng的de历史lìshǐ书shū，叫jiào《资治通鉴zīzhì-tōngjiàn》。一千yìqiān年nián后hòu，还有háiyǒu很hěn多duō人rén读dú它tā。

今天jīntiān，中国zhōngguó人rén说起shuōqǐ“司马光砸缸”，是shì在zài说shuō：遇到yùdào问题wèntí，别bié只zhǐ想xiǎng一yì种zhǒng办法bànfǎ。别人biéren想xiǎng的de是shì让ràng人rén离开líkāi水shuǐ，司马光sīmǎguāng想xiǎng的de是shì让ràng水shuǐ离开líkāi人rén。比如bǐrú：“门mén开不了kāibuliǎo，那nà就jiù从cóng窗户chuānghu进去jìnqu，学学xuéxue司马光sīmǎguāng！”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
大人	dàren	(polite) Your Excellency; lord (form of address for officials or elders)
特别	tèbié	special; unusual; especially; particularly
爬	pá	to climb
别的	biéde	other; else
害怕	hàipà	to be afraid; to be scared
一块	yíkuài	a piece; a lump
以后	yǐhòu	later; afterwards; in the future
历史	lìshǐ	history
遇到	yùdào	to meet; to run into; to encounter
种	zhǒng	to plant; to grow
办法	bànfǎ	way; method; means
别人	biéren	other people; others; someone else

English (for the teacher)

A thousand years ago, in the Song dynasty, there was a little boy named Sima Guang. At seven he was as sensible as a grown-up and loved reading so much that once he started he forgot to eat.

One day Sima Guang was playing in a courtyard with some other children. In the courtyard stood a huge water jar, filled right to the top.

One child climbed up onto the jar to play, slipped, and with a splash fell right into it!

The water was deep; he shouted for help, his head bobbing above the water one moment and under it the next.

The other children were terrified and all ran off; only Sima Guang stayed.

Go and fetch the grown-ups? Too slow. Pull him out? Too high, he couldn’t reach. Sima Guang looked around and found a big stone on the ground. He lifted it up and brought it down hard on the jar!

The jar cracked open with a big hole and the water came gushing out. The child was saved.

The story soon spread, and people even made paintings of it. When Sima Guang grew up, he wrote a very, very long history book called the Zizhi Tongjian. A thousand years later, lots of people still read it.

Today, when Chinese people mention “Sima Guang smashes the jar”, they mean: when you hit a problem, don’t think of only one way to solve it. Everyone else was trying to get the child away from the water; Sima Guang got the water away from the child. For example: “The door won’t open? Then go in through the window, like Sima Guang!”