三英战吕布
Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu
Name: ________________ Date: ________
华雄死了，大家都很高兴。可是没过多久，他们就不高兴了，因为吕布来了。
吕布是谁？他个子很高，长得也好看，是那时候最能打的人。大家一听到他的名字，心里就害怕。
吕布以前叫一个叫丁原的人“爸爸”。后来，董卓送给他很多好东西，还有一匹好马，叫赤兔。吕布就杀了丁原，又叫董卓“爸爸”。赤兔马从头到脚都是红色的，一天能跑一千里。所以大家都说：“人中吕布，马中赤兔。”意思是：人里面，吕布最厉害；马里面，赤兔最好。
现在，董卓让吕布带着人去虎牢关。吕布骑着赤兔马来到了关前，手里的武器又长又重。
这边的人叫大将出去打他。第一个人出去，没打几下，就被吕布杀了。第二个出去，一下就被吕布打死了。第三个打了十几下，一只手被吕布砍了下来。大家都不敢再出去了。
刘备的老同学说：“我去！”他骑马出去，可是没打几下就不行了，马上往回跑。吕布骑着赤兔马在后面追。赤兔跑得太快了，一下子就到了他的后面。吕布的武器就要落下去了——
“三姓家奴，别跑！我张飞在这里！”张飞拿着丈八蛇矛冲了过来。这是张飞在骂吕布：你一会儿姓吕，一会儿叫这个人爸爸，一会儿又叫那个人爸爸，你到底姓什么？
吕布听了，非常生气，马上和张飞打了起来。五十多下过去了，谁也没有赢。
关羽看见了，也拿着大刀骑马跑了过去。两个人一起打吕布，又是三十多下过去了，他们还是拿吕布没有办法。
刘备也拿着两把剑，骑马过去了。三兄弟围着吕布，一起打他。两边的人都在看，看得忘了说话。
时间长了，吕布也累了。他看着刘备的脸，好像要打下去。刘备往旁边一躲，吕布就从刘备身边冲了出去，骑着赤兔，跑回了虎牢关。三兄弟骑马跟在后面，可是谁的马也没有赤兔快。
这一次，三个人一起打吕布，还是没有打赢。可是，“三英战吕布”这个故事，从那时候一直讲到了今天。“三英”，说的是刘备、关羽、张飞三个人。
后来，董卓放火烧了都城，带着皇帝往西边跑了。只有曹操带着人去追，可是他输了。别的人都不想再打了。你想要这个，我想要那个，大家吵来吵去，最后都回自己的地方去了。刘备三兄弟也走了。
天下更乱了。在这些人里面，有一个人越来越厉害。他就是曹操。
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however |
| 心里 | xīnlǐ | in one's heart; in one's mind |
| 害怕 | hàipà | to be afraid; to be scared |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; previously; formerly |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later |
| 马 | mǎ | horse |
| 又 | yòu | again (it already happened again); and also |
| 中 | zhōng | middle; center |
| 最好 | zuìhǎo | best |
| 带 | dài | to bring; to take; to carry |
| 骑 | qí | to ride (a horse, bike, etc.) |
| 马上 | mǎshàng | right away; immediately |
Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)
HSK 3 · Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 可是 and 心里 in sentences of their own.
Warm-up 5 min
Write 三英战吕布 on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu”.
Key words 10 min
Teach 可是 (kěshì, but; however), 心里 (xīnlǐ, in one's heart; in one's mind), 害怕 (hàipà, to be afraid; to be scared), 以前 (yǐqián, before; previously; formerly), 后来 (hòulái, afterwards; later), 马 (mǎ, horse). 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/three-heroes-fight-lu-bu-three-kingdoms-easy-chinese-3: 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 可是 and one with 心里, 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)
Hua Xiong was dead, and everyone was delighted. But before long they stopped smiling, because Lü Bu had come.
Who was Lü Bu? He was tall and handsome, and the best fighter of his day. Just hearing his name filled people with fear.
Lü Bu used to call a man named Ding Yuan "Father". Then Dong Zhuo gave him lots of fine things, and a fine horse too, called Red Hare. So Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan and started calling Dong Zhuo "Father" instead. Red Hare was red from head to hoof and could run a thousand li in a day. That's why everyone said: "Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare." It means: of all men, Lü Bu is the most fearsome; of all horses, Red Hare is the best.
Now Dong Zhuo sent Lü Bu with his men to Hulao Pass. Lü Bu rode Red Hare up to the front of the pass, a long, heavy weapon in his hand.
The lords' side sent their generals out to fight him. The first man rode out, and after only a few blows Lü Bu killed him. The second rode out, and Lü Bu killed him with a single blow. The third fought him for a dozen blows or so, and Lü Bu cut off one of his hands. After that, nobody dared go out again.
Liu Bei's old schoolmate said: "I'll go!" He rode out, but after only a few blows he was beaten, and he turned and fled. Lü Bu rode after him on Red Hare. Red Hare was so fast that in a moment he was right behind him. Lü Bu's weapon was about to come down...
"Don't run, you slave with three surnames! I, Zhang Fei, am here!" Zhang Fei came charging up with his Serpent Spear. That was Zhang Fei insulting Lü Bu: one minute your name is Lü, the next you call this man Father, and the next you call that man Father; just what is your surname?
Lü Bu was furious when he heard it, and at once he and Zhang Fei were fighting. Fifty blows and more went by, and neither one could win.
Guan Yu saw it, and he too rode over with his great blade. The two of them fought Lü Bu together, and another thirty blows went by, and still they could do nothing against him.
Liu Bei rode over as well, with his two swords. The three brothers surrounded Lü Bu and fought him all together. Both armies were watching, so caught up that they forgot to speak.
As time went on, Lü Bu grew tired too. He aimed at Liu Bei's face as if about to strike. Liu Bei dodged to one side, and Lü Bu broke out past him and galloped on Red Hare back to Hulao Pass. The three brothers rode after him, but none of their horses was as fast as Red Hare.
That time, even three against one, they did not beat Lü Bu. But the story "Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu" has been told from that day to this. The "three heroes" are Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Later Dong Zhuo set fire to the capital and fled west, taking the emperor with him. Only Cao Cao led his men after him, and he was beaten. None of the others wanted to fight any more. You wanted this, I wanted that, and they quarrelled on and on until in the end they all went back to their own lands. The three brothers left too.
The land was in worse chaos than ever. Among all these men, one was growing stronger and stronger. That man was Cao Cao.