HSK 6 · Article · 583 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-the-terracotta-army

兵马俑是什么?

What is the Terracotta Army?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

1974年nián春天chūntiān,西安xī’ān附近fùjìn的de临潼líntóng很hěn久jiǔ没有méiyǒu下雨xiàyǔ了le。几jǐ个gè农民nóngmín决定juédìng在zài村子cūnzi外面wàimiàn打dǎ一yì口kǒu井jǐng。有yǒu一天yìtiān,有人yǒurén碰到pèngdào了le硬yìng东西dōngxī。拿ná出来chūlái一yí看kàn,是shì一个yígè土tǔ做zuò的de人rén头tóu,眼睛yǎnjing睁zhēng着zhe,好像hǎoxiàng正在zhèngzài看kàn他们tāmen。

他们tāmen不bù知道zhīdào,自己zìjǐ找到zhǎodào的de是shì一yì支zhī两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián前qián的de地下军队jūnduì。它tā就是jiùshì今天jīntiān有名yǒumíng的de兵马俑bīngmáyǒng。

兵马俑bīngmáyǒng是shì为wèi秦始皇qínshǐhuáng做zuò的de。秦始皇qínshǐhuáng是shì中国zhōngguó第一dìyī个gè皇帝huángdì,公元前gōngyuánqián221年nián,他tā统一tǒngyī了le中国zhōngguó。还hái很hěn年轻niánqīng的de时候shíhou,他tā就jiù开始kāishǐ给gěi自己zìjǐ建jiàn陵墓língmù。兵马俑bīngmáyǒng就jiù埋mái在zài陵墓língmù东边dōngbiān一yì公里gōnglǐ多duō的de地方dìfang,像xiàng真正zhēnzhèng的de士兵shìbīng一样yíyàng排pái得de整整齐齐zhéngzhěng-qíqí。人们rénmen认为rènwéi,它们tāmen是shì要yào在zài另lìng一个yígè世界shìjiè里继续jìxù保护bǎohù这zhè位wèi皇帝huángdì。

兵马俑bīngmáyǒng到底dàodǐ有yǒu多少duōshao?专家zhuānjiā估计gūjì,三sān个gè坑kēng里一yí共有gòngyǒu八千多bāqiānduō个gè士兵shìbīng、一百三十yìbǎi-sānshí辆liàng战车zhànchē和hé六百多liùbǎiduō匹pǐ马mǎ,其中qízhōng大部分dàbùfen到dào现在xiànzài还hái埋mái在zài地下。

最zuì让ràng人rén吃惊chījīng的de是shì,这些zhèxiē士兵shìbīng长得zhǎngde都dōu不bù一样yíyàng。有的yǒude胖pàng,有的yǒude瘦shòu;有的yǒude很hěn严肃yánsù,有的yǒude好像hǎoxiàng在zài笑xiào;头发tóufa和hé胡子húzi也yě各不相同gèbù-xiāngtóng。专家zhuānjiā认为rènwéi,工人gōngrén们men先xiān按àn十来shílái种zhǒng基本jīběn的de脸型liǎnxíng做出zuòchū大概dàgài的de样子yàngzi,再zài一个yígè一个yígè地de加上jiāshàng细节xìjié,所以suóyǐ很hěn难nán找到zhǎodào两liǎng张zhāng完全wánquán一样yíyàng的de脸liǎn。

今天jīntiān我们wǒmen看到kàndào的de兵马俑bīngmáyǒng是shì灰色huīsè的de,可是kěshì刚gāng做zuò好hǎo的de时候shíhou,它们tāmen身上shēnshang画huà着zhe红hóng、绿lǜ、蓝lán等děng很hěn亮liàng的de颜色yánsè。从cóng土tǔ里出来chūlái以后yǐhòu,大部分dàbùfen颜色yánsè没méi过guò多久duōjiǔ就jiù掉diào了le。

那nà秦始皇qínshǐhuáng自己zìjǐ的de陵墓língmù里面lǐmiàn是shì什么shénme样子yàngzi呢ne?两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián前qián,历史学家lìshǐxuéjiā司马迁sīmǎqiān写xiě过guò:里面lǐmiàn用yòng水银shuǐyín做成zuòchéng了le江河jiānghé和hé大海dàhǎi。这zhè听起来tīngqǐlai像xiàng故事gùshi,可是kěshì现代xiàndài科学家kēxuéjiā检查jiǎnchá以后yǐhòu发现fāxiàn,陵墓língmù上面shàngmiàn的de土tǔ里,水银shuǐyín确实quèshí特别tèbié多duō。到dào今天jīntiān,秦始皇qínshǐhuáng的de墓mù还hái没有méiyǒu打开dǎkāi过guò,有人yǒurén认为rènwéi,这zhè是shì为了wèile保护bǎohù里面lǐmiàn的de东西dōngxī。

1987年nián,秦始皇陵qínshǐhuánglíng和hé兵马俑bīngmáyǒng成为chéngwéi了le世界遗产shìjiè-yíchǎn。当年dāngnián打井dájǐng的de一yí位wèi农民nóngmín,后来hòulái在zài兵马俑bīngmáyǒng博物馆bówùguǎn里给gěi游客yóukè签qiān了le很hěn多年duōnián的de名míng。那nà口kǒu井jǐng最后zuìhòu连lián一yì滴水dīshuǐ都dōu没有méiyǒu,却què让ràng一yì支zhī八千bāqiān人rén的de军队jūnduì重新chóngxīn见到jiàndào了le阳光yángguāng。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
农民nóngmínpeasant; farmer
硬yìnghard; stiff
支zhībranch; offshoot (as in 支流)
统一tǒngyīunified; uniform; to unify; to unite
专家zhuānjiāexpert; specialist
匹pǐclassifier for horses, mules and bolts of cloth
严肃yánsùserious; solemn; stern
细节xìjiédetail
灰色huīsègray
红hóngred
现代xiàndàimodern; contemporary; modern times; modern age
当年dāngniánin those years; back then

English (for the teacher)

In the spring of 1974 it hadn't rained for a long time in Lintong, near Xi'an. A few farmers decided to dig a well outside their village. One day, someone hit something hard. They pulled it out and looked: it was a head made of clay, eyes open, as if it were looking right at them.

They didn't know it, but what they had found was an underground army more than two thousand years old. It is what we now know as the famous Terracotta Army.

The Terracotta Army was made for Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was China's first emperor; in 221 BC he unified China. When he was still very young, he had already begun building his own tomb. The Terracotta Army is buried a little more than a kilometre east of the tomb, lined up in neat rows like real soldiers. People think it was meant to go on protecting the emperor in the next world.

So how many figures are there? Experts estimate that the three pits hold more than eight thousand soldiers, a hundred and thirty chariots and over six hundred horses, and most of them are still under the ground today.

The most surprising thing is that the soldiers all look different. Some are fat, some thin; some look stern, some seem to be smiling; their hair and beards are all different too. Experts think the workers started from about ten basic face shapes and then added the details one by one, which is why it's hard to find two faces exactly alike.

The figures we see today are grey, but when they were first made they were painted in bright reds, greens, blues and other colours. Once they came out of the earth, most of the colour came off before long.

So what does Qin Shi Huang's own tomb look like inside? More than two thousand years ago, the historian Sima Qian wrote that inside it, rivers and seas were made of mercury. It sounds like a fairy tale, but when modern scientists tested it, they found the soil on top of the tomb really is unusually full of mercury. To this day the emperor's tomb has never been opened; some people think that is to protect what is inside.

In 1987 the First Emperor's tomb and the Terracotta Army became a World Heritage Site. One of the farmers who dug the well later spent years signing his name for visitors at the Terracotta Army museum. In the end their well never gave a single drop of water, but it brought an army of eight thousand back into the sunlight.