HSK 6 · Article · 650 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-was-the-silk-road

丝绸之路是什么?

What was the Silk Road?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

两千一百多liǎngqiānyībǎiduō年nián前qián,一个yígè叫jiào张骞zhāngqiān的de年轻niánqīng官员guānyuán从cóng长安cháng’ān出发chūfā,一路yílù向xiàng西xī。跟随gēnsuí他tā的de有yǒu一百多yìbǎiduō个gè人rén,他们tāmen带dài着zhe汉武帝hànwǔdì交给jiāogěi的de使命shǐmìng:找到zhǎodào远yuǎn在zài西边xībiān的de大月氏,说服shuōfú他们tāmen和hé汉朝hàncháo联手liánshǒu,一起yìqǐ对付duìfu北方běifāng的de匈奴xiōngnú。没想到méixiǎngdào,他们tāmen出发chūfā不久bùjiǔ就jiù遭遇zāoyù了le匈奴xiōngnú骑兵qíbīng,全部quánbù成chéng了le俘虏fúlǔ,在zài匈奴xiōngnú那里nàlǐ一yì待dāi就是jiùshì十shí年nián左右zuǒyòu。这zhè期间qījiān,张骞zhāngqiān娶qǔ了le妻子qīzi,还有háiyǒu了le孩子háizi,可kě他tā始终shǐzhōng没有méiyǒu忘记wàngjì自己zìjǐ的de使命shǐmìng。后来hòulái,他tā终于zhōngyú找到zhǎodào机会jīhuì逃离táolí,继续jìxù往wǎng西xī,吃chī尽jìn了le苦头kǔtou,真的zhēnde抵达dǐdá了le大月氏。可是kěshì,大月氏人已经yǐjīng在zài富饶fùráo的de新xīn土地tǔdì上shàng过guò上shàng了le安稳ānwěn的de日子rìzi,再也zàiyě不想bùxiǎng打仗dǎzhàng了le。

回来huílái的de路上lùshang,张骞zhāngqiān又yòu一次yícì落入luòrù匈奴xiōngnú手shǒu中zhōng。十三shísān年nián后hòu,他tā终于zhōngyú回到huídào长安cháng’ān,当初dāngchū出发chūfā的de一百多yìbǎiduō人rén,只zhǐ剩下shèngxia两liǎng个gè。从cóng结果jiéguǒ来lái看kàn,这次zhècì使命shǐmìng彻底chèdǐ失败shībài了le。然而rán’ér,他tā带dài回来huílai的de消息xiāoxi,却què让ràng中原zhōngyuán的de人rén第一次dìyīcì清楚qīngchu地de了解liáojiě到dào:在zài遥远yáoyuǎn的de西方xīfāng,还有háiyǒu那么nàme多duō国家guójiā和hé城市chéngshì,那里nàlǐ的de人rén怎样zěnyàng生活shēnghuó,出产chūchǎn什么shénme,喜欢xǐhuān什么shénme。皇帝huángdì听tīng了le,眼界yǎnjiè大开dàkāi。从cóng那nà以后yǐhòu,一yì批pī又yòu一yì批pī的de汉朝hàncháo使臣shǐchén和hé商人shāngrén向xiàng西xī出发chūfā,一yì条tiáo连接liánjiē东方dōngfāng和hé西方xīfāng的de通道tōngdào,渐渐jiànjiàn被bèi打通dǎtōng了le。

在zài这zhè条tiáo路上lùshang来来往往láilái-wángwǎng的de,远远yuányuǎn不bù只是zhǐshì丝绸sīchóu。中国zhōngguó的de丝绸sīchóu,还有háiyǒu后来hòulái造纸zàozhǐ的de技术jìshù,一yí站zhàn一yí站zhàn地de传chuán到dào了le中亚zhōngyà、西亚xīyà,甚至shènzhì欧洲ōuzhōu。反过来fǎnguòlai,葡萄pútao、骏马jùnmǎ和hé玻璃bōli,也yě从cóng西边xībiān进入jìnrù了le中国zhōngguó。比bǐ货物huòwù影响yíngxiǎng更gèng深shēn的de,是shì宗教zōngjiào和hé思想sīxiǎng:佛教fójiào就是jiùshì沿着yánzhe这zhè条tiáo路lù传入chuánrù中国zhōngguó的de。其实qíshí,它tā并bìng不是búshì一yì条tiáo路lù,而是érshì由yóu许多xǔduō条tiáo路lù组成zǔchéng的de一yì张zhāng网wǎng,有的yǒude穿过chuānguò茫茫mángmáng沙漠shāmò,有的yǒude翻越fānyuè高原gāoyuán和hé雪山xuěshān。几乎jīhū没有méiyǒu商人shāngrén能néng从cóng起点qídiǎn一直yìzhí走zǒu到dào终点zhōngdiǎn,一yì匹pǐ丝绸sīchóu往往wángwǎng要yào经过jīngguò许多xǔduō人rén的de手shǒu,价格jiàgé也yě越来越yuèláiyuè高gāo,最后zuìhòu才cái到达dàodá遥远yáoyuǎn的de罗马luómǎ。

有意思yǒuyìsi的de是shì,古代gǔdài在zài这zhè条tiáo路上lùshang走过zǒuguò的de人rén,谁shéi也yě没méi听说tīngshuō过guò“丝绸之路sīchóu-zhīlù”这zhè个gè名字míngzi。直到zhídào1877年nián,德国déguó地理学家dìlǐxuéjiā李希霍芬在zài书shū中zhōng第一次dìyīcì用yòng了le这zhè个gè说法shuōfǎ,它tā才cái渐渐jiànjiàn流传liúchuán开来kāilái。2014年nián,从cóng长安cháng’ān到dào天山tiānshān的de一yí段duàn路网lùwǎng被bèi列入lièrù了le世界遗产名录shìjièyíchǎnmínglù。张骞zhāngqiān没有méiyǒu完成wánchéng皇帝huángdì交给jiāogěi他tā的de使命shǐmìng,却què在zài无意wúyì之中zhīzhōng,为wèi世界shìjiè打开dǎkāi了le一yì条tiáo路lù。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
一路yílùall the way; throughout the journey
说服shuōfúto persuade; to convince
期间qījiānperiod; time; during
始终shǐzhōngfrom beginning to end; all along; always
土地tǔdìland; soil; territory
彻底chèdǐthoroughly; thorough; complete
批pīto approve (as in 批准)
商人shāngrénmerchant; businessman
连接liánjiēto connect; to link; to join; connection; link
渐渐jiànjiàngradually; little by little
官员guānyuánofficial; officer
跟随gēnsuíto follow

English (for the teacher)

More than twenty-one centuries ago, a young official named Zhang Qian set out from Chang'an and headed west. More than a hundred people went with him, carrying a mission from Emperor Wu of Han: to find the Yuezhi, far away in the west, and persuade them to join forces with the Han against the Xiongnu in the north. But soon after they set out they ran into Xiongnu horsemen and were all taken prisoner, and they stayed among the Xiongnu for about ten years. During that time Zhang Qian married and even had a child, but he never forgot his mission. In the end he found a chance to escape, kept going west through great hardship, and really did reach the Yuezhi. But the Yuezhi had settled into a peaceful life on rich new land and no longer wanted any war.

On the way back, Zhang Qian fell into Xiongnu hands once more. Thirteen years later he finally made it back to Chang'an, and of the hundred-odd people who had set out, only two were left. Judged by its result, the mission was a complete failure. Yet the news he brought back let the people of the Central Plains learn clearly, for the first time, that in the distant west there were so many more countries and cities, and how the people there lived, what they produced and what they liked. Hearing it, the emperor saw the world anew. From then on, group after group of Han envoys and merchants set out west, and a passage linking East and West was gradually opened up.

What came and went along this road was far more than silk. China's silk, and later the art of making paper, passed from stop to stop to Central Asia, West Asia and even Europe. In the other direction, grapes, fine horses and glass came into China from the west. What left a deeper mark than any goods were religions and ideas: Buddhism came into China along this very road. In fact it was not one road at all, but a web made of many roads, some crossing vast deserts and some climbing over high plateaus and snowy mountains. Almost no merchant went all the way from start to finish; a bolt of silk usually passed through many hands, growing more and more expensive, before it finally reached faraway Rome.

The interesting thing is that none of the people who walked this road in ancient times ever heard the name “Silk Road”. Only in 1877, when the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen first used the term in a book, did it slowly begin to spread. In 2014, a stretch of the network from Chang'an to the Tianshan mountains was added to the World Heritage List. Zhang Qian never finished the mission the emperor gave him, yet without meaning to, he opened a road for the world.