HSK 5 · Story · 576 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/xi-shi-four-beauties-of-china

西施

Xi Shi, the first of the Four Beauties

Name: ________________ Date: ________

中国zhōngguó人rén形容xíngróng一个yígè女人nǚrén特别tèbié美měi，有时yǒushí会huì说shuō她tā“沉鱼落雁chényú-luòyàn”。这zhè四sì个gè字zì里的de“沉鱼”，说shuō的de就是jiùshì两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián前qián的de一yí个gè姑娘gūniang：西施xīshī。她tā是shì中国zhōngguó古代gǔdài有名yǒumíng的de“四大美女sìdà-méinǚ”之一zhīyī。

西施xīshī生活shēnghuó在zài春秋时期chūnqiū-shíqī的de越国yuèguó，家jiā在zài今天jīntiān的de浙江zhèjiāng。她tā家里jiālǐ很hěn穷qióng，每天měitiān都dōu要yào到dào村子cūnzi旁边pángbiān的de小河xiǎohé里lǐ洗xǐ衣服yīfu。传说chuánshuō有yǒu一天yìtiān，她tā正在zhèngzài河边hébiān洗xǐ衣服yīfu，水shuǐ里的de鱼yú看见kànjiàn她tā映yìng在zài水shuǐ中zhōng的de样子yàngzi，居然jūrán忘wàng了le游泳yóuyǒng，一yì条tiáo一yì条tiáo地de沉chén到dào了le水底shuídǐ。“沉chén鱼yú”这zhè个gè说法shuōfǎ就是jiùshì这么zhème来lái的de。

据说jùshuō西施xīshī有yǒu心口xīnkǒu疼téng的de毛病máobìng。疼téng起来qǐlai的de时候shíhou，她tā会huì用yòng手shǒu按àn着zhe胸口xiōngkǒu，轻轻qīngqīng皱zhòu起qǐ眉头méitóu。没想到méixiǎngdào，她tā皱眉zhòuméi的de模样múyàng比bǐ平时píngshí还hái要yào迷人mírén，村里cūnlǐ的de人rén看到kàndào了le，忍不住rěnbuzhù称赞chēngzàn她tā。

村子cūnzi东边dōngbiān住zhù着zhe一yí个gè姑娘gūniang，叫jiào东施，长得zhǎngde不太bútài好看hǎokàn。她tā看见kànjiàn大家dàjiā都dōu称赞chēngzàn西施xīshī皱眉zhòuméi好看hǎokàn，就jiù悄悄qiāoqiāo学xué了le起来qǐlai。从此以后cóngcí-yǐhòu，她tā每天měitiān走zǒu在zài路上lùshang，都dōu用yòng手shǒu按àn着zhe胸口xiōngkǒu，用力yònglì皱zhòu着zhe眉头méitóu。后来hòulái呢？村里cūnlǐ的de人rén一yí看见kànjiàn她tā，就jiù赶紧gánjǐn关上guānshàng大门dàmén，躲duǒ在zài家里jiālǐ不bù出来chūlái。这zhè就是jiùshì成语chéngyǔ“东施效颦dōngshī-xiàopín”，意思yìsi是shì不bú看kàn自己zìjǐ的de条件tiáojiàn，只zhǐ会huì模仿mófǎng别人biéren，结果jiéguǒ反而fǎn’ér更gèng糟糕zāogāo。这zhè个gè故事gùshi最zuì早zǎo记载jìzǎi在zài《庄子zhuāngzǐ》里li。

不过búguò，西施xīshī出名chūmíng，并不bìngbù只是zhǐshì因为yīnwèi长得zhǎngde美měi。当时dāngshí，越国yuèguó被bèi旁边pángbiān的de吴国wúguó打败dǎbài了le，越国yuèguó的de国王guówáng勾践gōujiàn一直yìzhí想xiǎng报仇bàochóu。他tā和hé大臣dàchén范蠡fànlǐ想xiǎng出chū了le一yí个gè办法bànfǎ：把bǎ美女méinǚ送给sònggěi吴王夫差，让ràng他tā整天zhěngtiān只zhǐ想xiǎng着zhe玩wán，不再búzài管guǎn国家guójiā大事dàshì。西施xīshī就jiù这样zhèyàng被bèi送sòng到dào了le吴国wúguó。

吴王wúwáng果然guǒrán非常fēicháng喜欢xǐhuān西施xīshī，整天zhěngtiān和hé她tā在zài一起yìqǐ，国家guójiā的de事shì也yě越来越yuèláiyuè不bú放在心上fàngzài-xīnshàng。他tā甚至shènzhì杀shā了le一yí位wèi一直yìzhí劝quàn他tā小心xiǎoxīn越国yuèguó的de老lǎo大臣dàchén。又yòu过guò了le很hěn多年duōnián，越国yuèguó终于zhōngyú打败dǎbài了le吴国wúguó，夫差fūchāi也yě死sǐ了le。

西施xīshī后来hòulái去qù了le哪里nálǐ？历史lìshǐ上shàng没有méiyǒu明确míngquè的de记载jìzǎi。有yǒu一种yìzhǒng说法shuōfǎ是shì，她tā和hé范蠡fànlǐ一起yìqǐ坐zuò上shàng一yì条tiáo小船xiǎochuán，在zài太湖tàihú上shàng过guò起qǐ了le自由zìyóu的de生活shēnghuó。也yě有人yǒurén说shuō，她tā被bèi沉chén到dào了le江jiāng里。

你nǐ更gèng愿意yuànyì相信xiāngxìn哪nǎ一个yígè结局jiéjú呢ne？

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
美měibeautiful; pretty
姑娘gūnianggirl; young woman
样子yàngziappearance; look
说法shuōfǎversion; account; view
按ànto press; to push down
条件tiáojiàncondition; term; requirement
结果jiéguǒas a result; in the end; result; outcome
当时dāngshíthen; at that time
死sǐto die; dead
形容xíngróngto describe
古代gǔdàiancient times; antiquity
穷qióngpoor; impoverished

English (for the teacher)

When Chinese people want to say a woman is stunningly beautiful, they sometimes say she makes “fish sink and geese fall”. The “sinking fish” in those four characters is about a girl who lived more than two thousand years ago: Xi Shi. She is one of the famous “Four Beauties” of ancient China.

Xi Shi lived in the state of Yue in the Spring and Autumn period, in what is now Zhejiang. Her family was poor, and every day she went to wash clothes in the stream beside her village. Legend says that one day, as she was washing by the stream, the fish saw her reflection in the water, forgot how to swim, and one by one sank to the bottom. That is where the phrase “sinking fish” comes from.

It is said that Xi Shi suffered from pains in her chest. When the pain came, she would press a hand to her chest and knit her brows a little. Unexpectedly, she looked even more enchanting frowning than usual, and the villagers who saw it couldn’t help praising her.

On the east side of the village lived a girl called Dong Shi, who was not very good-looking. Seeing everyone praise Xi Shi’s frown, she quietly began to copy it. From then on, whenever she walked down the road, she pressed a hand to her chest and frowned as hard as she could. And then? As soon as the villagers saw her, they hurried to shut their gates and hid indoors. That is the idiom “Dong Shi imitates the frown”: copying others without considering your own situation, and only making things worse. The story first appears in the Zhuangzi.

But Xi Shi isn’t famous only for her looks. At the time, Yue had been defeated by its neighbour Wu, and Goujian, the king of Yue, longed for revenge. He and his minister Fan Li came up with a plan: give beautiful women to Fuchai, the king of Wu, so he would think only of pleasure and stop running his country. And so Xi Shi was sent to Wu.

Sure enough, the king of Wu adored her and spent all his days with her, caring less and less about affairs of state. He even had an old minister killed who had kept warning him to beware of Yue. Many years later, Yue finally defeated Wu, and Fuchai died too.

Where did Xi Shi go after that? History doesn’t say for certain. One version says she sailed away with Fan Li in a little boat and lived freely on Lake Tai. Others say she was drowned in a river.

Which ending would you rather believe?