HSK 5 · Article · 640 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhaozhou-bridge-oldest-open-spandrel-arch

赵州桥

Zhaozhou Bridge, the world's oldest open-spandrel arch

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如果rúguǒ你nǐ去qù河北héběi赵县zhàoxiàn,当地dāngdì人rén一定yídìng会huì带dài你nǐ去qù看kàn一yí座zuò石头shítou桥qiáo。它tā看起来kànqilai并不bìngbú大dà,也yě不bú特别tèbié漂亮piàoliang,可是kěshì它tā已经yǐjīng在zài河hé上shàng站zhàn了le一千四百多yìqiānsìbǎiduō年nián。它tā就是jiùshì赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo。

赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo建jiàn在zài隋朝suícháo,大约dàyuē是shì公元gōngyuán595年nián到dào605年nián之间zhījiān。设计shèjì这zhè座zuò桥qiáo的de是shì一yí位wèi普通pǔtōng的de工匠gōngjiàng,名字míngzi叫jiào李春。关于guānyú他tā,历史lìshǐ上shàng几乎jīhū没有méiyǒu留下liúxià什么shénme记载jìzǎi,我们wǒmen只zhǐ知道zhīdào他tā的de名字míngzi,是shì因为yīnwèi唐朝tángcháo人rén写xiě的de一yì篇piān文章wénzhāng里提到tídào了le他tā。

这zhè座zuò桥qiáo全长quáncháng五十多wǔshíduō米mǐ,中间zhōngjiān只有zhíyǒu一个yígè大dà拱gǒng,跨度kuàdù有yǒu三十七sānshíqī米mǐ多duō。在zài一千四百yìqiān-sìbǎi年nián前qián,用yòng石头shítou造zào这么zhème长cháng的de一个yígè拱gǒng,是shì一yí件jiàn非常fēicháng了不起liǎobuqǐ的de事shì。

不过búguò,赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo最zuì聪明cōngming的de地方dìfang,不bú在zài中间zhōngjiān的de大dà拱gǒng,而ér在zài大dà拱gǒng两头liǎngtóu的de“肩膀jiānbǎng”上shàng。仔细zǐxì看kàn,你nǐ会huì发现fāxiàn那里nàlǐ还hái开kāi着zhe四sì个gè小xiǎo拱gǒng,左边zuǒbiān两liǎng个gè,右边yòubiān两liǎng个gè。这zhè种zhǒng设计shèjì叫jiào“敞chǎng肩jiān拱gǒng”。

为什么wèishénme要yào在zài这里zhèlǐ多duō留liú四sì个gè小xiǎo洞dòng呢ne?李春至少zhìshǎo想到xiǎngdào了le两liǎng个gè好处hǎochu。第一dìyī,桥qiáo变biàn轻qīng了le。用yòng的de石头shítou少shǎo了le很hěn多duō,桥qiáo自己zìjǐ的de重量zhòngliàng也yě就jiù小xiǎo了le很hěn多duō,不bù容易róngyì压yā坏huài。第二dì’èr,不怕búpà洪水hóngshuǐ。夏天xiàtiān河水héshuǐ上涨shàngzhǎng的de时候shíhou,水shuǐ可以kéyǐ从cóng这些zhèxiē小xiǎo拱gǒng里流liú过去guòqu,不会búhuì把bǎ整zhěng座zuò桥qiáo推倒tuīdǎo。唐朝tángcháo人rén在zài文章wénzhāng里就jiù专门zhuānmén称赞chēngzàn过guò这zhè四sì个gè小xiǎo拱gǒng,说shuō它们tāmen能néng减少jiánshǎo洪水hóngshuǐ的de力量lìliang。

这zhè个gè办法bànfǎ到底dàodǐ有yǒu多duō先进xiānjìn?在zài欧洲ōuzhōu,类似lèisì的de石shí拱桥gǒngqiáo要yào到dào很hěn多duō个gè世纪shìjì以后yǐhòu才cái出现chūxiàn。今天jīntiān,赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo被bèi认为rènwéi是shì世界shìjiè上shàng现存xiàncún最zuì古老gúlǎo的de敞chǎng肩jiān石shí拱桥gǒngqiáo。1991年nián,它tā被bèi美国měiguó的de一个yígè工程gōngchéng组织zǔzhī评为píngwéi“国际guójì历史lìshǐ土木工程tǔmù-gōngchéng里程碑lǐchéngbēi”。

一千多yìqiānduō年nián来lái,赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo经历jīnglì了le多次duōcì洪水hóngshuǐ、战争zhànzhēng和hé地震dìzhèn。1966年nián,离lí这里zhèlǐ不bù远yuǎn的de邢台xíngtái发生fāshēng了le大dà地震dìzhèn,赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo竟然jìngrán没有méiyǒu倒下dǎoxià。

当然dāngrán,老百姓láobǎixìng更gèng喜欢xǐhuān讲jiǎng自己zìjǐ的de故事gùshi。民间mínjiān传说chuánshuō这zhè座zuò桥qiáo是shì鲁班lǔbān一夜之间yíyè-zhījiān造zào好hǎo的de。还有háiyǒu一yì首shǒu古老gúlǎo的de民歌míngē里唱chàng,神仙shénxiān张果老骑qí着zhe毛驴máolǘ过桥guòqiáo,想xiǎng试试shìshi它tā到底dàodǐ结不结实jiēbu-jiēshi,结果jiéguǒ在zài桥qiáo上shàng留下liúxià了le驴lǘ蹄tí印yìn。据说jùshuō,鲁班lǔbān赶紧gánjǐn跳进tiàojìn河hé里,用yòng手shǒu托tuō住zhù了le桥qiáo。

今天jīntiān,汽车qìchē早就zǎojiù不bù从cóng赵州桥zhàozhōuqiáo上shàng过guò了le,它tā成chéng了le一yí座zuò只让ràng人rén走zǒu的de桥qiáo。下次xiàcì你nǐ走过zǒuguò一yí座zuò有yǒu小xiǎo拱gǒng的de桥qiáo,不妨bùfáng想xiǎng一yì想xiǎng:这zhè个gè主意zhǔyi,李春一千四百yìqiān-sìbǎi年nián前qián就jiù想到xiǎngdào了le。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
当地dāngdìlocal; in the locality
石头shítoustone; rock
建jiànto build; to construct
设计shèjìdesign; plan; to design; to plan
记载jìzǎito record; to write down; record; account
造zàoto make; to build; to create
洞dònghole; cave
重量zhòngliàngweight
上涨shàngzhǎngto rise; to go up (prices, water)
称赞chēngzànto praise; to commend
力量lìliangstrength; power; force
先进xiānjìnadvanced; progressive; advanced individual or unit

English (for the teacher)

If you go to Zhao County in Hebei, the locals will certainly take you to see a stone bridge. It isn’t big, and it isn’t especially beautiful, but it has stood over the river for more than 1,400 years. It is the Zhaozhou Bridge.

The bridge was built in the Sui dynasty, roughly between 595 and 605 AD. It was designed by an ordinary craftsman named Li Chun. History has left almost no record of him; we only know his name because a Tang dynasty writer mentioned him.

The bridge is over fifty metres long, with a single great arch in the middle spanning more than thirty-seven metres. Building a stone arch that long 1,400 years ago was a remarkable achievement.

But the cleverest part of the bridge isn’t the great arch in the middle; it’s on the arch’s “shoulders” at either end. Look closely and you’ll see four small arches opened up there, two on the left and two on the right. This design is called an “open-spandrel arch”.

Why leave four extra holes here? Li Chun thought of at least two benefits. First, the bridge became lighter. It used much less stone, so its own weight was much smaller and it was less likely to crush itself. Second, it wasn’t afraid of floods. When the river rose in summer, the water could flow through these small arches instead of pushing the whole bridge over. The Tang writer specially praised these four small arches, saying they could weaken the force of floods.

Just how advanced was this idea? In Europe, similar stone arch bridges didn’t appear until many centuries later. Today the Zhaozhou Bridge is regarded as the oldest surviving open-spandrel stone arch bridge in the world. In 1991 an American engineering society named it an “International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark”.

Over more than a thousand years, the bridge has been through many floods, wars and earthquakes. In 1966 a major earthquake struck Xingtai, not far away, and amazingly the bridge didn’t fall.

Of course, ordinary people prefer their own stories. Folk legend says Lu Ban built the bridge in a single night. An old folk song says the immortal Zhang Guolao rode his donkey across to test how sturdy it really was, and left the donkey’s hoof prints on it. It is said that Lu Ban jumped into the river and held the bridge up with his hands.

Cars stopped crossing the Zhaozhou Bridge long ago; it is now a bridge only for people on foot. Next time you cross a bridge with little arches, you might stop and think: Li Chun had this idea 1,400 years ago.