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Kong Rong Shares the Pears 孔融让梨

Chapter 4 of 4
  1. 1. Sima Guang Smashes the Vat
  2. 2. Wang Rong and the Bitter Plums
  3. 3. Cao Chong Weighs the Elephant
  4. 4. Kong Rong Shares the Pears
Illustration for Kong Rong Shares the Pears
Little discoveries HSK 1
Reading help

Narrator

一千八百多年前,鲁国有一个孩子,叫孔融。他才四岁。

Yìqiān bābǎi duō nián qián, Lǔguó yǒu yí gè háizi, jiào Kǒng Róng. Tā cái sì suì.

More than eighteen hundred years ago, in the state of Lu, there lived a boy named Kong Rong. He was only four.

Kong Rong

爸爸回来了!爸爸,您拿的是什么?

Bàba huílái le! Bàba, nín ná de shì shénme?

Father's home! Father, what have you got there?

Kong Zhou

是梨!孩子们,快来吃梨!

Shì lí! Háizimen, kuài lái chī lí!

Pears! Come on, children, come and have a pear!

Big Brother

我是大哥,最大的梨是我的!

Wǒ shì dàgē, zuì dà de lí shì wǒ de!

I'm the eldest. The biggest pear is mine!

Baby Brother

梨!梨!我也要大的!

Lí! Lí! Wǒ yě yào dà de!

Pear! Pear! I want a big one too!

Kong Zhou

别急,别急!梨有大有小,大家都想要大的……

Bié jí, bié jí! Lí yǒu dà yǒu xiǎo, dàjiā dōu xiǎng yào dà de…

Wait, wait! Some of the pears are big and some are small, and everyone wants a big one…

Kong Zhou

这么多孩子,怎么分呢?我也没有办法了。

Zhème duō háizi, zěnme fēn ne? Wǒ yě méiyǒu bànfǎ le.

So many children. How am I supposed to share these out? I really don't know.

Kong Rong

爸爸,别急,我想一想……我来分,好吗?

Bàba, bié jí, wǒ xiǎng yi xiǎng… Wǒ lái fēn, hǎo ma?

Don't worry, Father. Let me think… Can I hand them out?

Kong Zhou

你来分?你才四岁啊!好,你来分吧。

Nǐ lái fēn? Nǐ cái sì suì a! Hǎo, nǐ lái fēn ba.

You? You're only four! All right, then. Go ahead.

Big Brother

小弟来分?那最大的,一定是他自己的!

Xiǎodì lái fēn? Nà zuì dà de, yídìng shì tā zìjǐ de!

Little brother is handing them out? Then he's sure to keep the biggest for himself!

Narrator

孔融看了看梨,拿起了最大的一个。

Kǒng Róng kàn le kàn lí, náqǐ le zuì dà de yí gè.

Kong Rong looked the pears over and picked up the biggest one.

Big Brother

你看,我说对了吧!

Nǐ kàn, wǒ shuō duì le ba!

See? Told you so!

Kong Rong

大哥,这个最大的,给你。

Dàgē, zhège zuì dà de, gěi nǐ.

Big Brother, this biggest one is for you.

Big Brother

给……给我?谢谢小弟!

Gěi… gěi wǒ? Xièxie xiǎodì!

For… for me? Thanks, little brother!

Kong Rong

这些大的,给哥哥们。这个大的,给弟弟。

Zhèxiē dà de, gěi gēgemen. Zhège dà de, gěi dìdi.

These big ones are for my big brothers. And this big one is for my baby brother.

Baby Brother

大梨!好吃!

Dà lí! Hǎochī!

Big pear! Yummy!

Narrator

最后,孔融拿了一个最小最小的梨。

Zuìhòu, Kǒng Róng ná le yí gè zuì xiǎo zuì xiǎo de lí.

Last of all, Kong Rong took the very smallest pear for himself.

Kong Zhou

融儿,你为什么拿最小的?

Róng'ér, nǐ wèishénme ná zuì xiǎo de?

Rong'er, why did you take the smallest one?

Kong Rong

哥哥们比我大,应该吃大的。我小,就吃小的。

Gēgemen bǐ wǒ dà, yīnggāi chī dà de. Wǒ xiǎo, jiù chī xiǎo de.

My big brothers are older than me, so they should have the big ones. I'm little, so I'll have a little one.

Kong Zhou

那弟弟呢?弟弟比你小啊。

Nà dìdi ne? Dìdi bǐ nǐ xiǎo a.

And your baby brother? He's younger than you.

Kong Rong

我是哥哥,我也应该让弟弟。

Wǒ shì gēge, wǒ yě yīnggāi ràng dìdi.

I'm his big brother, so I should let him have the bigger one too.

Kong Zhou

好孩子!大家都想着自己,你想着别人。

Hǎo háizi! Dàjiā dōu xiǎngzhe zìjǐ, nǐ xiǎngzhe biérén.

Good boy! Everyone else is thinking of themselves, and you're thinking of others.

Big Brother

小弟,你的梨太小了。来,我的梨,给你一半!

Xiǎodì, nǐ de lí tài xiǎo le. Lái, wǒ de lí, gěi nǐ yíbàn!

Little brother, your pear's too small. Here, have half of mine!

Kong Rong

谢谢大哥!大家一起吃,梨更好吃了!

Xièxie dàgē! Dàjiā yìqǐ chī, lí gèng hǎochī le!

Thanks, Big Brother! When we all share, the pears taste even better!

Baby Brother

我……我也给哥哥一半!

Wǒ… wǒ yě gěi gēge yíbàn!

Me… I'll give you half too, Brother!

Narrator

那天晚上,一家人吃得很开心。

Nà tiān wǎnshang, yì jiā rén chī de hěn kāixīn.

That evening, the whole family ate together happily.

Kong Zhou

融儿,你知道吗?以后,很多孩子都会听你的故事。

Róng'ér, nǐ zhīdào ma? Yǐhòu, hěn duō háizi dōu huì tīng nǐ de gùshi.

Rong'er, do you know what? One day, lots of children will hear your story.

Kong Rong

我的故事?一个小梨的故事吗?

Wǒ de gùshi? Yí gè xiǎo lí de gùshi ma?

My story? A story about one little pear?

Kong Zhou

对!一个小梨,一个大故事!

Duì! Yí gè xiǎo lí, yí gè dà gùshi!

That's right! One little pear, one big story!

Narrator

孔融的爸爸说对了。一千八百多年了,大家还在讲这个故事。

Kǒng Róng de bàba shuō duì le. Yìqiān bābǎi duō nián le, dàjiā hái zài jiǎng zhège gùshi.

Kong Rong's father was right. More than eighteen hundred years later, people are still telling this story.

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