This is a short story about an example of cleverness. It describes how a young boy responds to an elderly man that asks him a silly question.
The characters in the story are Manchurian. Their names are 巴彦 (Bayan) and 莫尔根 (Morgen). I’ve underlined or italicized the names in the text for easy recognition.
Story breakdown by paragraph with vocabulary and audio
聪明 = smart; to be smart
例证 = an example, examples
叫到跟前 = to call someone to come to you
听说 = to hear via the grapevine
愿 = 希望;to desire, wish
信 = 相信;to believe
实 = 实在;honest
猎户家 = a hunting family
赶上 = to catch up to, to reach (in the story context, it implies “only as smart as)
智慧 = wisdom
当着我面 = 在我面前;in front of me
一件事儿 = a task, a matter
证明 = to prove; proof
生活 = 住;to live
Let’s take a closer look.
The English translation shows the characters following English, arranged by meaning.
一天,巴彦 老爷把莫尔根 叫到跟前:(One day 一天, the old man 老爷 Bayan 巴彦called Morgen over to him *把 莫尔根 叫到跟前:)
“听说你聪明,愿和聪明人在一起。 (”I hear 听说 you are smart 你聪明, [and] wish 愿 to be together 在一起 with 和 smart people 聪明人.)
这话我信不实,生在猎户家里的人,能赶上猪狗就不错了,哪来的智慧呢?(I believe 我信 these words 这话 are insincere 不实. [If] people that 的人 are born into 生在 hunting families 猎户家里 can 能 “be as smart as” pigs and dogs 赶上猪狗, is [already] pretty good 就不错了. So 呢, where 哪 does this wisdom 智慧 come from 来的?)
今天,你要能当着我的面,做出一件能证明你聪明的事儿,我就把你留在我身边,和我生活在一起“。(Today 今天, if you can 你要能 do one thing 做出一件事儿 to prove 证明 you are smart 你聪明 to my face 当着我的面, I’ll 我就 let you keep company *把 你留在我身边 and live 生活 together 在一起 with me 和我.”)
* Click this link for more information about using the “把“ particle.
比你还 = compared to you, even more than you
Character Radical:
讠= This is the “speech” radical,言字旁 (yán zì páng). 言 (yán) means “speech,” or “language.” The “speech” radical is common in characters related to language such as “说 (shuō)= to speak, to say,” “话 (huà)= words, speech,“ and “讲 (jiǎng)= to speak, to explain.”
Yin-yang Character Groups:
前后 (qián hòu) = front-back; from start to finish
里外 (lǐ wài) = inside-outside
难易 (nán yì) = difficult-easy; difficulty
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