Deep in Water and Scorched in Fire

Deep in Water and Scorched in Fire

The State of Qi wnt on a punitive expedition against the State of Yan and triumphed over it.

King Xuan of the State of Qi asked Mencius, “ Some have advised me not to annex yan while others have insisted that I should. Consider now, it took a state with 10,000 chariots like ours only 50 days to beat another with the same number of chariots. This was something that could never have been achieved by human strength, it must have been the divine will. If I don’t annihilate Yan this time there will certainly be punishment from Heaver. What is your opinion?”

“If you carry out the annexation and the people of Yan are glad of it, then proceed,” replied Mencius. “There was one among the ancients who did the same thing and that was Emperor Wu. On the other hand, if you carry it out and they are not happy about it, then you’d better not. There was a similar case in ancient times and that was in Emperor Wen. When a powerful state has overwhelmed people come out to welcome the conquering army with food baskets and wine pots, it shows nothing but their eagerness to be relieved of the miseries they have long suffered under their own ruler. But, if stead you are going to plunge them deeper into the water and scorch them in a yet fiercer fire, it will only make the people turn away from you and look for help elsewhere.”

中国成语故事——水深火热

齐国人攻打燕国，取得了胜利。

齐宣王问孟子道：“有的人劝我不要吞并燕国，有的人劝我吞并它，一个拥有万乘的大国去攻打另一个拥有万乘的大国，只五十天就攻打下了它，人力是做不到这样的。看来不吞并它，一定会遭受上天的祸殃。您认为吞并它，怎么样呢？”

孟子回答说：“如果吞并燕国，当地百姓反而很高兴，那就吞并它。古人有这样做的。周武王便 是。如果吞并燕国，当地百姓并不高兴，那就不要吞并它。古人也有先例，周文王便是。一个拥有万乘的大国去攻打另一个拥有万乘的大国，老百姓拿着饭筐和酒壶 来迎接大王的军队，难道有别的用意吗？不过是想摆脱原先那种如在水火中一样的痛苦胜过。如果齐国进而吞并燕国，燕国百姓要蒙受比原来的水更深，比原来的火更热的灾难，那他们的情感必然会转向别的国家了。”

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Learning Three Things by Asking One Question

Learning Three Things by Asking One Question

Chen kang once asked Boyu: “ Has our teacher Confucius given you any special instruction?”

“No,” answered Kong Li. “ One day he was standing alone in the courtyard. When I passed by him, he stopped me and asked me whether I had learned The Book of Songs, and my reply was ‘ not yet’. Then he advised me, ‘ Without learning The Book of Songs, you will not be able to speak a refined language.’ So, I began reading The Book of Songs. On another day my father was standing in the courtyard without any of his disciples around when I passed by. Again he asked me whether I had learned The Book of Rites, and my answer was again ‘ no ’. As before, he admonished me, saying: ‘ Without reading The Book of Rites, you know not how to behave properly.’ As before, I listened to his advice and went back to read The Book of Rites. These were the only two things I have heard from my father.”

Hearing this, Chen Kang withdrew, feeling satisfied. He said: “ I have raised one question, but I have learnt three things- I am now aware that should learn The Book of Songs, read The Book of Rites and that a man of character like Confucius does not give special favour to his own son.”

中国成语故事——问一得三

陈亢问伯鱼：“你在老师那里听到过什么特别的教诲吗？” 伯鱼回答说：“没有呀。有一次他独自站在堂上，我快步从庭里走过。他问：‘学《诗》了吗？’我回答说：‘没有。’他说：‘不学《诗》，就不懂得怎么说 话。’我回去就开始学习《诗》。又有一天，他又独自站在堂上，我快步从庭里走过，他说：‘学习《礼》了吗？’我回答说：‘没有。’他说：‘不学习《礼》就 不懂得怎样立身。’我回去就开始学习《礼》。我就听到过这两件事。”陈亢回去高兴地说：“我提一个问题，得到三方面的收获，听了关于《诗》的道理，听了关于《礼》的道理，又听了君子不偏爱自己儿子的道理。

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One of the effective games---Fashion Show

In this game, students describe what a model is wearing. The description and presentation can be based on interpersonal interactions. The content of the game and activities are expandable.

Preparation for the activity:

Vocabulary: Clothing/Colors/Money

Grammar: Measure words/“是…的”structure/Exhange rates

Procedure:

Step 1: Warm-up activity

      Describe what you are wearing today by using:

      今天我穿了一件（一条/ 一双）…

      我的…是…（颜色）的。

Step 2: Have a student go before the class( or do a cat walk if the model so desires).

Step 3: Have another student describe what the model is wearing by using the same patterns above.

Follow-up: Homework

Go home and write the description down.

Elaboration:

If you know how to say the price of the piece of clothing, add the price to the description.

Go to your closet and do a rough count: How many pieces of clothing are there?

How much are your possessions worth in total?

If you know the exchange rate and can do the math, how much is that in RMB? ( Possible byproducts: Gratefulness to your parents? Is it time to clean up your closet or your room?)

The activity may start with an interpersonal element, such as asking each other the price of their clothes before the fashion show begins.

Analysis of the activity:

It helps learners to identify Chinese words with their own lives.

It reinforces use of different measure words for different objects.

It creates situations to differentiate and identify items and give descriptive comments about thems.

It supports reviewing and lays ground for further learning.

Pingshu 评书

Pingshu (Popular Tales) is a quyi art form of oral storytelling and it includes its namesake which is popular in northern China and pinghua in eastern China’s Yangzhou.It developed into an independent art form in the early years of the Qing Dynasty (late 17^th century). Though pingshu is performed orally, artists in the early period mainly hopped form the trade of changqu (melody singing), which shows the two forms’ close link.

The pingshu performer wore a gown and sat behind a table, with a folded fan and a gavel (serving as a prop to strike the table as a warning to the audience to be quiet or as a means of attracting attention in order to strengthen the effect of the performance, especially at the beginning or during intervals). By the mid 1920s, these props had all disappeared, with the performer appearing only in a standing position in a gown or any other kind of clothes.

The art of storytelling, with its broad mass appeal, resulted in the growth of other art porms, nurturing talented artists. Famous novels such as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and serialized novels all emerged under the influence of the storytelling artists. Many great writers, in consequence, continued from there to tread the path of literature. It can be thus considered that the art of storytelling represented by pingshu or pinghua is one of the genres imbued with special Chinese characteristics and the richest colors of Chinese aesthetics.

评书，又称说书、讲书，是中国一种传统口头讲说的表演形式，在宋代开始流行,直到清朝初期才发展成为一种独立的艺术形式。

早期的评书表演，讲究一定的形式。说书者通畅身穿长衫，坐在桌子后面，以折扇和醒木（一种方寸大小，可敲击桌面的木块。常在表演开始或中间停歇的时候使用，以提醒听众安静或吸引听众注意力，用来加强表演效果）为道具。不过，到了20世纪中叶，桌椅、折扇、醒木等道具已不多用，而只是站立说演，服装也不像以前那样固定了。

由于说书艺术群众基础雄厚，促进了很多其他艺术形式的产生与发展，滋养了一大批智慧的艺术家。例如，著名小说《三国演义》的浪漫色彩和章回体表现形式就深受评书艺术的影响。后世的许多伟大作家也延续了这样的写作方式，创作了许多不朽的文学作品。因此，评书可以说是富有中国特色和中国美学色彩的艺术流派之一。

Xiangsheng 相声

The earliest xiangsheng comedian known by name is Zhang Sanlu, who performed in the mid nineteenth century. After the widespread use of Mandarin from 1949, the popularity of xiangsheng increased throughout the People’s Republic of China. It is a standard feature of CCTV’s annual Spring Festival television program and other popular performing arts shows in China . Modern xiangsheng is made up of four skills-speaking, imitating, teasing, and singing.

Xiangsheng can be performed by one person( solo comic talk), two players (comic dialogue ), and three or more people( group cross-talk), with the comic dialogue by two players being the main form of performance. In a comic dialogue, as a rule, the leading actor, helped by the supporting actor, provokes laughter of the audience with funny remarks. Due to its humor, sarcasm and unique aesthetic effects, Xiangsheng has spread far and wide. Vernacular Xiangsheng or Xiangsheng performed in ethnic languages, such as Tibetan Xiangsheng, has appeared in remote regions and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. Furthermore, Xiangsheng has been introduced abroad and becomes popular in Southeast Asia including Burma, Singapore and Malaysia.

中国相声起源于北京，是一种以说笑话、滑稽问答、说唱等引起观众发笑的曲艺形式。目前见于文字记载最早的相声艺人是清朝（19世纪中叶）的张三禄。新中国成立后，随着普通话的推广与传播，相声开始流行于全国各地。

相声根据演员人数一般可分为三种：单口相声，是一个演员表演的长短笑话。对口相声，是两个演员表演的，叙述人甲称“逗哏（gen）”，辅助对话的乙称“捧哏”，表演时，依据甲乙二人说话表演内容的轻重与语言风格的不同，又可分为“一头沉”、“子母哏”和“贯口活”三类。群口相声，是三个以上演员共同表演的，甲称“逗哏”，乙称“捧哏”，丙等称“腻缝”。

相声演员要达到高超的表演技能，一般需具备说、学、逗、唱四大基本功。“说”指的就是讲故事，还有说话和铺垫的方式。 “学”则指模仿各种人物、方言、和其他声音，学唱戏曲的名家名段，现代也有学唱歌，跳舞。 “逗”就是制造笑料。 而“唱”则经常被认为是唱戏，唱歌。随着相声的推广，相声不仅融入了现代的特色和风格，各地也盛行着以当地方言说的“方言相声”。另外，相声还蜚声海外，尤其是东南亚的缅甸、新加坡、马来西亚等地，广受当地人的喜爱。

Watching the Tide

Watching the Tide

The tides rolling up the Qiantang River surge to their highest in the eighth lunar month. Starting on the 11^th, city people come down to watch the flood tide. Between the 11^th and the 18^th, almost the entire city comes out. Crowds and carriages jam the streets. The spectacle reaches a climax on the 18^th. House of two or more stories between Miaozitou and Liuhe Tower are rented by government officials and relatives of the emperor as galleries to watch the tide

中国民间风俗--观潮

每年八月里，钱塘江的潮水汹涌澎湃超过了平常的时候，城里人从十一日那天起，就开始来观潮，到了十六、十八日，整个城市全部都出动了，道路上车、马络绎不绝，十八日观潮的场面最盛大最热闹，二十日就略稀少些了。从庙子头起一直到六和塔这一带凡是有楼房的人家，全都被皇帝的亲属及官宦等人所租赁作为看位观潮用。

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Distributing Predestination Beans

On the eighth day the fourth lunar month, philanthropic people in cities go into the streets with several litres of green beans and yellow beans. They pinch each bean in turn and chant Buddha’s name. Afterwards they boil the beans and offer them to the passers-by. These beans are called “predestination beans”. They are believed to be able to prearrange favourable relationships in the next incarnation.

Prior to this date, people pinch the beans and chant Buddha’s name: one bean, one chant. Some are able to process a hundred litres of beans. On the eighth day of the fourth month, they cook the beans and distribute them to the other people who also chant Buddha’s name each time after eating a bean. Women who are snubbed by their mothers-in-law, or maids and concubines who fall out of favour with their masters of mistresses, will reprimand themselves by saying, “I am not welcome because I did not distribute beans in my former life”.

中国民间风俗--舍缘豆

夏历四月初八，城里喜欢行善的人，拿出几升青豆或黄豆，一边念佛号，一边用手指捏一颗颗的豆。捏完以后把豆煮熟了，分送给路上的人，这称作“舍缘豆”，预示这份结下一世的缘分。

佛诞日先是捏着豆念佛，捏一颗豆念一声佛号。甚至有念到一石豆这样多的人。到那天煮熟了豆，便送给人，得了豆的那人也要念一声佛号，吃下一颗豆。方式有得不到婆婆应答佛号的妇女，或者作为婢女小妾舍缘豆但仍被主人或家中的女性长辈厌弃的人，就要自责说：“我前世没舍豆儿，所以今世结不到人缘啊。”

使用名词时需要注意的问题(一)-----Points that merit special attention

名词的复数和词尾“们”（The plural form of nouns and the suffix “们”）

汉语里名词本身的形式一般没有单复数的区别，表现复数的方式常见的有以下三种：

（Usually the singular and plural forms of a noun are identical and the plural is expressed in three ways:）

1、名词前边加数词和量词或其他表示复数的词。例如：（By premodifying numeral-measure words or other words implying the plural. For example:）

三支铅笔          很多水果

十七个孩子        这些书

2、通过句子里其他成分来表示。例如：（By other elements in the sentence. For example:）

客人都来了。

东西全在桌子上。

3、词尾加“们”。指人的名词加“们”后，名词前边就不再用其他表示复数的词了。“们”读轻声。见下表例子：(By suffixing “们” which is pronounced in the neutral tone to the noun. When thus used, no other words expressing the plural number can be used. For example:)

	正确的	错误的
同学们	三个同学	三个同学们     （×）
	几个同学	几个同学们     （×）
	很多同学	很多同学们     （×）
	不少同学	不少同学们     （×）

Kicking Shuttlecock 踢毽子

Shuttlecock kicking, Ti Jian Zi, is a traditional popular folk game in China. Some records date its origin as far back as the Han Dynasty(206BC-220 AD), therefore Shuttlecock kicking was already very popular about 2000 years ago.

There are endless variations in terms of styles and methods of kicking just as long as the shuttlecock remains in the air. With one leg fixed on the ground, the shuttlecock is kicked by the inner ankle of the other. Some other styles include kicking the shuttlecock back and forth between two people. Those who advance to a high level of mastery can perform some truly impressive feats. The challenge of the increasingly difficult levels of shuttlecock kicking has made it a popular and timeless game among the Chinese children. This game helps people strengthen their legs and enhance their concentration.

踢毽子，起源于汉代，盛行于南北朝和隋唐，至今已有两千多年的历史了，是中国民间体育活动之一，深受青少年儿童，尤其是少年女子的喜爱。

毽子的踢法不计其数，单脚踢是其中最基本的动作之一。这种踢法要求左脚着地，支持身体大部份的重量，右脚由內弯向上踢。踢时，眼睛注视毽子，手臂自然摆动。除此之外，还有拐、膝、提、豆、蹬等基本动作。真正善踢毽子的好手，不仅能够运用脚尖、脚背、脚跟和脚底踢出种种花式，就是头部、胸部、肩部、背部、腿部等全身每一部位都可以踢出上百种花样，令观赏的人眼花撩乱，目瞪口呆。

总而言之，踢毽子是一项简便易行的健身运动，它不需要任何专门的场地和设备，运动量可大可小，老幼皆宜，尤其有助于培养人的灵敏性和协调性，有助于身体的全面发展，增强健康。

Stilts-walking 踩高跷

Stilts-walking，a recreational activity in rural areas, combines dance, drama and physical agility. Using various props, performers play folk heroes or roles from popular dramas. How did Stilts-walking occurs, it is said in primitive society, people want to pick wild fruit on trees, but it is too high to get the fruit, so they tied a long stick on both legs.

 Stilts refer to a pair of long, slender poles each equipped with a raised footrest to enable the user to walk elevated above the ground, and there is an old custom called “walking on stilts”. It is a performance that employs two lengths of wooden sticks over three meters long to one’s feet and walking on them. It is said that there was once a man named Lanzi in the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn Period who entertained the first Song emperor with his feet of walking and running with two wooden poles taller than himself attached to his lower legs. In the Han Dynasty, stiltwalking, then called “stilts skill”, began to popularize among the public. In the Song Dynasty, it was changed to “stepping- stilts ”and the name “stilts-walking” was finally adopted in the Qing Dynasty. Through several thousand years of development, stilts-walking has greatly improved in style and become an important part of Chinese festive culture.

高跷是我国一项传统的游艺活动。在原始社会，人们为采摘树上的野果，就在腿上绑两根木棍增加身高，这是跷技的最初形式。

据《列子·记符》记载：春秋时宋国有个兰子的人，善跷技；战国时，喜欢跷技的艺人，游走各国。看来，这个时期高跷已经发展成一项杂技艺术了。

到了宋代，高跷技艺又有新的发展。《武林旧事》记载，两宋时期的踏跷（即高跷）技艺高超，动作惊险，扣人心弦。后来，高跷又发展为一种民间舞蹈，称高跷秧歌。高跷秧歌在紧锣密鼓中配演小戏，即高跷戏，在春节和元宵节演出，很受人们喜爱。

Lord Ye’s Love of the Dragon叶公好龙

 

Lord Ye’s Love of the Dragon

There is a young man, Lord Ye. He likes dragons very much. He draws many dragons in his house. The house becomes a world of dragon.

When the real dragon in heaven heard of this Lord Ye, he was deeply moved. He decided to visit Lord Ye and make a friend with him.

“Hi, Mr. Ye! Nice to meet you,” the real dragon came to visit Mr. But Ye was scared at the sight of the creature and ran away as fast as he could. “Oh, my God! Help! Help!” he runs and shouts.”From then on, people knew that Lord Ye only loved pictures or carvings that looked like dragons, but not the real thing.

    有个年轻人，姓叶，非常喜欢龙.他在屋里里面了许多许多龙。这屋子都快成了龙的世界。天上的真龙听说了叶公的事，很受感动，就想去拜访叶公，和他交个朋友。
       “嘿。叶先生！很高兴见到你。”这条真龙拜访叶先生了。可是叶先生一看见那条龙，顿时吓得魂飞魄散，赶紧拔腿就跑，而且还一边跑一边喊：“啊，我的天啊！救命！救命！”
    从此人们明白了叶公爱好的其实并不是真龙，而是似龙非龙的东西而已。

The Guizhou Donkey Has Exhausted It's Tricks黔驴技穷

 

The Guizhou Donkey Has Exhausted It's Tricks

In ancient times there were no donkeys in Guizhou province. Somebody brought a donkey from somewhere and tied it to a tree at the foot of a mountain. A tiger saw the donkey, and thought that it must be a fearsome monster. It hide behind a tree and spied on the donkey. When the donkey brayed, the tiger was frightened, thinking that the donkey was about to devour it. After a while, seeing that the donkey had not moved, the tiger approached it and teased it. The donkey became angry, and kicked the tiger. The tiger thought to itself: “It then all it is capable of?" It then jumped on the donkey and ate it.

This idiom is used to mean that one has exhausted one's skills.

从前，贵州没有驴子，有人从外地带回一头驴子，拴在山下，一只老虎看到了，以为是什么怪物，急忙躲到树林中去头头地瞧。驴子大叫一声，老虎吓了一跳，以为驴子要吃掉自己。时间一长，老虎觉得驴子没有什么恶意，逐渐走近去戏弄它，触犯它。驴子生气了，用蹄子踢老虎。老虎心里想：“你的本领不过就是如此啊！”于是立刻扑过去，一口把它咬死吃掉了。

因此“黔驴技穷”这个成语就用来比喻仅有的一点本事也用完了，在没有别的办法了。

名词的用途 Chinese Grammar---Functions of Nouns

一般的名词都可以在句子里做主语、宾语和定语。

Normally a noun can serve as subject, object and attributive in a sentence.

（一）做主语 As the subject.

北京是中国的首都。     夏天热，冬天冷。

学生学习。             东边有一个商店。

（二）做宾语。As the object.

我看报。               现在是中午。

你画画儿。             我们的学校在北边。

大家讨论问题。

（三）做定语。As an attributive.

这是中国画。           我喜欢春天的早晨。

汉语语法不太难。       衣服在左边的箱子里。

姐姐的信在这儿。  

（四）做谓语。As the predicate.

今天晴天。             昨天星期日。