A Story Every Chinese Learns

 

A picture by 天奇生活

 

愚公移山[yú gōng yí shān] has two versions of curriculum designed and developed for the Chinese students.  One version is created as the modern Chinese for second-grade primary school, and the other as ancient Chinese for the eighth-grade student.  Almost most Chinese must learn this story twice at least.  The original author of 愚公移山[yú gōng yí shān], 列子[liè zǐ] around 2450 years ago, created and presented a carefully designed fable story to inspire Chinese people. The strong belief of 愚公[yú gōng]  approached the success does have a deep influence on the Chinese.  In this essay, I intend to make a description of the story 愚公移山[yú gōng yí shān] in English and then present its ancient Chinese version in Pinyin.

A key description of the story 愚公移山[yú gōng yí shān]

Once upon a time, there was a nearly 90-year-old man愚公[yú gōng] who decided to move away two mountains from the front of his house.  His family all agreed with his plan and took an action after setting this long-term goal of moving the mountain.  Even though a neighborhood kid, the son of a widow was only around seven or eight years old, came to help happily.  Meanwhile, there was an intelligent old man智叟[zhì sǒu] ridiculed and advised愚公[yú gōng] not to do it. 智叟[zhì sǒu] mentioned that愚公[yú gōng] was not so smart, and too old to achieve the goal of mountain moving.  But, 愚公[yú gōng] had belief in himself and his ability to succeed.  He said he had sons, and his sons had their own sons too.  The mountains someday would be moved away, because his offspring had no end, but the mountains would not rise. 智叟[zhì sǒu] had nothing to reply. Emperor of Heaven was moved by the firm, unwavering belief of 愚公[yú gōng], and dispatched Hercules’ two sons to bear these two mountains away.  Then there were no high mountains from the southern part of 冀州[jì zhōu] to the south bank of 汉水[Hàn shuǐ].

  

Ancient Chinese of 愚公移山[yú gōng yí shān] with Pinyin 

太行、王屋二山，方七百里，高萬仞。本在冀州之南，河陽之北。

tài háng, wáng wū èr shān, fāng qī bǎi lǐ, gāo wàn rèn, běn zài jì zhōu zhī nán, hé yáng zhī běi.

北山愚公者，年且九十，面山而居。懲山北之塞，出入之迂也。

běi shān yú gōng zhě, nián qiě jiǔ shí, miàn shān ér jū. chéng shān běi zhī sāi, chū rù zhī yū yě.

聚室而謀曰：“吾與汝畢力平險，指通豫南，達於漢陰，可乎？”雜然相許。

jù shì ér móu yuē: “wú yǔ rǔ bì lì píng xiǎn, zhǐ tōng yù nán, dá yú hàn yīn, kě hū?” zá rán xiāng xǔ.

其妻獻疑曰：“以君之力，曾不能損魁父之丘，如太行、王屋何？且焉置土石？”

qí qī xiàn yí yuē: “yǐ jūn zhī lì, cēng bù néng sǔn kuí fù zhī qiū, rú tài háng, wáng wū hé? qiě yān zhì tǔ shí?”

雜曰：“投諸渤海之尾，隱土之北。”遂率子孫荷擔者三夫，叩石墾壤，箕畚運於渤海之尾。

zá yuē: “tóu zhū bó hǎi zhī wěi, yǐn tǔ zhī běi.” suì shuì zǐ sūn hè dān zhě sān fū, kòu shí kěn rǎng, jī běn yùn yú bó hǎi zhī wěi.

鄰人京城氏之孀妻有遺男，始齔，跳往助之。寒暑易節，始一反焉。

lín rén jīng chéng shì zhī shuāng qī yǒu yí nán, shǐ chèn, tiào wǎng zhù zhī. hán shǔ yì jiē, shǐ yī fǎn yān.

河曲智叟笑而止之曰：“甚矣，汝之不惠。以殘年餘力，曾不能毀山之一毛，其如土石何？”

hé qǔ zhì sǒu xiào ér zhǐ zhī yuē: “shèn yǐ, rǔ zhī bú huì. yǐ cán nián yú lì, cēng bù néng huǐ shān zhī yī máo, qí rú tǔ shí hé?”

北山愚公長息曰：“汝心之固，固不可徹，曾不若孀妻弱子。

běi shān yú gōng zhǎng xī yuē: “rǔ xīn zhī gù, gù bù kě chè, cēng bú ruò shuāng qī ruò zǐ.”

雖我之死，有子存焉；子又生孫，孫又生子；子又有子，子又有孫；

“suī wǒ zhī sǐ, yǒu zǐ cún yān; zǐ yòu shēng sūn, sūn yòu shēng zǐ; zǐ yòu yǒu zǐ, zǐ yòu yǒu sūn;”

子子孫孫無窮匱也，而山不加增，何苦而不平？”河曲智叟亡以應。

“zǐ zǐ sūn sūn wú qióng kuì yě, ér shān bù jiā zēng, hé kǔ ér bù píng?” hé qǔ zhì sǒu wú yǐ yìng.

操蛇之神聞之，懼其不已也，告之於帝。

cāo shé zhī shén wén zhī, jù qí bù yǐ yě, gào zhī yú dì.

帝感其誠，命夸娥氏二子負二山，一厝朔東，一厝雍南。

dì gǎn qí chéng, mìng kuā é shì èr zǐ fù èr shān, yī cuò shuò dōng, yī cuò yōng nán.

自此，冀之南，漢之陰，無隴斷焉。

zì cǐ, jì zhī nán, hàn zhī yīn, wú lǒng duàn yān.