Everyone knows the story of the poor little bird that didn’t quite fit in – now you can read the classic tale in Chinese.
从前,在一个农场里,有一只鸭子妈妈。她有六个蛋。一天,蛋都开了,小鸭子们出来了。
鸭子妈妈很高兴。她的孩子们都很可爱,都是黄色的,又小又软。
可是有一只小鸭和别人不一样。他比别的小鸭大,是灰色的,也不好看。别的动物看见他都笑。鸡说:”你看,他真丑!”鹅说:”他不像我们。”连他的哥哥姐姐也说:”我们不喜欢你,你走吧!”
小鸭很难过。他想:”我太丑了,没有人喜欢我。我应该离开这里。”
晚上,小鸭一个人走了。他走过森林,走过河,去了很远的地方。
冬天来了,天很冷,下雪了。小鸭又冷又饿,也没有朋友。他经常一个人哭。
有一天,小鸭看见湖上有几只很漂亮的白色的大鸟。他们的脖子很长,翅膀很大。小鸭想:”他们叫天鹅,真好看!可是我太丑了,不能和他们做朋友。”
冬天过去了,春天来了。花开了,天气也暖和了。小鸭又来到湖边。他看见水里有一只漂亮的白色的鸟,脖子很长,翅膀很大。
那是谁?
小鸭低下头,仔细地看。水里的那只鸟也低下头。小鸭慢慢地明白了:水里的鸟就是他自己!
他不是鸭子。他是一只天鹅!
这时候,湖上的天鹅们飞过来。他们说:”你好!你和我们一样漂亮。来,和我们一起飞吧!”
小天鹅终于明白了:他不是丑小鸭,他一直都是一只美丽的天鹅。他只是长大得慢一点。
他张开翅膀,和新朋友们一起飞向蓝色的天空。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 农场 | nóngchǎng | farm |
| 可爱 | kěài | cute/adorable |
| 难过 | nánguò | sad/upset |
| 森林 | sēnlín | forest |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | beautiful/pretty |
| 脖子 | bózi5 | neck |
| 翅膀 | chìbǎng | wing(s) |
| 天鹅 | tiāné | swan |
| 仔细 | zǐxì | carefully/attentively |
| 终于 | zhōngyú | finally/at last |
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously; formerly; once upon a time |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 鸭子 | yā zi | duck (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (slang) male prostitute |
| 妈妈 | mā ma | mama; mommy; mother; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 六 | lìu | six; 6 |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 蛋 | Dàn | variant of 蜑[Dan4] |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 开 | kāi | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run; to boil; to write out (a prescription, check, … |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for…; variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 黄色 | huáng sè | yellow; vulgar; lewd; pornographic |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 软 | ruǎn | soft; flexible; variant of 軟|软[ruan3] |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 鸭 | yā | duck (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (slang) male prostitute |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others; other person |
| 不一 | bù yī | to vary; to differ |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 别的 | bié de | else; other |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 灰色 | huī sè | gray; ash gray; grizzly; pessimistic; gloomy; dispirited; ambiguous |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 不好 | bù hǎo | no good |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 动物 | dòng wù | animal |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 鸡 | jī | fowl; chicken; CL:隻|只[zhi1]; (slang) prostitute; variant of 雞|鸡[ji1] |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 丑 | Chǒu | surname Chou; shameful; ugly; disgraceful |
| 鹅 | é | variant of 鵝|鹅[e2]; goose; CL:隻|只[zhi1] |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 连 | Lián | surname Lian |
| 哥 | gē | elder brother |
| 姐 | jiě | older sister |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 吧 | bā | bar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc); to puff (on a pipe etc); (onom.) bang; abbr. for 貼吧|贴吧[tie1 ba1] |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 应 | Yīng | surname Ying; Taiwan pr. [Ying4] |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening; night; CL:個|个[ge4]; in the evening |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 走过 | zǒu guò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 河 | hé | river (CL:條|条[tiao2],道[dao4]); (bound form) the Yellow River; (bound form) the Milky Way; (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉[he2 fen3] |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far; much (lower etc) |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 冬天 | dōng tiān | winter |
| 冷 | Lěng | surname Leng |
| 下雪 | xià xuě | to snow |
| 饿 | è | hungry; to starve (sb) |
| 朋友 | péng you | friend; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 经常 | jīng cháng | frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily |
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep |
| 湖 | hú | lake |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 白色 | bái sè | white; fig. reactionary; anti-communist |
| 鸟 | diǎo | variant of 屌[diao3]; penis |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good; in an embarrassing situation |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 过去 | guò qù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 春天 | chūn tiān | spring (season); CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 花 | Huā | surname Hua; old variant of 花[hua1]; variant of 花[hua1]; flower; blossom; also pr. [wei3] |
| 天气 | tiān qì | weather |
| 暖 | nuǎn | old variant of 暖[nuan3]; warm; to warm; variant of 暖[nuan3]; variant of 暖[nuan3], warm |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 湖边 | hú biān | lakeside |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 那是 | nà shi | (coll.) of course; naturally; indeed |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 低下 | dī xià | low status; lowly; to lower (one's head) |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 明白 | míng bai | clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable; to understand; to realize |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 飞过 | fēi guò | to fly over; to fly past |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 一起 | yī qǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total; an instance of; a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc) |
| 飞 | fēi | to fly |
| 小天鹅 | Xiǎo tiān é | Little Swan (PRC appliance brand) |
| 丑小鸭 | chǒu xiǎo yā | (fig.) ugly duckling |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 美 | Měi | (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲[Mei3 zhou1]); (bound form) USA (abbr. for 美國|美国[Mei3 guo2]) |
| 丽 | lǐ | used in place names, notably 高麗|高丽[Gao1 li2] and 麗水|丽水[Li2 shui3] |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 长大 | zhǎng dà | to grow up |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligr… |
| 张开 | zhāng kāi | to open up; to spread; to extend |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 蓝色 | lán sè | blue (color) |
| 天空 | tiān kōng | sky |
Once upon a time, on a farm, there was a mother duck. She had six eggs. One day, all the eggs hatched, and the little ducklings came out.
Mother duck was very happy. Her children were all very cute – they were all yellow, small and soft.
But there was one little duck who was different from the others. He was bigger than the other ducklings, was gray, and didn’t look good. Other animals laughed when they saw him. The chicken said: ‘Look, he’s so ugly!’ The goose said: ‘He’s not like us.’ Even his brothers and sisters said: ‘We don’t like you, go away!’
The little duck was very sad. He thought: ‘I’m too ugly, nobody likes me. I should leave this place.’
At night, the little duck left alone. He walked through the forest, crossed the river, and went to a place far away.
Winter came, it was very cold, and it snowed. The little duck was cold and hungry, and had no friends. He often cried alone.
One day, the little duck saw several beautiful big white birds on the lake. Their necks were very long, and their wings were very big. The little duck thought: ‘They are called swans, so beautiful! But I’m too ugly, I can’t be friends with them.’
Winter passed, and spring came. Flowers bloomed, and the weather became warm. The little duck came to the lakeside again. He saw a beautiful white bird in the water, with a long neck and big wings.
Who was that?
The little duck lowered his head and looked carefully. The bird in the water also lowered its head. The little duck slowly understood: the bird in the water was himself!
He was not a duck. He was a swan!
At this moment, the swans on the lake flew over. They said: ‘Hello! You are as beautiful as us. Come, fly with us!’
The little swan finally understood: he was not an ugly duckling, he had always been a beautiful swan. He just grew up a little slower.
He spread his wings and flew toward the blue sky with his new friends.