Mr. Coward’s home is invaded by mice, but he doesn’t have the gumption to do anything about it. Or does he? This little story will be comfortable at HSK 3-4.
有一位先生,住在一座漂亮的房子里。因为他的胆子很小,大家都叫他胆小先生。
一天,一只大老鼠闯进了他的房子。胆小先生马上去捉,结果在地下室捉住了它。
“你放了我!”大老鼠挣扎着说,”我要是一跺脚,整个房子就塌了。”
胆小先生害怕了,连忙放开了他,还允许他住在地下室里。
地下室里吃的东西真多,大老鼠吃呀,喝呀,真开心。后来,大老鼠生了一窝小老鼠,小老鼠又长成大老鼠……很快,地下室住满了老鼠。
“不行,不行!”大老鼠冲着胆小先生嚷嚷:”这么多老鼠住这么一个小小的地下室,而你一个人住那么多房间,太不合理了,得换房子。”
“换房子?”胆小先生住在地下室,老鼠们住进各个房间,他们在宽大的客厅里唱呀,跳呀,在喷香的厨房里喝呀,吃呀,每天都像过节一样。
“你应该搬出去!”大老鼠又冲着胆小先生嚷嚷,”你干嘛住在地下室?这么好的地下室,你配住吗?”
“什么?”胆小先生气愤得跺了一下右脚,”咚“老鼠们害怕了,他们个个抱头乱窜,以为地震了。
“哦,原来我是很有力量的!”胆小先生抓起旧扫帚,这儿一扑,那儿一打,这儿一戳,那儿一捣,老鼠被打得”吱吱”叫,全逃走了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 … |
| 位 | wèi | position; location; place; seat; classifier for people (honorific); classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes); (physics) potential |
| 先生 | xiān sheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband; (dialect) doctor; CL:位[wei4] |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 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) |
| 座 | zuò | seat; base; stand; (bound form) constellation; (archaic) suffix used in a respectful form of address (e.g. 師座|师座[shi1 zuo4]); classifier for large immovable objects such as buildin… |
| 漂 | piāo | to float; to drift |
| 亮 | liàng | bright; light; to shine; to flash; loud and clear; to show (one's passport etc); to make public (one's views etc) |
| 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… |
| 房子 | fáng zi | house; building (single- or two-story); apartment; room; CL:棟|栋[dong4],幢[zhuang4],座[zuo4],套[tao4],間|间[jian1] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 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]) |
| 胆 | dán | gall bladder; guts; inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos) |
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 老鼠 | lǎo shǔ | rat; mouse (CL:隻|只[zhi1]) |
| 闯 | chuáng | to rush; to dash; to temper oneself (through battling hardships) |
| 进 | jìn | to go forward; to advance; to go in; to enter; to put in; to submit; to take in; to admit; (math.) base of a number system; classifier for sections in a building or residential com… |
| 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 |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | at once; right away; immediately; on horseback (i.e. by military force) |
| 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);… |
| 捉 | zhuo | to clutch; to capture |
| 结 | jiē | (of a plant) to produce (fruit or seeds); Taiwan pr. [jie2] |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 地下室 | dì xià shì | basement; cellar |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 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.) |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 挣 | zheng | used in 掙扎|挣扎[zheng1 zha2] |
| 扎 | zha | to prick; mug or jug used for serving beer (loanword from "jar") |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 要是 | yào shi | (coll.) if |
| 跺 | ||
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object); CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; classifier for kicks |
| 整 | zhěng | (bound form) whole; complete; entire; (before a measure word) whole; (before or after number + measure word) exactly; (bound form) in good order; tidy; neat; (bound form) to put in… |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 塌 | ta | to collapse; to settle down |
| 害怕 | hài pà | to be afraid; to be scared |
| 连忙 | lián máng | promptly; at once |
| 放开 | fàng kāi | to let go; to release |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 允许 | yǔn xǔ | to permit; to allow |
| 吃的 | chī de | (coll.) food |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc); variant of 吃[chi1] |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬[he1] |
| 开心 | kāi xīn | to feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great time; to make fun of sb |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 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… |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 窝 | wō | nest; pit or hollow on the human body; lair; den; place; to harbor or shelter; to hold in check; to bend; classifier for litters and broods |
| 小老鼠 | xiǎo lǎo shǔ | @; at symbol |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 长成 | zhǎng chéng | to grow up |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 不行 | bù xíng | won't do; be out of the question; be no good; not work; not be capable |
| 冲 | chong | (of water) to dash against; to infuse; to flush; to rise in the air; to collide with |
| 嚷 | ráng | to shout; to make a big deal of sth |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 小小 | xiǎo xiǎo | very small; very few; very minor |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 房间 | fáng jiān | room; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 合 | gě | 100 ml; one-tenth of a peck; measure for dry grain equal to one-tenth of sheng 升 or liter, or one-hundredth dou 斗; variant of 合[he2] |
| 理 | lǐ | texture; grain (of wood); inner essence; intrinsic order; reason; logic; truth; science; natural science (esp. physics); to manage; to pay attention to; to run (affairs); to handle… |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute; to switch; to convert (currency) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 各个 | gè gè | every; various; separately, one by one |
| 宽大 | kuān dà | spacious; wide; lenient |
| 客厅 | kè tīng | living room; sitting room; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 唱 | chàng | to sing; to call loudly; to chant |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to hop; to skip over; to bounce; to palpitate |
| 喷 | pen | to spout; to spurt; to spray; to puff |
| 香 | xiāng | fragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic; savory or appetizing; (to eat) with relish; (of sleep) sound; perfume or spice; joss or incense stick; CL:根[gen1] |
| 厨房 | chú fáng | kitchen; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 过节 | guò jié | to celebrate a festival; after the celebrations (i.e. once the festival is over) |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 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 |
| 搬 | bān | to move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift; to copy indiscriminately |
| 出去 | chū qù | to go out |
| 干嘛 | gàn má | what are you doing?; whatever for?; why on earth? |
| 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); (… |
| 配 | pèi | to join; to fit; to mate; to mix; to match; to deserve; to make up (a prescription); to allocate |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angry; vital energy; qi |
| 愤 | fěn | indignant; resentment |
| 一下 | yī xià | (after a verb) a bit; a little (indicating brief duration, or softening the tone, or suggesting giving sth a try); all at once; suddenly |
| 右 | yòu | (bound form) right; right-hand side; (bound form) (politics) right of center; (bound form) (old) west; (literary) the right side as the side of precedence |
| 咚 | ||
| 个个 | gè gè | each one individually; each and every |
| 抱 | bào | to hold; to carry (in one's arms); to hug; to embrace; to surround; to cherish; (coll.) (of clothes) to fit nicely |
| 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] |
| 乱 | luàn | in confusion or disorder; in a confused state of mind; disorder; upheaval; riot; illicit sexual relations; to throw into disorder; to mix up; indiscriminate; random; arbitrary |
| 窜 | cuàn | to flee; to scuttle; to exile or banish; to amend or edit |
| 以为 | yǐ wéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief) |
| 地震 | dì zhèn | earthquake |
| 哦 | ō | to chant |
| 原 | Yuán | surname Yuan; (Japanese surname) Hara |
| 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] |
| 有力 | yǒu lì | powerful; forceful; vigorous |
| 量 | liáng | to measure |
| 抓 | zhua | to grab; to arrest; to scratch |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 旧 | jìu | old; opposite: new 新; former; worn (with age) |
| 扫 | sǎo | to sweep (with a brush or broom); to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of; to sweep (one's eyes etc) over; to scan |
| 帚 | ||
| 这儿 | zhè r | here |
| 扑 | pu | to throw oneself at; to devote one's energies; to flutter; to pat |
| 那儿 | nà r | there |
| 一打 | yī dá | dozen |
| 戳 | ||
| 捣 | dáo | to pound; to hull; to disturb |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 吱 | ||
| 全 | Quán | surname Quan |
| 逃 | tāo | to escape; to flee |
| 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… |
There was a man who lived in a beautiful house. Because he had very little courage, everyone called him Mr. Coward.
One day, a big mouse charged into his house. Mr. Coward immediately went to catch it, and the result was that he caught it in the basement.
“Let me go!” the big mouse said, struggling, “If I stamp one foot, the whole house will fall down.”
Mr. Coward was afraid, and hurriedly let him go, and even allowed him to live in the basement.
There was lots to eat in the basement, and the big mouse ate, and drank, and had lots of fun. Later, the big mouse birthed a nest of little mice, and the little mice grew into big mice…. soon, the basement was full of mice.
“This won’t do, this won’t do!” the big mouse yelled at Mr. Coward, “This many mice living in this small, small basement, and you alone living in that many rooms, it’s too unreasonable, we have to switch quarters.”
“Switch quarters?” So Mr. Coward [went to] live in the basement, the mice moved into every [upstairs] room, and in the wide living room they sange, and jumped, and in the fragrant kitchen they drank, and ate, and every day was like a holiday.
“You should move out!” the big mouse again yelled at Mr. Coward, “What are you doing living in the basement? Such a nice basement, do you deserve to live there?”
“What?” Mr. Coward was so angry he stamped his right foot, “Dong…” The mice were afraid, they covered their heads and fled in disarray, thinking it was an earthquake.
“Oh! Turns out I’m quite fierce!” Mr. Coward grabbed up an old broom, pouncing here, hitting there, stabbing here and beating there, beating the mice until they squeaked “zhi zhi“, and they all ran away.