Poor little Mile (米乐) is so shy (害羞 – hài xiū), she never speaks, and her face turns bright red whenever someone speaks to her. This story is upper-beginner, will be a reasonably comfortable read at around HSK 4, and a do-able read at HSK 3 with a bit of effort.
《西红柿女孩》 这个小姑娘叫米乐。她非常，非常，非常害羞。只要有人叫她的名字，她就会变得满脸通红！可怜的米乐！
在学校的操场上，同学们最喜欢的游戏，就是米乐的脸变颜色。米乐的脸会从淡粉色变成玫瑰红。从“米乐”变成“西红柿”。
上课的时候，如果老师叫到她的名字，她会马上心跳加速，呼吸困难。虽然她明明知道答案，但是答案却总是躲在脑子里，不肯出来。没有一个人听到过米乐小得不能再小的声音。从来没有！
在面包店的阿姨面前（那是常常送糖给她的阿姨哦），米乐也说不出一个字。邻居家的小姑娘来米乐家玩，米乐也害羞得不知所措。
可怜的米乐，她从来不敢和同学们一起玩跳房子，同学们也不愿意和米乐一起玩。
这些还不算什么。最最可怕、最最悲惨、最最让人担心的，这辈子最让米乐害怕的，是明天。因为明天她要在全班同学面前背诗！
米乐度过了一个可怕的晚上。她在床上翻来覆去，先是怎么也睡不着，接着又做了许多的噩梦。
可是第二天，米乐不得不硬着头皮去上学……
“西红柿！”
“米乐，该你了！”
米乐的腿发软、心乱跳，她恨不得自己能马上消失。
“她的脸好红呀！”
“西红柿！”
老师说，“怎么这么吵！你们以为这里是动物园吗? 是菜市场吗? 你们这些捣蛋鬼，不觉得难为情吗？她叫米乐。不叫西红柿！”
米乐这才发现同学们的脸和她的一样红！突然，米乐张开了嘴。
“小鸟 一只小鸟， 并不美丽， 所有的动物都嘲笑它。 它的颜色很奇怪， 羽毛也不柔软。 一天早上，在清晨的阳光里， 小鸟唱起了动听的歌， 所有的动物都伸长了耳朵， 原来在并不耀眼的羽毛下， 藏着最美丽的歌喉！”
完。
“太棒了！”
“真好！”
“真了不起！”
从那天起，米乐有一个新外号，“米乐小百灵”。 Buy on Amazon:
Tomato Girl
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 红 | Hóng | surname Hong |
| 柿 | shǐ | old |
| 女孩 | nu:3 hái | girl; lass |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 姑 | gū | paternal aunt; husband's sister; husband's mother (old); nun; for the time being (literary) |
| 娘 | niáng | mother; young lady; (coll.) effeminate; variant of 娘[niang2] |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 米 | Mǐ | surname Mi |
| 乐 | Lè | surname Le |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 害 | hài | to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity |
| 羞 | xiu | shy; shame |
| 只要 | zhǐ yào | so long as; provided; if |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people; anyone; there is someone there; occupied (as in restroom) |
| 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… |
| 名字 | míng zi | name (of a person or thing) |
| 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… |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 变得 | biàn de | to become |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 脸 | liǎn | face; CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 通红 | tōng hóng | very red; red through and through; to blush (deep red) |
| 可怜 | kě lián | pitiful; pathetic; to have pity on |
| 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) |
| 学校 | xué xiào | school; CL:所[suo3] |
| 操场 | cāo chǎng | playground; sports field; drill ground; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 同学 | tóng xué | to study at the same school; fellow student; classmate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4] |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of |
| 游 | Yóu | surname You; to walk; to tour; to roam; to travel |
| 戏 | xì | variant of 戲|戏[xi4]; trick; drama; play; show; CL:齣|出[chu1],場|场[chang3],臺|台[tai2] |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 变 | biàn | to change; to become different; to transform; to vary; rebellion |
| 颜色 | yán sè | color; countenance; appearance; facial expression; pigment; dyestuff |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 淡 | dǎn | insipid; weak; light in color; indifferent |
| 粉色 | fěn sè | pink |
| 变成 | biàn chéng | to change into; to turn into; to become |
| 玫 | ||
| 瑰 | ||
| 上课 | shàng kè | to go to class; to attend class; to go to teach a class |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerabl… |
| 师 | Shī | surname Shi |
| 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… |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | at once; right away; immediately; on horseback (i.e. by military force) |
| 心跳 | xīn tiào | heartbeat; pulse |
| 加 | Jiā | Canada (abbr. for 加拿大[Jia1 na2 da4]); surname Jia |
| 速 | sǔ | fast; quick |
| 呼 | hu | to call; to shout; to exhale |
| 吸 | xi | to breathe; to absorb |
| 困难 | kùn nan | difficult; challenging; straitened circumstances; difficult situation |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 明明 | míng míng | obviously; plainly; undoubtedly; definitely |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 答 | dā | bound form having the same meaning as the free word 答[da2], used in 答應|答应[da1 ying5], 答理[da1 li5] etc |
| 案 | ǎn | (legal) case; record; table |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 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] |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3… |
| 躲 | duǒ | to hide; to dodge; to avoid |
| 脑子 | nǎo zi | brains; mind; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 肯 | kěn | old variant of 肯[ken3]; to agree; to consent; to be willing to |
| 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… |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then); no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, an… |
| 小的 | xiǎo de | (coll.) young child; the little one(s) of the family; (old) (humble) I; me; my (used by a commoner when speaking to an official) |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | sound; voice |
| 面包店 | miàn bāo diàn | bakery; CL:家[jia1] |
| 阿 | ā | prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity; used in transliteration; (bound form) Afghanistan (abbr. for 阿富汗[A1 fu4 han4]); (bound form) Alban… |
| 姨 | yī | mother's sister |
| 面前 | miàn qián | in front of; facing; (in the) presence (of) |
| 那是 | nà shi | (coll.) of course; naturally; indeed |
| 常常 | cháng cháng | frequently; often |
| 送 | sòng | to send; to deliver; to transmit; to give (as a present); to see (sb) off; to accompany; to go along with |
| 糖 | táng | sugar; sweets; candy; CL:顆|颗[ke1],塊|块[kuai4]; old variant of 糖[tang2] |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 哦 | ō | to chant |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 说不出 | shuō bu chū | unable to say |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 字 | zì | letter; symbol; character; word; CL:個|个[ge4]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China |
| 邻居 | lín jū | neighbor |
| 家的 | jiā de | (old) wife |
| 家 | jiā | used in 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] and 傢俱|家俱[jia1 ju4]; home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some act… |
| 玩 | wán | to play; to have fun; to trifle with; toy; sth used for amusement; curio or antique (Taiwan pr. [wan4]); to keep sth for entertainment; variant of 玩[wan2]; Taiwan pr. [wan4] |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 措 | cuǒ | to handle; to put in order; to administer; to take action on |
| 敢 | gǎn | to dare; daring; (polite) may I venture |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 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) |
| 跳房子 | tiào fáng zi | hopscotch; to play hopscotch |
| 愿 | yuàn | honest and prudent; variant of 願|愿[yuan4]; (bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing; to wish (that sth may happen); may ...; vow; pledge |
| 意 | yì | (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind; (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 算 | suàn | to calculate; to figure out; to include; to count in; to count; to be valid; to carry weight; to regard as; to consider (to be ...) |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 可怕 | kě pà | awful; dreadful; fearful; formidable; frightful; scary; hideous; horrible; terrible; terribly |
| 悲 | bēi | sad; sadness; sorrow; grief |
| 惨 | cán | miserable; cruel; disastrous; dim |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 担 | dan | to undertake; to shoulder |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 辈子 | bèi zi | all one's life; lifetime |
| 害怕 | hài pà | to be afraid; to be scared |
| 明天 | míng tiān | tomorrow |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 全 | Quán | surname Quan |
| 班 | Bān | surname Ban |
| 背 | běi | the back; behind (bei4); to recite from memory (bei4); to carry on the back (bei1) |
| 诗 | Shī | abbr. for Shijing 詩經|诗经[Shi1 jing1], the Book of Songs |
| 度 | dù | to pass; to spend (time); measure; limit; extent; degree of intensity; degree (angles, temperature etc); kilowatt-hour; classifier for events and occurrences |
| 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 |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening; night; CL:個|个[ge4]; in the evening |
| 床 | chuáng | bed; couch (furniture that one can lie down on) (CL:張|张[zhang1]); bed; bottom (of rivers, oceans, gardens etc); frame; chassis; classifier for blankets, quilts etc; variant of 床[chuang2] |
| 翻 | fān | to turn over; to flip over; to overturn; to rummage through; to translate; to decode; to double; to climb over or into; to cross; variant of 翻[fan1] |
| 覆 | fǔ | to cover; to overturn |
| 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);… |
| 先 | xiān | beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 睡 | shuì | to sleep; to lie down |
| 不着 | bù zháo | no need; need not |
| 接着 | jiē zhe | to catch and hold on; to continue; to go on to do sth; to follow; to carry on; then; after that; subsequently; to proceed; to ensue; in turn; in one's turn |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 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… |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 噩 | ě | startling |
| 梦 | mèng | dream (CL:場|场[chang2]); (bound form) to dream |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high… |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 不得不 | bù dé bù | have no choice or option but to; cannot but; have to; can't help it; can't avoid |
| 硬 | yìng | hard; stiff; solid; (fig.) strong; firm; resolutely; uncompromisingly; laboriously; with great difficulty; good (quality); able (person); (of food) filling; substantial |
| 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 |
| 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] |
| 皮 | Pí | surname Pi |
| 上学 | shàng xué | to go to school; to attend school |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 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.) |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg; CL:條|条[tiao2]; hip bone; old variant of 腿[tui3] |
| 发软 | fā ruǎn | to weaken; to go soft (at the knees) |
| 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 |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to hop; to skip over; to bounce; to palpitate |
| 恨 | hěn | to hate |
| 不得 | bù dé | must not; may not; not to be allowed; cannot |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 消 | xiāo | to diminish; to subside; to consume; to reduce; to idle away (the time); (after 不[bu4] or 只[zhi3] or 何[he2] etc) to need; to require; to take |
| 失 | shī | to lose; to miss; to fail |
| 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); (… |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 吵 | chǎo | to quarrel; to make a noise; noisy; to disturb by making a noise |
| 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) |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 动物园 | dòng wù yuán | zoo |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 菜市场 | cài shì chǎng | food market |
| 捣 | dáo | to pound; to hull; to disturb |
| 蛋 | Dàn | variant of 蜑[Dan4] |
| 鬼 | guǐ | disembodied spirit; ghost; devil; (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc; sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭|诡[gui3]); one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chi… |
| 不觉 | bù jué | unconsciously |
| 难为情 | nán wéi qíng | embarrassed |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 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 … |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 张开 | zhāng kāi | to open up; to spread; to extend |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth; beak; nozzle; spout (of teapot etc); CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 小鸟 | xiǎo niǎo | small bird; young bird (hatchling, nestling, fledgling, chick); (fig.) penis (kiddie term); (golf) birdie |
| 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 |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 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] |
| 所有 | suǒ yǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own |
| 动物 | dòng wù | animal |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 嘲 | chāo | to ridicule |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 羽毛 | yǔ máo | feather; plumage; plume |
| 柔软 | róu ruǎn | soft |
| 早上 | zǎo shang | early morning; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 清晨 | qīng chén | early morning |
| 阳光 | yáng guāng | sunshine; (of personality) upbeat; energetic; transparent (open to public scrutiny) |
| 唱 | chàng | to sing; to call loudly; to chant |
| 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… |
| 动听 | dòng tīng | pleasant to listen to |
| 歌 | gē | song (CL:首[shou3],支[zhi1]); (bound form) to sing; variant of 歌[ge1] |
| 伸 | shen | to stretch |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 耳 | ěr | ear; handle (archaeology); and that is all (Classical Chinese) |
| 朵 | duó | flower; fig. item on both sides |
| 原 | Yuán | surname Yuan; (Japanese surname) Hara |
| 耀 | yǎo | brilliant |
| 眼 | yǎn | eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1]); (often used with 一[yi1]) a look; a glance; small hole; (bound form) salient point; classifier for wells, cave-dwellings etc |
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 藏 | Zàng | Tibetan ethnic group; Tibet Autonomous Region (short name for 西藏自治區|西藏自治区[Xi1 zang4 Zi4 zhi4 qu1]) |
| 喉 | hōu | throat |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole; complete; entire |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely |
| 棒 | bǎng | excellent, amazing |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 了不起 | liǎo bu qǐ | amazing; terrific; extraordinary |
| 那天 | nà tiān | that day; the other day |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 外号 | wài hào | nickname |
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai |
| 灵 | līng | quick; efficacious; to come true; departed soul |
This little girl is named Mile. She is very, very, very shy. One only needs to call her name, and her whole face will turn red! Poor Mile!
On the school playground, her classmates’ favorite game, is to make Mile’s face change color. Mile’s face will change from light pink to rose red. From “Mile” she becomes “Tomato”.
During classtime, if the teacher calls her name, her heartbeat immediately speeds up, and it’s difficult to breathe. Although she clearly knows the answer, the answer always hides in her brain, unwilling to come out. Not one person has ever heard Mile’s small [so small it couldn’t be smaller] voice. Never!
In front of the lady [lit: auntie] at the bakery (that’s the lady that always gives her some candy), Mile still can’t speak a word. The neighbor’s little girl came to Mila’s house to play, and Mile was so shy she was at her wit’s end.
Poor Mile, she had never dared to play hopscotch with her classmates, and her classmates also weren’t willing to play with her.
But all this was nothing. Most most frightening of all, most most miserable, most most worrisome, was tomorrow. Because tomorrow she had to read aloud in front of the whole class!
Mile spent the whole night terrified. She tossed and turned on her bed, first she couldn’t sleep, and then she had many nightmares.
But on the second day, Mile had to brace herself and go to school…
“Tomato!”
“Mile, it’s your turn!”
Mile’s legs went soft, her heart beat madly, and she wished she could immediately disappear.
“Her face is so red!”
“Tomato!”
The teacher said, “How are you all this noisy? Do you think this is a zoo?! That it’s a vegetable market? You troublemakers, aren’t you ashamed? Her name is Mile. Not Tomato!”
At this time, Mile discovered all her classmate’s faces were as red as hers! Suddenly, Mile opened her mouth.
“Little bird, One little bird, Not at all pretty, All the animals made fun of it. It’s color was very strange, And its feathers were not soft. One morning, in the light of the dawn, The little bird sang a pleasant song, All the animals perked up their ears, For it turned out that under unremarkable feathers, There was hidden the most beautiful song!”
She finished.
“So great!”
“Well done!”
“Really impressive!”
From that day on, Mile had a new nickname, “Mile the Little Lark”.