This is definitely my favorite find so far, as it falls solidly within my favorite Chinese story genre with my favorite Chinese archetype: the clever government official who catches a crook.
从前有个小孩,爸爸死了,妈妈病了,日子可不好过了。小孩每天一早起来,提着一篮油条,一边跑,一边嚷:“卖油条咯,卖油条咯: 又香又脆的油条,两个铜钱买一根。” 有一天,他把油条全卖完了,坐在路边一块石头上,把篮子里的铜钱一个一个的数了一遍,正好一百个。他卖油条,把一双手弄得油乎乎的,用手数铜钱,把铜钱也弄得油乎乎的。他瞧着这些油乎乎亮闪闪的铜钱,可高兴了,心想: “今天卖了一百个钱,可以给妈妈买药了。”
小孩跑了一个上午,可累坏了,他把头一歪,靠在石头上,就呼呼地睡着了,睡了好一会儿才醒来。“哎呀,我得赶快给妈妈买药去了。”小孩站起来一看,糟了,篮子里的铜钱一个也没有了。小孩又着急,又伤心,呜呜地哭了起来。这时候,正好包公带了人马到这儿走过。
包公是什么人呀?包公是个官,黑脸黑胡子,人家叫他“包老黑”,又叫他“黑包公”,他办事公道,又很聪明。包公看见小孩哭得很伤心,就问他: “小孩,你为什么哭呀?”“我卖油条得的钱不见了,呜——呜。”“谁偷了你的钱?”“不知道。我靠在这块石头上睡着了,醒来一看,钱就不见了。呜——呜。”
包公想了一想说: “我知道了,一定是这块石头偷了你的钱,我来审问这块石头,叫它把钱还给你。”人们听说包公要审问石头,觉得很奇怪,都跑来看热闹。包公对那块石头说: “石头,石头,小孩的铜钱,是不是你偷的?”石头会说话吗?不会。包公又问了: “石头,石头,小孩的铜钱,是不是你偷的?快说,快说!”石头还是一声不响,它不会说话呀。包公发火了: “石头,石头,你不说实话,打烂你的头。”手下的人听包公这么一说,就拿起棍子,劈里啪啦地打起石头来,一边打,一边喊: “快说,快说!”
看热闹的人哄的笑起来了,唧唧喳喳地说: “石头怎么会偷钱?”“石头怎么会说话?”“人家都说包公聪明,原来是个胡涂蛋!”包公听了很生气,就说: “我在审问石头,你们怎么说我的坏话。哼! 你们每个人都得罚一个铜钱!”包公叫手下的人借来一只盆子,倒上水,让看热闹的人往盆子里丢一个铜钱。看热闹的人没办法,只好排着队每人往盆子里丢一个铜钱,“扑通,扑通,扑通……”
有一个人刚把铜钱丢进盆子里去,就给包公叫手下的人抓住了。 包公指着这个人说: “你是小偷,你偷了小孩卖油条得来的铜钱!”大家都觉得很奇怪,这是怎么回事呀?包公说: “你们瞧,只有他丢下的铜钱,水面上浮起了一层油,他的铜钱一定是趁小孩睡觉的时候偷来的。” 那个小偷没办法,只好把一百个铜钱还给小孩。 大家都说,包公真聪明。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously; formerly; once upon a time |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 小孩 | xiǎo hái | child; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 死 | sǐ | to die; impassable; uncrossable; inflexible; rigid; extremely; damned |
| 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 |
| 妈妈 | mā ma | mama; mommy; mother; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 病 | bìng | illness; CL:場|场[chang2]; disease; to fall ill; defect |
| 日子 | rì zi | day; a (calendar) date; days of one's life |
| 可不 | kě bu | see 可不是[ke3 bu5 shi4] |
| 好过 | hǎo guò | to have an easy time; (feel) well |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 一早 | yī zǎo | early in the morning; at dawn |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 提 | dī | used in 提防[di1 fang5] and 提溜[di1 liu5] |
| 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 |
| 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 … |
| 篮 | lán | basket (receptacle); basket (in basketball) |
| 油条 | yóu tiáo | youtiao (deep-fried breadstick); CL:根[gen1]; slick and sly person |
| 一边 | yī biān | one side; either side; on the one hand; on the other hand; doing while |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 嚷 | ráng | to shout; to make a big deal of sth |
| 卖 | mài | to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt |
| 咯 | ||
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 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] |
| 脆 | cuì | old variant of 脆[cui4]; brittle; fragile; crisp; crunchy; clear and loud voice; neat |
| 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… |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 铜钱 | tóng qián | copper coin (round with a square hole in the middle, used in former times in China) |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 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]) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 全 | Quán | surname Quan |
| 卖完 | mài wán | to be sold out |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 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) |
| 路边 | lù biān | curb; roadside; wayside |
| 一块 | yī kuài | a piece; a chunk; (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這|这[zhe4]) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感這一塊|情感这一块[qing2 gan3 zhe4 yi1 kuai4] "the emotional aspec… |
| 石 | Shí | surname Shi; abbr. for Shijiazhuang 石家莊|石家庄[Shi2 jia1 zhuang1], the capital of Hebei |
| 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] |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 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… |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 数 | shǔ | to count; to count as; to regard as; to enumerate; to list |
| 遍 | biàn | variant of 遍[bian4]; everywhere; all over; classifier for actions: one time |
| 正好 | zhèng hǎo | just (in time); just right; just enough; to happen to; to chance to; by chance; it just so happens that |
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai |
| 双手 | shuāng shǒu | both hands |
| 弄 | lòng | lane; alley; old variant of 弄[nong4]; variant of 弄[long4] |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 油 | yóu | oil; fat; grease; petroleum; to apply tung oil, paint or varnish; oily; greasy; glib; cunning |
| 乎 | hu | (classical particle similar to 於|于[yu2]) in; from; than |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 瞧 | qiáo | to look at; to see; to see (a doctor); to visit |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 亮 | liàng | bright; light; to shine; to flash; loud and clear; to show (one's passport etc); to make public (one's views etc) |
| 闪 | shán | to flash; to dodge; to sidestep; to sprain; a lightning flash |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood |
| 心想 | xīn xiǎng | to think to oneself; to think |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 钱 | Qián | surname Qian |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 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) |
| 药 | yào | leaf of the iris; variant of 藥|药[yao4]; medicine; drug; substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting); CL:種|种[zhong3],服[fu4],味[wei4]; to poison |
| 午 | wǔ | 7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse; ancient Chinese compass point: 180° (south) |
| 累坏 | lèi huài | to become exhausted |
| 歪 | wai | askew; devious; (coll.) to lie on one's side |
| 靠 | kào | to lean against or on; to stand by the side of; to come near to; to depend on; to trust; to fuck (vulgar); traditional military costume drama where the performers wear armor (old) |
| 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… |
| 呼 | hu | to call; to shout; to exhale |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 睡着 | shuì zháo | to fall asleep |
| 睡 | shuì | to sleep; to lie down |
| 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); (… |
| 一会儿 | yī huì r | a moment; a while; in a moment; now...now...; also pr. [yi1 hui3 r5] |
| 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 |
| 醒 | xǐng | to wake up; to be awake; to become aware; to sober up; to come to |
| 哎 | ai | hey! |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 赶 | gǎn | to overtake; to catch up with; to hurry; to rush; to try to catch (the bus etc); to drive (cattle etc) forward; to drive (sb) away; to avail oneself of (an opportunity); until; by … |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 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);… |
| 站起 | zhàn qǐ | to get up on hind legs (esp. of horse); to stand; to spring up |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 糟 | zao | dregs; pickled in wine; messy |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 着急 | zháo jí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. [zhao1ji2] |
| 伤心 | shāng xīn | to grieve; to be broken-hearted; to feel deeply hurt |
| 呜 | ||
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep |
| 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 |
| 包公 | Bāo gōng | Lord Bao or Judge Bao, fictional nickname of Bao Zheng 包拯[Bao1 Zheng3] (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; CL:條|条[tiao2]; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise |
| 人马 | rén mǎ | men and horses; troops; group of people; troop; staff; centaur |
| 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… |
| 这儿 | zhè r | here |
| 走过 | zǒu guò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 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] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 官 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 黑 | Hēi | short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江|黑龙江[Hei1 long2 jiang1] |
| 脸 | liǎn | face; CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 胡 | Hú | surname Hu; used in 衚衕|胡同[hu2 tong4]; beard; mustache; whiskers |
| 人家 | rén jiā | household; dwelling; family; sb else's house; household business; house of woman's husband-to-be; CL:戶|户[hu4],家[jia1] |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 包 | Bāo | surname Bao |
| 老黑 | lǎo hēi | (coll.) black person |
| 办事 | bàn shì | to handle (affairs); to work |
| 公道 | gōng dào | justice; fairness; public highway |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 聪明 | cōng ming | intelligent; clever; bright; acute (of sight and hearing) |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 得很 | de hěn | (after an adjective) very |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 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.) |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 不见了 | bù jiàn le | to have disappeared; to be missing; nowhere to be found |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 偷 | tou | to steal; to snatch; stealthily |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 我靠 | wǒ kào | bosh!; crap!; see also 哇靠[wa1 kao4] |
| 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) |
| 块 | kuài | lump; chunk; piece; classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc; (coll.) classifier for money and currency units |
| 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) |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 知道了 | zhī dào le | OK!; Got it! |
| 一定 | yī dìng | surely; certainly; definitely; fixed; settled; a certain ...; a given ... |
| 审问 | shěn wèn | to interrogate; to examine; to question |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 听说 | tīng shuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that); hearsay; listening and speaking |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 看热闹 | kàn rè nao | to enjoy watching a bustling scene; to go where the crowds are |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 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… |
| 说话 | shuō huà | to speak; to say; to talk; to gossip; to tell stories; talk; word |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 不会 | bù huì | improbable; unlikely; will not (act, happen etc); not able; not having learned to do sth; (coll.) (Tw) don't mention it; not at all |
| 还是 | hái shi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 一声 | yī shēng | first tone in Mandarin (high, level tone) |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 响 | xiǎng | echo; sound; noise; to make a sound; to sound; to ring; loud; classifier for noises |
| 发火 | fā huǒ | to catch fire; to ignite; to detonate; to get angry |
| 说实话 | shuō shí huà | to speak the truth; truth to tell; frankly |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 烂 | lǎn | soft; mushy; to rot; to decompose; worn out; utterly; thoroughly |
| 手下 | shǒu xià | under one's control or administration; subordinates; (money etc) on hand; sb's financial means; when taking action |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 一说 | yī shuō | an expression of opinion; according to some |
| 拿起 | ná qǐ | to pick up |
| 棍 | gǔn | stick; rod; truncheon |
| 劈 | pi | to hack; to split open |
| 啪 | pa | (onom.) bang; pow |
| 啦 | lā | (onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc; (phonetic); (dialect) to chat |
| 喊 | hǎn | to yell; to shout; to call out for (a person) |
| 哄 | hóng | roar of laughter (onom.); to roar (as a crowd) |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 唧 | ||
| 喳 | ||
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 原 | Yuán | surname Yuan; (Japanese surname) Hara |
| 涂 | tū | to apply (paint etc); to daub; to scribble; (literary) mud |
| 蛋 | Dàn | variant of 蜑[Dan4] |
| 生气 | shēng qì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 坏话 | huài huà | disparaging remarks; unkind things said about sb |
| 哼 | heng | to groan; to hum; humph! |
| 每个人 | měi ge rén | everybody; everyone |
| 罚 | fá | to punish; to penalize; to fine; variant of 罰|罚[fa2] |
| 借 | jiè | to borrow; (used in combination with 給|给[gei3] or 出[chu1] etc) to lend; to make use of; to avail oneself of; (sometimes followed by 著|着[zhe5]) by; with; variant of 借[jie4] |
| 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 |
| 盆子 | pén zi | basin |
| 倒 | dǎo | to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally; to fail; to go bankrupt; to overthrow; to change (trains or buses); to move around; to resell at a profit |
| 上水 | Shàng shuǐ | Sheung Shui (area in Hong Kong) |
| 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]) |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 丢 | dīu | to lose; to put aside; to throw |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 办 | bàn | to take care of (a matter); to deal with (a task, procedure etc); to organize (an event); to establish; to set up; to manage; to run (an enterprise); (law) to handle; to investigat… |
| 法 | fǎ | variant of 法[fa3]; France; French; abbr. for 法國|法国[Fa3 guo2]; Taiwan pr. [Fa4]; old variant of 法[fa3]; law |
| 只好 | zhǐ hǎo | to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to |
| 排 | pái | to arrange in order; to line up; to exclude; to eliminate; to repel; to expel; to discharge; (literary) to push aside; to force open; to rehearse; row; line; platoon; (bound form) … |
| 队 | duì | squadron; team; group; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 每人 | měi rén | each person; everybody; per person |
| 扑 | pu | to throw oneself at; to devote one's energies; to flutter; to pat |
| 通 | tōng | to go through; to know well; (suffix) expert; to connect; to communicate; open; to clear; classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 刚 | gāng | (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while ago |
| 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… |
| 抓 | zhua | to grab; to arrest; to scratch |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 指 | zhǐ | finger; to point at or to; to indicate or refer to; to depend on; to count on; (of hair) to stand on end |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 回事 | huí shì | (old) to report to one's master |
| 只有 | zhǐ yǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 qu… |
| 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 … |
| 水面 | shuǐ miàn | water surface |
| 浮 | fū | to float; floating; movable; temporary; impetuous; inflated; superfluous; surplus |
| 一层 | yī céng | one layer; one level |
| 趁 | chěn | to avail oneself of |
| 睡觉 | shuì jiào | to go to bed; to sleep |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
Long ago, there was a little child whose father was dead, whose mother was sick, and who had a rough life in general. The child woke up early every day, and scooping up a basket of fried breadsticks, ran about shouting “Buy breadsticks, buy breadsticks, they’re fragrant and crispy, two coppers buys one!” One day, after he’d sold all his breadsticks, he sat on a rock by the side of the road and counted all the coppers in the basket one at a time – he had exactly 100. Well, selling breadsticks had made his two hands greasy, and when he used hands to count the coppers, it had made the coppers greasy. Looking at these greasy, bright coppers, he was happy, and in his heart he thought, “Today I sold 100-worth, I can buy mother some medicine.”
The child had been running all morning, he was exhausted, so he let his head droop, leaned against a rock, and, snoring “hu hu” [sound of snoring], fell asleep – after he’d slept a bit he finally woke up. “Ai ya! I have to quickly run and buy medicine for mother!” The child stood up but, oh no, there was not a single coin in the basket. The child was worried and broken-hearted, and began to cry “wu wu” [sounds like ‘boo hoo’]. It was just then that Bao Gong, with his men and horses, happened to walk past.
Now, who was Bao Gong? Bao Gong was an official, black of face and black of beard, whom the people called “Old Black Bao” or “Black Bao Gong”; he handled matters fairly, and was very smart. Bao Gong saw the child crying so broken-heartedly, and he asked: “Child, why are you crying?” “The money from selling bread sticks is gone, Boo Hoooo!”
Bao Gong thought for a moment and said, “I know, it was definitely this rock that stole your money, I’ll question the rock, and tell it to give you your money back.” The people nearby heard that Bao Gong was going to interrogate a rock, and they thought this was very strange, so they all ran over and watched excitedly. Bao Gong said to the rock: “Rock, rock, was it you that stole the child’s coppers?” But can a rock speak? It cannot. Bao Gong asked again: “Rock, rock, the child’s coppers, wasn’t it you who stole them? Speak up, speak up!” The rock still said nothing, it couldn’t speak. Bao Gong exploded, “Rock, rock, tell the truth or I’ll beat you over the head!” Bao Gong’s men heard him say this, and they found a stick for him, and he began to pi li pa la [sound of stick hitting rock] hit the rock, hitting and shouting “Speak up! Speak up!”
The people watching excitedly roared with laughter, and chattering “ji ji zha zha” [sound of many people chattering], said: “How can a rock steal money?” “How can a rock speak?” and “Everyone said that Bao Gong is smart, actually he’s a muddled idiot!” Bao Gong heard all this and was very angry, so he said: ” I’m interrogating this rock. How can you all say bad things about me? Huh! Each one of you will be fined one copper!” Bao Gong called his men to bring him a borrowed pot – he poured water into it, and made every spectator throw one copper in the pot. The spectators had no choice, they had to line up and each one had to put one copper in the pot. “Pu tong, pu tong, pu tong…” [the sound of metal coins plunking into a pot]
When one man in particular put his copper in the pot, Bao Gong ordered his men to seize this man. Bao Gong pointed at the man and said, “You’re the thief, you took the coppers the child made from selling breadsticks!” Everyone thought that was very strange, for how could it be? Bao Gong said: “All of you look, it was only when this man dropped a copper in the pot that a film of oil floated to the surface, his copper is certainly one that he took advantage of a sleeping child to steal.” The thief had no choice, he had to give the 100 coppers back to the child. Everyone said, Bao Gong sure is clever.