Our last Communist-themed post for the week: a classic revolutionary-era story about the man himself, Chairman Mao. HSK 4-5.
杨大娘是红军家属。大儿子参加红军以后，家里少了一个劳动力，里里外外什么事都要她自己操心。
1933年7月的一个傍晚，杨大娘浇完菜园，回家准备挑水做饭。她刚拿起扁担，却发现水缸里的水满满的。大娘奇怪了：前天水缸满，昨天水缸满，今天水缸又满了。这是怎么回事？她问小儿子：“下午你挑水了吗？”
11岁的儿子摇头说：“我没挑。”
杨大娘越想越觉得奇怪，就跑到田头问代耕队长：“我屋里那口水缸，天天都满满的。是你派人给我家挑水了吧？”
“没有啊，”代耕队长也感到奇怪， “真有这样的事？”
正说着，二婶也提着菜蓝子走过来说：“是啊，我屋里的水缸也是干了又会满，不知道是谁在做好事。”
代耕队长笑笑说：“毛主席主张调查研究，你们该去调查调查呀！”
杨大娘和二婶觉得这话有道理，俩人商量了一阵，就各自回家了。
第二天，杨大娘擦桌子、洗衣服，不到下午，满满一缸水就用完了。她故意不去挑，也不下地干活，拿起一双鞋底，坐在门口，和二婶一起纳起鞋底来。她俩四只耳朵听动静，两双眼睛观八方，边做针线活，边搞起“调查”来。
太阳离西山只有两竿高的时候，杨大娘忽然听见屋里的后门响了，接着又听到水桶铁钩碰撞的声音。她俩惊喜地互相丢了个眼色，不约而同地喊了出来：“这回捉到了！”说着站起身就往屋里跑。
杨大娘刚进门，差点跟一个挑着水桶的人撞个满怀。她抬头一看，见这人身材高大魁梧，穿一身红军制服，正冲着她和二婶笑。望着他那双明亮的大眼睛，她觉得很面熟，但是又记不起在什么地方见过。二婶一下就认出来了：“呀，这不是毛主席吗！”
二婶拉着毛主席坐下，杨大娘赶忙端上一碗茶，说：“毛主席，你来这里不久，可处处爱护体贴老百姓，叫我们怎么感谢你呀！”
毛主席喝着茶，和两位红军家属聊起家常来，问她们：生活有没有困难？房子漏雨不漏雨？小孩子在小学的功课好不好？一直谈到天擦黑，毛主席又要去挑水，非要把水缸挑满不可。杨大娘拗不过，只好答应了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 杨 | yāng | poplar; surname Yang |
| 大娘 | dà niáng | (coll.) father's older brother's wife; aunt (polite address) |
| 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] |
| 红军 | Hóng jūn | Red Army (1928-1937), predecessor of the PLA; (Soviet) Red Army (1917-1946) |
| 家属 | jiā shǔ | family member; (family) dependent |
| 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) |
| 儿子 | ér zi | son |
| 参加 | cān jiā | to participate; to take part; to join |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | home |
| 少 | shǎo | few; less; to lack; to be missing; to stop (doing sth); seldom |
| 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 |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 劳动力 | láo dòng lì | labor force; manpower |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 里外 | lǐ wài | inside and out; or so |
| 外 | wài | outside; in addition; foreign; external |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing; item; work; affair; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1],回[hui2] |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 操心 | cāo xīn | to worry about |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 月 | yuè | moon; month; monthly; CL:個|个[ge4],輪|轮[lun2] |
| 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… |
| 傍 | bǎng | near; to depend on; Taiwan pr. [pang2], [bang1], [bang4] |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 浇 | jiao | to pour liquid; to water; to mold |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole; complete; entire |
| 菜园 | cài yuán | vegetable garden |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 准备 | zhǔn bèi | preparation; to prepare; to intend; to be about to; reserve (fund) |
| 挑 | tiao | to carry on a shoulder pole; to pick |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 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… |
| 饭 | fàn | cooked rice; CL:碗[wan3]; meal; CL:頓|顿[dun4]; (loanword) fan; devotee |
| 刚 | gāng | (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while ago |
| 拿起 | ná qǐ | to pick up |
| 扁 | bián | flat; thin; to belittle; to look down on |
| 担 | dan | to undertake; to shoulder |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 水缸 | shuǐ gāng | water jar |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 前天 | qián tiān | the day before yesterday |
| 昨天 | zuó tiān | yesterday |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 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) |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 回事 | huí shì | (old) to report to one's master |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 小儿 | xiǎo ér | young child; (humble) my son |
| 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… |
| 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 … |
| 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) |
| 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.) |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 岁 | suì | variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year; years old; classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests) |
| 摇 | yāo | to shake; to wave; to rock; to sway |
| 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] |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 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) |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 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… |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 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… |
| 田 | Tián | surname Tian |
| 代 | dài | to be a substitute for; to act on behalf of; to replace; to substitute; generation; dynasty; age; period; (historical) era; (geological) eon |
| 耕 | gēng | variant of 耕[geng1]; to plow; to till |
| 队长 | duì zhǎng | captain; team leader; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 屋 | wū | (bound form) house; (bound form) room |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 口水 | kǒu shuǐ | saliva |
| 缸 | gāng | jar; vat; classifier for loads of laundry; CL:口[kou3] |
| 天天 | tiān tiān | every day |
| 派 | pā | used in 派司[pa1 si5] |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 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) |
| 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… |
| 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] |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 啊 | ā | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year |
| 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 |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 婶 | ||
| 提 | dī | used in 提防[di1 fang5] and 提溜[di1 liu5] |
| 菜 | cài | vegetable; greens (CL:棵[ke1]); dish (of food) (CL:樣|样[yang4],道[dao4],盤|盘[pan2]); (of one's skills etc) weak; poor; (coll.) (one's) type |
| 蓝 | Lán | surname Lan |
| 走过 | zǒu guò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 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… |
| 干 | gān | old variant of 乾|干[gan1]; surname Gan; variant of 乾|干[gan1]; tree trunk; main part of sth; to manage; to work; to do; capable; cadre; to kill (slang); to fuck (vulgar); (coll.) pissed off; annoyed |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 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) |
| 好事 | hǎo shì | good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed"); charity; happy occasion; Daoist or Buddhist ceremony for the souls of the dead |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 毛 | Máo | surname Mao |
| 主 | zhǔ | owner; master; host; individual or party concerned; God; Lord; main; to indicate or signify; trump card (in card games) |
| 席 | xī | mat; seat; banquet; (classifier) |
| 主张 | zhǔ zhāng | to advocate; to stand for; view; position; stand; proposition; viewpoint; assertion; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 调 | diào | to transfer; to move (troops or cadres); to investigate; to enquire into; accent; view; argument; key (in music); mode (music); tune; tone; melody |
| 查 | Zhā | surname Zha |
| 研究 | yán jīu | research; a study; CL:項|项[xiang4]; to research; to look into |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 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);… |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 有道理 | yǒu dào li | to make sense; reasonable |
| 俩 | liǎ | two (colloquial equivalent of 兩個|两个); both; some |
| 商 | Shāng | Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC); surname Shang |
| 量 | liáng | to measure |
| 一阵 | yī zhèn | a burst; a fit; a peal; a spell (period of time) |
| 各自 | gè zì | each; respective; apiece |
| 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… |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 擦 | cā | to rub; to scratch; to wipe; to polish; to apply (lipstick, lotion etc); to brush (past); to shred (a vegetable etc) |
| 桌子 | zhuō zi | table; desk; CL:張|张[zhang1],套[tao4] |
| 洗衣 | xǐ yī | laundry |
| 服 | fú | clothes; dress; garment; to serve (in the military, a prison sentence etc); to obey; to be convinced (by an argument); to convince; to admire; to acclimatize; to take (medicine); m… |
| 不到 | bù dào | not to arrive; not reaching; insufficient; less than |
| 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 … |
| 用完 | yòng wán | used up; finished |
| 故意 | gù yì | deliberately; on purpose |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 不下 | bù xià | to be not less than (a certain quantity, amount etc) |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 双 | shuāng | variant of 雙|双[shuang1]; surname Shuang |
| 鞋 | xié | shoe; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 鞋[xie2] |
| 底 | dí | (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 门口 | mén kǒu | doorway; gate; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 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) |
| 纳 | Nà | surname Na |
| 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… |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 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 |
| 耳 | ěr | ear; handle (archaeology); and that is all (Classical Chinese) |
| 朵 | duó | flower; fig. item on both sides |
| 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… |
| 动静 | dòng jìng | (detectable) movement; (sign of) activity; movement and stillness |
| 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) |
| 双眼 | shuāng yǎn | the two eyes |
| 睛 | jīng | eye; eyeball |
| 观 | Guàn | surname Guan |
| 八方 | bā fāng | the eight points of the compass; all directions |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border; boundary; CL:個|个[ge4]; simultaneously |
| 针线 | zhēn xiàn | needle and thread; needlework |
| 搞 | gǎo | to do; to make; to go in for; to set up; to get hold of; to take care of |
| 太阳 | tài yang | sun; sunlight; sunshine; temple (on the side of the human head) (abbr. for 太陽穴|太阳穴[tai4 yang2 xue2]) |
| 离 | chī | mythical beast (archaic); surname Li |
| 西山 | Xī shān | see 西山區|西山区[Xi1 shan1 Qu1] |
| 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… |
| 竿 | gān | (bound form) pole; rod |
| 高 | Gāo | surname Gao |
| 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 |
| 忽然 | hū rán | suddenly; all of a sudden |
| 听见 | tīng jiàn | to hear |
| 门 | Mén | surname Men |
| 响 | xiǎng | echo; sound; noise; to make a sound; to sound; to ring; loud; classifier for noises |
| 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 |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 桶 | tóng | bucket; barrel (of oil etc) |
| 铁 | Tiě | surname Tie |
| 钩 | gōu | hook; to hook |
| 碰 | pèng | variant of 碰[peng4]; to touch; to meet with; to bump; old variant of 碰[peng4] |
| 撞 | zhuǎng | to knock against; to run into |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | sound; voice |
| 惊喜 | jīng xǐ | nice surprise; to be pleasantly surprised |
| 互相 | hù xiāng | each other; mutually; mutual |
| 丢 | dīu | to lose; to put aside; to throw |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 眼色 | yǎn sè | signal made with one's eyes; meaningful glance |
| 约 | yāo | to weigh in a balance or on a scale |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 同 | tóng | like; same; similar; together; alike; with; used in 衚衕|胡同[hu2 tong4] |
| 喊 | hǎn | to yell; to shout; to call out for (a person) |
| 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) |
| 回 | Huí | Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); to curve; to return; to revolve; variant of 迴|回[hui2] |
| 捉 | zhuo | to clutch; to capture |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 站起 | zhàn qǐ | to get up on hind legs (esp. of horse); to stand; to spring up |
| 身 | shēn | body; life; oneself; personally; one's morality and conduct; the main part of a structure or body; pregnant; classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset; Kangxi radical 158 |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 进门 | jìn mén | to enter a door; to go in; to learn the basics of a subject; to join one's husband's household upon marriage |
| 差点 | chà diǎn | almost; nearly |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely; to go with; (of a woman) to marry sb; with; compared with; to; towards; and (joining two nouns) |
| 怀 | huāi | bosom; heart; to cherish; to carry (in the mind or womb); surname Huai |
| 抬 | tái | to lift; to raise; (of two or more persons) to carry; variant of 抬[tai2] |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 人身 | rén shēn | person; personal; human body |
| 材 | cāi | material; ability; a capable individual |
| 高大 | gāo dà | tall; lofty; towering |
| 魁 | kuí | chief; head; outstanding; exceptional; stalwart |
| 梧 | ||
| 穿 | chuān | to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together; to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.); verb com… |
| 一身 | yī shēn | whole body; from head to toe; single person; a suit of clothes |
| 制服 | zhì fú | to subdue; to check; to bring under control; (in former times) what one is allowed to wear depending on social status; uniform (army, party, school etc); livery (for company employ… |
| 冲 | chong | (of water) to dash against; to infuse; to flush; to rise in the air; to collide with |
| 望 | wàng | full moon; to hope; to expect; to visit; to gaze (into the distance); to look towards; towards; 15th day of month (lunar calendar); old variant of 望[wang4] |
| 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]) |
| 明亮 | míng liàng | bright; shining; glittering; to become clear |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye; CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1] |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 面熟 | miàn shú | to look familiar; familiar-looking |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 记 | jì | to record; to note; to memorize; to remember; mark; sign; classifier for blows, kicks, shots |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 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 |
| 认出 | rèn chū | recognition; to recognize |
| 这不 | zhè bu | (coll.) As a matter of fact, ... (used to introduce evidence for what one has just asserted) |
| 拉 | lā | to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag; to draw; to chat; (coll.) to empty one's bowels |
| 坐下 | zuò xia | to sit down |
| 赶忙 | gǎn máng | to hurry; to hasten; to make haste |
| 端上 | duān shàng | to serve (food, tea etc) |
| 碗 | wǎn | variant of 碗[wan3]; bowl; cup; CL:隻|只[zhi1],個|个[ge4] |
| 茶 | chá | tea; tea plant; CL:杯[bei1],壺|壶[hu2] |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 不久 | bù jǐu | not long (after); before too long; soon; soon after |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 处处 | chù chù | everywhere; in all respects |
| 爱护 | ài hù | to cherish; to treasure; to take care of; to love and protect |
| 体 | tī | used in 體己|体己[ti1 ji5]; Taiwan pr. [ti3] |
| 贴 | tie | to stick; to post (e.g. on a blog); to fit snugly; allowance (e.g. money for food or housing); classifier for sticking plaster: strip |
| 老百姓 | lǎo bǎi xìng | ordinary people; the "person in the street"; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 谢 | Xiè | surname Xie |
| 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬[he1] |
| 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 |
| 聊 | liāo | (coll.) to chat; (literary) somewhat; slightly |
| 起家 | qǐ jiā | to start out by; to grow an enterprise beginning with; to begin one's career by |
| 常 | Cháng | surname Chang |
| 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… |
| 有没有 | yǒu méi yǒu | (before a noun) Do (you, they etc) have ...?; Is there a ...?; (before a verb) Did (you, they etc) (verb, infinitive)?; Have (you, they etc) (verb, past participle)? |
| 困难 | kùn nan | difficult; challenging; straitened circumstances; difficult situation |
| 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] |
| 漏 | lǒu | to leak; to leave out by mistake |
| 雨 | yǔ | rain; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],場|场[chang2] |
| 小孩子 | xiǎo hái zi | child |
| 小学 | xiǎo xué | elementary school; primary school |
| 功课 | gōng kè | homework; assignment; task; classwork; lesson; study; CL:門|门[men2] |
| 好不好 | hǎo bu hǎo | (coll.) all right?; OK? |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 谈到 | tán dào | to refer to; to speak about; to talk about |
| 黑 | Hēi | short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江|黑龙江[Hei1 long2 jiang1] |
| 非要 | fēi yào | to want absolutely; to insist on (doing sth) |
| 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… |
| 不可 | bù kě | cannot; should not; must not |
| 拗 | ||
| 不过 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) |
| 只好 | zhǐ hǎo | to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to |
| 答应 | dā ying | to answer; to respond; to answer positively; to agree; to accept; to promise |
Aunt Yang was from a Red Army family. After her elder son went to join the Red Army, there was one less laborer at home, so she had to look after everything herself.
One night in July 1933, Aunt Yang had finished irrigating the vegetable garden, and returned home to fetch water for cooking. She had just picked up the carrying pole, when she noticed that the water jug was [already] full. Auntie thought this was strange: two days ago the water jug was full, yesterday the water jug was full, and now today the water jug was full again. How could this be? She asked her son, “Did you fetch water this afternoon?”
Her 11-year-old son shook his head and said, “I didn’t fetch it.”
The more Auntie Yang thought about it the more strange it seemed, so she ran to the field and asked the head contract laborer: “The water jug in my rooms, they’re full every day. Did you send someone to fetch water for our family?”
“I didn’t,” the head contract laborer also thought this was strange, “Did that really happen?”
Just as he said this, Second Brother’s Wife walked over carrying a vegetable basket and said: “Yes, the water jug in my room also fills up as soon as it goes dry, I don’t know who’s doing these good deeds.”
The head contract laborer smiled and said, “Chairman Mao encourages us to investigate and research, you two should look into it!”
Auntie Yang and Second Brother’s Wife thought what he said made sense, so they discussed it for a bit, and then each went back to their home.
The second day, Auntie Yang wiped the table, washed the clothes, and before the afternoon had come, all the water in the full water jug had been used up. She purposefully didn’t go fetch any more, nor did she go to the fields to work, but took up a pair of shoe soles, and sitting by the door with Second Brothers Wife, began to stitch the soles. The two of them listened with all four ears for any sounds of movement, and with two pairs of eyes looked about in all directions, sewing while “investigating”.
When the sun [had sunk close] to the western mountains, Auntie Yang suddenly heard the back door of the house make a sound, and soon after she heard the iron hook of the water pot clang. Pleasantly excited, they shot each other a knowing look, and shouted in unison, “We’ve got him this time!” As they spoke they stood up and ran into the house.
As soon as Auntie Yang entered the house, she almost ran smack into the person who was fetching water. She lifted her head up to look, and saw this person was tall and stalwart, wearing the uniform of the Red Army, and was smiling at her and Second Brother’s Wife. Looking at that pair of big, bright eyes, she thought he seemed a little familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she’d seen him before. [But] Second Brother’s Wife recognized him: “Ah! If it isn’t Chairman Mao!”
Second Brother’s Wife pulled Chairman Mao into a seat, and Auntie Yang quickly brought some tea and said, “Chairman Mao, you haven’t been [in town] long, but everywhere you go, you are caring and considerate towards the common people, tell us how can we ever thank you!”
Chairman Mao drank his tea, and chatted with the two [ladies] from Red Army families about their daily lives, asking them: “Are there any difficulties in your lives? Is your [roof] leaking water? How’s your children’s primary schoolwork?” They talked until darkness swept over the sky, and then Chairman Mao once again made to go fetch water, insisting on filling the water jugs again. Auntie Yang couldn’t talk him out of it, and she had to agree.