Well well well, lookie here. A guest post! Today we’ll be reading Rebecca Chua’s (Chinese name: 蔡幸彤) translation of an essay from her textbook. The post is about the rewards of honesty. I remember my own textbook being full of these types of essays, so thank you, Rebecca, for the traditional read.
我背着书包，手里拿着刚刚发下来的考卷，一边拖着沉重的脚步向家走着，一边紧张的思考怎样让爸爸在考卷上签名……前两天的考卷，今天老师发下来了。我拿了一个A+，考到了97分！同学们都很羡慕我，我也得到老师的肯定。在老师要我们做改正的时候，我就从天堂降落到地狱。天啊！我竟然忘了一整页试题，整整要被扣十分！但是老师却没发现，我还真不知该不该对她说。这时，我的头脑出现了两个“我”，一个说：“算了，不要告诉老师，我已经得了老师的肯定，同学们又那么羡慕我，如果我告诉老师，不就等于丢我的脸，还失去爸爸要给我的礼物。”另一个说：“不行，要做个诚实的人，一定要告诉老师。”于是，我对老师说：“我漏掉了这些题，应该是87 分！”老师帮我改分数的那一刻，我立刻松了一口气。
在回家的路上，我真希望我没有对老师说这番话。现在，我不仅要丢掉爸爸的礼物，还得被他骂一顿。晚上，我把考卷交给爸爸，爸爸说：“你为什么那么不小心？为什么一整页的题目没做？为什么？” 如在平时，当他问我这些问题时，我会叫他一个“十万个为什么”的人。可现在，我不敢，应为他生气得好像要打我似的。突然，他看见97分改成87分，很奇怪地问我：”到底怎么一回事？“我把情况如实地告诉了他。我低着头，准备继续挨训。
爸爸沉默了一会儿，突然惊喜地看着我：“不，宝贝儿，虽然你考卷上的分数不尽人意，但是在人生考卷上你却得了高分。爸爸为你骄傲！你做得对……”说完他在考卷上签了名。
第二天早上，我背起书包，手里拿着由爸爸签名的考卷，迈着轻快的脚步，迎着初升的朝阳，信心十足地向学校走去……
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 背 | běi | the back; behind (bei4); to recite from memory (bei4); to carry on the back (bei1) |
| 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 |
| 书包 | shū bāo | schoolbag; satchel; bookbag; CL:個|个[ge4],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 手里 | shǒu lǐ | in hand; (a situation is) in sb's hands |
| 拿 | ná | old variant of 拿[na2]; variant of 拿[na2]; to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object) |
| 刚刚 | gāng gang | just recently; just a moment ago |
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds); hair; Taiwan pr. [fa3] |
| 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 … |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 考 | kǎo | to beat; to hit; variant of 考[kao3]; to inspect; to test; to take an exam; to check; to verify; to test; to examine; to take an exam; to take an entrance exam for; deceased father |
| 卷 | juán | to roll up; (slang) to compete to an unhealthy degree; hypercompetitive; classifier for small rolled-up things (wad of paper money, movie reel etc) |
| 一边 | yī biān | one side; either side; on the one hand; on the other hand; doing while |
| 拖 | tuo | to drag; to tow; to pull; to delay; to procrastinate |
| 沉 | chēn | to sink; heavy; deep; to immerse; to keep down |
| 重 | chóng | to repeat; repetition; again; re-; classifier: layer |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object); CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; classifier for kicks |
| 步 | Bù | surname Bu |
| 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 |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 紧 | jǐn | tight; strict; close at hand; near; urgent; tense; hard up; short of money; to tighten |
| 张 | Zhāng | surname Zhang |
| 思考 | sī kǎo | to reflect on; to ponder over |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 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]) |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 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) |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 签 | qian | to sign one's name; inscribed bamboo stick (; ) |
| 名 | míng | name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous; classifier for people |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 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) |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 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 |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 羡 | xiǎn | to envy |
| 慕 | mù | to admire |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 得到 | dé dào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 肯定 | kěn dìng | to be certain; to be positive; assuredly; definitely; to give recognition; to affirm; affirmative (answer) |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 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… |
| 改正 | gǎi zhèng | to correct; to amend; to put right; correction; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 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 |
| 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… |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 天堂 | tiān táng | paradise; heaven |
| 降落 | jiàng luò | to descend; to land |
| 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… |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 狱 | yǔ | prison |
| 啊 | ā | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! |
| 竟 | jǐng | unexpectedly; to go so far as to |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 忘 | wàng | to forget; to overlook; to neglect |
| 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 … |
| 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… |
| 页 | xié | head |
| 试题 | shì tí | exam question; test topic |
| 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, … |
| 扣 | kǒu | to fasten; button; knot; to confiscate; discount; to smash, spike or dunk (a ball); (fig.) to tag a label on sb |
| 十分 | shí fēn | very; completely; utterly; extremely; absolutely; hundred percent; to divide into ten equal parts |
| 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 |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 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… |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment |
| 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] |
| 脑 | nǎo | brain; mind; head; essence |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 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 ...) |
| 不要 | bù yào | don't!; must not |
| 告 | gào | (bound form) to say; to tell; to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue |
| 诉 | sù | variant of 訴|诉[su4]; to complain; to sue; to tell |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 得了 | dé le | all right!; that's enough! |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 等于 | děng yú | to equal; to be tantamount to |
| 丢 | dīu | to lose; to put aside; to throw |
| 脸 | liǎn | face; CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 失 | shī | to lose; to miss; to fail |
| 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);… |
| 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) |
| 礼物 | lǐ wù | gift; present; CL:件[jian4],份[fen4] |
| 另 | lìng | other; another; separate; separately |
| 不行 | bù xíng | won't do; be out of the question; be no good; not work; not be capable |
| 诚 | chēng | (bound form) sincere; authentic |
| 实 | shí | real; true; honest; really; solid; fruit; seed; definitely |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 一定 | yī dìng | surely; certainly; definitely; fixed; settled; a certain ...; a given ... |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 漏 | lǒu | to leak; to leave out by mistake |
| 掉 | diào | to fall; to drop; to lag behind; to lose; to go missing; to reduce; fall (in prices); to lose (value, weight etc); to wag; to swing; to turn; to change; to exchange; to swap; to sh… |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 题 | Tí | surname Ti |
| 应 | Yīng | surname Ying; Taiwan pr. [Ying4] |
| 帮 | bāng | old variant of 幫|帮[bang1]; to help; to assist; to support; for sb (i.e. as a help); hired (as worker); side (of pail, boat etc); outer layer; upper (of a shoe); group; gang; clique; party; secret society |
| 改 | gǎi | to change; to alter; to transform; to correct |
| 分数 | fēn shù | (exam) grade; mark; score; fraction |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 一刻 | yī kè | a quarter of an hour; 15 minutes; a moment; an instant |
| 立刻 | lì kè | immediately; at once; right away |
| 松 | Sōng | surname Song; loose; to loosen; to relax; floss (dry, fluffy food product made from shredded, seasoned meat or fish, used as a topping or filling) |
| 一口气 | yī kǒu qì | one breath; in one breath; at a stretch |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 路上 | lù shang | on the road; on the way; en route |
| 希 | xī | to hope; to admire; variant of 稀[xi1] |
| 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] |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 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) |
| 番 | Pān | surname Pan |
| 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] |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 仅 | jín | barely; merely |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 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]) |
| 骂 | mǎ | to scold; to curse |
| 顿 | dùn | to stop; to pause; to arrange; to lay out; to kowtow; to stamp (one's foot); at once; classifier for meals, beatings, scoldings etc: time, bout, spell, meal |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening; night; CL:個|个[ge4]; in the evening |
| 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… |
| 交 | jiāo | to hand over; to deliver; to pay (money); to turn over; to make friends; (of lines) to intersect; variant of 跤[jiao1] |
| 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] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 小心 | xiǎo xīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 题目 | tí mù | subject; title; topic; exercise or exam question (CL:道[dao4]) |
| 平时 | píng shí | ordinarily; in normal times; in peacetime |
| 当 | dāng | (onom.) dong; ding dong (bell); to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; should; match equally; equal; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 问题 | wèn tí | question; problem; issue; topic; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 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… |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 十万 | shí wàn | hundred thousand |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 敢 | gǎn | to dare; daring; (polite) may I venture |
| 生气 | shēng qì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 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); (… |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 改成 | gǎi chéng | to convert; to turn into (sth else); to adapt (a story to another medium) |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 底 | dí | (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 一回事 | yī huí shì | one and the same (thing); one thing (as distinct from another) |
| 情况 | qíng kuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation; CL:種|种[zhong3] |
| 如实 | rú shí | as things really are; realistic |
| 低 | dī | low; beneath; to lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; to incline |
| 准备 | zhǔn bèi | preparation; to prepare; to intend; to be about to; reserve (fund) |
| 继 | jì | to continue; to follow after; to go on with; to succeed; to inherit; then; afterwards |
| 续 | xù | to continue; to replenish |
| 挨 | ai | in order; in sequence |
| 训 | xǔn | to teach; to train; to admonish |
| 默 | mò | silent; to write from memory |
| 一会儿 | yī huì r | a moment; a while; in a moment; now...now...; also pr. [yi1 hui3 r5] |
| 惊喜 | jīng xǐ | nice surprise; to be pleasantly surprised |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 宝贝儿 | bǎo bèi r | erhua variant of 寶貝|宝贝[bao3 bei4] |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 不尽 | bù jìn | not completely; endlessly |
| 人意 | rén yì | people's expectations |
| 人生 | rén shēng | life (one's time on earth) |
| 高分 | gāo fēn | high marks; high score |
| 骄 | jiao | proud |
| 傲 | ǎo | proud; to despise; to defy |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole; complete; entire |
| 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 |
| 早上 | zǎo shang | early morning; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 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… |
| 由 | yóu | to follow; from; because of; due to; by; via; through; (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ... |
| 迈 | mǎi | to step; to stride; (loanword) mile (esp. in expressions of vehicle speed) |
| 轻 | qīng | light; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportant; frivolous; small in number; unstressed; neutral; to disparage |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 迎 | yíng | to welcome; to meet; to forge ahead (esp. in the face of difficulties); to meet face to face |
| 初升 | chū shēng | rising (sun, moon etc) |
| 朝阳 | Cháo yáng | see 朝陽市|朝阳市[Chao2 yang2 Shi4]; see 朝陽縣|朝阳县[Chao2 yang2 Xian4]; see 朝陽區|朝阳区[Chao2 yang2 Qu1] |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 十足 | shí zú | ample; complete; hundred percent; a pure shade (of some color) |
| 学校 | xué xiào | school; CL:所[suo3] |
| 走去 | zǒu qù | to walk over (to) |
Carrying a heavy load on my back, holding the exam papers that were just handed back to us, I wondered how I could make my father sign this paper……
The exam, which was held just two days before, had just been handed back to us. I got an A+, a high score of 97 points! All the students in my class were envious of me, and my teacher praised me. But when we were asked to do corrections, I found myself dropping all the way from heaven to hell. I discovered that I forgot to answer a whole page of questions, worth a deduction of 10 points! But my teacher hadn’t noticed, and I wasn’t sure if I should tell her. I was of two minds. One said, “Don’t tell her, otherwise you’ll lose face and your father won’t give you a present!” The other said, “No, you should be honest, just tell her!” So, I said, “I missed these questions, I should actually receive 87 points!” She helped me change my score, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
As I was going home, I wished I hadn’t told her. Now, not only was I not going to receive a gift from my father, but I was also going to be scolded. That night, when I passed my paper to him, he said, “Why were you so careless? Why did you miss a whole page of questions?” Usually, when he asks me these kinds of things, I call him a “dad of ten-thousand questions”. But I didn’t dare because he seemed so angry that he might hit me. Suddenly, he saw that my 97 points had been changed to 87 points, and he asked me, “What happened?” I told him the truth, and lowered my head, ready for him to yell at me.
My father was silent for a while. Then he suddenly said, “No, darling, even though your results weren’t satisfactory, in the exam of life, you have gotten high marks. I am proud of you! You did right……” after saying that, he signed his name.
The next morning, carrying my schoolbag, with light steps, I was feeling happy. Welcoming the rising sun, I walked towards my school with confidence……