In this passage, we get to read a retelling of one of China’s most beloved myths.
很久很久以前，天上有十个太阳。它们是天帝的儿子，每天轮流出来照亮大地。但是有一天，十个太阳觉得很无聊，决定一起出来玩。
十个太阳同时出现在天空中，大地变得非常热。河流干了，庄稼死了，人们没有水喝，也没有食物吃。很多人因为太热而生病，甚至死去。人们向天帝求救，但天帝太爱他的儿子们，不愿意惩罚他们。
这时候，有一位叫后羿的英雄站了出来。他是世界上最厉害的射箭手，箭法非常准确。后羿看到人们受苦，心里非常难过。他决定用自己的弓箭射下多余的太阳。
后羿爬上最高的山，拿起他的弓，对准天空射箭。第一支箭射中了一个太阳，那个太阳立刻掉了下来。后羿继续射箭，一个接一个地射下太阳。当他射下第九个太阳时，人们大声喊道：”英雄，请留下最后一个太阳吧！我们需要它的光和温暖。”
后羿听了人们的话，放下了弓箭。从此以后，天上只剩下一个太阳。大地恢复了正常，河流又有了水，庄稼又长出来了。人们非常感谢后羿，把他当作伟大的英雄。
这个故事告诉我们：真正的英雄不仅要有勇气和能力，还要懂得什么时候该停下来。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 太阳 | tài yáng | sun |
| 轮流 | lún liú | to take turns |
| 庄稼 | zhuāng jia5 | crops |
| 惩罚 | chéng fá | to punish |
| 射箭 | shè jiàn | to shoot arrows |
| 准确 | zhǔn què | accurate |
| 弓箭 | gōng jiàn | bow and arrows |
| 恢复 | huī fù | to recover, restore |
| 勇气 | yǒng qì | courage |
| 英雄 | yīng xióng | hero |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 久 | jǐu | (of a period of time) long |
| 以前 | yǐ qián | before; formerly; previous; ago |
| 天上 | tiān shàng | the sky; the heavens |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 十 | shí | ten; 10 |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 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] |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 帝 | dǐ | (bound form) emperor; sovereign; supreme deity |
| 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… |
| 儿子 | ér zi | son |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 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… |
| 照亮 | zhào liàng | to illuminate; to light up; lighting |
| 大地 | dà dì | earth; mother earth |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 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 … |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 无 | mó | used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2] |
| 聊 | liāo | (coll.) to chat; (literary) somewhat; slightly |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision (CL:個|个[ge4],項|项[xiang4]) |
| 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) |
| 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] |
| 同时 | tóng shí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 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) |
| 天空 | tiān kōng | sky |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 变得 | biàn de | to become |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 热 | rè | to warm up; to heat up; hot (of weather); heat; fervent |
| 河 | hé | river (CL:條|条[tiao2],道[dao4]); (bound form) the Yellow River; (bound form) the Milky Way; (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉[he2 fen3] |
| 流 | líu | to flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread; to move or drift; to degenerate; to banish or send into exile; stream of water or sth resembling one; class, rate or grade |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 死 | sǐ | to die; impassable; uncrossable; inflexible; rigid; extremely; damned |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬[he1] |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 食物 | shí wù | food |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc); variant of 吃[chi1] |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 生病 | shēng bìng | to fall ill |
| 甚至 | shèn zhì | even; so much so that |
| 死去 | sǐ qù | to die |
| 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 |
| 求 | qíu | to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech |
| 救 | jìu | variant of 救[jiu4]; to save; to assist; to rescue |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 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]) |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 羿 | ||
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop; branch of a company or organization; website |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 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") |
| 厉 | lǐ | strict; severe; fierce; to sharpen; surname Li |
| 害 | hài | to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity |
| 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] |
| 箭 | jiǎn | arrow |
| 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 |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to; to bear; to stand; pleasant; (passive marker); (LGBT) bottom |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly |
| 心里 | xīn li | chest; heart; mind |
| 难过 | nán guò | to feel sad; to feel unwell; (of life) to be difficult |
| 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… |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 射 | shè | old variant of 射[she4]; to shoot; to launch; to allude to; radio- (chemistry) |
| 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 … |
| 多余 | duō yú | superfluous; unnecessary; surplus |
| 爬上 | pá shàng | to climb up |
| 最高 | zuì gāo | tallest; highest; supreme (court etc) |
| 山 | Shān | surname Shan |
| 拿起 | ná qǐ | to pick up |
| 弓 | Gōng | surname Gong |
| 对准 | duì zhǔn | to aim at; to target; to point at; to be directed at; registration; alignment (mechanical engineering) |
| 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… |
| 支 | Zhī | surname Zhi |
| 射中 | shè zhòng | to hit the target |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 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… |
| 立刻 | lì kè | immediately; at once; right away |
| 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… |
| 继 | jì | to continue; to follow after; to go on with; to succeed; to inherit; then; afterwards |
| 续 | xù | to continue; to replenish |
| 接 | jiē | to receive; to answer (the phone); to meet or welcome sb; to connect; to catch; to join; to extend; to take one's turn on duty; to take over for sb |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 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 |
| 九 | jǐu | nine; 9 |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 大声 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice; loudly |
| 喊 | hǎn | to yell; to shout; to call out for (a person) |
| 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… |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 留下 | líu xià | to leave behind; to stay behind; to remain; to keep; not to let (sb) go |
| 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] |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 光 | guāng | light; ray (CL:道[dao4]); bright; shiny; only; merely; used up; finished; to leave (a part of the body) uncovered |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 温 | wen | warm; temperate; temperature; to warm up; to review; surname Wen |
| 暖 | nuǎn | old variant of 暖[nuan3]; warm; to warm; variant of 暖[nuan3]; variant of 暖[nuan3], warm |
| 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… |
| 的话 | de huà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 放下 | fàng xià | to lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish; to set aside; to lower (the blinds etc) |
| 从此 | cóng cǐ | from now on; since then; henceforth |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 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 |
| 剩 | shèng | to remain; to be left; to have as remainder; variant of 剩[sheng4] |
| 下一个 | xià yī ge | the next one |
| 正常 | zhèng cháng | normal; regular |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 有了 | yǒu le | I've got a solution!; to have a bun in the oven (abbr. for 有了胎[you3 le5 tai1]) |
| 长出 | zhǎng chū | to sprout (leaves, buds, a beard etc) |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 谢 | Xiè | surname Xie |
| 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… |
| 当作 | dàng zuò | to treat as; to regard as |
| 伟大 | wěi dà | huge; great; grand; worthy of the greatest admiration; important (contribution etc) |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 故事 | gù shì | old practice |
| 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 |
| 真正 | zhēn zhèng | genuine; real; true; really; indeed |
| 仅 | jín | barely; merely |
| 要有 | yào yǒu | to need; to require; must have |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 力 | Lì | surname Li |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 懂 | dǒng | to understand; to comprehend |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 停 | tíng | to stop; to halt; to park (a car) |
A very long time ago, there were ten suns in the sky. They were the sons of the Heavenly Emperor, and they took turns coming out each day to illuminate the earth. But one day, the ten suns felt bored and decided to come out together to play.
When the ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, the earth became extremely hot. Rivers dried up, crops died, and people had no water to drink and no food to eat. Many people got sick from the heat, and some even died. People begged the Heavenly Emperor for help, but he loved his sons too much and was unwilling to punish them.
At this time, a hero named Houyi stepped forward. He was the best archer in the world, with extremely accurate aim. When Houyi saw the people suffering, he felt very sad. He decided to use his bow and arrows to shoot down the extra suns.
Houyi climbed to the highest mountain, picked up his bow, and aimed at the sky to shoot. The first arrow hit one sun, and that sun immediately fell down. Houyi continued shooting arrows, shooting down the suns one after another. When he had shot down the ninth sun, the people shouted loudly: “Hero, please leave the last sun! We need its light and warmth.”
Houyi listened to the people and put down his bow and arrows. From then on, only one sun remained in the sky. The earth returned to normal, the rivers had water again, and crops grew once more. People were very grateful to Houyi and regarded him as a great hero.
This story tells us: A true hero must not only have courage and ability, but also know when to stop.