Isn’t it weird that most cultures have an ancient flood myth? China actually has a couple of them, but this one is the most well-known.
很久很久以前,天下发了大水。洪水淹没了农田,冲走了房子,老百姓没有地方住,没有东西吃。大家都非常痛苦。
尧帝看到这种情况,决定找一个人来治水。大臣们说:”鲧可以。”于是尧帝派鲧去治水。
鲧有一个办法。他说:”水来了,我就堵。”他带领百姓建造了许多大坝,把水拦住。但是水越来越多,大坝一个一个地倒塌了。九年过去了,洪水还在。鲧失败了。
新皇帝舜帝非常生气,把鲧处死了。然后他把治水的任务交给了鲧的儿子禹。
禹站在洪水边,想了很长时间。他想:”父亲用堵的办法失败了。也许我应该换一个办法。”
禹决定不堵水,而是疏导水。他带领百姓挖渠道,开山路,把洪水一点一点地引向大海。
禹治水十三年。这十三年里,他走遍了天下,吃了很多苦。他的脚因为长期走路,指甲都脱落了。有三次,他经过自己的家门口,听到了妻子和孩子的声音。但是他没有进去。他对自己说:”洪水还没有治好,我不能休息。”
第一次路过,他听到屋里有哭声。那是他的妻子在生孩子。他停下来听了一会儿,然后继续走了。
第二次路过,他的孩子已经会走路了,跑到门口叫他:”爸爸!爸爸!”禹摸了摸孩子的头,说:”乖,爸爸还有事情要做。”然后他走了。
第三次路过,孩子已经长大了一些。孩子问:”爸爸,你什么时候回家?”禹看着孩子,眼睛红了。但是他说:”等爸爸把洪水治好,就回来。”
终于,十三年后,禹成功了。洪水被引向大海,土地重新出现了,老百姓可以种田、盖房子了。天下太平了。
百姓们非常感激禹,称他为”大禹”。舜帝也非常敬佩他,后来把皇位传给了他。大禹成为了中国历史上最受尊敬的人之一。
人们说,鲧用堵的办法,失败了。禹用疏的办法,成功了。堵不如疏,这是大自然的道理,也是做人的道理。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洪水 | hóngshuǐ | flood |
| 治水 | zhìshuǐ | to control/tame floods |
| 堵 | dǔ | to block/dam up |
| 疏导 | shūdǎo | to channel/dredge |
| 大坝 | dàbà | dam |
| 倒塌 | dǎotā | to collapse |
| 渠道 | qúdào | channel/canal |
| 敬佩 | jìngpèi | to admire/respect |
| 皇位 | huángwèi | throne/imperial position |
| 道理 | dàolǐ | principle/reasoning |
| 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 |
| 天下 | tiān xià | land under heaven; the whole world; the whole of China; realm; rule |
| 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] |
| 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 |
| 大水 | dà shuǐ | flood |
| 淹 | yan | to flood; to drown; to delay |
| 没了 | méi le | to be dead; not to be, or cease to exist |
| 农田 | nóng tián | farmland; cultivated land |
| 冲 | chong | (of water) to dash against; to infuse; to flush; to rise in the air; to collide with |
| 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… |
| 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] |
| 老百姓 | lǎo bǎi xìng | ordinary people; the "person in the street"; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 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] |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 痛 | tòng | ache; pain; sorrow; deeply; thoroughly |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly |
| 尧 | Yáo | surname Yao; Yao or Tang Yao (c. 2200 BC), one of the Five legendary Emperors 五帝[Wu3 Di4], second son of Di Ku 帝嚳|帝喾[Di4 Ku4] |
| 帝 | dǐ | (bound form) emperor; sovereign; supreme deity |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind of |
| 情况 | qíng kuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation; CL:種|种[zhong3] |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision (CL:個|个[ge4],項|项[xiang4]) |
| 找 | zhǎo | to try to find; to look for; to call on sb; to find; to seek; to return; to give change |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 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… |
| 大臣 | dà chén | chancellor (of a monarchy); cabinet minister |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 鲧 | ||
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 派 | pā | used in 派司[pa1 si5] |
| 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);… |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 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 |
| 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]) |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 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… |
| 带领 | dài lǐng | to guide; to lead |
| 百姓 | bǎi xìng | common people |
| 建 | jiàn | to establish; to found; to set up; to build; to construct |
| 造 | zǎo | to make; to manufacture; to fabricate; party (in a lawsuit or legal agreement); classifier for crops |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 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… |
| 拦 | lān | to block sb's path; to flag down (a taxi) |
| 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] |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 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- |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 九 | jǐu | nine; 9 |
| 年过 | nián guò | over (a certain age) |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 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) |
| 失 | shī | to lose; to miss; to fail |
| 败 | bǎi | to defeat; to lose (to an opponent); to wither |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 皇 | Huáng | surname Huang |
| 舜 | shǔn | Shun, a legendary sage ruler (one of the mythical kings) |
| 生气 | shēng qì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 处死 | chǔ sǐ | an execution; to put sb to death |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 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… |
| 任 | Rén | surname Ren |
| 务 | wù | affair; business; matter; to be engaged in; to attend to; by all means |
| 交 | jiāo | to hand over; to deliver; to pay (money); to turn over; to make friends; (of lines) to intersect; variant of 跤[jiao1] |
| 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) |
| 儿子 | ér zi | son |
| 禹 | Yǔ | Yu the Great (c. 21st century BC), mythical leader who tamed the floods; surname Yu |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop; branch of a company or organization; website |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border; boundary; CL:個|个[ge4]; simultaneously |
| 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) |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 时间 | shí jiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time |
| 父亲 | fù qīn | father; also pr. [fu4 qin5]; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 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… |
| 也许 | yě xǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 应 | Yīng | surname Ying; Taiwan pr. [Ying4] |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute; to switch; to convert (currency) |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather |
| 挖 | wa | to dig; to scoop out |
| 开山 | kāi shān | to cut into a mountain (to open a mine); to open a monastery |
| 路 | Lù | surname Lu |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligr… |
| 引向 | yǐn xiàng | to lead to; to draw to; to steer towards |
| 大海 | dà hǎi | sea; ocean |
| 十三 | shí sān | thirteen; 13 |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 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) |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 遍 | biàn | variant of 遍[bian4]; everywhere; all over; classifier for actions: one time |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object); CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; classifier for kicks |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 长期 | cháng qī | long-term; for a protracted period |
| 走路 | zǒu lù | to walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart; (informal) to clear off; to beat it; (of sb who gets fired or resigns) to leave the job; to get out |
| 指甲 | zhǐ jia | fingernail |
| 脱 | tuō | to shed; to take off; to escape; to get away from |
| 落 | là | to leave out; to be missing; to leave behind or forget to bring; to lag or fall behind |
| 三次 | sān cì | third; three times; (math.) degree three, cubic (equation) |
| 经过 | jīng guò | to pass; to go through; process; course; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 家门 | jiā mén | house door; family clan |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 妻子 | qī zǐ | wife and children |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | sound; voice |
| 进去 | jìn qù | to go in |
| 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… |
| 治 | zhì | to rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); to treat (a disease); to wipe out (a pest); to punish; to research |
| 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); (… |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 休息 | xīu xi | rest; to rest |
| 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… |
| 一次 | yī cì | first; first time; once; (math.) linear (of degree one) |
| 路过 | lù guò | to pass by; to pass through |
| 屋 | wū | (bound form) house; (bound form) room |
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep |
| 声 | shēng | sound; voice; tone; noise; reputation; classifier for sounds |
| 那是 | nà shi | (coll.) of course; naturally; indeed |
| 生孩子 | shēng hái zi | to give birth to a baby |
| 停 | tíng | to stop; to halt; to park (a car) |
| 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 … |
| 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… |
| 一会儿 | yī huì r | a moment; a while; in a moment; now...now...; also pr. [yi1 hui3 r5] |
| 继 | jì | to continue; to follow after; to go on with; to succeed; to inherit; then; afterwards |
| 续 | xù | to continue; to replenish |
| 二次 | èr cì | second (i.e. number two); second time; twice; (math.) quadratic (of degree two) |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 门口 | mén kǒu | doorway; gate; 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] |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 摸 | mo | to feel with the hand; to stroke; to steal |
| 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] |
| 乖 | guai | (of a child) obedient, well-behaved; shrewd; perverse; irregular |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | there still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1] |
| 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… |
| 长大 | zhǎng dà | to grow up |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 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.) |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 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 |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 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 |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye; CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1] |
| 红 | Hóng | surname Hong |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 回 | Huí | Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); to curve; to return; to revolve; variant of 迴|回[hui2] |
| 终 | zhong | end |
| 于 | Yú | surname Yu; (of time or place) in; at; on; (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for; (indicating a source) from; out of; (used in comparison) than; (used i… |
| 成功 | chéng gōng | to succeed; success; successful; fruitful |
| 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, … |
| 土地 | tǔ dì | land; soil; territory; CL:片[pian4],塊|块[kuai4] |
| 重新 | chóng xīn | again; once more; re- |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 种田 | zhòng tián | to farm; farming |
| 盖 | gǎi | to cover; to build; a lid; since; approximately; surname Gai |
| 太平 | Tài píng | see 太平區|太平区[Tai4 ping2 Qu1] |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 激 | ji | to arouse; to excite; sharp; violent |
| 称 | chèn | to fit; to match; to suit; (coll.) to have; to possess; Taiwan pr. [cheng4] |
| 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] |
| 大禹 | Dà Yǔ | Yu the Great (c. 21st century BC) mythical leader who tamed the floods |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 传 | chuān | to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to conduct (electricity) |
| 成为 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into |
| 中国 | Zhōng guó | China |
| 历 | lì | old variant of 曆|历[li4]; old variant of 歷|历[li4]; calendar; to experience; to undergo; to pass through; all; each; every; history |
| 史 | Shǐ | surname Shi |
| 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") |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to; to bear; to stand; pleasant; (passive marker); (LGBT) bottom |
| 尊敬 | zūn jìng | to respect; to revere; to esteem; honorable; distinguished (used on formal occasions before a term of address) |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 之一 | zhī yī | one of (sth); one out of a multitude; one (third, quarter, percent etc) |
| 疏 | shū | variant of 疏[shu1]; surname Shu |
| 不如 | bù rú | not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to |
| 大自然 | dà zì rán | nature (the natural world) |
Gun and Yu Tame the Flood
A long, long time ago, a great flood covered the land. The floodwaters submerged the farmland and washed away houses. The common people had nowhere to live and nothing to eat. Everyone was suffering greatly.
Emperor Yao saw this situation and decided to find someone to control the flood. His ministers said: ‘Gun can do it.’ So Emperor Yao sent Gun to control the flood.
Gun had one method. He said: ‘When water comes, I will block it.’ He led the people to build many dams to hold back the water. But the water kept increasing, and the dams collapsed one after another. Nine years passed, and the flood was still there. Gun had failed.
The new emperor, Emperor Shun, was very angry and had Gun executed. Then he gave the task of controlling the flood to Gun’s son, Yu.
Yu stood at the edge of the floodwater and thought for a very long time. He thought: ‘My father used the blocking method and failed. Perhaps I should try a different approach.’
Yu decided not to block the water, but to channel it instead. He led the people to dig channels, cut paths through mountains, and guide the floodwater bit by bit toward the sea.
Yu worked on controlling the flood for thirteen years. During these thirteen years, he traveled across the entire land and endured many hardships. Because of his constant walking, even his toenails fell off. Three times, he passed by his own home and heard the voices of his wife and child. But he did not go in. He said to himself: ‘The flood is not yet controlled. I cannot rest.’
The first time he passed by, he heard crying inside the house. His wife was giving birth. He stopped to listen for a moment, then continued on his way.
The second time he passed by, his child could already walk and ran to the door calling: ‘Daddy! Daddy!’ Yu patted the child’s head and said: ‘Be good. Daddy still has work to do.’ Then he left.
The third time he passed by, the child had grown a bit older. The child asked: ‘Daddy, when will you come home?’ Yu looked at the child, and his eyes turned red. But he said: ‘When Daddy finishes controlling the flood, I will come back.’
Finally, after thirteen years, Yu succeeded. The floodwater was channeled to the sea, the land reappeared, and the common people could farm and build houses again. Peace returned to the land.
The people were very grateful to Yu and called him ‘Da Yu’ (Great Yu). Emperor Shun also greatly admired him and later passed the throne to him. Da Yu became one of the most respected figures in Chinese history.
People say that Gun used the blocking method and failed. Yu used the channeling method and succeeded. Blocking is not as good as channeling – this is a principle of nature, and also a principle of life.