In this essay, a child desperately (and very angrily) pleads their father not to smoke. Though this is classified as “Intermediate”, beginners should definitely try this read, leaning heavily on the hover word-list. The difficult parts are the mid-level turns of phrase, which are all explained below.
爸爸，请您别抽烟了！我还清楚地记得，那天，我悄悄地把您的烟盒偷走，又偷偷地扔进垃圾桶里，我本想让您别抽烟。可谁知，您回来后，发现烟盒不见了，就东翻西找。当我告诉您，烟盒是我扔的，您十分生气，还狠狠的骂了一句话，你这个坏孩子！这句话，让当时的我感到莫大的痛苦。我把自己反锁在房间内，当时心里想着，你这个大烟枪！抽吧，抽吧，抽到死了我也不理你。 爸爸，请您别抽烟了！我常常发现您上班时，烟盒的烟还是满满的，可下班回来时，烟盒里的香烟只剩下几根了。每当看见您身旁云雾缭绕，我的鼻子感觉酸酸的。我担心您的肺已被尼古丁熏得千疮百孔。
爸爸请您别抽烟了！现在您每天都在咳嗽，每天都在吐痰。我担心您会离我们而去。那时丢下我们，那该怎么办呀。
爸爸，为了您的健康，为了我们，请您别抽烟了!
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 您 | nín | you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你[ni3]) |
| 别 | Bié | surname Bie; to make sb change their ways, opinions etc |
| 抽 | chōu | to draw out; to pull out from in between; to remove part of the whole; to inhale (esp. smoke); (of fabric etc) to shrink; (of certain plants) to sprout; to bud; to whip; to thrash;… |
| 烟 | yan | cigarette or pipe tobacco; smoke; vapour; tobacco plant |
| 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 |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 还清 | huán qīng | to pay back in full; to redeem a debt |
| 楚 | Chǔ | surname Chu; abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hu2 bei3 Sheng3] and Hunan 湖南省[Hu2 nan2 Sheng3] provinces together; Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722–22… |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 记得 | jì de | to remember |
| 那天 | nà tiān | that day; the other day |
| 悄 | qiao | used in 悄悄[qiao1 qiao1] |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 盒 | hé | small box; case |
| 偷 | tou | to steal; to snatch; stealthily |
| 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… |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 扔 | reng | to throw |
| 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… |
| 垃 | la | used in 垃圾[la1 ji1] |
| 圾 | ji | used in 垃圾[la1 ji1] |
| 桶 | tóng | bucket; barrel (of oil etc) |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 本 | běn | (bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this; (bound form) this; the current (year etc); (bound form) original; (bound form) inherent; origina… |
| 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) |
| 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]) |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 谁知 | shéi zhī | who would have thought; unexpectedly |
| 回 | Huí | Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); to curve; to return; to revolve; variant of 迴|回[hui2] |
| 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… |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 不见了 | bù jiàn le | to have disappeared; to be missing; nowhere to be found |
| 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… |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 翻 | fān | to turn over; to flip over; to overturn; to rummage through; to translate; to decode; to double; to climb over or into; to cross; variant of 翻[fan1] |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 找 | zhǎo | to try to find; to look for; to call on sb; to find; to seek; to return; to give change |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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] |
| 十分 | shí fēn | very; completely; utterly; extremely; absolutely; hundred percent; to divide into ten equal parts |
| 生气 | shēng qì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 狠狠 | hěn hěn | resolutely; firmly; ferociously; ruthlessly |
| 骂 | mǎ | to scold; to curse |
| 一句话 | yī jù huà | in a word; in short |
| 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.) |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 坏 | huài | bad; spoiled; broken; to break down; (suffix) to the utmost |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 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) |
| 句 | gōu | variant of 勾[gou1] |
| 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] |
| 当时 | dāng shí | then; at that time |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 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… |
| 莫 | mǒ | not; no; nothing; none; never; surname Mo |
| 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) |
| 痛 | tòng | ache; pain; sorrow; deeply; thoroughly |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 反锁 | fǎn suǒ | locked in (with the door locked from the outside) |
| 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) |
| 房间 | fáng jiān | room; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 内 | nèi | inside; inner; internal; within; interior |
| 心里 | xīn li | chest; heart; mind |
| 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 |
| 枪 | qiāng | gun; spear |
| 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] |
| 死 | sǐ | to die; impassable; uncrossable; inflexible; rigid; extremely; damned |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 不理 | bù lǐ | to refuse to acknowledge; to pay no attention to; to take no notice of; to ignore |
| 常常 | cháng cháng | frequently; often |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 班 | Bān | surname Ban |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 还是 | hái shi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 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 … |
| 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] |
| 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] |
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 每当 | měi dāng | whenever; every time |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 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 |
| 旁 | páng | one side; other; different; lateral component of a Chinese character (such as 刂[dao1], 亻[ren2] etc) |
| 云雾 | yún wù | clouds and mist |
| 缭 | ||
| 绕 | rǎo | to wind; to rotate around; to move around; to by-pass; to confuse |
| 鼻子 | bí zi | nose; CL:個|个[ge4],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 觉 | jiào | a nap; a sleep; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 酸 | suān | sour; tart; sick at heart; grieved; sore; aching; pedantic; impractical; to make sarcastic remarks about sb; an acid |
| 担 | dan | to undertake; to shoulder |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 肺 | fěi | lung |
| 已 | yǐ | already; to stop; then; afterwards |
| 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, … |
| 尼 | ní | Buddhist nun; (often used in phonetic spellings) |
| 古 | Gǔ | surname Gu |
| 丁 | Dīng | surname Ding |
| 熏 | xun | to smoke; to assail the nostrils |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 千 | qiān | thousand; used in 鞦韆|秋千[qiu1 qian1] |
| 疮 | ||
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai |
| 孔 | Kǒng | surname Kong |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 咳 | hāi | sound of sighing; (interjection expressing surprise, sorrow, regret, disappointment etc) oh; damn; wow |
| 嗽 | sòu | (bound form) to cough |
| 吐 | tú | to spit; to say |
| 痰 | tān | phlegm |
| 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… |
| 离 | chī | mythical beast (archaic); surname Li |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 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);… |
| 那时 | nà shí | then; at that time; in those days |
| 丢 | dīu | to lose; to put aside; to throw |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 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… |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 为了 | wèi le | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 健 | jiàn | healthy; to invigorate; to strengthen; to be good at; to be strong in |
| 康 | Kāng | surname Kang |
Papa, please don’t smoke! I still remember clearly, that day, I quietly stole your box of cigarettes, and secretly threw them in the trash can, because I was thinking that would stop you from smoking. But who knew, when you returned, and you found out your cigarettes were gone, you rummaged through everything looking for them. When I told you, that it was me who threw them away, you were quite angry, and you ruthlessly scolded me, You bad child! That sentence made me [lit: ‘the me of that time’] feel great pain. I locked myself in my room, and at that time in my heart I thought, You big opium pipe! [Then go ahead and] smoke, smoke, smoke until you die and I won’t care [lit: I won’t pay any attention to you].
Papa, please don’t smoke! I always find that when you go to work, your box of cigarettes is still full of cigarettes, but when you get off work and come back, there are only a few cigarettes left in the box. Every time I see you you’re surrounded by a curling cloud [of smoke], there’s a sour smell in my nose. I worry that your lungs have already been riddled with gaping wounds by the nicotine.
Papa, please don’t smoke! You cough every day, and every day you expectorate. I worry that you will leave us. When you abandon us, then what will we do?
Papa, for your health, and for us, please don’t smoke!