Ever met someone who thinks their tiny bubble is the entire universe? Well, meet a little frog who’s absolutely convinced that his cramped old well is the grandest place imaginable – until a wise sea turtle stops by to burst his bubble with some mind-blowing truths about the real world.
在一口老井里，住着一只小青蛙。
井又小又窄，小青蛙只要跳三下，就能从这头蹦到那头。小青蛙抬头看天，也只能看到井口那么大的一块。
可是小青蛙一点儿也不觉得井小。它在井里出生，从没离开过。它觉得井很宽敞，天也很大。在它看来，这口井就是整个世界。
有一天，一只海龟路过这口井。听到井里有动静，海龟就在井边趴下来，探头往里面看。
小青蛙正蹲在井底的一块石头上，一抬头，就看见一个大大的、黑黑的脑袋正朝井里张望。
“你是谁呀？”小青蛙仰着头问。
“我是一只大海龟，刚好路过这里，”海龟和气地说，“你住在这么深的井里，不觉得憋得慌，没地方活动吗？”
“憋得慌？”小青蛙觉得这个问题很奇怪，“我怎么会憋得慌呢？我想去哪儿就能去哪儿，一抬头就能看见整个天空。天空多美啊！”
大海龟忍不住笑了。它温和地说：“小青蛙，你见过真正的大海吗？你从没出过这口井吧？”
小青蛙摇了摇头。
大海龟慢慢地说：“大海呀，大得你跳上一万下，也到不了边。你抬头看见的那一小块天，其实只是真正天空的一个小角落。”
小青蛙听了，半信半疑，并不相信海龟的话。海龟摇摇头，自己慢慢走远了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| <p>青蛙 | qīngwā | frog |
| 海龟 | hǎiguī | sea turtle |
| 井底 | jǐngdǐ | bottom of a well |
| 宽敞 | kuānchang5 | spacious, roomy |
| 憋得慌 | biēde5huāng | to feel stuffy/cramped |
| 张望 | zhāngwàng | to look around, to peer |
| 仰着头 | yǎngzhe5tóu | tilting one’s head upward |
| 半信半疑 | bànxìnbànyí | half-believing, half-doubting |
| 温和 | wēnhé | gentle, mild, kind</p> |
| 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) |
| 一口 | yī kǒu | readily; flatly (deny, admit and so on); a mouthful; a bite |
| 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… |
| 井 | Jǐng | Jing, one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy; surname Jing |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 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 |
| 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 … |
| 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 |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 青蛙 | qīng wā | frog (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (old) (slang) ugly guy |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 窄 | zhái | narrow; badly off |
| 只要 | zhǐ yào | so long as; provided; if |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to hop; to skip over; to bounce; to palpitate |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 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 … |
| 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… |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 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) |
| 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] |
| 蹦 | běng | to jump; to bounce; to hop |
| 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… |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 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 |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 井口 | jǐng kǒu | mouth of a well |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 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) |
| 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… |
| 一块 | yī kuài | a piece; a chunk; (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這|这[zhe4]) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感這一塊|情感这一块[qing2 gan3 zhe4 yi1 kuai4] "the emotional aspec… |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 一点儿 | yī diǎn r | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 不觉 | bù jué | unconsciously |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 出生 | chū shēng | to be born |
| 从没 | cóng méi | never (in the past); never did |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 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… |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 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… |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 路过 | lù guò | to pass by; to pass through |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 动静 | dòng jìng | (detectable) movement; (sign of) activity; movement and stillness |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border; boundary; CL:個|个[ge4]; simultaneously |
| 趴 | pa | to lie on one's stomach; (Tw) percent (from Japanese "pā", short for "pāsento") |
| 探 | tǎn | to explore; to scout; to stretch forward |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 里面 | lǐ miàn | variant of 裡面|里面[li3 mian4] |
| 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year |
| 蹲 | dun | (dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing |
| 石 | Shí | surname Shi; abbr. for Shijiazhuang 石家莊|石家庄[Shi2 jia1 zhuang1], the capital of Hebei |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 大大 | dà dà | greatly; enormously; (dialect) dad; uncle |
| 黑 | Hēi | short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江|黑龙江[Hei1 long2 jiang1] |
| 脑袋 | nǎo dai | head; skull; brains; mental capability; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 朝 | Cháo | abbr. for 朝鮮|朝鲜[Chao2 xian3] Korea |
| 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.) |
| 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] |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 大海 | dà hǎi | sea; ocean |
| 龟 | guī | tortoise; turtle; (coll.) cuckold |
| 刚好 | gāng hǎo | just; exactly; to happen to be |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angry; vital energy; qi |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 深 | shēn | old variant of 深[shen1]; (lit. and fig.) deep |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 动 | dòng | (of sth) to move; to set in movement; to displace; to touch; to make use of; to stir (emotions); to alter; abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 问题 | wèn tí | question; problem; issue; topic; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 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… |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 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) |
| 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);… |
| 哪 | nǎ | how; which |
| 儿 | ér | child; son |
| 天空 | tiān kōng | sky |
| 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- |
| 美 | Měi | (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲[Mei3 zhou1]); (bound form) USA (abbr. for 美國|美国[Mei3 guo2]) |
| 啊 | ā | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! |
| 忍 | rén | to bear; to tolerate |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 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 |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 真正 | zhēn zhèng | genuine; real; true; really; indeed |
| 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) |
| 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] |
| 摇 | yāo | to shake; to wave; to rock; to sway |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 万 | mò | used in 万俟[Mo4 qi2]; surname Wan |
| 不了 | bù le | no thanks (used to politely but informally decline) |
| 块 | kuài | lump; chunk; piece; classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc; (coll.) classifier for money and currency units |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually; in fact; really |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 角落 | jiǎo luò | corner (of a room, courtyard etc); (fig.) remote spot; nook |
| 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… |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 相 | Xiāng | surname Xiang |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 的话 | de huà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 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… |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far; much (lower etc) |
In an old well, there lived a little frog.
The well was small and narrow. The little frog only needed to jump three times to hop from one end to the other. When the little frog looked up at the sky, it could only see a patch as big as the well’s opening.
But the little frog didn’t feel the well was small at all. It was born in the well and had never left. It thought the well was very spacious and the sky was quite big. In its view, this well was the entire world.
One day, a sea turtle passed by this well. Hearing some movement inside, the turtle lay down by the edge of the well and peered inside.
The little frog was squatting on a rock at the bottom of the well. When it looked up, it saw a big, dark head gazing down into the well.
“Who are you?” the little frog asked, tilting its head upward.
“I’m a big sea turtle, just passing through,” the turtle said kindly. “Living in such a deep well, don’t you feel suffocated, with no room to move around?”
“Suffocated?” The little frog found this question very strange. “How could I feel suffocated? I can go wherever I want, and I can see the entire sky just by looking up. The sky is so beautiful!”
The sea turtle couldn’t help but laugh. It said gently, “Little frog, have you ever seen the real ocean? You’ve never been outside this well, have you?”
The little frog shook its head.
The sea turtle spoke slowly, “The ocean is so vast that even if you jumped ten thousand times, you still couldn’t reach its edge. That small patch of sky you see is actually just a tiny corner of the real sky.”
After hearing this, the little frog was half-believing, half-doubting, and didn’t really believe the turtle’s words. The turtle shook its head and slowly walked away.