Welp, I swore I would never do this again but I found this (and several other short stories) in Hainan Airlines’ in-flight magazine (I’m in Prague!) and couldn’t resist typing it up (as opposed to copy-pasting from an online source). I’ve checked and checked for typos, but I’m not always the best at that, so […]
傍晚，一只羊独自在山坡上玩，突然从树木中窜出一只狼来，要吃羊，羊跳起来，拼命用角抵抗，并大声地向朋友喊救命。
牛在树丛中向这个地方望了一眼，发现是狼，跑走了。
马低头一看，发现是狼，一溜烟跑了。
驴停下脚步，发现是狼，悄悄溜下山坡。
猪经过这里，发现是狼，冲下山坡。
兔子一听，更是一箭一般离去。
山下的狗听见羊的呼喊，急忙奔上坡来，从草丛中闪出，一下咬住了狼的脖子，狼疼得直叫唤, 趁够换气时，怆惶挑走了。
回到家，朋友都来了， 牛说：你怎么不告诉我？我的角可以剜出狼的肠子。 马说：你怎么不告诉我？我的蹄子能踢碎狼的脑袋。 驴说：你怎么不告诉我？我一声吼叫，吓破狼的胆。 猪说：你怎么不告诉我？ 我用嘴一拱，就让它摔下山去。 兔子说：你怎么不告诉我？ 我跑得快，可以传信呀。
在这闹嚷嚷的一群中，唯独没有狗。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 傍 | bǎng | near; to depend on; Taiwan pr. [pang2], [bang1], [bang4] |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 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 |
| 羊 | Yáng | surname Yang |
| 独自 | dú zì | alone |
| 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) |
| 山坡 | shān pō | hillside |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 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] |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 树木 | shù mù | tree |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 窜 | cuàn | to flee; to scuttle; to exile or banish; to amend or edit |
| 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) |
| 狼 | láng | wolf; CL:匹[pi3],隻|只[zhi1],條|条[tiao2] |
| 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… |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 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] |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to hop; to skip over; to bounce; to palpitate |
| 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… |
| 拼 | pin | to piece together; to put together; to risk all; to go all out |
| 命 | mǐng | life; order or command |
| 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… |
| 角 | Jué | surname Jue |
| 抵 | dí | to press against; to support; to prop up; to be equal to; to match; to mortgage; to arrive at; to reach |
| 抗 | kǎng | to resist; to defy |
| 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] |
| 大声 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice; loudly |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 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 |
| 朋友 | péng you | friend; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 喊 | hǎn | to yell; to shout; to call out for (a person) |
| 救 | jìu | variant of 救[jiu4]; to save; to assist; to rescue |
| 牛 | Níu | surname Niu |
| 树 | shù | tree; CL:棵[ke1]; to cultivate; to set up |
| 丛 | cōng | cluster; collection of books |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 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] |
| 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 |
| 一眼 | yī yǎn | a glance; a quick look; a glimpse |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 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] |
| 跑走 | pǎo zǒu | to escape; to flee; to run away |
| 马 | Mǎ | surname Ma; abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4] |
| 低 | dī | low; beneath; to lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; to incline |
| 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] |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 溜 | liu | to slip away; to skate |
| 烟 | yan | cigarette or pipe tobacco; smoke; vapour; tobacco plant |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 驴 | ||
| 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 … |
| 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 |
| 悄 | qiao | used in 悄悄[qiao1 qiao1] |
| 下山 | xià shān | to go down a hill; (of the sun or moon) to set |
| 坡 | pō | slope; CL:個|个[ge4]; sloping; slanted |
| 猪 | zhū | hog; pig; swine; CL:口[kou3],頭|头[tou2] |
| 经过 | jīng guò | to pass; to go through; process; course; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 冲 | chong | (of water) to dash against; to infuse; to flush; to rise in the air; to collide with |
| 兔子 | tù zi | hare; rabbit; CL:隻|只[zhi1] |
| 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… |
| 更是 | gèng shì | even more (so) |
| 箭 | jiǎn | arrow |
| 一般 | yī bān | same; ordinary; so-so; common; general; generally; in general |
| 离去 | lí qù | to leave; to exit |
| 山下 | Shān xià | Yamashita (Japanese surname) |
| 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… |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog; CL:隻|只[zhi1],條|条[tiao2] |
| 听见 | tīng jiàn | to hear |
| 呼 | hu | to call; to shout; to exhale |
| 急忙 | jí máng | hastily |
| 奔 | bēn | to hurry; to rush; to run quickly; to elope; variant of 奔[ben1]; variant of 奔[ben4] |
| 上坡 | shàng pō | uphill; upslope; to move upwards; to climb a slope |
| 草 | cǎo | variant of 草[cao3]; grass; straw; manuscript; draft (of a document); careless; rough; CL:棵[ke1],撮[zuo3],株[zhu1],根[gen1] |
| 闪 | shán | to flash; to dodge; to sidestep; to sprain; a lightning flash |
| 一下 | yī xià | (after a verb) a bit; a little (indicating brief duration, or softening the tone, or suggesting giving sth a try); all at once; suddenly |
| 咬 | yáo | to bite |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 脖 | bō | neck |
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 疼 | téng | (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly |
| 得直 | dé zhí | (HK, Sg) (law) to have one's appeal allowed; to win an appeal |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 唤 | huǎn | to call |
| 趁 | chěn | to avail oneself of |
| 够 | gòu | enough (sufficient); enough (too much); (coll.) (before adj.) really; (coll.) to reach by stretching out |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute; to switch; to convert (currency) |
| 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angry; vital energy; qi |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 怆 | ||
| 惶 | huáng | (bound form) fear; dread; anxiety; trepidation |
| 挑 | tiao | to carry on a shoulder pole; to pick |
| 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… |
| 回到 | huí dào | to return to |
| 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… |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 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.) |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 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 |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 剜 | ||
| 肠 | chāng | intestines |
| 蹄 | tī | hoof |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 踢 | tī | to kick; to play (e.g. soccer); (slang) butch (in a lesbian relationship) |
| 碎 | suì | (transitive or intransitive) to break into pieces; to shatter; to crumble; broken; fragmentary; scattered; garrulous |
| 脑袋 | nǎo dai | head; skull; brains; mental capability; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 一声 | yī shēng | first tone in Mandarin (high, level tone) |
| 吼 | hóu | to roar; to shriek; bellow of rage |
| 吓 | xiǎ | to scare; to threaten; (interjection showing astonishment) |
| 破 | pò | broken; damaged; worn out; lousy; rotten; to break, split or cleave; to get rid of; to destroy; to break with; to defeat; to capture (a city etc); to expose the truth of |
| 胆 | dán | gall bladder; guts; inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos) |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth; beak; nozzle; spout (of teapot etc); CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 拱 | ||
| 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… |
| 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]) |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 摔 | shuai | to throw down; to drop and break |
| 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);… |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 传 | chuān | to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to conduct (electricity) |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 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) |
| 闹 | nào | variant of 鬧|闹[nao4]; noisy; cacophonous; to make noise; to disturb; to vent (feelings); to fall ill; to have an attack (of sickness); to go in (for some activity); to joke |
| 嚷 | ráng | to shout; to make a big deal of sth |
| 群 | qún | variant of 群[qun2]; group; crowd; flock, herd, pack etc |
| 唯 | wēi | only; -ism (in Chinese, a prefix, often combined with a suffix such as 主義|主义[zhu3 yi4] or 論|论[lun4], e.g. 唯理論|唯理论[wei2 li3 lun4], rationalism) |
| 独 | dú | alone; independent; single; sole; only |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
One nightfall, a sheep was playing alone on the mountainside, when suddenly a wolf emerged from among the trees, wanting to eat the sheep, so the sheep jumped up, using his horns to defend himself with all his might, and loudly called out for his friends to save his life.
The bull looked over from among a cluster of trees, saw there was a wolf, and ran away.
The horse lowered its head and looked, discovered there was a wolf, and slipped away in a puff of smoke.
The mule stopped walking for a moment, discovered there was a wolf, and quietly slipped down the mountain.
The pig passed through there, found out there was a wolf, and rushed down the mountainside.
The rabbit listened a moment, then took off like a shot.
From the bottom of the mountain, the dog heard the sheep’s cry, and ran quickly up the mountainside, came out of the grass in a flash, and in a moment had grabbed the wolf’s neck in his teeth, the wolf cried out in pain, and taking advantage of the dog’s intake of breath, ran away full of sorrow and fear. [When the sheep] returned home, his friends all came over.
The bull said: Why didn’t you tell me? My horns could have gouged out the wolf’s intestines. The horse said: Why didn’t you tell me? My hooves could have kicked the wolf’s skull apart. Donkey said: Why didn’t you tell me? I could have brayed and startled the wolf so as to break his courage. Pig said: Why didn’t you tell me? I could nuzzle him with my snout, and make him fall down the mountain. Rabbit said: Why didn’t you tell me? I run fast, I could have spread the word. In this noisy group, the only one who wasn’t present was the dog.