This is probably the longest text I’ve ever posted. The first few sentences are much more intermediate as we learn new vocabulary words and set up the story, but after that the reading is mostly a dialogue which is very smooth and fairly simple, so press through the first paragraph or two if you can.
从前，维吾尔族有这么两个懒汉，一个叫哈山代吾来克，一个叫沙吾提卡巴克。他们都懒得要命，吃穿全靠父母，一点活儿也不干，一天到晚靠着墙根晒太阳。 这样，久而久之，弄得他们父母也讨厌他们了，不得不把他们从家里赶了出来。他们俩过着流浪的生活，饿了几天肚子，一块馕也没有吃到。
这天，他俩蹲在馕坑上商量着今后该怎么办。哈山代吾来克说: “最好到一个有吃有穿，又不需要劳动的地方去，不知道有没有这么个地方？”
沙吾提卡巴克说: “世界上是没有这么个地方的，只天上有吧！听说天上的神仙最快活。”
哈山代吾来克说: “那末，我们就上天去吧，干嘛要呆在这个必须劳动的地方受人鄙视呢？”
沙吾提卡巴克说: “好倒好，不过怎么上去呢？能找到这么个长梯子吗？”
哈山代吾来克肯定地说: “这么长的梯子是找不到的。但是，没有梯子也可以上去。”
沙吾提卡巴克惊奇地问道: “怎么上去？”
哈山代吾来克说: “山谷里有一只大鹏鸟，小时候我跟父亲上去看见过。我们只要把这只大鹏抓住，它就会带我们上天去的。”
沙吾提卡巴克说: “好办法，我们就这样办好了。”
两个朋友就这么决定了。第二天一早，他们就起身往山上走去，走到一个山谷里，找到了大鹏的窝，他们在附近躲藏起来，等到太阳落山的时候，大鹏飞回来刚落在窝里，就被哈山代吾来克紧紧地抓住了。他连忙招呼沙吾提卡巴克抓住自己的脚，大鹏受了惊，直往天空飞去。
就这样，沙吾提卡巴克抓住哈山代吾来克的脚，哈山代吾来克抓住大鹏的爪子，飘飘荡荡地一直飞向七层云端里去了。
沙吾提卡巴克问道: “嘿！到了吗？我的手吃不消啦！”
哈山代吾来克望着云层的空隙说: “快啦！连窟窿都已经看见了。”
沙吾提卡巴克问道: “窟窿有多大？我们能不能钻进去呀？”
哈山代吾来克回答: “有这么大。”哈山代吾来克一面答应着，一面用手来比划窟窿的大小。
不料哈山代吾来克两手一松，这两个懒汉朋友都离开了大鹏鸟，摇摇晃晃地掉下来，摔成肉酱了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously; formerly; once upon a time |
| 维 | Wéi | abbr. for Uyghur 維吾爾|维吾尔[Wei2 wu2 er3]; surname Wei |
| 吾 | Wú | surname Wu |
| 尔 | ěr | variant of 爾|尔[er3]; thus; so; like that; you; thou |
| 族 | zú | race; nationality; ethnicity; clan; by extension, social group (e.g. office workers 上班族) |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 懒 | lán | lazy; sluggish; to be reluctant to |
| 汉 | Hàn | Han ethnic group; Chinese (language); the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 哈 | Hā | abbr. for 哈薩克斯坦|哈萨克斯坦[Ha1 sa4 ke4 si1 tan3], Kazakhstan; abbr. for 哈爾濱|哈尔滨[Ha1 er3 bin1], Harbin |
| 山 | Shān | surname Shan |
| 代 | dài | to be a substitute for; to act on behalf of; to replace; to substitute; generation; dynasty; age; period; (historical) era; (geological) eon |
| 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… |
| 克 | Kè | abbr. for 克羅地亞|克罗地亚[Ke4 luo2 di4 ya4], Croatia; (Tw) abbr. for 克羅埃西亞|克罗埃西亚[Ke4 luo2 ai1 xi1 ya4], Croatia; Ke (c. 2000 BC), seventh of the legendary Flame Emperors, 炎帝[Yan2 di4] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shen2 nong2] Farmer God; variant of 剋|克[ke4] |
| 沙 | sha | sand; granule; (of voice) hoarse; surname Sha |
| 提 | dī | used in 提防[di1 fang5] and 提溜[di1 liu5] |
| 卡 | kǎ | to stop; to block; (computing) (coll.) slow; (loanword) card; CL:張|张[zhang1],片[pian4]; truck (from "car"); calorie (abbr. for 卡路里[ka3 lu4 li3]); cassette |
| 巴 | Bā | Ba, a state during the Zhou dynasty (in present-day Chongqing and the eastern part of Sichuan); the east of Sichuan and Chongqing Municipality; surname Ba; (bound form) abbr. for 巴… |
| 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]) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 得要 | děi yào | to need; must |
| 命 | mǐng | life; order or command |
| 吃穿 | chī chuān | food and clothing |
| 全 | Quán | surname Quan |
| 靠 | kào | to lean against or on; to stand by the side of; to come near to; to depend on; to trust; to fuck (vulgar); traditional military costume drama where the performers wear armor (old) |
| 父母 | fù mǔ | father and mother; parents |
| 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… |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 儿 | ér | child; son |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 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 |
| 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 … |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 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… |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 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 |
| 墙 | qiáng | variant of 牆|墙[qiang2]; wall (CL:面[mian4],堵[du3]); (slang) to block (a website) (usu. in the passive: 被牆|被墙[bei4 qiang2]) |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 晒太阳 | shài tài yáng | to be in the sun (getting warm or sunbathing etc); to put sth in the sun (e.g. to dry it) |
| 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) |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 久 | jǐu | (of a period of time) long |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 久之 | jǐu zhī | for a long time |
| 弄 | lòng | lane; alley; old variant of 弄[nong4]; variant of 弄[long4] |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 讨 | tǎo | to invite; to provoke; to demand or ask for; to send armed forces to suppress; to denounce or condemn; to marry (a woman); to discuss or study |
| 厌 | yàn | (bound form) to loathe; to be fed up with; (literary) to satiate; to satisfy |
| 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 |
| 不得不 | bù dé bù | have no choice or option but to; cannot but; have to; can't help it; can't avoid |
| 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… |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | home |
| 赶 | gǎn | to overtake; to catch up with; to hurry; to rush; to try to catch (the bus etc); to drive (cattle etc) forward; to drive (sb) away; to avail oneself of (an opportunity); until; by … |
| 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) |
| 俩 | liǎ | two (colloquial equivalent of 兩個|两个); both; some |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 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 |
| 浪 | lǎng | wave; unrestrained; to stroll |
| 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… |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 饿 | è | hungry; to starve (sb) |
| 几天 | jǐ tiān | several days |
| 肚 | dǔ | tripe |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 馕 | ||
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 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] |
| 这天 | zhè tiān | this day |
| 蹲 | dun | (dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing |
| 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) |
| 坑 | keng | pit; hollow; depression; (literary) to bury alive |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 商 | Shāng | Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC); surname Shang |
| 量 | liáng | to measure |
| 今 | jīn | now; the present time; current; contemporary; this (day, year etc) |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 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… |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 最好 | zuì hǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 穿 | chuān | to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together; to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.); verb com… |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 劳动 | láo dòng | work; toil; physical labor; CL:次[ci4] |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 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);… |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 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… |
| 有没有 | yǒu méi yǒu | (before a noun) Do (you, they etc) have ...?; Is there a ...?; (before a verb) Did (you, they etc) (verb, infinitive)?; Have (you, they etc) (verb, past participle)? |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 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] |
| 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 |
| 天上 | tiān shàng | the sky; the heavens |
| 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] |
| 听说 | tīng shuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that); hearsay; listening and speaking |
| 神 | Shén | God |
| 仙 | xian | immortal |
| 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") |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 那末 | nà me | variant of 那麼|那么[na4 me5] |
| 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… |
| 上天 | shàng tiān | Heaven; Providence; God; the sky above; to fly skywards; (euphemism) to die; to pass away; the previous day (or days) |
| 干嘛 | gàn má | what are you doing?; whatever for?; why on earth? |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 呆 | dai | foolish; stupid |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 必须 | bì xū | to have to; must; compulsory; necessarily |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to; to bear; to stand; pleasant; (passive marker); (LGBT) bottom |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 鄙 | bí | rustic; base; to despise |
| 视 | shì | variant of 視|视[shi4]; variant of 示[shi4]; old variant of 視|视[shi4]; (literary, or bound form) to look at |
| 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… |
| 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); (… |
| 倒 | dǎo | to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally; to fail; to go bankrupt; to overthrow; to change (trains or buses); to move around; to resell at a profit |
| 不过 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) |
| 上去 | shàng qù | to go up |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 找到 | zhǎo dào | to find |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 梯 | ti | (bound form) ladder; stairs |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 肯定 | kěn dìng | to be certain; to be positive; assuredly; definitely; to give recognition; to affirm; affirmative (answer) |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 找不到 | zhǎo bu dào | can't find |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 惊奇 | jīng qí | to be amazed; to be surprised; to wonder |
| 问道 | wèn dào | to ask the way; to ask |
| 山谷 | shān gǔ | valley; ravine |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 大鹏鸟 | dà péng niǎo | roc (mythical bird of prey) |
| 小时 | xiǎo shí | hour; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely; to go with; (of a woman) to marry sb; with; compared with; to; towards; and (joining two nouns) |
| 父亲 | fù qīn | father; also pr. [fu4 qin5]; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 只要 | zhǐ yào | so long as; provided; if |
| 大鹏 | Dà péng | see 大鵬新區|大鹏新区[Da4 peng2 Xin1 qu1] |
| 抓 | zhua | to grab; to arrest; to scratch |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 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… |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; CL:條|条[tiao2]; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise |
| 好办 | hǎo bàn | easy to do; easy to manage |
| 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 |
| 办好 | bàn hǎo | to take care of (a matter); to get (a task) done; to handle (a project) expeditiously |
| 朋友 | péng you | friend; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision (CL:個|个[ge4],項|项[xiang4]) |
| 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… |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 一早 | yī zǎo | early in the morning; at dawn |
| 起身 | qǐ shēn | to get up; to leave; to set forth |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 走去 | zǒu qù | to walk over (to) |
| 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… |
| 窝 | wō | nest; pit or hollow on the human body; lair; den; place; to harbor or shelter; to hold in check; to bend; classifier for litters and broods |
| 附近 | fù jìn | nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood |
| 躲藏 | duǒ cáng | to conceal oneself; to go into hiding; to take cover |
| 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… |
| 等到 | děng dào | to wait until; by the time when (sth is ready etc) |
| 太阳 | tài yang | sun; sunlight; sunshine; temple (on the side of the human head) (abbr. for 太陽穴|太阳穴[tai4 yang2 xue2]) |
| 落 | là | to leave out; to be missing; to leave behind or forget to bring; to lag or fall behind |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 飞 | fēi | to fly |
| 回 | Huí | Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); to curve; to return; to revolve; variant of 迴|回[hui2] |
| 刚 | gāng | (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while ago |
| 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, … |
| 紧 | jǐn | tight; strict; close at hand; near; urgent; tense; hard up; short of money; to tighten |
| 连忙 | lián máng | promptly; at once |
| 招 | zhao | to recruit; to beckon; to infect; a move (chess); device; to confess |
| 呼 | hu | to call; to shout; to exhale |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object); CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; classifier for kicks |
| 惊 | jīng | to startle; to be frightened; to be scared; alarm |
| 直 | Zhí | surname Zhi; Zhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝[Yan2 di4] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shen2 nong2] Farmer God |
| 天空 | tiān kōng | sky |
| 爪子 | zhuǎ zi | (animal's) claw |
| 飘飘 | piāo piāo | to float about; to flutter (in the breeze); (dialect) gay guy; (Tw) ghost |
| 荡 | dàng | to swing; to drift; to loaf |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 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 |
| 七 | qī | seven; 7 |
| 层云 | céng yún | stratus (cloud) |
| 端 | duān | (bound form) tip; end; extremity; (bound form) aspect; facet; (bound form) upright; proper; to hold sth level with both hands; to carry; to eliminate; to wipe out; old variant of 端[duan1]; start; origin |
| 嘿 | hei | hey |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 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] |
| 消 | xiāo | to diminish; to subside; to consume; to reduce; to idle away (the time); (after 不[bu4] or 只[zhi3] or 何[he2] etc) to need; to require; to take |
| 啦 | lā | (onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc; (phonetic); (dialect) to chat |
| 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] |
| 云层 | yún céng | the clouds; cloud layer; cloud bank |
| 空 | kōng | empty; air; sky; in vain |
| 隙 | xǐ | crack; gap or interval; discord |
| 连 | Lián | surname Lian |
| 窟 | kū | cave; hole |
| 窿 | ||
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 多大 | duō dà | how old?; how big?; how much?; so big; that much |
| 钻 | zuan | to drill; to bore; to get into (zuan4); a drill; diamond (zuan1) |
| 进去 | jìn qù | to go in |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 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) |
| 一面 | yī miàn | one side; one aspect; simultaneously... (and...); one's whole face |
| 答应 | dā ying | to answer; to respond; to answer positively; to agree; to accept; to promise |
| 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… |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 划 | huá | to row; to paddle; profitable; worth (the effort); it pays (to do sth); to cut; to slash; to scratch (cut into the surface of sth); to strike (a match) |
| 大小 | dà xiǎo | large and small; size; adults and children; consideration of seniority; at any rate |
| 不料 | bù liào | unexpectedly; to one's surprise |
| 两手 | liǎng shǒu | one's two hands; two prongs (of a strategy); both aspects, eventualities etc; skills; expertise |
| 松 | Sōng | surname Song; loose; to loosen; to relax; floss (dry, fluffy food product made from shredded, seasoned meat or fish, used as a topping or filling) |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave |
| 摇 | yāo | to shake; to wave; to rock; to sway |
| 晃 | huáng | to sway; to shake; to flash past (huang4); to dazzle (huang3) |
| 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… |
| 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 … |
| 摔 | shuai | to throw down; to drop and break |
| 成 | Chéng | surname Cheng; short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1] |
| 肉 | ròu | meat; flesh; pulp (of a fruit); (coll.) (of a fruit) squashy; (of a person) flabby; irresolute; Kangxi radical 130 |
| 酱 | jiǎng | thick paste of fermented soybean; paste |
Long ago, among the Uighur people there were two lazybones, one called Hashandaiwulaike, the other called Shawutikabake. They were both extremely lazy, depending on their parents for food and clothing, unwilling to do even a little work, from morning to night they sat at the base of a wall and sunned themselves. As time passed this way, their parents [began to] loathe them, and had no choice but to kick them out. The two of them lived a drifter’s life, and went hungry for days at a time, with not even a piece of bread to eat.
One day, they were squatting next to a bread pit discussing what to do. Hashandaiwulaike said: “The best thing would be to go to a place where there’s food and clothes, but you don’t have to work – I don’t know if there is such a place?”
Shawutikabake said: “There’s no such place on this earth, only in heaven! I heard that the immortals in heaven are the happiest.”
Hashandaiwulaike said: “In that case, we should go to heaven. Why on earth would we stay in this place where we have to work and suffer other people’s disdain?”
Shawutikabake said: “That’s all very well and good, but how will we get up there? Can we find a ladder that long?”
Hashandaiwulaike said: “We could never find a ladder that long, but you can still get up there without a ladder.”
Shawutikabake said: “How?”
Hashandaiwulaike said: “In the valley there’s a Roc bird, when I was little I saw it when I went up there with my father. All we have to do is grab onto the Roc, and he will take us up to heaven.”
Shawutikabake said: “That’s a great idea, we’ll do it that way.”
So the two friends decided thus. On the morning of the next day, they got us and walked to the mountain. When they got to the mountain valley, they found the Roc’s nest, and they hid themselves next to it. They waited until the sun fell behind the mountain and the Roc flew back and had just landed in its nest, when Hashandaiwulaike grabbed it and held it tightly. He promptly called to Shawutikabake to grab his feet, and the Roc was frightened and flew into the sky.
So Shawutikabake was holding on to Hashandaiwulaike’s feet, and Hashandaiwulaike was holding on to the Roc’s claws, and they floated towards the seventh level of clouds [heaven].
Shawutikabake asked,” Hey! Are we there yet? I can’t hold on much longer!”
Hashandaiwulaike looked into a gap between the clouds and said, “Almost! I can already see the opening!”
Shawutikabake asked, “How big is the opening? Can we fit into it?”
Hashandaiwulaike answered, “It’s this big.” As Hashandaiwulaike answered, he used his hands to demonstrate how big the opening [to heaven] was.
But to his surprise, as soon as Hashandaiwulaike let go, the two lazy friends parted ways with the Roc, tumbled down, and were smashed into mincemeat.