This little story shows what happens when a family of three each decides to save the last treat for someone else.
桌子上有一个苹果。
早上，妈妈看到了。她想吃，但是她想，让爸爸吃吧。她去上班了。
爸爸看到了。他想吃，但是他想，让孩子吃吧。他去上班了。
孩子看到了。他想吃，但是他想，让妈妈吃吧。他去上学了。
晚上，一家人回来了。苹果还在桌子上。
妈妈说：”你们没有吃？”
爸爸说：”你们没有吃？”
孩子说：”你们没有吃？”
三个人看着苹果，笑了。
然后他们把苹果切开，三个人一起吃了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | table |
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work |
| 上学 | shàngxué | to go to school |
| 一家人 | yìjiārén | the whole family |
| 还 | hái | still |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh/smile |
| 切开 | qiēkāi | to cut open |
| 一起 | yìqǐ | together |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 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) |
| 早上 | zǎo shang | early morning; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 妈妈 | mā ma | mama; mommy; mother; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 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 |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 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) |
| 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] |
| 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] |
| 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]) |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 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] |
| 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);… |
| 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]) |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening; night; CL:個|个[ge4]; in the evening |
| 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… |
| 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) |
| 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.) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 个人 | gè rén | an individual; oneself; (attributive) personal; one's own |
| 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 |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 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… |
There was an apple on the table.
In the morning, Mom saw it. She wanted to eat it, but she thought, ‘Let Dad eat it.’ She went to work.
Dad saw it. He wanted to eat it, but he thought, ‘Let the child eat it.’ He went to work.
The child saw it. He wanted to eat it, but he thought, ‘Let Mom eat it.’ He went to school.
In the evening, the family came back. The apple was still on the table.
Mom said: ‘You didn’t eat it?’
Dad said: ‘You didn’t eat it?’
The child said: ‘You didn’t eat it?’
The three of them looked at the apple and laughed.
Then they cut the apple open and ate it together.