一八九四年,中国在战争中被日本打败,全国震惊。
In 1894, China was defeated by Japan in a war, and the whole nation was shocked.
孙中山放下了医生的工作,做了一个改变一生的决定。
Sun Yat-sen set aside his work as a doctor and made a decision that would change his life.
他对朋友说:“医生只能救几个人;要救整个国家,就必须革命。”
He told his friends: "A doctor can only save a few people; to save the whole country, there must be a revolution."
那一年,他在檀香山成立了兴中会——他的第一个革命组织。
That year, in Honolulu, he founded the Revive China Society — his first revolutionary organization.
会员们举起右手宣誓:推翻清朝,建立一个人人平等的新中国。
The members raised their right hands and swore an oath: overthrow the Qing dynasty and build a new China where everyone is equal.
第二年,他们在广州发动了第一次起义,可是失败了。
The next year they launched their first uprising in Guangzhou, but it failed.
清朝政府到处抓他,他只好剪掉辫子,换上西装,逃到了国外。
The Qing government hunted him everywhere, so he cut off his queue, put on a Western suit, and fled abroad.
一八九六年,他在伦敦被清朝使馆的人绑架了。
In 1896, in London, he was kidnapped by men from the Qing legation.
他被关在使馆里,随时可能被秘密送回中国处死。
He was locked inside the legation, and at any moment he might be secretly shipped back to China and executed.
幸好,他的老师知道了这件事,马上告诉了英国的报纸。
Luckily, his old teacher learned what had happened and immediately told the British newspapers.
全伦敦都在讨论这件事,使馆只好把他放了。
All of London was talking about the affair, and the legation had no choice but to let him go.
这次事件让孙中山一下子出了名,全世界都知道了这位中国革命家。
The incident made Sun Yat-sen famous overnight — the whole world now knew this Chinese revolutionary.
在那之后的十几年里,他走遍世界各地,向华侨演讲、募捐。
Over the next dozen years, he traveled all over the world, giving speeches to overseas Chinese and raising funds.
他常说:“华侨是革命之母。”
He often said: "Overseas Chinese are the mother of the revolution."
一九零五年,他在日本成立了同盟会,提出了三民主义:民族、民权、民生。
In 1905, in Japan, he founded the Tongmenghui and put forward the Three Principles of the People: nationalism, democracy, and the people's livelihood.
同盟会一次又一次地发动起义,又一次又一次地失败。
Again and again the Tongmenghui launched uprisings, and again and again they failed.
有人劝他放弃,他回答:“失败了十次,第十一次就会成功。”
Some urged him to give up. He replied: "We have failed ten times — the eleventh time, we will succeed."
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | yī | one |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine; 9 |
| 四 | sì | four |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 中国 | zhōng guó | China |
| 在 | zài | to be (located); at; in |
| 战争 | zhàn zhēng | war; conflict |
| 中 | zhōng | middle; center |
| 被 | bèi | indicates passive voice; by |
| 日本 | rì běn | Japan |
| 打败 | dǎ bài | to defeat; to beat |
| 全国 | quán guó | nationwide; the whole country |
| 震惊 | zhèn jīng | to shock; to astonish |
| 孙中山 | sūn zhōng shān | Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), first president of the Republic of China and co-founder of the Guomintang 國民黨|国民党;… |
| 放下 | fàng xià | to put down; to let go |
| 了 | le | (particle indicating completed action or change of state) |
| 医生 | yī shēng | doctor |
| 的 | de | possessive particle |
| 工作 | gōng zuò | to work; job |
| 做了 | zuò le | did; have done |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 改变 | gǎi biàn | to change; to transform |
| 一生 | yī shēng | one’s whole life |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; decision |
| 他 | tā | he; him |
| 对 | duì | right; correct |
| 朋友 | péng you | friend |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only; must |
| 救 | jiù | to save; to rescue |
| 几 | jǐ | how many; several; a few |
| 个人 | gè rén | individual; personal |
| 要 | yào | to want; will |
| 整个 | zhěng gè | whole; entire; total |
| 国家 | guó jiā | country |
| 就 | jiù | then; just; precisely |
| 必须 | bì xū | must; have to |
| 革命 | gé mìng | revolution; to overthrow |
| 那 | nà | that; those |
| 檀香山 | tán xiāng shān | Honolulu, capital of Hawaii; also transliterated as 火奴魯魯|火奴鲁鲁 |
| 成立 | chéng lì | to establish; to set up |
| 兴中会 | xīng zhōng huì | Revive China Society, founded by Dr Sun Yat-sen 孫中山|孙中山 in 1894 in Honolulu |
| 他的 | tā de | His |
| 第一 | dì yī | first; number one; primary |
| 个 | gè | general measure word |
| 组织 | zǔ zhī | to organize; organization |
| 会员 | huì yuán | member |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns |
| 举起 | jǔ qǐ | to heave; to lift; to raise up; to uphold |
| 右手 | yòu shǒu | right hand; right-hand side |
| 宣誓 | xuān shì | to swear an oath (of office); to make a vow |
| 推翻 | tuī fān | to overthrow |
| 清朝 | qīng cháo | Qing dynasty (1644-1911) |
| 建立 | jiàn lì | to establish; to set up |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 平等 | píng děng | equal; equality |
| 新 | xīn | new |
| 第二 | dì èr | second; number two; next; secondary |
| 他们 | tā men | they |
| 广州 | guǎng zhōu | Guangzhou, sub-provincial city and capital of Guangdong Province 廣東省|广东省[Guang3dong1 Sheng3] (same as 广州市/廣州市) |
| 发动 | fā dòng | to start (a machine) or mobilize |
| 第一次 | dì yī cì | the first time; first; number one |
| 起义 | qǐ yì | uprising; insurrection; revolt |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however |
| 失败 | shī bài | to fail; failure; to be defeated |
| 政府 | zhèng fǔ | government |
| 到处 | dào chù | everywhere |
| 抓他 | zhuā tā | catch him |
| 只好 | zhǐ hǎo | to have no alternative but to; must |
| 剪掉 | jiǎn diào | to cut off; to cut away; to trim |
| 辫子 | biàn zi | braid; plait; (colloquially) a vulnerability that can be exploited |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change |
| 上 | shàng | up; on |
| 西装 | xī zhuāng | suit; Western-style clothes |
| 逃 | táo | to flee; to run away |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 国外 | guó wài | abroad |
| 六 | liù | six; 6 |
| 伦敦 | lún dūn | London, capital of United Kingdom |
| 使馆 | shǐ guǎn | consulate; diplomatic mission |
| 绑架 | bǎng jià | to kidnap or abduct |
| 关 | guān | to close; to turn off |
| 里 | lǐ | inside; interior; within |
| 随时 | suí shí | at any time; whenever |
| 可能 | kě néng | possible; might; perhaps |
| 秘密 | mì mì | secret; confidential |
| 送 | sòng | to give (as a gift); to send; to deliver; to escort or see off |
| 回 | huí | to go back; to answer; to return |
| 处死 | chǔ sǐ | an execution; to put sb to death |
| 幸好 | xìng hǎo | fortunately |
| 老师 | lǎo shī | teacher |
| 知道了 | zhī dào le | OK!; Got it! |
| 这件 | zhè jiàn | this item; these items |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | right away; immediately |
| 告诉 | gào sù | to tell |
| 英国 | yīng guó | United Kingdom 聯合王國|联合王国[Lian2 he2 wang2 guo2]; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 报纸 | bào zhǐ | newspaper |
| 全 | quán | all; entire |
| 都 | dōu | all; both |
| 讨论 | tǎo lùn | to discuss; discussion |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; (structural particle indicating the object before the verb) |
| 放了 | fàng le | put; placed; set (completed action) |
| 这次 | zhè cì | this time |
| 事件 | shì jiàn | event; incident |
| 让 | ràng | to let; to allow; to cause (someone) to feel something |
| 一下子 | yī xià zi | all at once; suddenly; in one go |
| 出 | chū | to go out |
| 名 | míng | name; to be famous |
| 全世界 | quán shì jiè | worldwide; the entire world |
| 这位 | zhè wèi | this (person) |
| 革命家 | gé mìng jiā | a revolutionary |
| 之后 | zhī hòu | after; afterwards |
| 十几 | shí jǐ | more than ten; a dozen or more |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go |
| 遍 | biàn | time (once through, from start to finish); all over; everywhere |
| 世界各地 | shì jiè gè dì | all over the world; everywhere; in all parts of the world |
| 向 | xiàng | toward; to |
| 华侨 | huá qiáo | overseas Chinese |
| 演讲 | yǎn jiǎng | to give a speech; a lecture; to deliver an address |
| 募捐 | mù juān | to collect donations; to solicit contributions |
| 常说 | cháng shuō | to say often; to mention frequently |
| 是 | shì | to be; correct |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的); him; her; it |
| 母 | mǔ | mother; (of animals) female |
| 零 | líng | zero |
| 五 | wǔ | five |
| 同盟会 | tóng méng huì | Tongmenghui, Sun Yat-sen's alliance for democracy, founded 1905, became the Guomindang 國民黨|国民党 in 1912 |
| 提出 | tí chū | to propose; to suggest |
| 三民主义 | sān mín zhǔ yì | Dr Sun Yat-sen's 孫中山|孙中山 Three Principles of the People (late 1890s) |
| 民族 | mín zú | ethnic group |
| 民权 | mín quán | Minquan county in Shangqiu 商丘[Shang1 qiu1], Henan |
| 民生 | mín shēng | people's livelihood; people's welfare |
| 一次 | yī cì | first; first time; once; (math.) linear (of degree one) |
| 又一次 | yòu yī cì | yet again; once again; once more |
| 地 | de | -ly (adverb particle) |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; there is someone |
| 劝他 | quàn tā | to persuade him |
| 放弃 | fàng qì | to give up; to abandon |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer |
| 十 | shí | ten |
| 次 | cì | time (occurrence) |
| 第 | dì | prefix for ordinal numbers |
| 会 | huì | can; to know how to; meeting |
| 成功 | chéng gōng | to succeed; success |