从前，楚国有个人想让儿子学说齐国话，可是请齐国人教他好呢，还是请楚国人教他好呢？
这个楚国人觉得：“当然是请齐国人教他好啊！
”于是便请了一个齐国人来教儿子。
但是周围一直有许多楚国人在说话，所以虽然请了齐国人教他，并且每天学习，他的儿子最终还是没有学会说齐国话。
后来，这个人把儿子带到齐国住了几年，结果他的儿子很快就会说齐国话了。
相反，你再让他说楚国话，尽管每天打他，他也不会说了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
narration saved locally, offline — from https://download.mandarinbean.com/audio?source=aHR0cHM6Ly90cmFmZmljLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vbGVhcm5jaGluZXNlL0NodV9QZW9wbGVfTGVhcm5fdGhlX0xhbmd1YWdlX29mX1FpX1N0YXRlXy1fMzA0MS5tcDM&filename=Chu-People-Learn-the-Language-of-Qi-State.mp3&signature=944bad42d3b19494400335646f979718f8167b46e7a335fbb4478293f89b60cb
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously / formerly / once upon a time |
| 楚国 | Chǔ guó | the state of Chu, one of the most important of the small states contending for power in China between 770 and 223 BC, located around present-day Hubei |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is |
| 个 | gè | classifier for people or objects in general |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 想 | xiǎng | to desire; to want (to) |
| 让 | ràng | to permit / to let sb do sth / to have sb do sth / to make sb (feel sad etc) |
| 儿子 | ér zi | son |
| 学 | xué | to learn / to study / to imitate |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to talk; to say |
| 齐国 | Qí guó | Qi state of Western Zhou and the Warring states (1122-265 BC), centered in Shandong |
| 话 | huà | dialect / language |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask / to request |
| 教 | jiāo | to teach; to instruct |
| 他 | tā | he; him; his |
| 好 | hǎo | good / appropriate; proper |
| 呢 | ne | (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech |
| 还是 | hái shi | had better |
| 这 | zhè | this; these |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ... |
| 当然 | dāng rán | certainly / of course / without doubt |
| 是 | shì | indeed (used for emphasis) |
| 啊 | a | modal particle ending sentence, showing affirmation, approval, or consent |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 便 | biàn | equivalent to 就[jiu4]: then / in that case |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) |
| 一 | yī | one / single / a (article) |
| 来 | lái | (between two verbs) in order to |
| 但是 | dàn shì | but; however |
| 周围 | zhōu wéi | environs; surroundings; periphery |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line) / continuously; always; all the way through |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many / a lot of / much |
| 在 | zài | (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 说话 | shuō huà | to speak / to say / to talk / to gossip / to tell stories |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore / as a result / so |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though |
| 并且 | bìng qiě | and; besides; moreover; furthermore; in addition |
| 每 | měi | each / every |
| 天 | tiān | day |
| 学习 | xué xí | to learn / to study |
| 的 | de | possessive particle (of; 's) / modifying particle (used after an attribute to modify a noun or to form a nominal expression) |
| 最终 | zuì zhōng | final; ultimate |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't / hasn't |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to |
| 后来 | hòu lái | afterwards; later |
| 把 | bǎ | (used to put the object before the verb: 把[ba3] + {noun} + {verb}) |
| 带 | dài | to wear / to carry / to take along / to bear / to bring |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive / to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point) / (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay |
| 几 | jǐ | several / a few |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 结果 | jié guǒ | in the end; as a result |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite |
| 快 | kuài | soon / almost |
| 就 | jiù | as soon as; immediately after |
| 相反 | xiāng fǎn | opposite / contrary |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re- |
| 尽管 | jǐn guǎn | despite / although / even though / in spite of |
| 打 | dǎ | to hit; to strike / to fight |
| 也 | yě | also; too; as well; (not ...) either |
| 不 | bù | no; not so |