有个工人在一家木材厂找到了一份工作，报酬不错，工作条件也好，所以他很珍惜，下决心要好好干。
第一天，老板给了他一把锋利的斧子。
这一天，这个工人砍了18棵树。
老板说："不错，就这么干!”工人很受鼓舞，第二天，他干得更加起劲，但是他只砍了15棵树。
第三天，他加倍努力，可是只砍了10棵。
工人觉得很惭愧，跑到老板那儿道歉，说自己的力气好像越来越小了。
老板问他："你上一次磨斧子是什么时候?”"磨斧子?”工人诧异地说，"我每天忙着砍树，哪里有时间磨斧子!”老板笑着说："不是你的力气变小了，而是因为你的斧子已经不像第一天那样锋利了。
”
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
narration saved locally, offline — from https://download.mandarinbean.com/audio?source=aHR0cHM6Ly90cmFmZmljLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vbGVhcm5jaGluZXNlL0dyaW5kaW5nX0F4ZS00MDc3Lm1wMw&filename=Grinding-Axe.mp3&signature=21fd434fdb137e188977d7132af778332d4348568344ed7d93e387fba40d338f
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is |
| 个 | gè | classifier for people or objects in general |
| 工人 | gōng rén | worker |
| 在 | zài | (of sb or sth) to be (located) at |
| 一 | yī | one / single / a (article) |
| 家 | jiā | classifier for families or businesses |
| 木材厂 | mù cái chǎng | timber mill; lumber mill |
| 找到 | zhǎo dào | to find |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) |
| 份 | fèn | classifier for gifts, newspaper, magazine, papers, reports, contracts etc |
| 工作 | gōng zuò | job / work / task |
| 报酬 | bào chou | reward / remuneration |
| 不错 | bù cuò | not bad / pretty good |
| 条件 | tiáo jiàn | condition; circumstance; term; factor / situation; state; condition |
| 也 | yě | also; too; as well; (not ...) either |
| 好 | hǎo | good / appropriate; proper |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore / as a result / so |
| 他 | tā | he; him; his |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite |
| 珍惜 | zhēn xī | to treasure / to value / to cherish |
| 下决心 | xià jué xīn | to determine / to resolve |
| 要 | yào | will; shall; about to / need to; should / if |
| 好好 | hǎo hǎo | well; carefully; nicely; properly |
| 干 | gàn | to manage / to work / to do / to kill (slang) / to fuck (vulgar) |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number) |
| 天 | tiān | day |
| 老板 | lǎo bǎn | boss / business proprietor |
| 给 | gěi | to give |
| 把 | bǎ | classifier for things with handles |
| 锋利 | fēng lì | sharp / incisive |
| 的 | de | possessive particle (of; 's) / modifying particle (used after an attribute to modify a noun or to form a nominal expression) |
| 斧子 | fǔ zi | axe / hatchet |
| 这 | zhè | this; these |
| 砍 | kǎn | to chop / to cut down / to throw sth at sb |
| 棵 | kē | classifier for trees, cabbages, plants etc |
| 树 | shù | tree |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to talk; to say |
| 就 | jiù | merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly |
| 这么 | zhè me | this way / like this |
| 受 | shòu | subjected to / (passive marker) |
| 鼓舞 | gǔ wǔ | to inspire; to encourage; to hearten; to boost (morale) |
| 二 | èr | two / 2 |
| 得 | de | structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc |
| 更加 | gèng jiā | more (than sth else) / even more |
| 起劲 | qǐ jìn | energetic; vigorous; enthusiastic |
| 但是 | dàn shì | but; however |
| 只 | zhǐ | only; merely; just |
| 三 | sān | three / 3 |
| 加倍 | jiā bèi | to double / to redouble |
| 努力 | nǔ lì | to make an effort; to try hard; to strive |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however |
| 觉得 | jué de | to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 惭愧 | cán kuì | ashamed |
| 跑 | pǎo | to run / to run away / to escape / to run around (on errands etc) / (of a gas or liquid) to leak or evaporate |
| 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) |
| 那儿 | nà r | there |
| 道歉 | dào qiàn | to apologize |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 力气 | lì qi | physical strength |
| 好像 | hǎo xiàng | to seem like |
| 越来越 | yuè lái yuè | more and more |
| 小 | xiǎo | small / tiny / few |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 上 | shàng | (bound form) up; upper; above; previous |
| 次 | cì | classifier for enumerated events: time |
| 磨 | mó | to rub / to grind / to polish / to sharpen / to wear down / to die out / to waste time / to pester / to insist |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only) |
| 什么 | shén me | what? |
| 时候 | shí hou | time / length of time / moment / period |
| 诧异 | chà yì | flabbergasted / astonished |
| 地 | de | -ly / structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 每 | měi | each / every |
| 忙 | máng | busy |
| 着 | zhe | aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state |
| 哪里 | nǎ lǐ | where? / somewhere / anywhere / wherever / nowhere (negative answer to question) |
| 时间 | shí jiān | time |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh; to smile |
| 不 | bù | no; not so |
| 变 | biàn | to change / to become different / to transform / to vary |
| 而 | ér | but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates contrast) |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble / to be like / to look as if |
| 那样 | nà yàng | that kind / that sort |