一位老太太有两个女儿，大女儿卖草帽，二女儿卖雨伞，老太太每天愁眉苦脸的。
一位邻居问她为什么。
老太太说：“下雨天，我担心大女儿的遮阳草帽卖不出去；
可是等天晴了吧，我又担心二女儿的雨伞卖不出去，你说我能不发愁吗？
”邻居听完笑着说：“一到下雨天，您二女儿的雨伞就卖得特别好；
天一晴，您大女儿的店里顾客就会变多。
无论天晴还是下雨都好，真让人羡慕呀！
”看事情的方式决定了你的生活质量，积极乐观的生活态度才是最重要的。
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| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | yī | one / single / a (article) |
| 位 | wèi | classifier for people (honorific) |
| 老太太 | lǎo tài tai | elderly lady (respectful) / esteemed mother |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is |
| 两 | liǎng | two / both / some / a few |
| 个 | gè | classifier for people or objects in general |
| 女儿 | nǚ ér | daughter |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great / older (than another person) / eldest |
| 卖 | mài | to sell |
| 草帽 | cǎo mào | straw hat |
| 二 | èr | two / 2 |
| 雨伞 | yǔ sǎn | umbrella |
| 每 | měi | each / every |
| 天 | tiān | day |
| 愁眉苦脸 | chóu méi kǔ liǎn | to look anxious (idiom) / to look miserable |
| 的 | de | emphatic particle (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) |
| 邻居 | lín jū | neighbor |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 为什么 | wèi shén me | why? / for what reason? |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to talk; to say |
| 下 | xià | to decline / to go down |
| 雨 | yǔ | rain |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 担心 | dān xīn | to worry / to be anxious |
| 遮阳 | zhē yáng | to shield from the sun |
| 不 | bù | no; not so |
| 出去 | chū qù | to go out |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await |
| 晴 | qíng | clear / fine (weather) |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) |
| 吧 | ba | (modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise) / ...right? / ...OK? / ...I presume. |
| 又 | yòu | also |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 能 | néng | can / to be able to / might possibly |
| 发愁 | fā chóu | to worry / to fret / to be anxious / to become sad |
| 吗 | ma | (question particle for "yes-no" questions) |
| 听 | tīng | to listen to; to hear |
| 完 | wán | to finish / to be over |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh; to smile |
| 着 | zhe | aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state |
| 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) |
| 您 | nín | you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你[ni3]) |
| 就 | jiù | merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly |
| 得 | de | structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc |
| 特别 | tè bié | very; especially; particularly / in particular |
| 好 | hǎo | good / appropriate; proper |
| 店 | diàn | (bound form) shop; store |
| 里 | lǐ | lining / interior / inside |
| 顾客 | gù kè | customer; client |
| 会 | huì | to be likely to; to be sure to |
| 变 | biàn | to change / to become different / to transform / to vary |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of |
| 无论 | wú lùn | no matter what or how / regardless of whether... |
| 还是 | hái shi | or |
| 都 | dōu | all; both; entirely |
| 真 | zhēn | really / truly / indeed |
| 让 | ràng | to permit / to let sb do sth / to have sb do sth / to make sb (feel sad etc) |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 羡慕 | xiàn mù | to envy / to admire |
| 呀 | ya | (particle equivalent to 啊 after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt) |
| 看 | kàn | to see; to look at / to read / to watch / to visit; to call on / to consider; to regard as / to look after / to treat (a patient or illness) / to depend on / to feel (that) / (after a verb) to give it a try / to watch out for |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 方式 | fāng shì | way; method; manner; mode; pattern (of behavior etc) |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind |
| 生活 | shēng huó | life / livelihood |
| 质量 | zhì liàng | quality / quality and quantity |
| 积极 | jī jí | active / energetic / vigorous / positive (outlook) / proactive |
| 乐观 | lè guān | optimistic; hopeful |
| 态度 | tài dù | manner / bearing / attitude / approach |
| 才 | cái | then and only then |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only) |
| 最 | zuì | (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant; major |