中国故事（双语）35：Fun, Friends and a Future for Mengzi 孟母...

35、Fun, Friends and a Future for Mengzi

孟母三迁

孟子小时候，居住的地方离墓地很近，孟子学了些祭拜之事。孟母认为，这样的地方不适合孩子居住。于是，孟母将家搬到集市旁，孟子玩起了买卖的游戏。母亲又想：这个地方还是不适合孩子居住。于是将家搬到学校旁边，孟子学会了鞠躬行礼的礼节。孟母感叹：这才是孩子居住的地方，就在这里定居下来了。

Mengzi was a great Chinese thinker. But his life was very different when he was a small boy. This is his story . . .

“Goodbye! Goodbye!” Mengzi called, waving to his friends. “I’m leaving for my new home!” He got into the cart with his mother, holding on tightly to his small bundle of belongings.

Mengzi felt a little sad, but he was also excited by the new adventure.

Mengzi and his mother settled into a small house near a cemetery in the next town. He liked to play hide-and-seek with his new friends.

He found Xiao Ming behind a tree, next to the fence by the cemetery.

“Got you! I’m the best at this game!” boasted Mengzi. He rested against the fence and looked into the cemetery.

“Hey! What’s that old man doing?” asked Mengzi.

“He’s putting a bun in front of that marker,” said Xiao Ming. “And bowing.” All the friends laughed and pretended to do the same.

After breakfast the next day, Mengzi asked, “May I have an extra bun, Mama?”

“We don’t have many to spare,” replied his mother. But if you’re still hungry, all right,”

“Bye, Mama!” Mengzi yelled. Excited that he had a real bun, Mengzi raced to the cemetery, laughing.

Later, Mengzi’s mother was walking by the cemetery and spotted Mengzi.

“Mengzi, what are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m bowing Mama. I’m offering my bun,” replied Mengzi.

“Mengzi, you should not do those things. It is not our place. We do not know those people,” his mother explained.

“But Mama, everyone else does it,” he answered.

Mengzi’s mother realized that this neighborhood was not right for her son. It was time to move again.

“Goodbye! Goodbye!” Mengzi called, waving to the friends he was leaving behind. “I’m leaving for my new home!”

Mengzi felt a little sad, but he was also excited by the new adventure.

Mengzi and his mother moved near the town market. He liked to play catch with his new friends.

“Got it, Xiao Liu! I’m the best at this game!” he boasted. He and his friends dashed around the market. They stopped and watched the merchants calling to the shoppers.

“Shoes!” cried the shoemaker. “Hey, man, I’ve got shoes for your fat feet!”

“Cheap fabric!” shouted a woman. “Stop walking around in rags!”

Mengzi’s mother was surprised to hear Mengzi’s voice while she was shopping for vegetables.

“Old Man, you haven’t shaved. You look like a horse!” yelled Mengzi. “Clean up. I have razors to sell,” he pretended.

His friends laughed.

Mengzi’s mother ran over to him. “Mengzi, you should not say those things! It is rude and wrong.”

“But Mama,” Mengzi replied, “Everyone else does it.”

Mengzi’s mother realized that this neighborhood was not the right place for her son. It was time to move again.

“Goodbye! Goodbye!” Mengzi called, waving to the friends he was leaving behind. “I’m leaving for my new home!”

Mengzi felt a little sad, but he was also excited by the new adventure.

Mengzi and his mother moved to a tiny hut next to a school. Mengzi’s mother could not afford to send her son to school. Each day, Mengzi peeked through the school’s doorway or listened from an open window. He even climbed a tree to watch the students listen, learn, read, and write. Mengzi had no money for writing tools, so he used sticks to write on the ground.

Mengzi made friends with the students. A girl named Xiao Mei taught him a simple poem. The students laughed when Mengzi mixed up the verses. But they helped correct him.

When Mengzi’s mother went outside, she saw Mengzi and his friends playing school. Xiao Mei gave Mengzi a mock exam like the one she had taken in class.

His mother smiled and said, “Mengzi, these are the things that you should do.”

“Yes, Mama, you’re right. And I want to be the best at this game!” replied Mengzi.

Even though Mengzi’s mother did not have a lot of money, she led him to a future of wisdom and knowledge, because a mother’s love has no limits.

The End

Question: Why wasn’t Mengzi’s mother happy with their second home?

核心词汇

tight adj. 紧的

bundle n. 包裹，包袱

cemetery n. 墓地

fence n. 篱笆

boast v. 自吹自擂

bun n. 小面包

marker n.标志物

bow v. 鞠躬

pretend to do sth 假装做某事

spare v. 用不着，省掉

spot v. 发觉，辨认

dash v. 猛冲，飞奔

rag n.破布，碎布

shave v. 剃……的胡须

razor n. 剃刀

hut n. 小茅屋

peek v. 偷看，窥视

verse n. 诗句

mock v. 嘲笑

“Goodbye! Goodbye!” Mengzi called, waving to the friends he was leaving behind. “再见了！再见了！”孟子呼喊着，对着他留在身后的小伙伴挥手。本句中he was leaving behind作为定语从句，修饰friends。

以下翻译来自百度翻译：

孟子是一位伟大的中国思想家。但当他还是个小男孩的时候，他的生活就大不一样了。这是他的故事。

“再见！再见！”孟子喊道，向他的朋友们挥手致意。“我要去我的新家了！”他和母亲一起上车，紧紧地抓住他的一小包东西。

孟子感到有点悲伤，但他也为这次新的冒险感到兴奋。

孟子和他的母亲在下一个城镇的墓地附近的一所小房子里安顿下来。他喜欢和他的新朋友捉迷藏。

他发现小明躲在一棵树后面，挨着墓地的栅栏。

蒙自自夸道：“抓住你了！我是这个游戏的高手！”。他靠着篱笆休息，向墓地望去。

“嘿！那个老人在干什么？”孟子问。

小明说：“他在那个记号笔前放了个小面包。”。“鞠躬。”所有的朋友都笑了，假装也这么做。

第二天早饭后，孟子问：“妈妈，我可以多吃一个馒头吗？”

“我们没有多少多余的，”他的母亲回答。但如果你还饿，好吧，“

“再见，妈妈！”蒙子喊道。孟子很兴奋，因为他有一个真正的馒头，笑着跑向墓地。

后来，孟子的母亲走过墓地，发现了孟子。

“蒙子，你在干什么？”她问。

“我在向妈妈鞠躬。我在献我的馒头。”蒙自回答。

“蒙自，你不应该做那些事。那不是我们的地方。我们不认识那些人，”他的母亲解释道。

“但是妈妈，其他人都这么做，”他回答。

孟子的母亲意识到这个社区不适合她的儿子。是时候再次行动了。

“再见！再见！”孟子喊道，向他要离开的朋友们挥手致意。“我要去我的新家了！”

孟子感到有点悲伤，但他也为这次新的冒险感到兴奋。

孟子和他的母亲搬到镇上的市场附近。他喜欢和他的新朋友玩接球游戏。

“明白了，小刘！我在这场比赛中是最棒的！”他自夸道。他和他的朋友们在市场上飞奔。他们停下来，看着商人向购物者打电话。

“鞋子！”鞋匠喊道。“嘿，老兄，我给你的肥脚买了鞋！”

“便宜的布料！”一个女人喊道。“别穿破烂衣服到处走！”

孟子的母亲在买蔬菜的时候听到孟子的声音很惊讶。

“老头，你还没刮胡子。你看起来像一匹马！”蒙自喊道。“清理一下。我有剃须刀要卖，”他假装说。

他的朋友们笑了。

孟子的母亲跑到他跟前。“蒙自，你不应该说那些话！这是粗鲁和错误的。”

“但是妈妈，”孟子回答，“其他人都这么做。”

孟子的母亲意识到，这个社区不适合她的儿子。是时候再次行动了。

“再见！再见！”孟子喊道，向他要离开的朋友们挥手致意。“我要去我的新家了！”

孟子感到有点悲伤，但他也为这次新的冒险感到兴奋。

孟子和母亲搬到学校旁边的一间小屋里。孟子的母亲负担不起送儿子上学的费用。每天，孟子都会从学校门口偷看，或者从敞开的窗户听。他甚至爬到树上看学生们听、学、读、写。孟子没有钱买书写工具，所以他用棍子在地上写字。

孟子和学生们交上了朋友。一个叫小梅的女孩教他一首简单的诗。当孟子把诗弄混时，学生们笑了。但是他们帮助纠正了他。

当孟子的母亲出去时，她看见孟子和他的朋友们在学校玩。小梅给了孟子一个模拟考试，就像她在课堂上参加的考试一样。

妈妈笑着说：“蒙子，这些是你应该做的事情。”

“是的，妈妈，你说得对。我想在这场比赛中做到最好！”蒙自回答。

尽管孟子的母亲没有很多钱，但她带领他走向了智慧和知识的未来，因为母亲的爱是无限的。