留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 (Liú dé qīngshān zài, búpà méi chái shāo) Where There is Life, There is Hope (Intermediate)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
长大 (zhǎngdà): v to grow up
富裕 (fùyù): adj rich
In ancient times, there was an old man who used “木材 (mùcái) wood” to make “木炭(mùtàn) charcoal.” He had two sons, one named Qing Shan and the other named Hong Shan. Before his death, he gave the east side of their mountain to Qing Shan and the west to Hong Shan as a will.
The west was wooded and was able to produce very good charcoal. Hong Shan “勤快(qínkuài) worked hard” to produce charcoal using the woods, so he became quite “富裕 (fùyù) rich.” After several years, Hong Shan planted crops on the mountain since there were no trees left. “意外地 (yìwàide) Unexpectedly,” a “暴风雨 (bàofēngyǔ) storm” washed away all his crops, and he had nothing to eat. Then he went to the east side of the mountain to ask for help from his elder brother.
East Mountain was sparsely wooded; however, Qing Shan had his side of the mountain well organized. He used bad “树 (shù) trees” on the mountain to produce charcoal, and then planted new trees. At the same time, he “饲养 (sìyǎng) raised” animals and reclaimed “荒地 (huāngdì) wasteland” on the foot of the mountain. He was rather poor in the beginning, but several years later, small trees started “长大 (zhǎngdà) growing up,” and his crops weren’t damaged by the heavy storm because of the “保护 (bǎohù) protection” from the forest. His brother explained to Hong Shan: “If one lives in the mountain but doesn’t protect it, he/ she will be doomed. By protecting the mountain first, you can enjoy a good 生活 (shēnghuó) life later on.”
Later, people “称赞 (chēngzàn) commended” Qing Shan and said: “留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 (Liú dé qīngshān zài, búpà méi chái shāo) Where there is life, there is hope.”
Key Learning Points:
长大 (zhǎngdà): v to grow up
The character “长 (zhǎng)” means to grow here and “大 (dà)” means big.
Example:
Lìlì suīrán zài chéngshì zhǎngdà, dànshì tā xǐhuan xiāngcūn níngjìng de shēnghuó.
莉莉 虽然 在 城 市 长 大， 但是 她 喜欢 乡村 宁 静 的 生活。
Lily grew up in the city, but she preferred the peaceful life of the countryside.
富裕 (fùyù): adj rich
The characters “富 (fù)” and “裕 (yù)” both mean rich. “贫困 (pínkùn)” is antonym of “富裕 (fùyù) rich.” “贫(pín)” and “困 (kùn)” here both mean poor.
Example:
A: Wǒmen gébì de nàge lǎorén hěn fùyù!
我们 隔壁 的 那个 老人 很 富裕！
The old man next door is quite rich.
B: Duì ya, zhèshì tā yīngdé de, tā niánqīng shí hěn nǔlì.
对 呀，这是 他 应得 的，他 年轻 时 很 努力。
Yes, he deserves it since he worked hard when he was young.
生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary
柴 (chái): n firewood
保护 (bǎohù): n protection
饲养 (sìyǎng): v to raise
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