Upper-Intermediate - How to Weigh an Elephant (D1758) A:

mama, gei wo jiang gushi ba. ` Mom, tell me a story.

B:
` hao, na mama gei n jiang y ge congming de xiaohair cheng ` ` ` daxiang de gushi. ` OK. Mommy will tell you a story about a smart little child who weighed an elephant.

A:
` ` cheng daxiang? Weighed an elephant?

B:
` ` ` ng, cheng y tou daxiang y duo zhong. n juede y` z ou ao en me cheng? Yep. He weighed an elephant to see how heavy it was. How do you think he weighed it?

A:
u ` ` ` ` ` wo b` zhdao. daxiang tai da le. mama n kuai jiang. ` I dont know. Elephants are really big. Tell me quick, mom!

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B:
hao. kaish la! OK. Here it goes!

B:

` ` ` Cao Cao de xiaoerzi jiao Cao Chong, zai ta wuliu su` de ` ` ` shhou, y en gei ta baba Cao Cao song lai le y tou da our ` xiang. Cao Cao hen gaox`ng, jiu dai zhe Cao Chong he ` ` ` ` wenwubaiguan yq qu kan. Cao Caos son was named Cao Chong. When he was ve or six years old, someone gave his father an elephant. Cao Cao was really happy. He brought Cao Chong and all of his ministers to see it.

B:
` ` ` daxiang y` gao y` da, tu jiu xiang gongdian de zhuzi you ou ` ` ` ` ou ` ` ud ` ` ` y` ang cu, zu` gao de ren z guoqu, hai b` ao daxiang de duzi. ` The elephant was both tall and large. Its legs were as thick as the palaces pillars. The tallest person could stand next to it and not even come up to its belly.

B:

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 ` ` ` ` ` ` ` u ` Cao Cao wen dajia: zhe tou daxiang zheme da, b` zhdao ` ou ` a y duo zhong? shei y banf chengycheng? ou Cao Cao asked everyone: This elephant is so big and we dont know how heavy it is. Who knows of a way to measure its weight?

B:
` dachenmen f en y`lun qlai. enf ` The ministers all had varying ideas on what to do.

B:

` ` ` ` y ge ren shuo: na dei zao y gan da cheng! ` One person said: We must build a huge scale!

B:
` ` ` ` l`ng ygeren mashang f o shuo: na dei zao duo da de anb ` ` ` ` ` ` ` cheng cai xng? zai shuo, jiusuan zao le da cheng, y meie y banf cheng ta. zhneng ba ta zai le, f cheng y kuai ou ` a en ` y kuai de lai cheng. ` Another person immediately disagreed, saying: Then how big of a scale should we build? Whats more, even if we build a large scale, we still wont be able to measure it. The only way well be able to measure it is if we butcher it and cut it into measurable pieces.

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B:
` ` a, dachenmen xiang le hen duo banf dou xngbutong. The ministers thought of many different methods, but none of them were feasible.

B:

` ` ` ou ` ` a. zheshhou, Cao Chong shuo: baba, wo y y ge banf zhy` zhunbei y tiao chuan he y du shtou jiu xng le. ao ` ` ` ` a ranhou ba banf du` Cao Cao shuo le y bian. Cao Cao tng ` ` ` ` ` le hahadaxiao, gankuai jiaoren qu zhunbei. ranhou du` da ` ` ` ` ` ` chenmen shuo: z zanmen qu hebian kan cheng xiang ou, ` qu. ` Around this time, Cao Chong said: Dad, I have a way. All you need is a boat and a pile of stones. He then told his father his solution. Upon hearing the solution, Cao Cao roared with laughter, then told everyone to go get ready quickly. He told the ofcials, Lets go to the riverside and watch the elephant get weighed.

B:

` dachenmen kaish hai gaobuqng sh` z enme y hu sh`, kan ` ` ` eile Cao Chong cheng xiang, lianlian jiaohao. Cao Cao f ` ` chang dey`, gengjia chong ai Cao Chong le.
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At rst, the ministers couldnt guess what was going to happen, but after seeing Cao Chong measure the elephant, they all began to applaud him one after another. Cao Cao was extremely proud of Cao Chong and doted upon him even more after that.

A:
enme cheng xiang ne? ` mama, y` ong shtou he chuan z Mom, how do you weigh an elephant with stones and a boat?

B:
ao mama juede n b Cao Chong xiaopengyou hai y` cong ming, n xian z`j xiang yi xiang hao ma? Mommy believes youre even smarter than Cao Chong. You think about it a bit rst, OK?

Key Vocabulary cheng ` ` daxiang Cao Cao Cao Chong to weigh elephant Cao Cao (name) Cao Chong (name)

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 tou wenwubaiguan ` gongdian zhuzi ` gan ` cheng f o anb ` zao cai jiusuan ` ` zai xngbutong du gaobuqng lianlian

[measure word] all ministers palace pillar [measure word] scale to disagree to make only then even if to butcher not feasible a pile to be unclear continuously

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 ` chong ai ` jiaohao dey` f en enf y`lun ` Supplementary Vocabulary

to dote on to applaud be proud of oneself one by one to discuss

` chengxiang any` Sanguoy

Prime Minister Romance of the Three Kingdoms general gifted both intellectually and physically gifted in handling both military and civilian affairs Buckingham Palace

jiangjun nengwen nengwu wenwu shuangquan

` Baijnhan gong f ersaigong an `

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Versailles
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Gugong ` Baigong ` jianzhu ` w` aodaaiji ` chen

Forbidden City the White House architecture foreign secretary, foreign minister

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