Chinese story-Buy the casket and return the pearl-mai du huan zhu-买椟还珠

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Do you want to learn Chinese through stories? Here is a story named-Buy the casket and return the pearl. Have you ever heard it before? Let's take a look.

There was a merchant from the state of Chu. He had a very beautiful pearl. 
有一个来自楚国的商人,他有一颗非常漂亮的珍珠。
yǒu  yī  gè  lái  zì  chǔ  guó  de  shāng  rén,tā  yǒu  yī  kē  fēi  cháng  piào  liang  de  zhēn  zhū。

In order to get a good price for the pearl, he decided to make a beautiful box for the pearl.
为了能把珍珠卖个好价钱,他决定为珍珠做一个漂亮的盒子。
 wèi  le  néng  bǎ  zhēn  zhū  mài  gè  hǎo  jià  qian,tā  jué  dìng  wèi  zhēn  zhū  zuò  yī  gè  piào  liang  de  hé  zi。 

The merchant asked a skilled carpenter to make boxes for the pearls. When the box was finished, the carpenter perfumed it with spices.
商人请来手艺高超的木匠为珍珠做盒子。盒子的做好后,木匠用香料把它熏得香气扑鼻。
shāng  rén  qǐng  lái  shǒu  yì  gāo  chāo  de  mù  jiàng  wèi  zhēn  zhū  zuò  hé  zi。hé  zi  de  zuò  hǎo  hòu,mù  jiàng  yòng  xiāng  liào  bǎ  tā  xùn  de  xiāng  qì  pū  bí  。

After the incense was smoked, the carpenter decorated the box again, making it immediately beautiful and unique.
熏完香后,木匠又对盒子进行装饰,让这个盒子立刻变得精美绝伦,与众不同。
 xùn  wán  xiāng  hòu,mù  jiàng  yòu  duì  hé  zi  jìn  xíng  zhuāng  shì,ràng  zhè  ge  hé  zi  lì  kè  biàn  de  jīng  měi  jué  lún,yú  zhòng  bù  tóng。

The merchant took the box, carefully placed the pearl inside, and carried the box quickly to the market.
商人拿过盒子,小心翼翼地将珍珠放进去,抱着盒子快步走向市场。
shāng  rén  ná  guò  hé  zi,xiǎo  xīn  yì  yì  de  jiāng  zhēn  zhū  fàng  jìn  qù,bào  zhe  hé  zi  kuài  bù  zǒu  xiàng  shì  chǎng。  

As soon as the merchant took the box out, people in the market were attracted by its beautiful appearance and aroma.
商人把盒子一拿出来,市场上的人就被盒子美丽的外表和香气吸引了。
shāng  rén  bǎ  hé  zi  yī  ná  chū  lái,shì  chǎng  shàng  de  rén  jiù  bèi  hé  zi  měi  lì  de  wài  biǎo  hé  xiāng  qì  xī  yǐn  le。

At this time, a man from the State of Zheng in the crowd took the box from the merchant's hand, looked around lovingly, and finally bought it at a high price.
这时,人群中的一个郑国人从商人手中拿过盒子,爱不释手地左看右看,终于出高价买了下来。
zhè  shí,rén  qún  zhōng  de  yī  gè  zhèng  guó  rén  cóng  shāng  rén  shǒu  zhōng  ná  guò  hé  zi,ài  bù  shì  shǒu  de  zuǒ  kàn  yòu  kàn,zhōng  yú  chū  gāo  jià  mǎi  le  xià  lái  。
  
However, the man of the State of Zheng didn't go a few steps with the box, then he came back suddenly. The merchant thought the people of the State of Zheng regretted it.
可是,郑国人拿着盒子没走几步,突然又走了回来。商人以为郑国人后悔了。
kě  shì  ,  zhèng  guó  rén  ná  zhe  hé  zi  méi  zǒu  jǐ  bù  ,  tū  rán  yòu  zǒu  le  huí  lái  。  shāng  rén  yǐ  wéi  zhèng  guó  rén  hòu  huǐ  le  。
  
However, the man of the State of Zheng took out the pearls in the box and gave them to the merchant. Then he took the box and left while admiring it.
可谁知,郑国人拿出盒子里的珍珠递给商人,然后拿着盒子,一边欣赏一边走了。
 kě  shuí  zhī  ,  zhèng  guó  rén  ná  chū  hé  zi  li  de  zhēn  zhū  dì  gěi  shāng  rén  ,  rán  hòu  ná  zhe  hé  zi  ,  yī  biān  xīn  shǎng  yī  biān  zǒu  le  。  

The merchant was very embarrassed with the returned pearls. Unexpectedly, the exquisite box in the eyes of others is more than the value of the pearl.
商人拿着被退回的珍珠尴尬极了。没想到,精美的盒子在别人眼里竟然超过了珍珠的价值。
shāng  rén  ná  zhe  bèi  tuì  huí  de  zhēn  zhū  gān  gà  jí  le  。  méi  xiǎng  dào  ,  jīng  měi  de  hé  zi  zài  bié  rén  yǎn  li  jìng  rán  chāo  guò  le  zhēn  zhū  de  jià  zhí  。  

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