端午节的来历 · The Origin of Dragon Boat Festival
Duānwǔjié de Láilì — Why people race dragon boats and eat zongzi every fifth lunar month.
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Every word shows its pinyin above the characters. The English translation follows each line.
端午节在农历五月初五。
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
传说这个节日是为了纪念古代爱国诗人屈原。
It is said this holiday is to commemorate Qu Yuan, an ancient patriotic poet.
屈原在国家灭亡时,悲愤地投入汨罗江。
When his country fell, Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River out of grief.
当地百姓听说后,划着船去寻找他。
When the local people heard, they paddled boats to look for him.
为了不让鱼伤害他的身体,人们把米投入江中。
To prevent fish from harming his body, they threw rice into the river.
这两件事后来演变成赛龙舟和吃粽子的风俗。
These two acts later evolved into dragon boat racing and eating zongzi.
今天,端午节早已不仅是纪念,更成了文化认同的象征。
Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is no longer just memorial — it has become a symbol of cultural identity.
屈原是战国时期楚国的大臣。
Qu Yuan was a minister of the state of Chu in the Warring States period.
他主张联合抗秦,却被小人陷害,遭到流放。
He argued for an alliance against Qin, but was framed by petty men and exiled.
流放期间,他写下了《离骚》等不朽的诗篇。
During his exile he wrote Li Sao and other imperishable poems.
那些诗至今仍是中国文学的高峰。
Those poems remain a summit of Chinese literature to this day.
秦军攻破楚国都城那年,他终于绝望了。
The year the Qin army broke the Chu capital, he despaired at last.
五月初五那天,他抱着石头走进了江水。
On the fifth day of the fifth month, he walked into the river holding a stone.
今天的赛龙舟已经成了一项国际比赛。
Dragon boat racing today has become an international sport.
鼓声一响,几十个人的桨同时落水。
The drum sounds, and dozens of oars strike the water at once.
粽子的口味南北不同,北方多甜,南方多咸。
Zongzi taste different north and south — the north mostly sweet, the south mostly salty.
为了甜粽还是咸粽,人们每年都要争论一次。
Sweet zongzi or salty — people have the same argument once a year.
一个两千多年前的故事,就这样活到了今天。
A story from over two thousand years ago has lived on to today just like that.
Vocabulary in this story (132 words)
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 端午节 | Duānwǔjié | Dragon Boat Festival |
| 在 | zài | on |
| 农历 | nónglì | lunar calendar |
| 五月 | wǔyuè | fifth month |
| 初五 | chūwǔ | fifth day |
| 传说 | chuánshuō | legend says |
| 这个 | zhège | this |
| 节日 | jiérì | holiday |
| 是 | shì | is |
| 为了 | wèile | in order to |
| 纪念 | jìniàn | commemorate |
| 古代 | gǔdài | ancient |
| 爱国 | àiguó | patriotic |
| 诗人 | shīrén | poet |
| 屈原 | Qū Yuán | Qu Yuan |
| 国家 | guójiā | nation |
| 灭亡 | mièwáng | perished |
| 时 | shí | at the time |
| 悲愤 | bēifèn | in grief and rage |
| 地 | de | (adverbial) |
| 投入 | tóurù | jumped into |
| 汨罗江 | Mìluó Jiāng | Miluo River |
| 当地 | dāngdì | local |
| 百姓 | bǎixìng | people |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | hearing |
| 后 | hòu | after |
| 划 | huá | paddled |
| 着 | zhe | (continuous) |
| 船 | chuán | boats |
| 去 | qù | to |
| 寻找 | xúnzhǎo | search for |
| 他 | tā | him |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 让 | ràng | let |
| 鱼 | yú | fish |
| 伤害 | shānghài | harm |
| 的 | de | (of) |
| 身体 | shēntǐ | body |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 把 | bǎ | (disposal) |
| 米 | mǐ | rice |
| 投 | tóu | threw |
| 入 | rù | into |
| 江中 | jiāng zhōng | the river |
| 这 | zhè | these |
| 两 | liǎng | two |
| 件 | jiàn | (measure) |
| 事 | shì | things |
| 后来 | hòulái | later |
| 演变成 | yǎnbiàn chéng | evolved into |
| 赛龙舟 | sài lóngzhōu | dragon boat racing |
| 和 | hé | and |
| 吃 | chī | eating |
| 粽子 | zòngzi | zongzi |
| 风俗 | fēngsú | customs |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 早 | zǎo | already |
| 已 | yǐ | long since |
| 不仅 | bùjǐn | not only |
| 更 | gèng | more |
| 成 | chéng | became |
| 了 | le | (past) |
| 文化 | wénhuà | cultural |
| 认同 | rèntóng | identity |
| 象征 | xiàngzhēng | symbol |
| 战国时期 | Zhànguó shíqī | the Warring States period |
| 楚国 | Chǔ guó | the state of Chu's |
| 大臣 | dàchén | a minister |
| 主张 | zhǔzhāng | argued for |
| 联合 | liánhé | allying |
| 抗秦 | kàng Qín | against Qin |
| 却 | què | yet |
| 被 | bèi | was |
| 小人 | xiǎorén | petty men |
| 陷害 | xiànhài | framed by |
| 遭到 | zāodào | and suffered |
| 流放 | liúfàng | exile |
| 流放期间 | liúfàng qījiān | during his exile |
| 写下 | xiě xià | wrote |
| 离骚 | Lí Sāo | Li Sao |
| 等 | děng | and others |
| 不朽 | bùxiǔ | imperishable |
| 诗篇 | shīpiān | poems |
| 那些 | nàxiē | those |
| 诗 | shī | poems |
| 至今 | zhìjīn | to this day |
| 仍 | réng | still |
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | Chinese |
| 文学 | wénxué | literature's |
| 高峰 | gāofēng | a summit |
| 秦军 | Qín jūn | the Qin army |
| 攻破 | gōngpò | broke |
| 都城 | dūchéng | capital |
| 那年 | nà nián | the year |
| 终于 | zhōngyú | at last |
| 绝望 | juéwàng | despaired |
| 五月初五 | wǔ yuè chū wǔ | the fifth of the fifth month |
| 那天 | nà tiān | on that day |
| 抱 | bào | holding |
| 石头 | shítou | a stone |
| 走进 | zǒu jìn | walked into |
| 江水 | jiāngshuǐ | the river |
| 已经 | yǐjīng | has already |
| 一项 | yí xiàng | an |
| 国际 | guójì | international |
| 比赛 | bǐsài | competition |
| 鼓声 | gǔ shēng | the drum sound |
| 一响 | yì xiǎng | once it sounds |
| 几十个人 | jǐshí ge rén | dozens of people's |
| 桨 | jiǎng | oars |
| 同时 | tóngshí | at once |
| 落水 | luò shuǐ | strike the water |
| 口味 | kǒuwèi | flavor |
| 南北 | nán běi | north and south |
| 不同 | bùtóng | differs |
| 北方 | běifāng | the north |
| 多甜 | duō tián | mostly sweet |
| 南方 | nánfāng | the south |
| 多咸 | duō xián | mostly salty |
| 甜粽 | tián zòng | sweet zongzi |
| 还是 | háishi | or |
| 咸粽 | xián zòng | salty zongzi |
| 每年 | měi nián | every year |
| 都要 | dōu yào | must |
| 争论 | zhēnglùn | argue |
| 一次 | yí cì | once |
| 一个 | yí ge | a |
| 两千多年前 | liǎng qiān duō nián qián | from over two thousand years ago |
| 故事 | gùshi | story |
| 就这样 | jiù zhèyàng | just like that |
| 活 | huó | has lived |
| 到 | dào | until |