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This advanced Chinese lesson is all about mosquitoes. First you will learn an useful Chinese sentence about how to say mosquito bite and anti-mosquito spray, and then you will be introduced a very classic Chinese story about mosquitoes:)

The master of the story telling is 沈复 Shěn Fù, a talented 清 Qing Dynasty writer. I learned 沈复’s Childhood’s records of fun things when I was in middle school, and till now I still have a lovely memory about Shen fu’s curiosity and creativity in dealing with mundane objects. At the end of the lesson, I also wrote a short introduction about Shen Fu’s life and his masterpiece — Six Records of a Floating Life (浮生六記 fú shēng liù jì ) . This article is very interesting and fun, and so I felt it is good to include the full text of Childhood’s records of fun things with my recording at the end of the post for your summer studying.

Based on different abilities of readers, the article of Shen Fu is arranged by the following sections:

1 Chinese text with audio

2 Chinese text with audio and pinyin

3 Annotated Chinese text with pinyin

4 Chinese text with pinyin, English translation and audio

5 Full Chinese text of Childhood’s records of fun things with audio recording

6 Introduction of Shen Fu and his book Six Records of a Floating Life

So, let’s start with my favorite genre of posts – one Chinese sentence a day

Hot mosquito season is upon us. It would be good for Chinese language learners to learn something about these blood sucking and annoying insects and how to protect yourself from them.

Learn Mandarin Chinese – how to say – The child was badly bitten by mosquitoes; he needed to spray some mosquito spray on his body.

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这个小孩被蚊子叮得很惨，他需要在他身体上喷些防蚊液.
zhè ge xiǎo hái bèi wénzi dīng de hěn cǎn , tā xūyào zài tā shēntǐ shàng pēn xiē fáng wén yè .

zhè (这 pronoun, this) ge (个 general measure word) xiǎo (小 adjective, little) hái (孩 noun, child) bèi (被 passive voice marker) wénzi (蚊子 noun, mosquitoes，wén， noun, mosquitoes, zi, a meaningless suffix after certain noun ) dīng (叮 verb, bite) de (得 a particle usually placed after a verb, and before the complement which describes the verb) hěn (很 adverb, really) cǎn (惨 adjective, miserable, terrible or bad) , tā (他 pronoun, he) xūyào (需要 verb, need) zài (在 preposition, on) tā (他 here is tā de for short — his) shēntǐ (身体 noun, body) shàng (上 preposition, on top or upon) pēn (喷 verb, to spray) xiē (些 adjective, some) fáng (防 verb, prevent) wén (蚊 noun, mosquitoes) yè (液 noun, liquid) .

1 Chinese text with audio

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沈复 儿时记趣

余忆童稚时，能张目对日，明察秋毫。见藐小微物，必细察其纹理，故时有物外之趣。

　　夏蚊成雷，私拟作群鹤舞空，心之所向，则或千或百，果然鹤也；昂首观之，项为之
强。又留蚊于素帐中，徐喷以烟，使之冲烟飞鸣，作青云白鹤观；果如鹤唳云端，为之怡然
称快。

2 Chinese text with audio and pinyin

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沈[chén] 复[fù]

儿[ér] 时[shí] 记[jì] 趣[qù]

余[yú] 忆[yì] 童[tóng] 稚[zhì] 时[shí] ，能[néng] 张[zhāng] 目[mù] 对日[duì rì] ，明[míng] 察[chá] 秋[qiū] 毫[háo] 。见[jiàn] 藐[miǎo] 小[xiǎo] 微[wēi] 物[wù] ，必[bì] 细[xì] 察[chá] 其[qí] 纹[wén] 理[lǐ] ，故[gù] 时[shí] 有[yǒu] 物[wù] 外[wài] 之[zhī] 趣[qù] 。

　　夏[xià] 蚊[wén] 成[chéng] 雷[léi] ，私[sī] 拟[nǐ] 作[zuò] 群[qún] 鹤[hè] 舞[wǔ] 空[kōng] ，心[xīn] 之[zhī] 所[suǒ] 向[xiàng] ，则[zé] 或[huò] 千[qiān] 或[huò] 百[bǎi] ，果然[guǒ rán] 鹤[hè] 也[yě] ；昂[áng] 首[shǒu] 观[guān] 之[zhī] ，项[xiàng] 为[wéi] 之[zhī] 强[jiàng ] 。又[yòu] 留[liú] 蚊[wén] 于[yú] 素[sù] 帐[zhàng] 中[zhōng] ，徐[xú] 喷[pēn] 以[yǐ] 烟[yān] ，使[shǐ] 之[zhī] 冲[chōng] 烟[yān] 飞[fēi] 鸣[míng] ，作[zuò] 青[qīng] 云[yún] 白鹤[bái hè] 观[guān] ；果[guǒ] 如[rú] 鹤[hè] 唳[lì] 云[yún] 端[duān] ，为[wéi] 之[zhī] 怡[yí] 然[rán]
称[chèn] 快[kuài] 。

3 Annotated Chinese text with pinyin

沈复[chén fù，author’s name] 儿[ér, noun, child] 时[shí, noun, time] 记[jì, verb, remember or record] 趣[qù, noun, fun or interesting things]

余[yú, classic pronoun, I] 忆[yì, verb, remember] 童[tóng, noun, child] 稚[zhì, adjective, infantile / young ] 时[shí, noun, time] ，能[néng, auxiliary verb, was able to] 张[zhāng, verb, open] 目[mù, noun, eyes] 对[duì, preposition, toward] 日[rì, noun, sun] ，明[míng, adverb, clearly] 察[chá, verb, to observe or to examine] 秋[qiū, autumn, noun,] 毫[háo, noun, tiny hair of birds or animals] 。见[jiàn, verb, see] 藐[miǎo, adjective, small] 小[xiǎo, adjective, small] 微[wēi, adjective, tiny] 物[wù, noun, object] ，必[bì, auxiliary verb, must] 细[xì, adverb, carefully] 察[chá, verb, observe or examine] 其[qí, pronoun, its] 纹[wén, noun, pattern or mark] 理[lǐ, noun, texture or intrinsic order] ，故[gù, conjunction, so] 时[shí, adverb, often] 有[yǒu, verb, have] 物[wù, noun, object] 外[wài, preposition, outside] 之[zhī, particle, the same as 的 de in modern Chinese] 趣[qù, noun, fun] 。

　　夏[xià， noun, summer] 蚊[wén, noun, mosquito] 成[chéng, verb, to become] 雷[léi, noun, thunder] ，私[sī, adverb, personally or privately ] 拟[nǐ, verb, to compare] 作[zuò, verb, to be] 群[qún, noun, flock or group] 鹤[hè, noun, crane] 舞[wǔ, verb, dance] 空[kōng, noun, in the air] ，心[xīn, noun, heart] 之[zhī, particle, same as 的 de] 所[suǒ, interrogative pronoun, where ] 向[xiàng, verb, turn to or lead to ] ，则[zé, conjunction, then] 或[huò, adverb, maybe] 千[qiān, number, thousand] 或[huò, conjunction, or] 百[bǎi, number, hundred] ，果然[guǒ rán, sure enough, as expected] 鹤[hè, noun, crane] 也[yě, particle, final particle implying affirmation ] ；昂[áng, verb, to raise ] 首[shǒu, noun, head] 观[guān, verb, see or observe] 之[zhī, pronoun, it] ，项[xiàng, noun, neck] 为[wéi, conjunction, because] 之[zhī, pronoun, it — watching the mosquitoes for so long] 强[jiàng , adjective, rigid] 。又[yòu, adverb, also] 留[liú, verb, keep] 蚊[wén, noun, mosquitoes] 于[yú, preposition, in] 素[sù, adjective, plain] 帐[zhàng, canopy or tent ] 中[zhōng, preposition, within] ，徐[xú, adverb, slowly] 喷[pēn, verb, to puff or to spray ] 以[yǐ, preposition, with] 烟[yān, noun, smoke] ，使[shǐ, verb, to make] 之[zhī, pronoun, it — the mosquitoes] 冲[chōng, verb, to collide] 烟[yān, noun, smoke] 飞[fēi, verb, to fly] 鸣[míng, to cry ] ，作[zuò, verb, to regard] 青[qīng, color name, blue] 云[yún, noun, clouds] 白[bái, color, white] 鹤 [hè, noun, crane] 观[guān, verb, see] ；果[guǒ, adverb, really] 如[rú, as if, to be like ] 鹤[hè, noun, crane] 唳[lì, verb, to cry] 云[yún, noun, clouds] 端[duān, noun, top] ，为[wéi, conjunction, because] 之[zhī, pronoun, it] 怡[yí, adjective, happy] 然[rán, like this, similar to English -ly] 称[chèn, verb, to claim, to say ] 快[kuài, adjective, happy] 。

4 Chinese text with pinyin, English translation and audio

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沈复
Shěn Fù

儿时记趣
érshíjì qù
Childhood’s records of fun things

余忆童稚时，能张目对日，明察秋毫。见藐小微物，必细察其纹理，故时有物外之趣。
Yú yì tóng zhì shí , néng zhāng mù duì rì , míng chá qiū háo . jiàn miǎo Xiǎo Wēi wù , bì xì chá qí wén lǐ , gù shí yǒu wù wài zhī qù .

Google translate for your amusement —
I Yi childish arrogance, perspicacious. See Miaoxiao small items will scrutinize its texture, so the things interesting outside.

My translation —
I remember the time when I was a child. I was able to open my eyes and directly see the sun and was able to observe clearly birds and animals’ autumn grown tiny hairs. When I saw small and tiny things, I had to carefully examine their patterns and textures, thus, sometimes I had some fun beyond the things.

　　夏蚊成雷，私拟作群鹤舞空，心之所向，则或千或百，果然鹤也；昂首观之，项为之
强。又留蚊于素帐中，徐喷以烟，使之冲烟飞鸣，作青云白鹤观；果如鹤唳云端，为之怡然
称快。

Xià wén chéng léi , sī nǐ zuò qún hè wǔ kōng , xīn zhī suǒ xiàng , zé huò qiān huò bǎi , guǒ rán hè yě ；áng shǒu guān zhī , xiàng wèi zhī jiàng . yòu liú wén Yú sù zhàng zhōng , xú pēn yǐ yān , shǐ zhī chōng yān fēi míng , zuò qīng yún bái hè guān ；guǒ rú hè lì yún duān , wèi zhī yí rán chēng kuài .

Another impossible Google translate creation —

Summer mosquitoes into the mine, private intended for the group Tsurumai space to the heart, or one thousand or one hundred, and sure enough the crane; proudly view of items worth Strong. Stay mosquito factors account, Xu spray smoke, make red smoke Feiming for Albatron crane concept; fruit such as dicey for the clouds, whom contend Applause.

My translation —
Summer mosquitoes were buzzing like thunders, and I privately saw them as flocks of cranes dancing in the air. Thus, in the place where my heart led me to, was probably thousands or hundreds, really were cranes. I raised my head to see them, and my neck became rigid for the long period of watching. Also I kept the mosquitoes in the plain tent, and slowly puffed them with smoke to make them collide with the smoke flying and crying to be like watching blue clouds and white cranes. They were really like cranes crying on top of clouds and I was happy and felt pleased.

5 Full Chinese text of Childhood’s records of fun things with audio recording

兒時記趣

作者：沈復

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余憶童稚時，能張目對日，明察秋毫。見藐小微物，必細察其紋理，故時有物外之趣。

夏蚊成雷，私擬作群鶴舞空，心之所向，則或千或百，果然鶴也；昂首觀之，項為之強。又留蚊於素帳中，徐噴以煙，使之沖煙飛鳴，作青雲白鶴觀；果如鶴唳雲端，為之怡然稱快。

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又常於土牆凹凸處、花臺小草叢雜處，蹲其身，使與臺齊；定神細視，以叢草為林，蟲蟻為獸；以土礫凸者為丘，凹者為壑，神遊其中，怡然自得。

一日，見二蟲鬥草間，觀之，興正濃，忽有龐然大物，拔山倒樹而來，蓋一癩蝦蟆也。舌一吐而二蟲盡為所吞。余年幼，方出神，不覺呀然驚恐。神定，捉蝦蟆，鞭數十，驅之別院。

6 Introduction of Shen Fu and his book — Six Records of a Floating Life

Introduction of Six Records of a Floating Life (浮生六記 fú shēng liù jì ) by 沈復 Shen Fu（1763 —1825).

沈復 was a scholar in 清 Qing dynasty, and he was skilled at writing prose, poetry and good on painting too. He did not participate in the imperial examinations, and once sold paintings to make his living. Shen Fu loved his wife, 陈芸 Chen Yun, deeply, but their life went through ups and downs due to family tragedies. After she died, he led an even more miserable and desolate life till he died.

“Six Records of a Floating Life” is a masterpiece of story telling about Shen Fu’s life in 18th century China. Shen Fu recorded his memoirs in Six records, but now we only have four of them — “The Joys of the Wedding Chamber” (闺房记乐 guīfáng jì lè) about his love for 陈芸 Chen Yun, his wife; “The Pleasures of Leisure” (闲情记趣 xián qíng jì qù ) about his hobbies of gardening, painting and keeping house; “The Sorrows of Misfortune” (坎坷记愁 kǎnkě jì chóu ) about his sentiment of losing his father and Yun, and “The Delights of Roaming Afar” (浪游记快 làng yóu jì kuài ) about his travel experiences in many places in China. The Childhood’s records of fun things comes from “The Pleasures of Leisure”.

This book has been translated into many languages. The earliest English translation was done by the prominent modern Chinese scholar 林語堂 Lin Yutang (October 10, 1895 – March 26, 1976).

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