HSK 4 6 The Legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl Learn Chinese Through Stories learnchinese

Today we’re going to tell a beautiful Chinese story This tale is known as Cowherd and Weaver Girl It’s a story about love and also a story about the stars The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has been passed down in China for countless years Every Chinese person knows this tale Yes this story teaches us that true love can overcome any hardship Alright let's begin telling this story Long long ago there was a little boy named Niulang Niulang was a pitiful child His parents had both passed away Niulang had no choice but to live with his older brother and sister-in-law But his brother and sister-in-law treated him very poorly his sister-in-law made Niu Lang do countless chores and Niu Lang had to herd the ox every day —herding meant leading the ox to graze on grass Every morning the Cowherd would rise and take his ox up the mountain He was lonely with only an old ox for company This old ox was special—it was no ordinary ox but a divine beast A divine ox possesses miraculous powers This divine ox is very intelligent and also kind-hearted One day the ox spoke to the cowherd The cowherd was astonished for oxen cannot speak God Ox said Cowherd you're lonely I'll help you find a wife A wife is a woman you marry The Cowherd was delighted but also puzzled Puzzled means not understanding The cowherd asked me "How poor am I—who would ever marry me " The divine ox replied "Tomorrow night go to the lakeside and you'll find some fairy maidens bathing " "Fairies are beautiful women who live in the heavens gifted with magical powers " The divine ox continued speaking: You must take one of the garments the pink one The Cowherd asked why he had to take the garment The divine ox explained that the fairies' clothes were magical and without them they could not fly back to heaven The cowherd understood that if the fairy could not return to heaven she would stay on earth The next evening the cowherd came to the lake hiding behind a tree to quietly wait Soon seven beautiful fairies flew down from the sky descending like birds The fairies took off their clothes and jumped into the lake to bathe playing and splashing joyfully in the water Playing and frolicking is simply joyful fun The fairies' laughter rang out clear and bright like silver bells The Cowherd spotted the pink dress It was more beautiful than any other garment The cowherd quietly approached and took the pink dress A little later the fairy maidens finished bathing and prepared to return to heaven putting on their own garments But there was a fairy who couldn't find her clothes—she was the Weaver Girl The Weaver Girl was the granddaughter of the Queen Mother The Queen Mother was the queen of heaven Zhinü was frantic without her clothes she couldn't return to heaven The other fairies were also worried But they had to go back They couldn't stay on earth too long The fairies flew away Only Zhi Nu remained by the lake Zhi Nu sat by the lake weeping She didn't know what to do Just then Niulang stepped out from behind the trees Holding Zhi Nu's clothes in his hands Zhinü was frightened when she saw Niu Lang and asked "Who are you Why are you holding my clothes " Niu Lang replied "My name is Niu Lang I took your clothes because I wanted to be your friend " The Weaver Girl angrily said "Give me back my clothes I have to return to heaven " The Cowherd replied "Please don't be mad I'm so lonely I just want a friend " The cowherd continued "If you're willing you can come live at my place—I'll take good care of you " The weaver girl looked at the cowherd his eyes were sincere and kind Sincerity means honesty—never lying Zhinü felt that Niulang was a good man After thinking for a moment she said "Alright I can stay at your place for a few days " Niulang was delighted and returned Zhinü's clothes to her Zhinü put on her clothes and followed Niu Lang back to his home which was simple but clean and she felt a warm sense of comfort there Warmth isn't just about temperature—it's about feeling comfortable and safe From that day on the Weaver Girl lived in Niu Lang's home Every day the cowherd went to tend his ox while the Weaver Girl stayed at home weaving cloth—weaving meant turning thread into fabric and the Weaver Girl was exceptionally skilled at it The fabric he wove was more beautiful than the clouds in the sky At night when Niu Lang returned home Zhinü would cook for him They ate together and chatted and the cowherd felt truly happy—happiness was simply the feeling of deep joy and contentment in one's heart The Weaver Girl also felt happy she had never known such a peaceful life before Peace means calmness without worries or troubles Gradually the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl fell in love To fall in love means two people deeply like each other and desire to live together They decided to get married—marriage means becoming partners in life Their wedding was simple with only the priest attending But they were happy because they had each other’s love—each other means mutual affection After their marriage Niulang and Zhinü lived a happy life Niulang farmed in the fields while Zhinü wove cloth at home Farming means growing plants like rice and wheat on the land helping and caring for one another Soon the weaver girl gave birth to two children A boy and a girl The boy was named Jin Ge and the girl was named Yu Mei They were both very adorable The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl became even happier for they now had a complete family—complete meaning nothing was missing But the happy days didn't last long—continued means kept going—and when the Queen Mother in heaven realized that Zhi Nu was missing she became furious and sent heavenly soldiers to search for her The Heavenly Soldiers are celestial warriors with great power they found Niu Lang's home and saw Zhinü together with Niu Lang The Queen Mother herself descended to the mortal world and said to the Weaver Girl "How could you marry a mortal Mortals are ordinary people without any magical powers " Zhinü said "I love Niulang we are so happy Please let me stay here " The Queen Mother replied "No you are a celestial maiden and cannot be with a mortal " The Queen Mother used magic to seize Zhinü magic is a mysterious power Zhinü was taken back to heaven and she was heartbroken crying endlessly When Niulang saw his wife being taken he too was devastated The two children were crying calling for their mother Seeing this the Sacred Ox said to the Cowherd "I will help you " The Ox said that after I die you should make a garment from my hide the Ox continued once you wear this garment you'll be able to fly up to the heavens to find the Weaver Girl Niu Lang was heartbroken He didn't want the Sacred Ox to die but the Sacred Ox said this was the only way— I am willing to sacrifice myself for sacrifice means giving up one's life for others The ox had died and the Cowherd following its instructions made a garment from the ox's hide The Cowherd put on the ox-hide garment took the two children in his arms and soared into the sky They flew higher and higher until they finally reached heaven The Cowherd saw the Weaver Girl and she was overjoyed to see him and the children But the Queen Mother found out about the Cowherd and she became furious The Queen Mother took out a golden hairpin—a decorative accessory women use to style their hair—and with it she drew a line across the sky Suddenly a great river appeared in the sky separating Niulang and Zhinü so they could no longer meet This river is called the Milky Way—the very streak of stars we see in the night sky The Cowherd was one side of the river the Weaver Girl on the other they could only gaze at each other across the water unable to be together That means something is blocking the middle The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were both heartbroken crying every day Their two children also longed for their mother Their tears moved every magpie Magpies are a type of bird whose calls are melodious the magpies decided to help Niu Lang and Zhi Nu Every year on July 7th all the magpies fly up to the Milky Way and use their bodies to form a bridge This bridge is called the Magpie Bridge—“magpie” refers to the bird known as the magpie—and it allows the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to meet upon it But they can meet only once a year on the evening of July 7th when they reunite on the Magpie Bridge "Reunion" means meeting If it rains on this day people say it is the Weaver Girl's tears for she weeps when they part if the weather is clear they say it is the joyful laughter of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl Clear skies mean a cloudless crisp sky Since then every July 7th has become a special day This day is called Qixi Festival China's Valentine's Day Valentine's Day is a festival for lovers to celebrate their love On the night of the Qixi Festival people gaze at the stars in the sky Vega and Altair located on opposite sides of the Milky Way They say that if you listen closely you can hear the voices of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl on this day young girls pray which means making wishes to the deities They prayed to find husbands as good as the Cowherd for a husband is a woman's husband They also prayed to be as skilled and clever as the Weaver Girl—“skilled and clever” meaning both intelligent and adept with their hands The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl teaches us many lessons first true love is incredibly precious—precious meaning something of great value and rare occurrence Second love requires persistence—meaning never giving up and continuously striving Third love sometimes faces challenges but if two people truly love each other no difficulty can keep them apart True love means genuine honesty Although the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are separated by the Milky Way their hearts remain together forever—forever meaning never ending This story also teaches us that family is important After having children Niu Lang and Zhi Nu cherished each other even more—cherishing means valuing deeply and caring for someone tenderly—and they were willing to endure any hardship for the sake of their family To endure means tolerate to accept this story also teaches us that kind-hearted people will receive help The cowherd was kind-hearted so the celestial ox helped him the Weaver Girl was kind-hearted so the magpies helped her kindness means having a good heart and a willingness to help others In Chinese culture the story of Niulang and Zhinü holds great significance culture is a nation's traditions and customs This story has influenced many Chinese people's views on love—love perspectives being their attitudes and beliefs about romance Chinese people believe true love should be like that of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl enduring hardships and persevering no matter what Holding on until the end means never giving up and even today many young people in China still believe in this story—they celebrate it with their lovers on the Qixi Festival Lovers are two people who love each other and exchange gifts to express their affection Expressing love means verbally stating or demonstrating one's feelings through actions Some people propose marriage on this day as proposing means asking someone to marry them and some even get married because they believe it's an auspicious day—auspicious meaning good fortune and happiness The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has inspired numerous artistic adaptations where new works are created based on the original tale Opera film and novels—opera is a traditional Chinese performing art These works have introduced more people to this beautiful story and the tale of Niulang and Zhinv is very useful when learning Chinese This story contains many fundamental Chinese vocabulary words which are the most important and commonly used terms For example family love marriage children—these are all words frequently used in everyday life Everyday life means ordinary daily existence and this story also incorporates many elements of Chinese culture For example filial piety kindness and perseverance—filial piety means being good to one's parents and listening to their advice These are qualities deeply valued by Chinese people—qualities that reflect a person's character traits Through this story we can gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture where "understanding" means truly comprehending and grasping the meaning We can also learn many useful Chinese expressions as expression refers to the way we speak or write such as love separation and longing To separate means to part and to miss means to long for—these words are commonly used in Chinese Mastering these words will improve our Chinese and the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is more than just a legend Legends are stories passed down from ancient times reflecting the Chinese people's understanding of love and family To reflect means to show or express and it also reveals Chinese people's values—values being the beliefs about what is important and what is right In Chinese culture love is believed to entail loyalty meaning steadfast devotion and unwavering faithfulness moreover family is considered more important than the individual The cowherd was willing to risk flying up to heaven for his family 冒险 means doing something dangerous The weaver girl was willing to give up her heavenly life for her family to give up means to let go to abandon These reflect the Chinese people's concept of family where "reflect" means to manifest or show and "concept of family" refers to one's views and attitudes toward family The world is changing rapidly now but the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl remains popular —still always and yet—because love and family will always be humanity's most important values Humans are all people regardless of how times change people have always needed love and eras are simply different periods in history Everyone needs someone to care someone to be with—being with someone is the essence of companionship The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl gives us hope Hope is nothing but a beautiful anticipation for the future He told us that true love exists and that existence itself has real meaning he also told us that love can overcome anything Victory means overcoming obstacles—no force not even the Queen Mother's interference can truly separate two people in love Obstruction means to hinder or block for their hearts are forever united United means joined together and inseparable This is the power of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl story He gives people courage inspiring them to believe in love—courage is the spirit to face difficulties without fear Believing something means regarding it as true on the journey of learning Chinese this story serves as excellent material and material is precisely what we use for learning— it not only aids in mastering the language but also helps us understand Chinese culture and thought Thoughts are ideas and concepts such learning is meaningful meaning valuable and useful Since language and culture are inseparable inseparable means they cannot be divided Mastering Chinese requires understanding Chinese culture and understanding Chinese culture begins with stories like that of Niulang and Zhinü—a perfect starting point Starting is the first step Hopefully everyone can learn a great deal from this story—learning is gaining knowledge And I hope everyone can find their own love—true love the kind that belongs to someone special like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl loving each other with all their hearts Forever united like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl—this is the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl we’ve shared today Thank you for listening and we’ll see you next time