Running from Home 离家出走

This is one of the many short stories, each with a life lesson for Chinese primary school children, found in this book entitled “Small Stories, Big Lessons”, published in November 2008. The book is also suitable for foreigners wanting to learn Mandarin using the Hanyu Pinyin phonetic system.

这是2008年11月出版的《小故事，大道里》一书中的众多短篇小说之一，每篇都是给中国小学生的人生课。这本书也适合想用汉语拼音学习普通话的外国人。

Let us read the text in the hanyu pinyin version slowly and at the same time, we shall learn some new Chinese words on our way.

让我们慢慢读汉语拼音版的课文，同时翻译课文，边走边解释。

Section # 1: Táotáo guò shēngrì shí, 淘淘过生日时， bàba māmā, 爸爸妈妈，yéyé nǎinai, 爷爷奶奶，shūshu āyí 叔叔阿姨 gěi táo táo 给淘淘 mǎile 买了 hěnduō 很多 wánjù 玩具.

淘淘过生日时，爸爸妈妈， 爷爷奶奶， 叔叔阿姨给淘淘买了很多玩具。

On Taotao’s birthday, his parents, grandparents, uncle and auntie bought him a lot of toys to play.

Vocabulary: (1) Táotáo (淘淘) is the nickname of the boy. A Chinese name normally has three syllabuses, the first depicting the surname, and the other two the given name by the parents. In this case the name 淘 is the last name of the boy and 淘 means ‘scour’.

(2) 生日 shēngrì - birthday. 过生日 guò shēngrì - celebrating a birthday.

(3) 爷爷奶奶 yéyé nǎinai These two names refer to the grandparents on the father’s side. The grandparents on the mother’s side are called 公公婆婆 gōnggōng pópo.

(4) 很多 hěnduō - a lot; heaps. 玩具 wánjù - play things; toys.

Section # 2:  Táotáo shìgè wánpí de háizi. 淘淘是个顽皮的孩子。 Tā bù àixī wánjù, 他不爱惜玩具，jīngcháng bǎ wánjù nòng diào gē bó hé tuǐ.  经常把玩具弄掉胳博和腿。 Wánjùmen yīgè gè dou chéngle cánjí, 玩具们一个个都成了残疾，  bèi táo táo réng zài jiǎoluò lǐ.  被淘淘仍在角落里。  

淘淘是个顽皮的孩子。他不爱惜玩具，经常把玩具弄掉胳博和腿。玩具们一个个都成了残疾，被淘淘仍在角落里。

Taotao is a naughty boy. He does not care about his toys. Often, he pulls the parts of his toys hard and destroys their arms and their legs. Almost all of his toys become disabled. Then he ignores them and leave them in a corner of his room.

Vocabulary: (5) wánpí de háizi 顽皮的孩子 - naughty 顽皮 child 孩子.

(6) bù àixī 不爱惜 - not loving, not caring. wánjù 玩具 - toys; play things.

(7) jīngcháng 经常 - often; constantly.

(8) nòng diào gē bó hé tuǐ 弄掉胳博和腿 - take off the arms and legs.

(9) dou chéngle cánjí 都成了残疾 - become disabled.

(10) réng zài jiǎoluò lǐ 仍在角落里 - thrown into a corner.

Section # 3: Wánjù juédìng líkāi Táotáo. 玩具决定离开淘淘。 Wánjù ānpái yǒurén dài tāmen líkāi jiā.  玩具安排有人带他们离开家。 Xiànzài Táotáo jiālǐ méiyǒu wánjùle.  现在淘淘家里没有玩具了。

玩具决定离开淘淘. 玩具安排有人带他们离开家. 现在淘淘家里没有玩具了。

The toys decide to leave Taotao. The toys arrange to have someone to take them away from the house. Now Taotao has no toy in his house.

Vocabulary: (11) juédìng 决定 - decide.

(12) líkāi 离开 - move away from.

(13) ānpái 安排 - arrange.

(14) yǒurén 有人 - there are people; dài 带 - lead; tāmen 他们 - them; líkāi jiā. 离开家. - move away from home. jiā 家 - home.

(15) Xiànzài 现在 - now.

(16) jiālǐ 家里 - in the home.

(17) méiyǒu 没有 - do not have.

(18) wánjù 玩具 - toy, toys.

Section # 4: Xiànzài Táotáo hěn shāngxīn, 现在淘淘很伤心，hěn gūdú. 很孤独。Tā xiàng bàba māmā bàoyuàn. 他向爸爸妈妈抱怨。Tā xiàng yéyé nǎinai bàoyuàn. 他向爷爷奶奶抱怨。 Tā xiàng tā de shūshu hé āyí bàoyuàn. 他向他的叔叔和阿姨抱怨。Rì fù yī rì, tā kūzhe shuìjiào. 日复一日，他哭着睡觉。

现在淘淘很伤心, 很孤独。他向爸爸妈妈抱怨。他向爷爷奶奶抱怨。 他向他的叔叔和阿姨抱怨。 日复一日，他哭着睡觉。

Now Taotao is sad and lonely. He complains to his parents. He complains to yeye and nainai. He complains to his uncle and his auntie. He cries himself to sleep, day after day.

Vocabulary: (19) hěn shāngxīn 很伤心 - very sad; painful in the heart.

(20) hěn gūdú. 很孤独 - very lonely.

(21) bàoyuàn 抱怨 - complain.

(22) Rì fù yī rì 日复一日 - day after day.

(23) tā kūzhe shuìjiào 他哭着睡觉 - he cries himself to sleep. kū 哭 - cry. shuìjiào 睡觉 - sleep.

Section # 5: Yǒu yītiān, tā mèng dào tā dǎ diànhuà gè wánjùmen: 有一天, 他梦到他打电话个玩具们: “Wèi! Nǐmen zài nǎlǐ a? Wǒ hǎo xiǎng nǐmen a! Wǒ yǐhòu zàibu pòhuài nǐmenle, nǐmen gǎnkuài huílái ba!” “喂！你们在哪里啊？ 我好想你们啊！我以后再不破坏你们了，你们赶快回来吧!”

有一天, 他梦到他打电话个玩具们: “喂！你们在哪里啊？ 我好想你们啊！我以后再不破坏你们了，你们赶快回来吧!”

One day, he dreamed that he called his toys: “Hey! Where are you all? I miss you very much! I would not destroy you and I would not tear you apart anymore. Please come home soon!”

Vocabulary: (24) Yǒu yītiān 有一天 - There is one day.

(25) mèng dào 梦到 - dream about.

(26) diànhuà 电话 - telephone.

(27) Nǐmen 你们 - all of you. zài nǎlǐ 在哪里? - where are you?

(28) yǐhòu 以后 - from now onwards.

(29) pòhuài 破坏 - destroy, tear apart.

(30) gǎnkuài 赶快 - in a hurry, as soon as possible.

Section # 6: Wánjùmen yě hěn xiǎngniàn Táotáo, 玩具们也很想念淘淘，tīng shuō táo táo yuànyì gǎizhèng cuòwù, 听说淘淘愿意改正错误，tāmen jiù huí dào táo táo jiā. 它们就回到淘淘家。Táotáo zhì hǎole ‘shòushāng’ de wánjùmen. 淘淘治好了‘受伤’的玩具们。Cóngcǐ, 从此，Táotáo zài wánjùmen de péibàn xià, 淘淘在玩具们的陪伴下，jiànkāng kuàilè dì chéngzhǎng. 健康快乐地成长。

玩具们也很想念淘淘, 听说淘淘愿意改正错误, 它们就回到淘淘家。 淘淘治好了‘受伤’的玩具们。从此, 淘淘在玩具们的陪伴下, 健康快乐地成长。

The toys also miss Taotao, and when they hear that Tao tao is willing to correct his mistakes and his behaviour, they return to Taotao’s house. Tao tao fixes all the damages to the toys. Since then, Tao tao has grown up healthily and happily in the company of his toys.

Wèishéme wánjù yào lí jiā chūzǒu?  为什么玩具要离家出走？
Háizimen, nǐmen shì zěnme duìdài wánjù de? Nǐ ài nǐ de wánjù bìng shàndài tāmen ma?  孩子们，你们是怎么对待玩具的？你爱你的玩具并善待它们吗？

Why do the toys run away from home?
Children, how do you treat your toys? 
Do you love your toys and treat them well?

The Lesson to be learned here - Always treasure your belongings and your toys. They are valuable to you.