Learn Chinese

合： 快乐学汉语，轻松又好记。

Learn to speak Chinese.

It’s easy and fun.

韩佳：大家好，这里是《快乐中国》。

Hello, everyone, you’re watching

Happy China.

我是快乐的韩佳。

I’m the merry Han Jia.

大牛：我是快乐的大牛。

And I’m the happy Daniel.

韩佳：大牛，你听说过中国的水长城吗？

Daniel, have you ever heard of the

Great Water Wall in China?

大牛：水长城？

Great Water Wall?

我知道中国的万里长城。

I know the Great Wall of China.

中国的水长城，

The Great Water Wall

我还是头一次听说。

is what I’ve heard of for the first time.

韩佳：这万里长城啊是古代中国人创造的人间奇迹。

The Great Wall built by ancient Chinese

is considered a miracle in the world.

而水长城呢是现代中国人创造的又一个奇迹。

And the Great Water Wall is another

miracle created by modern Chinese.

大牛：韩佳，你就赶紧说吧，

Han Jia, come on,

这水长城到底是什么？

what is the Great Water Wall after all?

韩佳：水长城说的就是林州人修建的水渠，

It’s a canal dug by the people

of Linzhou.

叫红旗渠。

It’s called the Red Flag Canal.

大牛：一条水渠居然还能称得上是人间奇迹啊。

Just a canal, and you said it was

a miracle in the world.

韩佳：不看不知道，看了就忘不掉。

Seeing is believing. And you won’t

forget it after you see it.

大牛：韩佳，这里的山真高啊。

Han Jia, the mountains here are

very high.

你不是说要带我来看红旗渠？

Didn’t you say you’d show me the

Red Flag Canal?

怎么带我爬起山来了？

Why did you take me here to climb

the mountain?

韩佳：没想到吧？

A surprise?

红旗渠就修建在这太行山上。

The canal was built right in the Taihang

Mountains.

大牛：把渠修建在山上干吗啊？

Why was it built on the mountains?

韩佳：待会儿你就知道了。

You’ll find it out a bit later.

你看咱们眼前就是红旗渠了。

See, that’s the Red Flag Canal

in front of us.

大牛：真是太不可思议了！

It’s simply amazing!

这么陡的山上，

On such steep mountains,

居然还有这么宽的一条渠？

how could they build such a wide canal?

韩佳：是啊。您看，它就像一条绿色的飘带，

Indeed. It looks just like a green

ribbon winding

缠绕在太行山间。

through the Taihang Mountains.

Hóngqíqú jiù xiàng yì tiáo lǜsè de piāodài chánrào zài tàiháng shān jiān

红旗渠 就 像 一 条 绿色 的 飘带 缠绕 在 太行 山间。

The Red Flag Canal is like a green ribbon

which winds through the Taihang mountains.

它就像一条绿色的飘带，

Indeed. It looks just like a green

ribbon winding

缠绕在太行山间。

through the Taihang Mountains.

大牛：韩佳，红旗渠有多长呢？

Han Jia, how long is the canal?

韩佳：总干渠加上分干渠、支渠、斗渠，

With the trunk and branches put together,

一共有一千五百公里长。

the canal is 1,500 kilometers

in total length.

如果把当年修渠挖出来的土石

If a wall was to be built, 2 meters

wide and 3 meters high,

垒成宽两米，高三米的城墙，

with the earth and stones that

were dug out,

可以从北方的哈尔滨市

it would be long enough to run from

Harbin in the north

一直贯穿到南方的广州市呢。

right to Guangzhou in the south.

大牛：怪不得红旗渠被称为中国的水长城啊。

No wonder the Red Flag Canal is called

the Great Water Wall of China.

韩佳，林州人为什么要修建红旗渠啊？

Han Jia, why did the local people in

Linzhou want to build the canal?

韩佳：因为林州当地特别缺水，

Because of the lack of water resources,

几乎连年都要闹干旱，

there was drought almost every

year here,

所以这里的人生活十分艰苦。

making life extremely hard for

local people.

为了摆脱贫困，

To get rid of poverty,

他们就决定向外寻找水源，

they decided to divert water in the

outlying areas

修渠引水。

to Linzhou with a canal.

大牛：这是好事。

A good idea.

那红旗渠引的是哪条河的水啊？

Which river is the source of the

Red Flag Canal?

韩佳：漳河的水啊。

The Zhanghe River.

你看，那就是漳河，

You see, down there is the

Zhanghe River,

大牛：漳河在红旗渠的脚下。

right at the foot of the Canal.

韩佳，俗话说，人往高处走，

Han Jia, as the saying goes, man

endeavors to rise

水往低处流。

and water flows downwards.

Rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu, shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú.

人 往 高 处 走， 水 往 低 处 流。

People go up,water flows down.

林州人是怎样把漳河的水

How did the Linzhou people manage

to divert the Zhanghe water

引到红旗渠里的呀？

up to the Red Flag Canal?

韩佳：一九六零年，林州人徒步跋涉几十公里

In 1960, people of Linzhou walked

scores of kilometers

来到漳河上游修渠引水。

to the upper reaches of the Zhanghe

River to start digging the canal.

大牛：他们真有一股无所谓的气概。

They seemed to have displayed a

spirit of “wu suo wei”(indifference).

韩佳：大牛，说错了吧。

Daniel, you used a wrong word here.

不是无所谓，是大无畏。

It’s not “wu suo wei”, but “da wu wei”.

大无畏就是指什么都不怕，

“da wu wei” means “fearless”,

尤其是面对困难和艰险。

especially when faced with hardships

and difficulties.

大牛：对，这就对了。

Yes, correct. That’s right.

林州人真有一股大无畏的气概。

The people of Linzhou displayed a

fearless spirit.

虎口崖这个地方好险。

The Tiger Mouth Cliff is a very

dangerous place.

别说是在上面修渠，

Not to mention digging a canal on it,

光是站在这里一动不动地往上看，

just standing here and looking up

我的心跳已经加速了。

has made my heart beat faster.

韩佳：大牛，你往那儿看。

Daniel, look there.

大牛：神工铺。

That’s Shengongpu (magic workmen’s

workshop).

韩佳：当年修渠的勇士们就住在那些山崖上。

In those years, workers lived right

on those cliffs.

大牛：那他们住在虎口里了，

So, living in that Tiger Mouth

真是既艰苦又危险。

must have been very difficult

and dangerous.

韩佳：可是修渠的勇士们还是非常乐观的。

But the intrepid canal builders

were very optimistic.

他们自己编了一段顺口溜。

They ad-libbed some doggerels

of their own.

大牛：还有顺口溜呢？

Doggerels of their own?

那你赶紧说说给大家听听。

Just tell us what kind of doggerel it is.

韩佳：听好了啊。

Well, listen.

崖当房，石当床，

The cliff is my house and the stone

my bed.

虎口崖下度时光。

I live and work in the Tiger Mouth.

我为后代创大业，

For the wellbeing of our future generations,

修不成大渠不还乡。

We won’t go home until the canal’s

completion.

大牛：真的很顺口啊。

It’s a good rhymed verse indeed.

那这红旗渠到底修建了多长时间呢？

Then how long did it take to build

the canal?

Hóngqíqú dàodǐ xiūjiànle duō cháng shíjiān?

红旗渠 到底 修建了 多 长 时间？

How long did it take to complete

the Red Flag Canal?

大牛：那这红旗渠到底修建了多长时间呢？

Then how long did it take to build

the canal?

韩佳：一九六零年开始动工，

It started in 1960

到一九七零年全线完工。

and was completed in 1970.

大牛：十年哪！

For a full ten years’ time!

后人应该好好修一座碑

Later generations should set up

a monument

来纪念修渠的勇士们。

to commemorate those heroes.

韩佳：说得没错儿。

You’re right.

不过太行山已经为他们矗立起了一座丰碑。

In fact, the Taihang Mountains

has already prepared a monument for them,

大牛：山碑。

a mountain monument.

我明白了，碑就是山，山就是碑。

I understand the mountains themselves

are the monument.

韩佳：说得没错儿。

You’re right.

只有这样的碑才配得上

Only such a monument can match

林州人创造的红旗渠精神。

the spirit of the Red Flag Canal displayed

by Linzhou people.

大牛：红旗渠精神？

The spirit of Red Flag Canal?

那是什么样的精神呢？

What kind of spirit is it?

韩佳：观众朋友们，您想知道吗？

Dear viewer friends, you also want

to know?

那就请您明天继续关注

Please stay tuned to our program tomorrow,

我们的红旗渠之旅吧。

“A Tour of the Red Flag Canal”.

大牛：别忘了我们的口号：

Don’t forget our motto:

合： 学说中国话，朋友遍天下。

Learn to speak Chinese. And you’ll have

friends wherever you go.

赏心悦目：

红旗渠位于河南省林州市

The Red Flag Canal flows in Linzhou city

of Henan Province.

为改变因缺水造成的穷困而兴建

It was built for the purpose of solving the

area’s water shortage and ridding poverty.

周围自然风光秀丽雄险

The surrounding natural scenery is

beautiful and breathtaking.

红旗渠好像一条碧玉腰带

The Red Flag Canal looks like a jade belt,

镶嵌在雄伟的太行山间

inlaid in the imposing Taihang Mountains.

昔日的水长城，而今也成了旅游胜景

This Water Great Wall, as it was once called,

has become a tourist attraction as well,

向世人展示着它别样的风采

showing its unique beauty to the world.

(Source: cctv.com)