Many Chinese idioms and proverbs have wonderful stories about how they originated. This fable is a classic story from ancient China. It is said to be written by Lie Zi during the Warring States period and holds a great moral that is essential for all people seeking wisdom and knowledge.

两小儿辩日 (Liǎng xiǎo ér biàn rì) Two Children’s Debate

Yìtiān, kǒngzǐ jiàndào liǎng gè xiǎohái zhèngzài biànlùn.
一天，孔子见到两个小孩正在辩论。
One day, Confucius met two children who were arguing.

Tā hěn hàoqí, yúshì jiù wèn tāmen zhēngbiàn de yuányīn.
他很好奇，于是就问他们争辩的原因。
He was curious and asked them why they were arguing.

Yígè xiǎo háizi shuō: "Wǒ rènwéi tàiyáng gānggang shēngqǐ de shíhòu jùlí wǒmen zuì jìn, dào le zhōngwǔ de shíhòu, jùlí wǒmen zuì yuǎn."
一个小孩子说："我认为太阳刚刚升起的时候距离我们最近，到了中午的时候，距离我们最远。"
One child said: "I think the sun is closest to us when it is just rising, and furthest away from us by noon."

Ér lìng yígè xiǎo háizi liánmáng shuō: "Búduì búduì, tàiyáng gānggang shēngqǐ de shíhòu jùlí wǒmen zuì yuǎn, dào le zhōngwǔ de shíhòu bǐjiào jìn."
而另一个小孩子连忙说："不对不对，太阳刚刚升起的时候距离我们最远，到了中午的时候比较近。"
And the other child hurriedly said: "It’s wrong, the sun is the furthest away from us when it is just rising, and by noon it is closer."

Dìyī gè xiǎo háizi shuō: "Tàiyáng gāng shēngqǐ shí, dà de jiù xiàng yì bǎ dǎkāi de dà sǎn, dào le zhōngwǔ, tàiyáng búguò xiàng pánzi yìbān dàxiǎo."
第一个小孩说："太阳刚升起时，大得就像一把打开的大伞, 到了中午，太阳不过像盘子一般大小."
The first child said: "when the sun first rises, it is as big as an open umbrella. At noon, the sun is only the size of a plate."

"Zhè nándào búshì yīnwèi zǎoshàng tàiyáng lí wǒmen jìn xiǎnde dà, zhōngwǔ lí wǒmen yuǎn xiǎnde xiǎo ma?"
"这难道不是因为早上太阳离我们近显得大，中午离我们远显得小吗？"
"Isn't it because the sun is near us in the morning hence it looks big and is far away from us at noon hence appearing small?"

Lìng yígè xiǎo háizi shuō: "Zǎoshàng tàiyáng chūlái de shíhòu liángkuài, dào le zhōngwǔ de shíhòu rè de rútóng shuǐ zhǔ fèi yíyàng."
另一个小孩子说："早上太阳出来的时候凉快，到了中午的时候热得如同水煮沸一样."
The other child said: "It is cool when the sun comes out in the morning, and it is as hot as boiling water at noon."

"Zhè nándào búshì yīnwèi zǎochén tàiyáng lí wǒmen yuǎn jiù gǎnjué liángsōusou de, zhōng wǔ lí wǒmen jìn jiù gǎnjué hěn rè de yuángù ma?"
"这难道不是因为早晨太阳离我们远就感觉凉飕飕的，中午离我们近就感觉很热的缘故吗？"
"Could that be because in the early morning the sun is further from us so it feels much chillier, and in the afternoon the sun is closer so it feels warmer?"

Zhègè kàn sì jiǎndān de wèntí què bǎ néngyánshànbiàn de kǒng lǎo xiānshēng yě nán zhù le,
这个看似简单的问题却把能言善辩的孔老先生也难住了，
This seemingly simple question was difficult for the eloquent Confucius,

Yīnwèi dānshí zìrán kēxué hái bù fādá, kǒngzǐ tīng le zhīhòu yě bùnéng pànduàn tāmen liǎ shéi duì shéi cuò.
因为当时自然科学还不发达，孔子听了之后也不能判断他们俩谁对谁错。
Because at that time the natural sciences were still undeveloped, and Confucius wasn’t able to judge who was right and who was wrong when he heard this.

Liǎng gè xiǎo háizi xiào zhe duì kǒngzǐ shuō: "Nǐ búshì hěn bóxué ma? Yuánlái nǐ yě yǒu bù dǒng de dìfāng a!"
两个小孩子笑着对孔子说："你不是很博学吗？原来你也有不懂的地方啊！"
The two children smiled and said to him: "Aren't you very knowledgeable? It turns out, there’s something you also don’t understand!"

Click "Read more" to learn some common pairs of Chinese antonym and examples.

Quiz:

1. Read the dialogue and answer the question below.

Wáng Qīng: Āiya, nǐ yòu cǎi dào wǒ de jiǎo la.
王青： 哎呀，你又踩到我的脚啦。
Lì Li: Bàoqiàn, wǒ búshì gùyì de.
丽丽： 抱歉，我不是故意的。

Which of the following can be inferred from the dialogue? Please choose the best answer.

A. Wang Qing is complaining that Li Li stepped on her foot.
B. Wang Qing feels sorry for stepping on Li Li's foot.
C. Wang Qing didn’t think Li Li had stepped on her foot on purpose.
See Answer Analysis