The Man Who Measured His Feet

Illustration for the Chinese story “The Man Who Measured His Feet”

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从前cóng qián,郑zhèng国有guó yǒu一个人yī gè rén想xiǎng买mǎi鞋xié。Long ago, a man from the state of Zheng wanted to buy shoes.在zài家里jiā lǐ,他tā先xiān量liáng了le自己的zì jǐ de脚jiǎo。At home, he first measured his own feet.他tā把bǎ脚jiǎo的de大小写dà xiǎo xiě在zài纸zhǐ上shàng。He wrote the size of his feet on a piece of paper.可是kě shì他tā出门chū mén时shí忘了wàng le拿ná纸zhǐ。But when he left home, he forgot to take the paper.

到了dào liǎo店diàn里lǐ,他tā找到zhǎo dào一双yī shuāng好hǎo鞋xié。At the shop, he found a nice pair of shoes.他tā一yī摸mō口袋kǒu dài:“哎呀āi yā,纸zhǐ忘wàng在zài家里jiā lǐ了le!”He felt his pocket: "Oh no, I left the paper at home!"

他tā跑pǎo回家huí jiā去qù拿ná那nà张zhāng纸zhǐ。He ran home to get the paper.等děng他tā回来huí lai,店diàn已经yǐ jīng关门guān mén了le。By the time he came back, the shop had closed.

有人yǒu rén问wèn:“你nǐ为什么wèi shén me不用bù yòng脚jiǎo试shì鞋xié呢ne?”Someone asked, "Why didn't you just try the shoes on your feet?"

他说tā shuō:“我wǒ相信xiāng xìn纸zhǐ,不bù相信xiāng xìn我的wǒ de脚jiǎo。”He said, "I trust the paper, not my feet."

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“郑人买履zhèng rén mǎi lǚ”。This idiom is "the Zheng man buys shoes."意思yì si是shì:做事zuò shì不bù看kàn真的zhēn de情况qíng kuàng,只会zhǐ huì用yòng老lǎo办法bàn fǎ。It means: not looking at the real situation, only sticking to old ways.例句lì jù:别bié郑人买履zhèng rén mǎi lǚ,要yào看看kàn kan真的zhēn de情况qíng kuàng。Example: Don't be like the Zheng man buying shoes — look at the real situation.

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