The Old Oil Seller

Illustration for the Chinese story “The Old Oil Seller”

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从前cóng qián,有yǒu一个人yī gè rén很hěn会huì射箭shè jiàn。Long ago, there was a man who was very good at shooting arrows.他tā十shí次cì能néng射中shè zhòng九jiǔ次cì。Out of ten shots, he could hit nine.

一个yī ge卖mài油yóu的de老人lǎo rén看了kàn le,只是zhǐ shì笑xiào笑xiào。An old man who sold oil watched and only smiled.那个人nà gè rén生气shēng qì地de问wèn:“你nǐ会huì射箭shè jiàn吗ma?”The man asked angrily, "Can you shoot arrows?"

老人lǎo rén说shuō:“我wǒ不会bù huì,可是kě shì我wǒ会huì倒dào油yóu。”The old man said, "I can't, but I can pour oil."

他tā把bǎ一个yī ge小钱xiǎo qián放在fàng zài瓶píng口kǒu上shàng。He put a small coin on the mouth of a bottle.钱qián的de中间zhōng jiān有yǒu一个yī ge小xiǎo洞dòng。The coin had a small hole in the middle.油yóu从小cóng xiǎo洞dòng流liú进jìn瓶子píng zi里lǐ。The oil flowed through the little hole into the bottle.钱qián上shàng一点yī diǎn油yóu也yě没有méi yǒu。Not a drop of oil got on the coin.

老人lǎo rén说shuō:“我wǒ天天tiān tiān倒dào油yóu,手shǒu熟shú了le。”The old man said, "I pour oil every day, so my hands know the way."

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“熟能生巧shú néng shēng qiǎo”。This idiom is "practice makes perfect."意思yì si是shì:一件yī jiàn事shì做得zuò de多了duō le,就jiù会huì做得zuò de很好hěn hǎo。It means: when you do something many times, you get very good at it.例句lì jù:多duō写xiě汉字hàn zì,熟能生巧shú néng shēng qiǎo,你nǐ会huì越yuè写xiě越yuè好hǎo。Example: Write characters often — practice makes perfect, and you will write better and better.

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