22 文言文二则

Lesson Twenty-two

Two Writings in classical Chinese

Night Reading with Fireflies 

Che Yin, a man of Jin Dynasty, was cautious, industrious and indefatigable, having a large stock of information.His family was poor and could not get lamp oil often.On a summer night, Che Yin made a transparent bag of white silk, filled with dozens of fireflies to study at night.

A Lesson in Persistence

The Ming Dynasty: Zheng Zhizhen

The Needle-Grinding Brook is at the foot of Xianger Mountain.It has been said that when Li Bai was studying in the mountain, he gave up learning and left without finishing his studies.He passed by a stream and saw an old woman grinding an iron rod.The old lady told him, “I’m grinding a needle into a stick.” Moved by her spirit, Li Bai went back to finish his studies.The old lady said her surname was Wu.Now there is a rock named Wu’s rock beside the stream.