Chinese short story 99 |亡羊补牢Mending the Fence After Losing the Sheep| HSK 3-4 | 听故事学中文

Chinese Short Story 99 | Mending the Fence After Losing the Sheep | HSK 3-4 | Learn Chinese Through Stories Once upon a time, a shepherd lived at the foot of a mountain, making a living by selling mutton and wool. The shepherd raised more than ten sheep, and his sheepfold was built with wood and mud. One morning, as he was about to take his sheep out, he suddenly noticed a large hole in the sheepfold. He counted the sheep and found one was missing. It turned out that a wolf had crawled through the hole the night before and carried off a lamb. He counted his sheep and found one missing. A wolf had entered through the hole during the night and carried away a lamb. An old man passed by and saw this, and advised him, "Young man, your sheepfold is broken. You should fix it right away!" The shepherd waved his hand dismissively, saying, "The sheep is already gone. What's the point of repairing the fence now?" The old man sighed, "If you don't fix the hole, don't expect good luck. The wolf will come again." The shepherd didn't take it to heart and leisurely drove his sheep up the hill to graze. The shepherd ignored the warning and leisurely took his sheep up the mountain to graze. The next morning, the shepherd went to the sheepfold to count the sheep again, and another sheep was missing. It turned out the wolf had once again slipped through a hole in the sheepfold and carried it away. The next morning, he checked the sheep again and found another one missing. The wolf had returned through the same hole. The old man who had advised him before visited again, saying, "See? You didn't listen to my advice and lost another sheep. It's not too late to repair the sheepfold." The shepherd said regretfully, "It's my fault for being stubborn. I'll fix the sheepfold right away." The old man smiled and said, "It is never too late to mend the fence after losing the sheep." This time, the shepherd did not delay and bought planks, nails, and mud. This time, the shepherd stopped delaying and bought wooden boards, nails, and mud. He worked from morning till evening, repairing the hole and reinforcing the entire sheepfold. Afterward, the sheepfold became strong and secure; the wolf could no longer find a way in, and no more sheep were lost. The shepherd remarked, "Repairing the sheepfold after losing sheep may seem late, but it saved the rest of my flock." The lesson of "better late than never" is that by immediately correcting a mistake, one can prevent greater losses in the future. The lesson of this story is that if you correct your mistakes in time, you can avoid even greater losses in the future. ________________________________________ Questions & Answers Question: What advice did the old man give after the shepherd lost a sheep on the first day? Answer: The old man advised the shepherd to repair the hole in the sheepfold immediately. ________________________________________ Question: Why was the shepherd unwilling to repair the sheepfold at first? Answer: He thought that since the sheep was already gone, repairing the sheepfold was useless. ________________________________________ Question: How did the shepherd's mindset change after losing a sheep a second time? Question: How did the shepherd's attitude change after losing a sheep a second time? Answer: He felt very regretful, realized his mistake, and was willing to repair the sheepfold immediately. Question: What happened after the shepherd repaired the sheepfold? Answer: The sheepfold became strong, the wolf could no longer steal sheep, and no more sheep were lost. Question: What lesson does "Mending the Fence After Losing the Sheep" teach us? Answer: If we correct our mistakes in time, we can reduce future losses.