Mandarin for Kids: Kongrong Sharing the Pears

If kids learn Chinese stories, they can not only learn the language itself but also some implied meaning and some philosophies in life. Today, we will come to a popular Chinese story named “ Kongrong Sharing the Pears”. It is also an important text in many Chinese language classes especially in our primary school.

The content of the story is like the followings. 

In ancient China there was a smart boy named kongrong. He was so clever that he was able to recite many poems even when he was four. But he was known not especially for his intelligence but for his respect and love for his brothers.

 Kongrong had five older brothers and a young brother. One day his father bought some pears and he picked out one of the biggest and best pears and gave it to Kongrong. Seeing this, the boy shook his head and instead chose the smallest one. His father was surprised and asked: “why did you take the smallest one?” He answered: because I am a younger brother. The biggest one should be for my eldest brother.” His father asked again: “But you have a younger brother. You are older than him.” Again the lad replied: “Yes I am older than he, so I should leave the bigger ones for him.” On hearing these words, the father was greatly satisfied and smiled happily.

“孔融让梨(kong3 rong2 rang4 li2)” belongs to the Mandarin for kids. When we comes to learning Chinese for kids, we should not only let them know what the story is but also they should be aware of how did it happen why should it be. That is the real meaning of the story.

Actually, The story of Kongrong sharing the pears in Qufu spread quickly throughout the land and has been handed down from generation to generation. Many Chinese parents still use it as a perfect example when they are teaching their children thoughtfulness. Anytime and any where, you should try to be a considerate and thoughtful man. 

source:http://smile123xia.snack.ws/mandarin-for-kids-kongrong-sharing-the-pears.html