雪中送炭 To Offer Fuel in Snowy Weather

雪中送炭 (xuězhōngsòngtàn) To offer fuel in snowy weather

Key Learning Points (Preview):

木炭 (mùtàn) n. charcoal  

品尝 (pǐncháng) v. taste

Sòngcháo de shíhou, Sòng Tàizōng Zhào Guāngyì shì yígè guānxīn qióngkǔrén de huángdì.
宋朝         的  时候，    宋太宗         赵    光义     是  一个 关心       穷苦人      的  皇帝。
Zhao Guangyi was an emperor who cared a lot for the poor in the Song Dynasty.

Yǒu yìnián xià dàxuě, tiānqì fēicháng de hánlěng, rénmen dōu duǒzài wūlǐ yùhán.
有    一年   下  大雪，天气  非常       的   寒冷，    人们    都    躲在   屋里  御寒。
One year, it snowed heavily, and the weather was so cold that people stayed in their houses to keep themselves warm.

Sòng Tàizōng zhèngzài gōngzhōng xiūxi, yìbiān qǔnuǎn, yìbiān pǐncháng gèzhǒng měiwèi jiāyáo.
宋太宗            正在      宫中          休息，一边  取暖，   一边    品尝        各种      美味    佳肴。
The emperor Song Taizong was resting in the palace; he tasted a  variety of delicious foods while keeping warm.

Dāng tā kàndào chuāngwài de dàxuě shí, hūrán xiǎngqǐ le nàxiē kělián de qióngrén.
当      他  看到       窗外       的  大雪  时，忽然   想起   了 那些  可怜   的   穷人。
When he saw the snow outside the window, he suddenly thought of the poor people.

Tāmen chī bù bǎo, chuān bù nuǎn, zhèngzài dàxuě zhōng ái’dòngshòu’è.
他们    吃   不 饱，  穿     不  暖，   正在       大雪    中       挨冻受饿。
They didn’t have enough food to eat and enough clothes to wear; they were suffering from the cold and hunger.

Yúshì, Sòng Tàizōng jiù pài guānyuán dàishàng xǔduō liángshi hé mùtàn,
于是，  宋太宗       就 派    官员          带上     许多    粮食     和  木炭，
láidào lǎobǎixìng shēnghuó de dìfang.
来到     老百姓      生活       的  地方。
Then, the emperor Song Taizong sent his officials to take food and charcoal to the place where his people lived.

Guānyuánmen bǎ liángshi hé mùtàn sònggěi nàxiē qióngkǔrén hé gūdú de lǎorén.
官员们             把   粮食    和  木炭    送给     那些    穷苦人     和   孤独  的 老人。
The officials gave food and charcoal to the poor and the old.

Ràng tāmen yǒu mǐ zuòfàn, yǒu mùtàn shēnghuǒ qǔnuǎn le.
让      他们    有  米  做饭，  有   木炭     生火         取暖    了。
Then they had rice to cook and charcoal to keep warm.

Zhè jiàn shì dāngshí hōngdòng le zhěnggè jīngchéng.
这    件   事   当时      轰动        了  整个      京城。
This event created quite a stir in the entire capital at the time.

Hòulái, rénmen jiù yòng xuězhōngsòngtàn lái xíngróng: zài biérén jíxū bāngzhù shí,
后来，  人们     就   用     雪中送炭            来    形容：  在  别人  急需 帮助       时，
jíyǔ biérén wùzhì hé jīngshén shàng de bāngzhù.
给予 别人  物质  和   精神       上     的   帮助。
Later, people used the phrase “To offer fuel in snowy weather” to describe giving others help when they’re in need.

生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary

木炭 (mùtàn) n. charcoal  

“木 (mù)” refers to wood and “炭 (tàn)” refers to charcoal.

Example:

Dōngtiān de shíhou, rénmen jīngcháng yòng mùtàn qǔnuǎn.
冬天         的  时候，人们       经常         用     木炭    取暖。

In cold winter, people often use charcoal for heating.

品尝 (pǐncháng) v. taste

“品 (pǐn)” and “尝 (cháng)” both mean taste here.

Example:

Dàjiā pǐncháng xià zhèdàocài, hěn hǎo chī!
大家    品尝      下   这道菜，  很   好   吃！
Please have a taste of this dish, it’s very delicious!

皇帝 (huángdì) n. emperor 

忽然 (hūrán) adv. suddenly 

取暖 (qǔnuǎn) v. to keep warm