Some language stuff
Even though this story is quite accessible, there are a few useful and slightly tricky expressions worth highlighting.
骄傲地挺直身体 – This phrase appears when the bamboo tries to show off during the storm. Let’s break it down:
骄傲 – jiāo ào – Proud / arrogant
地 – [pinyin]de5[/pinyin] – Adverb marker (“-ly”)
挺直 – tǐng zhí – To stand straight, to hold oneself upright
身体 – shēn tǐ – Body
Put together, this means something like: “to hold one’s body straight in a proud way.”
It’s a very visual phrase and often used metaphorically, not just for physical posture but also for attitude.
Another nice expression is 各有各的长处, which the grass uses in its calm reply:
各 – gè – Each
有 – yǒu – Has
各的 – gè de5 – One’s own
长处 – cháng chù – Strengths / strong points
So literally: “Each has each one’s own strengths.”
In natural English: “Everyone has their own strengths.”
This is a very common, very useful structure in Chinese.
Finally, the moral hinges on the phrase 懂得弯腰:
懂得 – dǒng de5 – To understand, to know how to
弯腰 – wān yāo – To bend at the waist
On the surface, it means “knows how to bend down,” but figuratively it means knowing when to yield, be flexible, or show humility. This metaphor shows up all the time in Chinese writing.
As always, if there are any sentences or words you’d like unpacked further, just leave a comment and I’m happy to dig in.
《牧师和信徒》
从前，山坡上长着一棵高大的竹子和一棵矮小的小草。竹子非常骄傲，常常嘲笑小草说：”你看你多么渺小，而我多么高大挺拔！”
小草温和地回答：”朋友，我们各有各的长处。”但竹子从不听小草的话。
一天，狂风暴雨来了。竹子骄傲地挺直身体，想要证明自己的强大。然而，风越来越猛，最终把竹子从中间折断了。
风雨过后，小草慢慢地站了起来。它虽然被吹倒在地，但因为懂得弯腰，所以没有受伤。
断掉的竹子终于明白了：真正的强大不是永远挺直，而是懂得在困难面前适当地低头。柔软有时比坚硬更有力量。
The grass replied gently, “My friend, each of us has our own strengths.” But the bamboo never listened.
One day, a fierce storm arrived, with raging wind and rain. The bamboo proudly held its body straight, trying to prove its strength. However, the wind grew stronger and stronger, and in the end it snapped the bamboo in half.
After the storm passed, the grass slowly stood back up. Though it had been blown flat to the ground, it was unharmed because it knew how to bend.
Only then did the broken bamboo understand: true strength is not always standing rigidly upright, but knowing when to bow in the face of hardship. Sometimes, softness is more powerful than hardness.
