神農氏的故事The story of Shen Nong Shi

上古時候，人們靠打獵過日子。

In ancient times, people lived by hunting.

到了冬天，食物吃光了，就只有餓死和病死。

When winter came and all the food was consumed, they faced death from starvation and disease.

那時候，有一個聰明的年輕人，

At that time, there was a smart(clever)young man,

他發現鳥把種子的皮吐掉，只吃裡面的東西。 He discovered that the birds spit out (the skins of the seeds) husk and ate only the contents (the plant seeds within).

他也想試試看！

He wants to try it too!

他用石頭把種子皮磨掉，加水煮一煮，就變成特別好吃的食物。

He used stones to grind off the seed skin and boiled it with water to turn it into a particularly edible delicious food.

(He ground the husk off the seeds with stone)

這些種子就是麥子和稻米。

These seeds were wheat and rice.

他想：我們可以來生產這些食物啊！

He thought: We can produce these foods this way!

於是，他教人把野草、樹木燒掉，開墾成農田。

So, he taught people to burn the weeds and trees and cultivate(develop) them into farmland.

他發明許多種田的工具，他教人們種田。

He invented many farming tools and taught people how to farm.(to plow the field)

人們安定下來了，對生活充滿了希望。

People have settled down and live at one place and start to have full of hope for life.

人們不但有食物吃，而且有房子住，

Not only do people have food to eat, but they also have houses to live in.

大家都感謝他，要求他做皇帝。

Everyone thanked him and asked him to be emperor.

They were all very grateful to him and asked him to be their ruler.

後來他做了皇帝就是炎帝，炎是火的意思。 不過，後人都稱他為神農氏，

Later he became emperor and was known as Emperor Yan, which means fire. However, later generations called him Shen Nong Shi.

神農氏是農業之神的意思。

Shen Nong Shi means the god of farming.

有一天，神农氏发现受伤的动物会去找不同的草吃，不久伤就好了。

One day, Shen Nong Shi discovered that injured animals would find different herbs to eat, and soon the injuries would heal. (recovered soon)

他想，什麼草能治好人的病呢？

He thought(start to wonder), what kind of herbs would cure people’s diseases?

(Human illness)

於是，他到山林裡去找。

So, he went to the mountains and forests in search of herds.

他自己試過，吃了幾百種草，發明瞭許多種藥方，

He tried it himself, tasted hundreds of kinds of herbs, and invented many kinds of medicines.

他用草藥醫治人的病，所以，五千多年前，中國不但已經有農業，而且有醫藥。

He used herbal medicine to treat people’s diseases. Therefore, more than 5,000 years ago, China not only had developed agriculture, but also medicine.

後來，這兩樣都傳到了世界各地。

Later, both of these spread to all over the world.

世界上有許多不同的藥品是以草藥做成的。

There are many different medicines in the world that are made from herbs.

神農氏對世界文明有很大的貢獻。

Shen Nong Shi made a significant contribution to the civilization of the world.

你變聰明了You Have Become Smarter

謝小奇特別愛吃藥，他常常要求醫生給他藥吃，因為他覺得藥很神奇，

Xie Xiaoqi especially likes to take medicine. He often asks doctors to give him medicine because he thinks medicine is magical.

他相信藥可以治好所有的病。

He believed that medicine could cure all diseases.

有一天，謝小奇問：

One day, Xie Xiaoqi asked the doctor:

「醫生！什麼藥可以治肚子餓？」

“Doctor! What medicine can cure hunger?”

醫生說：「食物啊，像米、麥等食品都是。 」

The doctor said(replied): “Food can, such as rice, wheat and other foods can.”

謝小奇又問：「吃什麼藥可以變聰明呢？」

Xie Xiaoqi asked again: “What medicine can I take to make me smarter?”

醫生说：「多看書和多用心。」

The doctor said: “Read a lot and pay more attention.”

謝小奇说：「那太没意思了！

請您給我一些藥吧！」

Xie Xiaoqi said: “That’s really no fun! Please give me some medicine! ”

於是醫生给他一瓶藥水。

So the doctor gave him a bottle of medicine.

過了幾天，謝小奇把藥吃完了，

After a few days, Xie Xiaoqi finished this medicine.

他覺得還没變聰明，He feels he hasn’t become smarter yet,

於是他又向醫生要了幾瓶藥水。

So he asked the doctor for more bottles of potion.

又過了幾天，謝小奇把藥全吃光了，

Several more days passed; Xie Xiaoqi finished all the medicine.

可是他還是没有變聰明。But he still hasn’t gotten smarter.

謝小奇覺得很奇怪，他再回來看醫生，

Xie Xiaoqi felt very strange. He came back to see the doctor again.

他說：「醫生，您給我的不是藥水，而是糖水吧？」

He said: “Doctor, what you gave me was not medicine, but sugar syrup instead, right?”

醫生笑著說：「嗯！你變聰明了！」

The doctor smiled and said, “Well! You’ve indeed become smarter!”