【孜孜不倦】

 

【孜孜不倦】

to work tirelessly

 

 

During Emperor Shùn(舜)'s reign, the Central Plains suffered devastating floods, causing immense hardship for the people.

 

Emperor Shùn(舜) 

ordered Gun(鯀)

to control the floods.

 

Gun implemented a method of flood control, building dikes along the riverbanks, but the water only rose higher, and the floods persisted for nine years.

 

After Emperor Yao executed Gun, he appointed Gun's son, Yu, to succeed him in the flood control mission.

 

Witnessing Suffering, Transforming Filial Piety into Loyalty

 

From a young age, Yu witnessed hardship firsthand, seeing his father, Gun, killed by a stone axe.

 

Learning from this experience, he transformed filial piety into loyalty, personally leading Yi and Houji to gather the people for assistance. (益和后稷)

 

He inspected the river channels and examined the reasons for Gun's failure in flood control.

 

Yu learned from his father's failed flood control efforts and reformed the methods, focusing on dredging rivers and utilizing the natural tendency of water to flow downhill.

 

He successfully dredged the nine rivers.

 

Yu personally led the people, enduring harsh conditions and spending his days in mud and water to dredge waterways, diverting floodwaters from the plains into rivers and then into the sea.

 

IV. He was truly dedicated to the task, personally attending to every detail and even passing by his home three times without entering.

Q1  nine rivers (   )

        ➀九天 ➁九山 ➂九河 

Q2  stone axe (   ) 

        ➀石弓 ➁石斧 ➂石劍 

Q3  to work tirelessly 孜孜 (   )

        ➀不想 ➁不吃 ➂不倦 

Q4  mud and water 泥和

        ➀水 ➁土 ➂草

 

 

During the flood control efforts, Yu traversed mountains and rivers,

 

carrying measuring instruments, surveying the terrain from west to east, setting up markers, and planning waterways.

 

 

He led the laborers throughout the land, using the markers to cut through mountains and build dikes in low-lying areas to dredge waterways and divert floodwaters to the sea.

 

Yu devoted himself tirelessly to flood control, never resting.

 

Flood prevention was as urgent as saving lives;

 

shortly after his marriage to Tushan woman Nüjiao, he left his wife to embark on the flood control journey.

 

Later, when he passed by his home, he heard his wife giving birth and his son crying, but he dared not go inside.

 

The third time he passed through his hometown, his son Qi was being held in his mother's arms.

 

Qi already knew how to call him "Dad" and waved his little hand to greet Yu. Yu only waved back to his wife and child, indicating that he had seen them, but did not stop.

 

Because of his success in controlling the floods, people, to express their gratitude to Yu, respectfully called him "Da Yu," meaning "the great Yu."

 

In the original text, "孜孜" means diligent and tireless, and "不懈" implies "unwearying."

 

禹的父親鯀被封在汶山石紐地區（今四川省北川縣）。禹幼年隨父親鯀東遷，來到中原。其父鯀被帝堯封於崇（即中嶽嵩山）。

 

帝堯時，中原洪水氾濫造成水患災禍，百姓愁苦不堪。帝堯命令鯀治水，鯀受命治理洪水水患，用障水法，也就是在岸邊設置河堤，但水卻越淹越高，歷時九年未能平息洪水災禍。堯帝處死鲧之後，命鯀的兒子禹繼任治水之職。

 

三、 見證苦難、移孝作忠

 

大禹從小見證苦難的存在，親眼看見父親鯀被石斧砍死，而他記取教訓，移孝作忠，親自帶領益和后稷一起，召集百姓前來協助，他視察河道，並檢討鯀治水失敗的原因。

禹總結了父親治水失敗的教訓，改革治水方法以疏導河川治水為主，用水向低處流的自然趨勢，疏通了九河。

 

禹親自率領老百姓餐風露宿，整天泡在泥水裡疏通河道，把平地的積水導入江河，再引入海洋。

 

四、真體實修，事必躬親、三過家門而不入

治水期間，禹翻山越嶺，淌河過川，拿著量測儀工具，從西向東，一路測度地形的高低，樹立標桿，規劃水道。

 

他帶領治水的民工，走遍各地，根據標桿，逢山開山，遇窪築堤，以疏通水道，引洪水入海。

 

禹為了治水，費盡腦筋，不怕勞苦，從來不敢休息。防洪氾濫如救生十萬火急，他與塗山氏女嬌新婚不久，就離開妻子，踏上治水的道路。

 

後來，他路過家門口，聽到妻子生產，兒子呱呱墜地的啼聲，都不敢進家門。

 

第三次經過家鄉的時候，其子啟正被母親抱在懷裏，他已經懂得叫爸爸，揮動小手，和禹打招呼，禹只是向妻兒揮揮手，表示自己看到他們了，還是沒有停下來。

 

因治洪水有功，人們為表達對禹的感激之情，尊稱他為「大禹」，即「偉大的禹」。

 

在原文中，「孜孜」是勤勉不懈的意思，「不懈」就含有「不倦」的意味。