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Introduction to Literary Chinese - Lesson 5, Text 2

Adapted from the 1927 book by J. Brandt

雹 Hail ^hail

秋日烈烈。暑熱未退。 An autumn day was very sultry, and the heat did not abate. [^an] autumn day [was] burning-burning (burning_hot), [and the] hot-swelter (sweltering_heat) [did] not_yet[:not] abate.

忽陰霾四布。大風驟至。 Suddenly (the sky) darkened on all sides, and a strong wind blew. ^suddenly [a] dark mist 2four (every_direction[:in_all_directions]) 1spread[_out], [and] [a] great wind quickly[:rushed] arrive[:in].

空中冰塊相擊。墮地有聲。 Small pieces of ice, jostling each other in the air, poured down upon the earth with noise. 4[the] air 3in 2[of] ice 1^piece[s] 2each_other [and] 1beat (jostle[d]) fall_down[:fell] [to the] earth with sound (noise).

屋瓦檐鐵。砰磅聒耳。 The rattle (of hail) against the roof tiles and eaves bells was deafening. [^the] 2[of the] roof 3tile[s] 4[and the] eaves-iron (wind\-chimes) 1onomatopoeia-onomatopoeia (clanging) clamor[:blared] [in one's] ear[s].

一兒驚問曰。天方熱。何以有雪。 A boy was startled (by it) and asked (his father). "The day was just (so) hot, how (then) (can we) have snow?" ^a boy be_startled[:was_startled] [and] ask[ed] speak[:~], "[^the] weather [was] just [so] hot, what-by (how) [can] be[:there_be] snow?"

父曰。非雪也。是名爲雹。 His father said, "(It is) not snow; it is called hail". [^his] father speak[:said], "[^it] is_not snow final_particle[:~]; [it] be_named[:is_called] hail."

兒曰。雹何自來。 "Where does hail come from?" asked the boy. [^the] boy speak[:asked], "2hail 1what[:^where] [does] 2from 1come?"

父曰。空中水汽將成雨點。忽爲高處冷風所吹。驟結冰塊錯雜下降。 The father said, "When water vapors, about to be transformed into rain drops, are suddenly exposed to a cold wind in the high zones (of the atmosphere), they instantly congeal into pieces of ice (which) fall down in disorder. [^the] father speak[:said], "[^when] 3[the] air 2in water 1vapor[s], about_to become rain drop[s], suddenly be[:are] 5[in the] high-place (heights) 3[by] cold 4wind[s] 2passive_particle[:~n] 1blow, [they] instantly set [into] 2[of] ice [and] 1clump[s] 3rub-mix (in_disorder) 2down 1fall.

小者如豆。大者如雞卵。 The smaller ones are as big as peas, the large ones are of the size of a hen's egg. [^the] small one[s] [are] like bean[s], [the] large one[s] [are] like [a] hen['s] egg.

害田禾。傷人畜。毀盧舍。往往成非常之災也。 (Hail) injures crops, hurts men and cattle, destroys huts and hovels, and very often causes enormous (lit. unusual) calamities." [^it] injure[s] field-grain (crops), hurt[s] man[:men] [and] cattle, destroy[s] hut[s] and shed[s], [and] go-go (often) cause[s] not-usual (extraordinary) camality[-ies] final_particle[:~]."