Chinese Fable

完璧归赵🔊

Wán Bì Guī Zhào
📚 Fables⏱ 3 min read🎧 Audio

This fable tells of returning something intact to its rightful owner through wisdom and courage.

The Story 🔊

Zhànguó shíqī Zhàoguó yǒu yí kuài bǎoyù jiào Héshìbì
战国Zhànguó🔊时期shíqī🔊赵国Zhàoguó🔊yǒu🔊一块yí kuài🔊宝玉bǎoyù🔊jiào🔊和氏璧Héshìbì🔊
Qín wáng xiǎng yòng shíwǔ zuò chéngchí huàn Héshìbì
秦王Qín wáng🔊xiǎng🔊yòng🔊十五座shíwǔ zuò🔊城池chéngchí🔊huàn🔊和氏璧Héshìbì🔊
Lìn Xiàngrú dàizhe Héshìbì qù Qínguó fāxiàn Qín wáng bìng bù xiǎng gěi chéngchí
蔺相如Lìn Xiàngrú🔊带着dàizhe🔊和氏璧Héshìbì🔊🔊秦国Qínguó🔊发现fāxiàn🔊秦王Qín wáng🔊并不bìng bù🔊xiǎng🔊gěi🔊城池chéngchí🔊
Tā jīzhì de bǎ Héshìbì yào le huílái bìng pài rén tōutōu sònghuí Zhàoguó
🔊机智地jīzhì de🔊🔊和氏璧Héshìbì🔊要了yào le🔊回来huílái🔊bìng🔊派人pài rén🔊偷偷tōutōu🔊送回sònghuí🔊赵国Zhàoguó🔊
English Translation:
During the Warring States period, Zhao had a precious jade called Heshibi. The King of Qin wanted to trade fifteen cities for it. Lin Xiangru took the jade to Qin but discovered the King of Qin did not intend to give the cities. He cleverly got the jade back and secretly sent it back to Zhao.

Key Vocabulary

完璧归赵
wán bì guī zhào
return jade intact to Zhao
和氏璧
Héshìbì
Jade of He
宝玉
bǎoyù
precious jade
城池
chéngchí
cities
机智
jīzhì
resourceful
偷偷
tōutōu
secretly

The Moral

Wisdom and courage protect what is valuable! This idiom means returning something borrowed intact to its owner.

Cultural Insight

完璧归赵 comes from the story of Lin Xiangru in "Records of the Grand Historian" (史记).