Chinese Myth

精卫填海🔊

Jīng Wèi Tián Hǎi
📚 Myths⏱ 3 min read🎧 Audio

This myth tells of a small bird determined to fill the sea with pebbles.

The Story 🔊

Yándì de nǚ'ér Nǚwá zài Dōnghǎi yānsǐ le
炎帝Yándì🔊de🔊女儿nǚ'ér🔊女娃Nǚwá🔊zài🔊东海Dōnghǎi🔊淹死了yānsǐ le🔊
Tā de línghún biàn chéng le yì zhī xiǎoniǎo jiào Jīngwèi
她的Tā de🔊灵魂línghún🔊变成了biàn chéng le🔊一只yì zhī🔊小鸟xiǎoniǎo🔊jiào🔊精卫Jīngwèi🔊
Jīngwèi měitiān xiánzhe shízǐ hé shùzhī tóurù dàhǎi
精卫Jīngwèi🔊每天měitiān🔊衔着xiánzhe🔊石子shízǐ🔊🔊树枝shùzhī🔊投入tóurù🔊大海dàhǎi🔊
Tā fāshì yào bǎ dàhǎi tián píng
🔊发誓fāshì🔊yào🔊🔊大海dàhǎi🔊填平tián píng🔊
Bùguǎn dàhǎi duōme cháoxiào Jīngwèi cóng bù fàngqì
不管Bùguǎn🔊大海dàhǎi🔊多么duōme🔊嘲笑cháoxiào🔊精卫Jīngwèi🔊从不cóng bù🔊放弃fàngqì🔊
English Translation:
Emperor Yan's daughter Nüwa drowned in the Eastern Sea. Her soul transformed into a small bird called Jingwei. Every day, Jingwei carried pebbles and twigs in her beak and dropped them into the sea. She vowed to fill up the sea. No matter how much the sea mocked her, Jingwei never gave up.

Key Vocabulary

精卫填海
jīng wèi tián hǎi
Jingwei fills the sea
淹死
yānsǐ
drown
灵魂
línghún
soul
衔着
xiánzhe
carry in beak
石子
shízǐ
pebbles
填平
tián píng
fill up

The Moral

Never give up, no matter how impossible! This myth represents unyielding determination against overwhelming odds.

Cultural Insight

精卫填海 is recorded in "Classic of Mountains and Seas" (山海经).