Let's read the story about the old man being a horse! /Japanese Learning Support LLC | blog

Do you know the story about the old man being a horse?

Today, I would like to introduce you to a Chinese story called ``The Old Man and the Horse.''

Reading is recommended for learning Japanese, so try reading it out loud.

If you don't understand a kanji or word, you can look it up.

Write down the words you looked up and memorize them.

Also, I would like to introduce ``Seo ga Uma'' separately into part 1 and part 2.

This time it's part 1.

Let's start reading.

“Saio ga Uma” part 1

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and his son near the border.

My grandfather had a horse.

The horse was smart, strong, and cool, so when the old man carried heavy loads, he always carried them on this horse.

Villagers: ``That horse is nice after all. I want a horse like that too.''

All the villagers wanted the old man's horse.

Both the grandfather and his son loved the horse very much.

One morning, when the old man went to the horse stable, he couldn't hear the sound of the horses.

that? When the old man looked inside the stable, he found that the horse was not there.

Grandfather: "It's terrible! The horse ran away!!"

Word of the grandfather's missing horse soon spread throughout the village.

Villager: "Ah, I feel sorry for him. I can't believe such a good horse is gone. He runs so fast, so he might have already gone somewhere far away."

Villager: "Well, someone might have stolen it."

The villagers were gossiping about various things.

However, the old man did not panic and remained very calm.

Son: “Don’t you have to go look for a horse?”

Grandpa: "Oh, I'm sure he'll be back soon."

One day, several days later, the old man woke up to the sound of horse footsteps.

When the old man went out and looked, he found that his horse had brought back a wonderful horse from a neighboring country.

Grandfather: "Oh, you're back!"

The son also woke up and was surprised to see his grandfather's horse.

Son: "Wow! The horse is really back! And he's bringing another horse with him!"

Grandfather: "This horse looks big and strong too!"

Son: “I’m glad we now have two strong horses!”

Grandfather: "That's right. But this might lead to something worse."

Son: “I guess so.”

Grandfather: ``This horse is fine, but it doesn't seem like he's used to humans yet. Listen, you should never ride this horse.''

Son: “Hey, he’s such a nice horse!”

to be continued…

How was it.

What will happen to the old man, his son, and the horse?

If you want to read the continuation, part 2 will be uploaded soon, so please look forward to it.

Now, I would like to introduce some words related to "horse".

"Ema"

Have you ever seen something called an ema? It is a wooden board at a shrine where you write your wishes and thank you for having your wishes come true. There is often a picture drawn on the front, and people write their wishes and thanks on the back.

The act of tying it to a designated place and having it received by the god is called an offering.

Why is it called "Ema"?

In fact, in the old days, real horses were dedicated to the gods. However, now wooden boards are used instead of horses, so the name has the character ``horse'' in it.

Sample1 I wrote a wish on a votive tablet at a shrine.

Sample2 I dedicated a votive tablet.

“Somato”

A running light is one of the old lighting equipment (lights).

It may be similar if you imagine a Chinese lantern.

A candle is placed inside the lantern, and there is a shadow of a horse on the outside, making it a beautiful lantern with a spinning horse shadow.

In the past, it was used for children to enjoy watching moving shadows, but now that custom has disappeared.

However, even today, the custom of displaying running horse lanterns during Obon still remains.

You may see it in TV dramas, at the homes of Japanese relatives, and during Obon.

Nowadays, running horse lights are rarely seen, but because of the spinning silhouettes, they are also used to remind people of the highlights of their lives.

Sample1 When I had the accident, my life up until now came back to me like a flashback.

Sample 2 At the wedding, the memories I had with my family came back to me like a lantern, and I burst into tears.

*“Revival” means to come back to life, to return something that was about to disappear, here to “remember.”

"Bashauma"

The word ``carriage'' literally means a horse-drawn vehicle.

It's hard to see in Japan today.

A ``carriage horse'' is the horse that pulls the carriage.

The term "works like a carriage horse" was coined because carriage drivers would cover the sides of their horses so that the horses could only see in front of them (so that they could concentrate on what was ahead). .

It refers to working hard and focusing on one thing without worrying about other people or things.

Sample1 As a new employee, he worked like a workhorse for the past six months.

Sample2 She kept working like a workhorse for her dream, and eventually her body broke down.

How was your study today?

We have introduced words related to ``Seo ga Uma'' and ``Uma.''

I hope you enjoyed it.

See you in the next blog!