章节正文
Strike it thrice,
A stick won't hurt.
The magpie wears a small white shirt.
Strike again.
Four for you.
A camel, a horse, and a Mongol too.
Strike it five--
Five I said,
A mushroom grows with dirt on its head.
Strike it six
Thus you do,
Six good horsemen caught Liu Hsiu.
Strike it seven
For 'tis said
A pheasant's coat is green and red.
Strike it eight,
Strike it right,
A gourd on the house-top blossoms white.
Strike again,
Strike it nine,
We'll have some soup, some meat and wine.
Strike it ten,
Then you stop,
A small, white blossom on an onion top.
Chi did not wait for further suggestion from any one, but called
out:
"Throw cash."
The boys all ran to an adjoining wall, each took a cash
from his purse or pocket, and pressing it against the wall,
let it drop. The one whose cash rolled farthest away took
it up and threw it against the wall in such a way as to make
it bound back as far as possible.
Each did this in turn. The one whose cash bounded
farthest, then took it up, and with his foot on the place
whence he had taken it, he pitched or threw it in turn at
each of the others. Those he hit he took up. When he
missed one, all who remained took up their cash and struck
the wall again, going through the same process as before.
The one who wins is the one who takes up most cash.
This seemed to call to mind another pitching game, for
Chi said once more in his old military way:
"Pitch brickbats."
The boys drew two lines fifteen feet apart. Each took a
piece of brick, and, standing on one line pitched to see who
could come nearest to the other.
The one farthest from the line set up his brick on the line
and the one nearest, standing on the opposite line, pitched
at it, the object being to knock it over.
If he failed he set up his brick and the other pitched at it.
If he succeeded, he next pitched it near the other, hopped
over and kicked his brick against that of his companion,
knocking it over. Then he carried it successively on his
head, on each shoulder, on back and breast (walking), in
the bend of his thigh and the bend of his knee (hopping),
and between his legs (shuffling), each time dropping it on
the other brick and knocking it over.
Finally he marked a square enclosing the brick, eighteen
inches each side, and hopped back and forth over both
square and brick ten times which constituted him winner of
the game.
Chi had become so expert in pitching and dropping the
brick as to be able to play the game without an error. The
shuffling and hopping often caused much merriment.
"What is that game," we inquired of Chi, "the boys on
the street play with two marbles?"
Without directly answering my question Chi turned to the boys and
said:
"Kick the marbles."
The boys soon produced from somewhere,--Chinese boys
can always produce anything from anywhere,--two marbles
an inch and a half in diameter. Chi put one on the ground,
and with the toe of his shoe upon it, gave it a shove. Then
placing the other, he shoved it in the same way, the object
being to hit the first.
There are two ways in which one may win. The first
boy says to the second, kick this marble north (south, east
or west) of the other at one kick. If he succeeds he wins,
if he fails the other wins.
If he puts it north as ordered, he may kick again to hit
the other ball, in which case he wins again. If he hits the
ball and goes north, as ordered, at one kick, he wins double.
Each boy tries to leave the balls in as difficult a position
as possible for his successor; and here comes in a peculiarity
which leaves this game unique among the games of the world. If
the position in which the balls are left is too difficult for the
other to play he may refuse to kick and the first is compelled to
play his own difficult game--or like Haman--to hang on his own
gallows. It recognizes the Chinese golden rule of not doing to
others what you would not have them do to you.
The boys spent a long time playing this game--indeed they seemed
to forget they were playing for us, and we were finally compelled
to call them off.
Chi had turned the marbles over to the others as soon as
he had fairly started it, and stood in that peculiar fashion of
his with one leg wound around the other, and when we
called to them, he simply said as though it were the next
part of the same game:
"Kick the shoes."
The boys all took off their shoes--an easy matter for an
Oriental--and piled them in a heap. At a given sign they
all kicked the pile scattering the shoes in every direction,
and each snatched up, and, for the time, kept what he got.
Those who were very agile got their own shoes, or a pair
which would fit them, while those who were slow only
secured a single shoe, and that either too large or too small.
It was amusing to see a large-footed boy with a small shoe,
and a boy with small feet having a shoe or shoes much too
large for him.
The game was a good test of the boys' agility.
On consulting our watch we found it would soon be time for the
boys to enter school, but asked them to play one more game.
"Cat catching mice," said Chi.
The children selected one of their company to represent the cat
and another the mouse.
The remainder formed a ring with the mouse inside and
the cat outside, and while the ring revolved, the following
conversation took place:
"What o'clock is it?"
"Just struck nine."
"Is the mouse at home?"
"He's about to dine."
All the time the mouse was careful to keep as far as possible
from the cat.
The ring stopped revolving and the cat popped in at this
side and the mouse out at the other. It is one of the rules
of the game that the cat must follow exactly in the footsteps
of the mouse. They wound in and out of the ring for some time but
at last the mouse was caught and "eaten," the eating process
being the amusing part of the game. It is impossible to describe
it as every "cat" does it differently, and one of the virtues of
a cat is to be a good eater.
The boys continued to play until the bell rang for the
evening session. They referred to many different games
which they had received from Europeans, but played only
those which Chi had learned upon the street before he
entered school. This was repeated day after day, until we
had gathered a large collection of their most common, and
consequently their best, games, the number of which was
an indication of the richness of the play life of Chinese boys.
Another peculiarly interesting fact was the leadership of
Chi. The Chinese boy, like the Chinese man is a genuine
democrat and is ready to follow the one who knows what he
is about and is competent to take the lead, with little regard
to social position. It is the civil service idea of a genuine
democracy ingrained in childhood.
GAMES PLAYED BY GIRLS
After having made the collection of boys' games we
undertook to obtain in a similar way, fullest information
concerning games played by the girls. Of course, it was
impossible to do it alone, for the appearance of a man
among a crowd of little girls in China is similar to that of a
hawk among a flock of small chicks--it results in a tittering
and scattering in every direction, or a gathering together in
a dock under the shelter of the school roof or the wings of
the teacher. One of the teachers, however, Miss Effie
Young, kindly consented to go with us, and a goodly
number of the small girls, after a less than usual amount of
tittering and whispering, gathered about us to see what was
wanted. The smallest among them was the most brave,
and Miss Young explained that this was a "little street
waif" who had been taken into the school because she had
neither home nor friends, with the hope that something
might be done to save her from an unhappy fate.
"Do you know any games?" we asked her.
She put her hands behind her, hung her head, shuffled
in an embarrassed manner, and answered: "Lots of them."
"Play some for me."
This small girl after some delay took control of the party
and began arranging them for a game, which she called "going
to town," similar to one which the boys called "pounding rice."
Two of the girls stood back to back, hooked their arms, and as
one bent the other from the ground, and thus alternating, they
sang:
Up you go, down you see,
Here's a turnip for you and me;
Here's a pitcher, we'll go to town;
Oh, what a pity, we've fallen down.
At which point they both sat down back to back, their arms still
locked, and asked and answered the following questions:
What do you see in the heavens bright?
I see the moon and the stars at night.
What do you see in the earth, pray tell?
I see in the earth a deep, deep well.
What do you see in the well, my dear?
I see a frog and his voice I hear.
What is he saying there on the rock?
Get up, get up, ke'rh kua, ke'rh kua.
They then tried to get up, but, with their arms locked,
they found it impossible to do so, and rolled over and got
up with great hilarity.
This seemed to suggest to our little friend another game,
which she called "turning the mill." The girls took hold
of each other's hands, just as the boys do in "churning
butter," but instead of turning around under their arms they
turn half way, put one arm up over their head, bringing
their right or left sides together, one facing one direction
and one the other; then, standing still, the following dialogue
took place:
Where has the big dog gone?
Gone to the city.
Where has the little dog gone?
A stick won't hurt.
The magpie wears a small white shirt.
Strike again.
Four for you.
A camel, a horse, and a Mongol too.
Strike it five--
Five I said,
A mushroom grows with dirt on its head.
Strike it six
Thus you do,
Six good horsemen caught Liu Hsiu.
Strike it seven
For 'tis said
A pheasant's coat is green and red.
Strike it eight,
Strike it right,
A gourd on the house-top blossoms white.
Strike again,
Strike it nine,
We'll have some soup, some meat and wine.
Strike it ten,
Then you stop,
A small, white blossom on an onion top.
Chi did not wait for further suggestion from any one, but called
out:
"Throw cash."
The boys all ran to an adjoining wall, each took a cash
from his purse or pocket, and pressing it against the wall,
let it drop. The one whose cash rolled farthest away took
it up and threw it against the wall in such a way as to make
it bound back as far as possible.
Each did this in turn. The one whose cash bounded
farthest, then took it up, and with his foot on the place
whence he had taken it, he pitched or threw it in turn at
each of the others. Those he hit he took up. When he
missed one, all who remained took up their cash and struck
the wall again, going through the same process as before.
The one who wins is the one who takes up most cash.
This seemed to call to mind another pitching game, for
Chi said once more in his old military way:
"Pitch brickbats."
The boys drew two lines fifteen feet apart. Each took a
piece of brick, and, standing on one line pitched to see who
could come nearest to the other.
The one farthest from the line set up his brick on the line
and the one nearest, standing on the opposite line, pitched
at it, the object being to knock it over.
If he failed he set up his brick and the other pitched at it.
If he succeeded, he next pitched it near the other, hopped
over and kicked his brick against that of his companion,
knocking it over. Then he carried it successively on his
head, on each shoulder, on back and breast (walking), in
the bend of his thigh and the bend of his knee (hopping),
and between his legs (shuffling), each time dropping it on
the other brick and knocking it over.
Finally he marked a square enclosing the brick, eighteen
inches each side, and hopped back and forth over both
square and brick ten times which constituted him winner of
the game.
Chi had become so expert in pitching and dropping the
brick as to be able to play the game without an error. The
shuffling and hopping often caused much merriment.
"What is that game," we inquired of Chi, "the boys on
the street play with two marbles?"
Without directly answering my question Chi turned to the boys and
said:
"Kick the marbles."
The boys soon produced from somewhere,--Chinese boys
can always produce anything from anywhere,--two marbles
an inch and a half in diameter. Chi put one on the ground,
and with the toe of his shoe upon it, gave it a shove. Then
placing the other, he shoved it in the same way, the object
being to hit the first.
There are two ways in which one may win. The first
boy says to the second, kick this marble north (south, east
or west) of the other at one kick. If he succeeds he wins,
if he fails the other wins.
If he puts it north as ordered, he may kick again to hit
the other ball, in which case he wins again. If he hits the
ball and goes north, as ordered, at one kick, he wins double.
Each boy tries to leave the balls in as difficult a position
as possible for his successor; and here comes in a peculiarity
which leaves this game unique among the games of the world. If
the position in which the balls are left is too difficult for the
other to play he may refuse to kick and the first is compelled to
play his own difficult game--or like Haman--to hang on his own
gallows. It recognizes the Chinese golden rule of not doing to
others what you would not have them do to you.
The boys spent a long time playing this game--indeed they seemed
to forget they were playing for us, and we were finally compelled
to call them off.
Chi had turned the marbles over to the others as soon as
he had fairly started it, and stood in that peculiar fashion of
his with one leg wound around the other, and when we
called to them, he simply said as though it were the next
part of the same game:
"Kick the shoes."
The boys all took off their shoes--an easy matter for an
Oriental--and piled them in a heap. At a given sign they
all kicked the pile scattering the shoes in every direction,
and each snatched up, and, for the time, kept what he got.
Those who were very agile got their own shoes, or a pair
which would fit them, while those who were slow only
secured a single shoe, and that either too large or too small.
It was amusing to see a large-footed boy with a small shoe,
and a boy with small feet having a shoe or shoes much too
large for him.
The game was a good test of the boys' agility.
On consulting our watch we found it would soon be time for the
boys to enter school, but asked them to play one more game.
"Cat catching mice," said Chi.
The children selected one of their company to represent the cat
and another the mouse.
The remainder formed a ring with the mouse inside and
the cat outside, and while the ring revolved, the following
conversation took place:
"What o'clock is it?"
"Just struck nine."
"Is the mouse at home?"
"He's about to dine."
All the time the mouse was careful to keep as far as possible
from the cat.
The ring stopped revolving and the cat popped in at this
side and the mouse out at the other. It is one of the rules
of the game that the cat must follow exactly in the footsteps
of the mouse. They wound in and out of the ring for some time but
at last the mouse was caught and "eaten," the eating process
being the amusing part of the game. It is impossible to describe
it as every "cat" does it differently, and one of the virtues of
a cat is to be a good eater.
The boys continued to play until the bell rang for the
evening session. They referred to many different games
which they had received from Europeans, but played only
those which Chi had learned upon the street before he
entered school. This was repeated day after day, until we
had gathered a large collection of their most common, and
consequently their best, games, the number of which was
an indication of the richness of the play life of Chinese boys.
Another peculiarly interesting fact was the leadership of
Chi. The Chinese boy, like the Chinese man is a genuine
democrat and is ready to follow the one who knows what he
is about and is competent to take the lead, with little regard
to social position. It is the civil service idea of a genuine
democracy ingrained in childhood.
GAMES PLAYED BY GIRLS
After having made the collection of boys' games we
undertook to obtain in a similar way, fullest information
concerning games played by the girls. Of course, it was
impossible to do it alone, for the appearance of a man
among a crowd of little girls in China is similar to that of a
hawk among a flock of small chicks--it results in a tittering
and scattering in every direction, or a gathering together in
a dock under the shelter of the school roof or the wings of
the teacher. One of the teachers, however, Miss Effie
Young, kindly consented to go with us, and a goodly
number of the small girls, after a less than usual amount of
tittering and whispering, gathered about us to see what was
wanted. The smallest among them was the most brave,
and Miss Young explained that this was a "little street
waif" who had been taken into the school because she had
neither home nor friends, with the hope that something
might be done to save her from an unhappy fate.
"Do you know any games?" we asked her.
She put her hands behind her, hung her head, shuffled
in an embarrassed manner, and answered: "Lots of them."
"Play some for me."
This small girl after some delay took control of the party
and began arranging them for a game, which she called "going
to town," similar to one which the boys called "pounding rice."
Two of the girls stood back to back, hooked their arms, and as
one bent the other from the ground, and thus alternating, they
sang:
Up you go, down you see,
Here's a turnip for you and me;
Here's a pitcher, we'll go to town;
Oh, what a pity, we've fallen down.
At which point they both sat down back to back, their arms still
locked, and asked and answered the following questions:
What do you see in the heavens bright?
I see the moon and the stars at night.
What do you see in the earth, pray tell?
I see in the earth a deep, deep well.
What do you see in the well, my dear?
I see a frog and his voice I hear.
What is he saying there on the rock?
Get up, get up, ke'rh kua, ke'rh kua.
They then tried to get up, but, with their arms locked,
they found it impossible to do so, and rolled over and got
up with great hilarity.
This seemed to suggest to our little friend another game,
which she called "turning the mill." The girls took hold
of each other's hands, just as the boys do in "churning
butter," but instead of turning around under their arms they
turn half way, put one arm up over their head, bringing
their right or left sides together, one facing one direction
and one the other; then, standing still, the following dialogue
took place:
Where has the big dog gone?
Gone to the city.
Where has the little dog gone?
- blossom [´blɔsəm]
n.花；开花期 vi.开花 (初中英语单词) - suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən] n.建议，提议；暗示 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- expert [´ekspə:t] n.&a.专家；内行 (初中英语单词)
- marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)
- peculiar [pi´kju:liə] a.特有的；奇异的 (初中英语单词)
- collection [kə´lekʃən] n.收集；征收；募捐 (初中英语单词)
- indication [,indi´keiʃən] n.指示；征兆，迹象 (初中英语单词)
- obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)
- hooked [hukt] a.钩状的；上瘾的 (初中英语单词)
- pitcher [´pitʃə] n.大水罐；投掷者 (初中英语单词)
- mushroom [´mʌʃru:m] n.蘑菇 vi.采蘑菇 (高中英语单词)
- diameter [dai´æmitə] n.直径 (高中英语单词)
- successor [sək´sesə] n.继承人，接班人 (高中英语单词)
- unique [ju:´ni:k] a.唯一的 n.独一无二 (高中英语单词)
- amusing [ə´mju:ziŋ] a.有趣的 (高中英语单词)
- remainder [ri´meində] n.剩余物；残余部分 (高中英语单词)
- differently [´difrentli] ad.不同地，有差别地 (高中英语单词)
- session [´seʃən] n.会议；会期；(开庭)期 (高中英语单词)
- learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- leadership [´li:dəʃip] n.领导(能力) (高中英语单词)
- competent [´kɔmpitənt] a.能干的，有资格的 (高中英语单词)
- turnip [´tə:nip] n.萝卜，芜菁 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- farthest [´fɑ:ðist] ad.&a.最远(的) (英语四级单词)
- winner [´winə] n.胜利者，得奖者 (英语四级单词)
- peculiarly [pi´kju:liəli] ad.特有地；古怪地 (英语四级单词)
- gathering [´gæðəriŋ] n.集会，聚集 (英语四级单词)
- richness [´ritʃnis] n.富饶；富裕；华美 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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