Su Wu Herds Sheep

Su Wu is detained by the Xiongnu and forced to herd sheep for nineteen years, yet he refuses to surrender. The story honors loyalty, dignity, integrity, and quiet perseverance in hardship.

HSK 6–7-9

Illustration inspired by Su Wu Herds Sheep.

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  1. 西汉时期，汉朝和匈奴之间常常有战争，也常常需要谈判。

    xi1 han4 shi2 qi1 han4 chao2 he2 xiong1 nu2 zhi1 jian1 chang2 chang2 you3 zhan4 zheng1 ye3 chang2 chang2 xu1 yao4 tan2 pan4

    During the Western Han dynasty, there were often wars and negotiations between the Han and the Xiongnu.

  2. 为了保持边境的稳定，双方有时会派使者往来。

    wei4 le5 bao3 chi2 bian1 jing4 de5 wen3 ding4 shuang1 fang1 you3 shi2 hui4 pai4 shi3 zhe3 wang3 lai2

    To keep the frontier stable, the two sides sometimes sent envoys to each other.

  3. 使者的任务看起来只是送信、说话，实际上却非常危险，因为他们代表的不只是自己，也代表国家的尊严。

    shi3 zhe3 de5 ren4 wu5 kan4 qi3 lai5 zhi3 shi4 song4 xin4 shuo1 hua4 shi2 ji4 shang4 que4 fei1 chang2 wei1 xian3 yin1 wei4 ta1 men5 dai4 biao3 de5 bu4 zhi3 shi4 zi4 ji3 ye3 dai4 biao3 guo2 jia1 de5 zun1 yan2

    An envoy’s task seemed to be only delivering messages and speaking, but in reality it was extremely dangerous, because an envoy represented not only himself but also the dignity of his state.