小暑家事

Audio #

Hanzi #

2026年小暑来临前，天气变得又热又湿。一天早上，妈妈对丽丽和小明说：“小暑快到了，空气很潮，衣服和书很容易发霉。我们今天得把它们都拿出去晒一晒。”

丽丽和小明马上答应了。他们打开衣柜，把冬天的厚衣服都抱了出来。丽丽小心地把衣服一件一件挂在院子里的晾衣绳上。小明也把书架上的旧书搬到大桌子上，让太阳好好晒晒。阳光很强，两个人干得很认真。

“姐姐，你看，这本书的封面有一点湿了。”小明翻开一本故事书说。

“是呀，还好我们今天就拿出来晒，过几天可能真的会发霉。”丽丽回答。

“晒完这些，妈妈说要带我们去田边看刚收割的稻米。我真想闻一闻新米的香味！”小明兴奋地说。

“我也想去！我只在碗里见过米饭，还没见过田里的稻子呢。”丽丽笑着说。

干完活儿，妈妈带着姐弟俩走到村边的稻田。田里的稻子已经割完了，只剩下短短的秆子。一位农民伯伯拿着几把稻穗走过来，对他们说：“你们看，这就是新收的稻米。要把它们摊开晒干，才能变成我们吃的大米。”

丽丽和小明用手摸了摸金黄的稻穗，闻到一股自然的清香。小明说：“原来大米是这样来的，真有意思！”丽丽也点了点头。

回到家后，妈妈从菜园里摘了新鲜的青菜和萝卜。她高兴地说：“我们用这些菜来包饺子，一起迎接小暑吧！”丽丽和小明开心得跳了起来。

他们跟着妈妈一起学包饺子。丽丽把青菜洗好切碎，小明帮忙把菜和肉馅拌在一起。然后，他们拿起饺子皮，一点儿一点儿地包。丽丽包的饺子样子不太好看，像个小月亮。小明包的饺子皮破了两个，馅漏了出来。他们俩互相看了看，都哈哈笑了起来。

“姐姐，你看我包的，又破了！”小明举着一个破饺子说。

“没关系，我教你。把馅放少一点，然后把皮捏紧。”丽丽一边说，一边慢慢地包给他看。

“明白了！我再试一个。”小明认真地又包了一个，这次成功了。

“很好！你学得真快。”丽丽笑着说。

饺子煮好了，热气腾腾的一大碗。一家人围坐在桌子旁边，一边吃一边聊天。爸爸尝了一个，满意地说：“自己包的饺子吃起来特别香！”

丽丽也说：“今天真开心，我学会了晒东西，还认识了稻米，又自己动手包了饺子。这个夏天开始得真好！”

小明嘴里塞满了饺子，急急地说：“我还要吃，姐姐包的饺子最好吃！”大家都被他的话逗笑了。窗外，知了一声一声地叫着，炎热的夏天真正到来了。

Pinyin #

2026 nián xiǎoshǔ láilín qián, tiānqì biàn de yòu rè yòu shī. Yī tiān zǎoshang, māma duì Lìli hé Xiǎomíng shuō: “Xiǎoshǔ kuài dào le, kōngqì hěn cháo, yīfu hé shū hěn róngyì fāméi. Wǒmen jīntiān děi bǎ tāmen dōu ná chūqù shài yī shài.”

Lìli hé Xiǎomíng mǎshàng dāyìng le. Tāmen dǎkāi yīguì, bǎ dōngtiān de hòu yīfu dōu bào le chūlái. Lìli xiǎoxīn de bǎ yīfu yī jiàn yī jiàn guà zài yuànzi lǐ de liàngyīshéng shàng. Xiǎomíng yě bǎ shūjià shàng de jiù shū bān dào dà zhuōzi shàng, ràng tàiyáng hǎohǎo shài shài. Yángguāng hěn qiáng, liǎng gè rén gàn de hěn rènzhēn.

“Jiějie, nǐ kàn, zhè běn shū de fēngmiàn yǒu yīdiǎn shī le.” Xiǎomíng fān kāi yī běn gùshi shū shuō.

“Shì ya, háihǎo wǒmen jīntiān jiù ná chūlái shài, guò jǐ tiān kěnéng zhēn de huì fāméi.” Lìli huídá.

“Shài wán zhèxiē, māma shuō yào dài wǒmen qù tián biān kàn gāng shōugē de dàomǐ. Wǒ zhēn xiǎng wén yī wén xīn mǐ de xiāngwèi!” Xiǎomíng xīngfèn de shuō.

“Wǒ yě xiǎng qù! Wǒ zhǐ zài wǎn lǐ jiàn guò mǐfàn, hái méi jiàn guò tián lǐ de dàozi ne.” Lìli xiàozhe shuō.

Gàn wán huór, māma dàizhe jiě dì liǎ zǒu dào cūn biān de dàotián. Tián lǐ de dàozi yǐjīng gē wán le, zhǐ shèng xià duǎnduǎn de gǎnzi. Yī wèi nóngmín bóbo ná zhe jǐ bǎ dàosuì zǒu guòlái, duì tāmen shuō: “Nǐmen kàn, zhè jiùshì xīn shōu de dàomǐ. Yào bǎ tāmen tān kāi shài gān, cáinéng biàn chéng wǒmen chī de dàmǐ.”

Lìli hé Xiǎomíng yòng shǒu mō le mō jīnhuáng de dàosuì, wéndào yī gǔ zìrán de qīngxiāng. Xiǎomíng shuō: “Yuánlái dàmǐ shì zhèyàng lái de, zhēn yǒu yìsi!” Lìli yě diǎn le diǎn tóu.

Huí dào jiā hòu, māma cóng càiyuán lǐ zhāi le xīnxiān de qīngcài hé luóbo. Tā gāoxìng de shuō: “Wǒmen yòng zhèxiē cài lái bāo jiǎozi, yīqǐ yíngjiē xiǎoshǔ ba!” Lìli hé Xiǎomíng kāixīn de tiào le qǐlái.

Tāmen gēnzhe māma yīqǐ xué bāo jiǎozi. Lìli bǎ qīngcài xǐ hǎo qiē suì, Xiǎomíng bāngmáng bǎ cài hé ròuxiàn bàn zài yīqǐ. Ránhòu, tāmen ná qǐ jiǎozi pí, yīdiǎnr yīdiǎnr de bāo. Lìli bāo de jiǎozi yàngzi bù tài hǎo kàn, xiàng gè xiǎo yuèliang. Xiǎomíng bāo de jiǎozi pí pò le liǎng gè, xiàn lòu le chūlái. Tāmen liǎ hùxiāng kàn le kàn, dōu hāhā xiào le qǐlái.

“Jiějie, nǐ kàn wǒ bāo de, yòu pò le!” Xiǎomíng jǔ zhe yī gè pò jiǎozi shuō.

“Méiguānxi, wǒ jiāo nǐ. Bǎ xiàn fàng shǎo yīdiǎn, ránhòu bǎ pí niē jǐn.” Lìli yībiān shuō, yībiān mànman de bāo gěi tā kàn.

“Míngbai le! Wǒ zài shì yī gè.” Xiǎomíng rènzhēn de yòu bāo le yī gè, zhè cì chénggōng le.

“Hěn hǎo! Nǐ xué de zhēn kuài.” Lìli xiàozhe shuō.

Jiǎozi zhǔ hǎo le, rèqì téngténg de yī dà wǎn. Yī jiā rén wéi zuò zài zhuōzi pángbiān, yībiān chī yībiān liáotiān. Bàba cháng le yī gè, mǎnyì de shuō: “Zìjǐ bāo de jiǎozi chī qǐlái tèbié xiāng!”

Lìli yě shuō: “Jīntiān zhēn kāixīn, wǒ xuéhuì le shài dōngxi, hái rènshi le dàomǐ, yòu zìjǐ dòngshǒu bāo le jiǎozi. Zhège xiàtiān kāishǐ de zhēn hǎo!”

Xiǎomíng zuǐ lǐ sāi mǎn le jiǎozi, jí jí de shuō: “Wǒ hái yào chī, jiějie bāo de jiǎozi zuì hǎochī!” Dàjiā dōu bèi tā de huà dòu xiào le. Chuāng wài, zhīliǎo yī shēng yī shēng de jiào zhe, yánrè de xiàtiān zhēnzhèng dàolái le.

English Translation #

Before the arrival of Lesser Heat in 2026, the weather became hot and humid. One morning, Mom said to Lili and Xiaoming, “Lesser Heat is coming soon. The air is very damp, so clothes and books can easily get moldy. Today we need to take them all out and sun them.”

Lili and Xiaoming agreed at once. They opened the wardrobe and carried out all the thick winter clothes. Lili carefully hung the clothes one by one on the clothesline in the yard. Xiaoming also moved the old books from the bookshelf onto the big table to let the sun shine on them properly. The sunlight was strong, and the two worked very seriously.

“Sis, look, this book’s cover is a little damp.” Xiaoming opened a storybook and said.

“Yeah, good thing we’re sunning them today. In a few days they might really get moldy,” Lili answered.

“After we finish sunning these, Mom said she’ll take us to the field to see the newly harvested rice. I really want to smell the fragrance of new rice!” Xiaoming said excitedly.

“I want to go too! I’ve only seen cooked rice in a bowl, and I’ve never seen the rice plants in the field,” Lili said with a smile.

After finishing the work, Mom took the brother and sister to the rice paddy at the edge of the village. The rice plants had already been cut, leaving only short stubble. An old farmer came over holding a few rice stalks and said to them, “Look, this is the newly harvested rice. We have to spread it out and dry it in the sun before it can become the rice we eat.”

Lili and Xiaoming touched the golden rice stalks with their hands and smelled a natural fresh fragrance. Xiaoming said, “So this is how rice comes! How interesting!” Lili nodded too.

After returning home, Mom picked fresh greens and radishes from the vegetable garden. She said happily, “Let’s make dumplings with these vegetables and welcome Lesser Heat together!” Lili and Xiaoming jumped for joy.

They learned to make dumplings together with Mom. Lili washed and chopped the greens, and Xiaoming helped mix the vegetables with the meat filling. Then they picked up the dumpling wrappers and wrapped them little by little. The dumplings Lili made didn’t look very nice; they were shaped like little moons. Xiaoming broke the wrappers on two of his dumplings and the filling leaked out. The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Sis, look at mine, it broke again!” Xiaoming held up a broken dumpling.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll teach you. Put a little less filling, then pinch the wrapper tightly,” Lili said while slowly showing him how.

“Got it! I’ll try another one.” Xiaoming carefully made another one, and this time he succeeded.

“Very good! You learn so fast,” Lili said with a smile.

The dumplings were cooked, a big steaming bowlful. The whole family sat around the table, eating and chatting. Dad tried one and said with satisfaction, “The dumplings we make ourselves taste especially good!”

Lili also said, “Today was really fun. I learned how to sun things, got to know rice, and even made dumplings with my own hands. This summer is off to a great start!”

With his mouth stuffed with dumplings, Xiaoming eagerly said, “I want more! Sis’s dumplings are the best!” Everyone was tickled by his words. Outside the window, the cicadas were calling one after another, and the hot summer had truly arrived.

Grammatical Points and Analysis #

Verb-Object Phrases #

• 晒衣服/晒书 (shài yīfu / shài shū) – “to sun clothes / to sun books.” These are common separable verb-object combinations where the verb takes a direct object.
• 包饺子 (bāo jiǎozi) – “to make dumplings.” Another example of a verb + object structure frequently used for activities.
• 闻到香味 (wéndào xiāngwèi) – “to smell the fragrance.” The verb 闻 (wén) combines with 到 (dào) as a result complement, then takes the object 香味.

The 把 (bǎ) Construction #

• 把冬天的厚衣服都抱了出来 (bǎ dōngtiān de hòu yīfu dōu bào le chūlái) – “carried out all the thick winter clothes.” The 把 structure brings the object before the verb to emphasize what happens to it. Here, the result complement 出来 (chūlái) shows the outcome.
• 小心地把衣服一件一件挂在绳子上 (xiǎoxīn de bǎ yīfu yī jiàn yī jiàn guà zài shéngzi shàng) – “carefully hung the clothes one by one on the rope.” 把 again places the object before the verb, with 在 indicating location.
• 把书搬到大桌子上 (bǎ shū bān dào dà zhuōzi shàng) – “moved the books onto the big table.” The pattern is 把 + object + verb + 到 + place.
• 把馅放少一点，然后把皮捏紧 (bǎ xiàn fàng shǎo yīdiǎn, ránhòu bǎ pí niē jǐn) – “put a little less filling, then pinch the wrapper tightly.” Two consecutive 把 clauses in spoken instruction.

Resultative Complements #

• 拿出来 (ná chūlái) – “take out.” The verb 拿 (to take) + 出来 (out) indicates the result of taking something out.
• 搬到大桌子上 (bān dào dà zhuōzi shàng) – “move onto the big table.” The verb 搬 (move) + 到 (to) + location shows where the moving results in.
• 包好 (bāo hǎo) – “wrap well.” 好 after a verb indicates successful completion. In the story, it is implied in the process of learning to wrap dumplings.
• 切碎 (qiē suì) – “chop into small pieces.” Verb 切 + result complement 碎 (broken into pieces).
• 捏紧 (niē jǐn) – “pinch tightly.” Verb 捏 + complement 紧 (tight).

Degree Complements and Comparisons #

• 包得真快 (bāo de zhēn kuài) – “wrap really fast.” The 得 particle connects the verb with a descriptive complement.
• 自己包的饺子吃起来特别香 (zìjǐ bāo de jiǎozi chī qǐlái tèbié xiāng) – “The dumplings we make ourselves taste especially delicious.” 吃起来 (chī qǐlái) is a verb + 起来 construction expressing how something feels when eaten; 特别 (especially) acts as a degree modifier.

Expressing “Not Only … But Also” #

• 我学会了晒东西，还认识了稻米，又自己动手包了饺子 – “I learned how to sun things, also got to know rice, and even made dumplings with my own hands.” The pattern 还 and 又 connects a series of additional accomplishments, similar to “not only… but also” in English.

Reduplication for Softening #

• 晒一晒 (shài yī shài) – “sun (a bit).” Reduplicating the verb softens the tone, implying doing something casually or for a short while.
• 闻一闻 (wén yī wén) – “smell (a little).” Same pattern.
• 好好晒晒 (hǎohǎo shài shài) – “sun properly.” The adverb 好好 combines with reduplication for an emphatic yet natural feel.

Questions #

Question 1 #

Why did Lili and Xiaoming need to sun the clothes and books? 他们为什么要把衣服和书拿出去晒？(Tāmen wèishénme yào bǎ yīfu hé shū ná chūqù shài?)

Question 2 #

What did the farmer tell them about how harvested rice becomes the rice we eat? 农民伯伯告诉他们新收的稻米怎样变成我们吃的大米？(Nóngmín bóbo gàosu tāmen xīn shōu de dàomǐ zěnyàng biàn chéng wǒmen chī de dàmǐ?)

Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional and generated by AI. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are purely coincidental.