Chinese Idiom (5): 笨鸟先飞 Clumsy Birds Have to Start Flying Early

Key Learning Points:
笨鸟先飞 (Bèn niǎo xiān fēi) Clumsy birds have to start flying early.
决心 (juéxīn): v to resolve
志气 (zhìqì): n aspiration 

Idiom Story:

树上一只鸟妈妈孵出了六只鸟宝宝，
Shùshàng yìzhī niǎomāma fū chū le liùzhī niǎobǎobao,
A bird hatches six baby birds,

小六又瘦又小，哥哥姐姐们都欺负它；
Xiǎoliù yòu shòu yòu xiǎo, gēge jiějie men dōu qīfu tā;
Xiaoliu is very weak and small; his sisters and brothers usually bully him.

经常从它嘴里抢虫子，小六只得饿着肚子。
Jīngcháng cóng tā zuǐlǐ qiǎng chóngzi, xiǎoliù zhǐ děi è zhe dùzi.
The other birds usually rob food from his mouth, and Xiaoliu has to suffer from hunger.

哥哥姐姐们叫他 “笨鸟”。
Gēge jiějie men jiào tā “bèn niǎo.”
Sisters and Brothers call him “clumsy bird.”

于是他决心锻炼好身体，让哥哥姐姐们不再嘲笑自己。 　
Yúshì tā juéxīn duànliàn hǎo shēntǐ, ràng gēge jiějie men bú zài cháoxiào zìjǐ.
He determines to exercise more to be healthier, in order to not be laughed by his sisters and brothers.

他志气非常大，每天都起得很早， 　
Tā zhìqì fēicháng dà, měitiān dōu qǐ de hěn zǎo,
Xiaoliu has a strong will and gets up very early every day.

等哥哥姐姐们醒来，他已经跑完步，吃了虫子了。 　
Děng gēge jiějie men xǐnglái, tā yǐjīng pǎo wán bù, chī le chóngzi le.
He always finishes exercising and eating worms by the time his sisters and brothers wake up.

冬天到了，鸟群要南飞了；笨鸟是鸟群中第一个飞往南方的。 　
Dōngtiān dào le, niǎoqún yào nán fēi le; bènniǎo shì niǎoqún zhōng dìyígè fēiwǎng nánfāng de.
When the winter is coming and the bird flock prepare to fly to the south, the “clumsy bird” is the first one to start flying.

笨鸟先飞 (Bèn niǎo xiān fēi) Clumsy birds have to start flying early 　

“笨鸟先飞 (bèn niǎo xiān fēi) Clumsy birds have to start flying early” is used to describe someone who compensates for his/her weaknesses by working hard. The character “笨 (bèn)” means clumsy. “鸟 (niǎo)” refers to bird; “先 (xiān)” means first and “飞 (fēi)” means to fly.

Example:

我相信通过努力我会达到目标的，笨鸟先飞嘛！ 　
Wǒ xiāngxìn tōngguò nǔlì wǒ huì dádào mùbiāo de, bèn niǎo xiān fēi ma!
I believe I can reach my goal through hard working. A clumsy bird should make an early start.

Key Learning Points:

决心 (juéxīn): v to resolve

Example:

她决心这次要考全班第一。 　
Tā juéxīn zhècì yào kǎo quán bān dìyī.
She resolves to win the first place in this examination.

志气 (zhìqì): n aspiration 　

Example:

别这样，有志气点儿，重新振作起来！ 　
Bié zhè yàng, yǒu zhìqì diǎnr, chóngxīn zhènzuò qǐlái！
Don’t be like that; please cheer up again with a strong aspiration.

生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary

嘲笑 (cháoxiào): n/v laugh
欺负 (qīfu): v to bully
锻炼 (duànliàn): v to exercise
鸟群 (niǎoqún): n bird flock