Mulan Joining the Army in Place of Father: Bilingual Cultural Reading Series for IB, IGCSE & AP Chinese, HSK #31

"唧唧复唧唧，木兰当户织......"这首《木兰诗》，一千多年以来，一直流传在中国民间，不但大人们都会念它，就是几岁的小孩子，也能朗朗上口。由于这首诗传遍各地，跟着巾帼英雄花木兰的故事，也就传播开来。直到今天，人们提起花木兰，就像提起其他民族英雄文天祥、岳飞那样熟悉。"Jiji fujiji, Mulan danghu zhi..." This poem "Mulan Poem" has been circulating in Chinese folklore for over a thousand years. Not only adults can recite it, but even young children of a few years old can also recite it fluently. Because of the widespread dissemination of this poem, the story of the heroine Hua Mulan has also spread. Even today, when people mention Hua Mulan, they are as familiar as when they mention other national heroes like Wen Tianxiang and Yue Fei.

木兰是个女孩子，但她却像男孩子一样，学会骑马射箭，也学会耕田种地，别人认为女孩子不能做的事，她却样样都精，甚至比许多男子还强。Mulan is a girl, but she is like a boy, learning to ride horses and shoot arrows, as well as farming and planting. She excels in everything that others think girls cannot do, and even surpasses many men.

这在古时中国的社会中，实在是一件惊世骇俗的事。后来因为爸爸年纪老了，她竟毅然穿上战袍，扮成男装，代父从军，在寒冷的过北孤军作战，刻苦耐劳，生活了十多年，这种尽忠尽孝的举动，是多么值得我们钦佩啊！ This was truly astonishing in the ancient Chinese society. Later, because her father was old, she resolutely put on armor, dressed as a man, and joined the army to replace her father. She fought in the harsh conditions of the Northern border for over ten years, enduring hardships. Such loyalty and filial piety are truly admirable!