1古时候，有一个人叫养由基，很擅长射箭。
In ancient times, there was a skilled archer called Yang Youji.
2 养由基在离开柳树一百步的地方射柳叶，射一百次，一百次射中。
He was once tested to hit the willow leaves in a hundred paces away, and hit the target one hundred times without a single miss.
3 有一个人走过来，说：“我可以教你如何射箭了。”
A man came and told him, “I can teach you how to shoot an arrow.”
4 养由基奇怪地说：“我已经很擅长射箭了啊。”
“But I have been very much skilled in shooting arrows,” Yang Youji wondered.
5 这个人说：“你虽然能射中一百次，但一百零一次，一百零二次呢？你还有力气吗？不知道在适当的时候休息，一会儿就一箭也射不中了。”
The man said, “Although you can hit the target one hundred times, what about the 101st and 102nd? Do you still have the strength to do so? You’ll miss every shot if you don’t have a rest at the right time.”
New Words
①擅长：be skilled/expert ②射箭：shoot an arrow ③奇怪：wonder
Culture Tips
The idiom“百发百中”comes from this story. Later it became used to indicate that one must stop where he or she reaches the limit, or all the previous efforts will be wasted.
Reading Comprehension
1. How many times did Yang Youji hit the willow leaves?
(a)10次 (b)100次
2. How many times did Yang Youji hit the target?
(a)10次 (b)100次
3. Why did the man say Yang Youji hadn’t known how to shoot an arrow yet?
(a) Because he only hit the target for a hundred times.
(b) Because he didn’t know one should have a rest at the right time.
Let's learn the Chinese idioms together
①三心二意 be of two minds － not concentrate or focus on sth.
②五颜六色 all the colors of the rainbow
③千家万户 thousands and thousands of families
④七上八下 like a well in which seven buckets are drawn up and eight dropped down － an unsettled state of mind
⑤百发百中 fire at the target a hundred times without a single miss; hit the target at every shot
⑥一心一意 with one heart and one mind; wholeheartedly
⑦四面八方 on the four sides and eight directions; all uarters
⑧十全十美 be perfect in every respect