1、郑国有个人叫李四，他的鞋破了，想买一双新的。
Once in the nation of Zheng there was a man named Li Si. He wore out his shoes and decided to buy a new pair.
2、李四量了量脚的尺寸，便向鞋店走去。
Measuring his foot, Li Si went to the shoe store.
3、李四说：“我要买一双鞋。”鞋店伙计问：“多大尺寸？”李四说：“哎呀，我把尺寸忘在家里了。”
“I’d like to buy a pair of shoes,” Li Si said. “What sizes are they, then?” Asked the salesman. “Oh, I left my measurements at home,” was the answer.
4、李四回到家，拿上量好的尺寸，又赶到鞋店，可鞋店已经关门了。
Li Si rushed home to fetch his measurements. But when he got back to the store, it had been closed.
5、一个过路人听到这件事，笑着问李四：“你为什么不用自己的脚去试试鞋呢？”
A passer-by learnt of this. He asked Li Si with smile, "Why didn't you just try the shoes on with your own feet?"
New Words
①鞋：shoe ②量：measure ③尺寸：sizes/measurements ④伙计：salesman ⑤试：try on
Language Tips
The Chinese idiom,“郑人买履”（The man of Zheng buying shoes）, comes from this story. In it,“郑”refer to the nation of Zheng, a country’s name, and“履”means shoes. This idiom mocks those inflexible people who are not willing and able to change according to different conditions or situations.
Practice
1. Choose the right answer.
(1)Who wanted to buy a new pair of shoes?
(a) Li Si (b) the salesman
(2)Why did he want to buy them?
(a)his shoes were too small (b) his shoes were worn out
(3)Had he finally bought them?
(a)Yes, he had (b) No, he hadn’t
2. True or false.
( F ) (1)李四没有带钱。
( ) (2)李四没有带尺寸。
( ) (3)李四回家拿尺寸。
( ) (4)李四用脚试鞋。
3. Make the right order of the main points, then tell the story to your classmates.
Main points:
①李四在家量了脚的尺寸。
②李四的鞋破了，想买双新的。
③李四取回尺寸时，鞋店已经关门了。
④李四到了鞋店，但忘了带尺寸。
Right order:
4. Match the Chinese with the English and pinyin.
(1)鞋 ①liáng (a)salesman
(2)量 ②huǒji (b)sizes/measurements
(3)尺寸 ③xiē (c)measure
(4)伙计 ④chǐcùn (d)shoe