小人书摊
Picture-story Book Stalls
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A nostalgic article about picture-story book stalls from the author's childhood.
30 new words
摊tānstall, stand
我小时候，街口有一个连环画摊。
出版chūbǎnto publish
那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
连环画liánhuánhuàpicture-story book
我小时候，街口有一个连环画摊。
年代niándàidecade of a century
那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
单调dāndiàomonotonous, dull
那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
网络wǎngluònetwork, web
后来，电视动画片和网络游戏渐渐成了更常见的娱乐。
Later, television cartoons and online games gradually became more common entertainment.
动画片dònghuàpiànanimated cartoon
后来，电视动画片和网络游戏渐渐成了更常见的娱乐。
Later, television cartoons and online games gradually became more common entertainment.
娱乐yúlèentertainment; to amuse, to entertain
那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
无数wúshùcountless, innumerable
今天的网络能让人迅速找到无数内容，这当然方便。
Today's internet lets people quickly find countless kinds of content, and that is certainly convenient.
青少年qīng-shàoniányoungsters, teenagers
放学后，许多青少年会围在摊前翻书。
After school, many teenagers gathered around the stall and turned pages.
从事cóngshìto engage in
老板从事这行多年，几乎记得每一册的来历。
The owner had worked in that trade for years and remembered the origin of almost every booklet.
毫无háowúnot in the least
那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
疑问yíwènquestion, doubt
孩子们一按按钮就能看到彩色画面，对旧画册自然没有太大兴趣，也不会产生多少疑问。
Children could press a button and see colourful images, so they naturally had little interest in old picture books or many questions about them.
棚子péngzished, shack
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
砖头zhuāntóubrick
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
支zhīto prop up, to support
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
粗糙cūcāorough, crude
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
木头mùtouwood, timber
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
题材tícáitheme, subject matter
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
翻fānto turn (over)
放学后，许多青少年会围在摊前翻书。
After school, many teenagers gathered around the stall and turned pages.
挂guàto hang up, to lay over
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
整齐zhěngqítidy, orderly, neatly
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
年纪niánjìage, figure, stature
我们年纪不大，口袋里只有几分钱，仍能在一本又一本的画里待很久。
We were young and had only a few coins in our pockets, yet could stay for a long time in one picture book after another.
成年chéngniánadult
他说，连环画不是只给孩子看的，成年人也会来找少年时读过的故事。
He said picture books were not only for children: adults also came looking for stories they had read in youth.
册cèvolume
棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。
假如jiǎrúif, in case
假如谁先看完，就把位置让给别人，再谈刚才的情节。
If someone finished first, that person gave the place to another child and then talked about the plot.
登dēngto register, to enter one's name
有人在报上登广告寻找绝版书，他便把线索记录下来，帮对方打听。
When someone placed a newspaper advertisement seeking an out-of-print book, he recorded the clue and helped ask around.
记录jìlùrecord, note; to record
有人在报上登广告寻找绝版书，他便把线索记录下来，帮对方打听。
When someone placed a newspaper advertisement seeking an out-of-print book, he recorded the clue and helped ask around.
手续shǒuxùprocedure
成年以后，我回到老街，发现原来的位置已经改成办理各种手续的小窗口。
After becoming an adult, I returned to the old street and found that the original place had become a small counter handling various procedures.
办理bànlǐto handle, to deal with
成年以后，我回到老街，发现原来的位置已经改成办理各种手续的小窗口。
After becoming an adult, I returned to the old street and found that the original place had become a small counter handling various procedures.
Listen to the text
我小时候，街口有一个连环画摊。棚子用几段木头支起来，表面粗糙，下面垫着砖头；老板把一册册旧书整齐地挂在绳上，题材从英雄故事到动物世界都有。那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
wǒ xiǎo shí hòu， jiē kǒu yǒu yī gè liánhuánhuà tān。 péngzi yòng jǐ duàn mùtou zhī qǐ lái， biǎo miàn cūcāo， xià miàn diàn zhe zhuāntóu； lǎo bǎn bǎ yī cè cè jiù shū zhěngqí dì guà zài shéng shàng， tícái cóng yīng xióng gù shì dào dòng wù shì jiè dōu yǒu。 nà shì chūbǎn hěn màn de niándài， yúlè bìng bù fēng fù， què háowú dāndiào de gǎn jué。
When I was young, there was a picture-book stall at the street corner. Its shed was supported by several rough pieces of wood and raised on bricks. The owner hung old booklets neatly on a cord, with subjects ranging from heroic stories to the animal world. Publishing moved slowly in those years and entertainment was limited, yet it never felt monotonous.
放学后，许多青少年会围在摊前翻书。我们年纪不大，口袋里只有几分钱，仍能在一本又一本的画里待很久。假如谁先看完，就把位置让给别人，再谈刚才的情节。
fàng xué hòu， xǔ duō qīng-shàonián huì wéi zài tān qián fān shū。 wǒ men niánjì bù dà， kǒu dài lǐ zhǐ yǒu jǐ fēn qián， réng néng zài yī běn yòu yī běn de huà lǐ dài hěn jiǔ。 jiǎrú shuí xiān kàn wán， jiù bǎ wèi zhì ràng gěi bié rén， zài tán gāng cái de qíng jié。
After school, many teenagers gathered around the stall and turned pages. We were young and had only a few coins in our pockets, yet could stay for a long time in one picture book after another. If someone finished first, that person gave the place to another child and then talked about the plot.
老板从事这行多年，几乎记得每一册的来历。他说，连环画不是只给孩子看的，成年人也会来找少年时读过的故事。有人在报上登广告寻找绝版书，他便把线索记录下来，帮对方打听。
lǎo bǎn cóngshì zhè xíng duō nián， jǐ hū jì dé měi yī cè de lái lì。 tā shuō， liánhuánhuà bù shì zhǐ gěi hái zi kàn de， chéngnián rén yě huì lái zhǎo shǎo nián shí dú guò de gù shì。 yǒu rén zài bào shàng dēng guǎng gào xún zhǎo jué bǎn shū， tā biàn bǎ xiàn suǒ jìlù xià lái， bāng duì fāng dǎ tīng。
The owner had worked in that trade for years and remembered the origin of almost every booklet. He said picture books were not only for children: adults also came looking for stories they had read in youth. When someone placed a newspaper advertisement seeking an out-of-print book, he recorded the clue and helped ask around.
后来，电视动画片和网络游戏渐渐成了更常见的娱乐。孩子们一按按钮就能看到彩色画面，对旧画册自然没有太大兴趣，也不会产生多少疑问。我也以为那个小摊会很快消失。
hòu lái， diàn shì dònghuàpiàn hé wǎngluò yóu xì jiàn jiàn chéng le gèng cháng jiàn de yúlè。 hái zi men yī àn àn niǔ jiù néng kàn dào cǎi sè huà miàn， duì jiù huà cè zì rán méi yǒu tài dà xīng qù， yě bù huì chǎn shēng duō shǎo yíwèn。 wǒ yě yǐ wèi nà gè xiǎo tān huì hěn kuài xiāo shī。
Later, television cartoons and online games gradually became more common entertainment. Children could press a button and see colourful images, so they naturally had little interest in old picture books or many questions about them. I too thought the little stall would soon disappear.
成年以后，我回到老街，发现原来的位置已经改成办理各种手续的小窗口。老板和棚子都不在了，只有墙边留下几块旧砖。那一刻，我才明白，改变并不等于过去毫无价值。
chéngnián yǐ hòu， wǒ huí dào lǎo jiē， fā xiàn yuán lái de wèi zhì yǐ jīng gǎi chéng bànlǐ gè zhǒng shǒuxù de xiǎo chuāng kǒu。 lǎo bǎn hé péngzi dōu bù zài le， zhǐ yǒu qiáng biān liú xià jǐ kuài jiù zhuān。 nà yī kè， wǒ cái míng bái， gǎi biàn bìng bù děng yú guò qù háowú jià zhí。
After becoming an adult, I returned to the old street and found that the original place had become a small counter handling various procedures. The owner and shed were gone, leaving only a few old bricks by the wall. At that moment I understood that change does not mean the past has no value.
今天的网络能让人迅速找到无数内容，这当然方便。可是，偶尔慢慢翻一本纸书，也是一种特别的体验。书页会留下手指的温度，等待也会让故事显出自己的节奏。读到精彩一页时，旁边的人会自然停下来交换看法，这种安静的共同时间不容易被替代。它提醒我：技术更新以后，人们仍可以为自己保留一个安静阅读的角落。
jīn tiān de wǎngluò néng ràng rén xùn sù zhǎo dào wúshù nèi róng， zhè dāng rán fāng biàn。 kě shì， ǒu ěr màn màn fān yī běn zhǐ shū， yě shì yī zhǒng tè bié de tǐ yàn。 shū yè huì liú xià shǒu zhǐ de wēn dù， děng dài yě huì ràng gù shì xiǎn chū zì jǐ de jié zòu。 dú dào jīng cǎi yī yè shí， páng biān de rén huì zì rán tíng xià lái jiāo huàn kàn fǎ， zhè zhǒng ān jìng de gòng tóng shí jiān bù róng yì bèi tì dài。 tā tí xǐng wǒ： jì shù gèng xīn yǐ hòu， rén men réng kě yǐ wèi zì jǐ bǎo liú yī gè ān jìng yuè dú de jiǎo luò。
Today's internet lets people quickly find countless kinds of content, and that is certainly convenient. Yet occasionally turning the pages of a paper book slowly is also a special experience. Pages retain the warmth of fingers, and waiting lets a story show its own rhythm. When someone reaches an exciting page, those nearby naturally pause to exchange views; that quiet shared time is not easily replaced. It reminds me that even after technology changes, people can keep a quiet corner for reading.
Tap a marked word for its meaning. Tap a line to see the English.
Grammar
那是出版很慢的年代，娱乐并不丰富，却毫无单调的感觉。
毫无+ Noun
毫无. '毫无' means 'not at all' or 'without any'. It's used before nouns to express complete absence.
只用很少的钱就能看一本，毫无疑问是件大好事。
Zhǐ yòng hěn shǎo de qián jiù néng kàn yì běn, háowú yíwèn shì jiàn dà hǎoshì.
Being able to read one for very little money is undoubtedly a great thing.
假如谁先看完，就把位置让给别人，再谈刚才的情节。If someone finished first, that person gave the place to another child and then talked about the plot.
假如+ Condition,(就)+ Result
假如. '假如' is a conjunction meaning 'if' or 'suppose'. It introduces hypothetical situations, often paired with '就' in the result clause.
假如借书回家看，则每本每天2分钱。
Jiǎrú jiè shū huíjiā kàn, zé měi běn měi tiān 2 fēn qián.
If you borrow a book to read at home, it costs 2 cents per book per day.
Which word means “network, web”?
Culture
小人书的历史 - History of Picture-Story Books
Picture story books were once a way for many Chinese children to meet stories and history. They used short words with continuous drawings to make novels, legends, and real life easy to understand. In the past, children could often be seen exchanging or borrowing these books at stalls and libraries. Although animation and electronic screens are common today, drawings on paper still have a special rhythm, and readers can pause to observe a character's expression and a scene. Preserving these small books does not only preserve one form of publishing; it also preserves the reading memories of several generations.
Write the new characters
0 of 11 written
摊 tān · stall, stand
Trace the strokes in order
Practice
8 questions · about 4 minutes
Pick the meaningListenFill the gapMatchWord order
Finish
Finish the practice to complete this lesson.