Paper-Cutting on a Rainy Afternoon
IntermediateHobby
On a rainy afternoon at home, a grandmother teaches her teenage grandson the traditional art of Chinese paper-cutting.
N
NǎinaiW
WeiN
外面下雨了，出不去，不如我教你剪纸吧。
wàimiàn xià yǔ le, chū bú qù, bùrú wǒ jiāo nǐ jiǎnzhǐ ba.
It's raining outside and we can't go out, so why don't I teach you paper-cutting?
W
好啊，我一直觉得剪纸挺好看的，就是从来没试过。
hǎo a, wǒ yìzhí juéde jiǎnzhǐ tǐng hǎokàn de, jiùshì cónglái méi shìguo.
Sure! I've always thought paper-cutting looks pretty nice, it's just that I've never tried it.
N
别担心，其实一点儿都不难，你先把这张红纸对折两次。
bié dānxīn, qíshí yìdiǎnr dōu bù nán, nǐ xiān bǎ zhè zhāng hóng zhǐ duìzhé liǎng cì.
Don't worry, it's actually not hard at all. First fold this piece of red paper in half twice.
W
像这样吗？折好以后，是不是要先在上面画个图案？
xiàng zhèyàng ma? zhé hǎo yǐhòu, shì bú shì yào xiān zài shàngmiàn huà ge tú'àn?
Like this? After folding it, do I need to draw a pattern on it first?
N
对，你可以用铅笔轻轻地画一朵花，剪的时候好有个参考。
duì, nǐ kěyǐ yòng qiānbǐ qīngqīng de huà yì duǒ huā, jiǎn de shíhou hǎo yǒu ge cānkǎo.
Right, you can lightly draw a flower with a pencil, so that you have a reference when cutting.
W
这把剪刀这么小，剪起来会不会很费劲？
zhè bǎ jiǎndāo zhème xiǎo, jiǎn qǐlái huì bú huì hěn fèijìn?
This pair of scissors is so small—won't it be really hard to cut with?
N
小剪刀反而更灵活，剪细节的地方更方便，你慢慢来就行。
xiǎo jiǎndāo fǎn'ér gèng línghuó, jiǎn xìjié de dìfang gèng fāngbiàn, nǐ mànman lái jiù xíng.
Small scissors are actually more flexible—they're more convenient for cutting the detailed parts. Just take your time.
W
哎呀，我刚才手一抖，把一片花瓣剪断了。
āiyā, wǒ gāngcái shǒu yì dǒu, bǎ yí piàn huābàn jiǎn duàn le.
Oh no, my hand just slipped and I cut off one of the petals.
N
没关系，剪纸讲究的就是熟能生巧，我年轻的时候也剪坏过好多张呢。
méi guānxi, jiǎnzhǐ jiǎngjiu de jiùshì shú néng shēng qiǎo, wǒ niánqīng de shíhou yě jiǎn huài guo hǎoduō zhāng ne.
It's okay—paper-cutting is all about practice making perfect. When I was young I ruined quite a few sheets too.
W
那我把纸打开看看，哇，居然真的变成一朵完整的花了！
nà wǒ bǎ zhǐ dǎkāi kànkan, wā, jūrán zhēnde biànchéng yì duǒ wánzhěng de huā le!
Then let me open up the paper and see—wow, it actually turned into a complete flower!
N
你看，第一次就剪得这么好，比奶奶想的还要棒呢！
nǐ kàn, dì yī cì jiù jiǎn de zhème hǎo, bǐ nǎinai xiǎng de hái yào bàng ne!
Look, you cut so well on your very first try—even better than Grandma imagined!
W
谢谢奶奶！等下次下雨，咱们再一起剪，好不好？
xièxie nǎinai! děng xià cì xià yǔ, zánmen zài yìqǐ jiǎn, hǎo bù hǎo?
Thank you, Grandma! Next time it rains, let's cut paper together again, okay?