Chinese Reading Center 施氏食獅史"Lion-Eating Poet", A Tongue-Twister Essay

As in all languages, tongue twisters are a fun tool for improving one's enunciation.

	繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp	Pinyin	English
	施氏食獅史	shī shì shí shī shǐ	Story of Shi Eating the Lions
1	石室詩士施氏，	shí shì shī shì shī shì,	A poet named Shi lived in a stone room,
2	嗜獅，誓食十獅.	shì shī, shì shí shí shī.	fond of lions, he swore that he would eat ten lions.
3	氏時時適市視獅。	shì shí shí shì shì shì shī.	He constantly went to the market to look for ten lions.
4	十時，適十獅適市。	shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.	At ten o'clock, ten lions came to the market
5	是時，適施氏適是市。	shì shí, shì shī shì shì shì shì.	and Shi went to the market.
6	氏視是十獅，恃矢勢,	shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì,	Looking at the ten lions, he relied on his arrows
7	使是十獅逝世。	shǐ shì shí shī shì shì.	to cause the ten lions to pass away.
8	氏拾是十獅屍，適石室。	shì shí shì shí shī shī, shì shí shì.	Shi picked up the corpses of the ten lions and took them to his stone room.
9	石室濕，氏使侍拭石室。	shí shì, shī, shì shǐ shì shì shí shì.	The stone room was damp. Shi ordered a servant to wipe the stone room.
10	石室拭，氏始試食十獅屍。	shí shì shì, shì shǐ shì shí shí shī shī.	As the stone den was being wiped, Shi began to try to eat the meat of the ten lions.
11	食時, 始識十獅屍,	shí shí, shǐ shì shì shí shī shī,	At the time of the meal, he began to realize that the ten lion corpses
12	實十石獅屍.	shí shí shí shī shī.	were in fact were ten stone lions.
13	試釋是事.	shì shì shì shì	Try to explain this matter.

繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp

Pinyin

English

施氏食獅史

shī shì shí shī shǐ

Story of Shi Eating the Lions

石室詩士施氏，

shí shì shī shì shī shì,

A poet named Shi lived in a stone room,

嗜獅，誓食十獅.

shì shī, shì shí shí shī.

fond of lions, he swore that he would eat ten lions.

氏時時適市視獅。

shì shí shí shì shì shì shī.

He constantly went to the market to look for ten lions.

十時，適十獅適市。

shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.

At ten o'clock, ten lions came to the market

是時，適施氏適是市。

shì shí, shì shī shì shì shì shì.

and Shi went to the market.

氏視是十獅，恃矢勢,

shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì,

Looking at the ten lions, he relied on his arrows

使是十獅逝世。

shǐ shì shí shī shì shì.

to cause the ten lions to pass away.

氏拾是十獅屍，適石室。

shì shí shì shí shī shī, shì shí shì.

Shi picked up the corpses of the ten lions and took them to his stone room.

石室濕，氏使侍拭石室。

shí shì, shī, shì shǐ shì shì shí shì.

The stone room was damp. Shi ordered a servant to wipe the stone room.

石室拭，氏始試食十獅屍。

shí shì shì, shì shǐ shì shí shí shī shī.

As the stone den was being wiped, Shi began to try to eat the meat of the ten lions.

食時, 始識十獅屍,

shí shí, shǐ shì shì shí shī shī,

At the time of the meal, he began to realize that the ten lion corpses

實十石獅屍.

shí shí shí shī shī.

were in fact were ten stone lions.

試釋是事.

shì shì shì shì

Try to explain this matter.