Chinese Reading Center 施氏食狮史"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
	施氏食狮史	shī shì shí shī shǐ	Story of Shi Eating the Lions
1	石室诗士施氏，	shí shì shī shì shī shì,	A poet named Shi lived in a stone room,
2	嗜狮，誓食十狮.	shì shī, shì shí shí shī.	fond of lions, he swore that he would eat ten lions.
3	氏时时适市视狮。	shì shí shí shì shì shì shī.	He constantly went to the market to look for ten lions.
4	十时，适十狮适市。	shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.	At ten o'clock, ten lions came to the market
5	是时，适施氏适是市。	shì shí, shì shī shì shì shì shì.	and Shi went to the market.
6	氏视是十狮，恃矢势,	shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì,	Looking at the ten lions, he relied on his arrows
7	使是十狮逝世。	shǐ shì shí shī shì shì.	to cause the ten lions to pass away.
8	氏拾是十狮尸，适石室。	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	石室湿，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，氏始试食十狮尸。	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	食时, 始识十狮尸,	shí shí, shǐ shì shì shí shī shī,	At the time of the meal, he began to realize that the ten lion corpses
12	实十石狮尸.	shí shí shí shī shī.	were in fact were ten stone lions.
13	试释是事.	shì shì shì shì	Try to explain this matter.

繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp

Pinyin

English

施氏食狮史

shī shì shí shī shǐ

Story of Shi Eating the Lions

石室诗士施氏，

shí shì shī shì shī shì,

A poet named Shi lived in a stone room,

嗜狮，誓食十狮.

shì shī, shì shí shí shī.

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

氏时时适市视狮。

shì shí shí shì shì shì shī.

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

十时，适十狮适市。

shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.

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

是时，适施氏适是市。

shì shí, shì shī shì shì shì shì.

and Shi went to the market.

氏视是十狮，恃矢势,

shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì,

Looking at the ten lions, he relied on his arrows

使是十狮逝世。

shǐ shì shí shī shì shì.

to cause the ten lions to pass away.

氏拾是十狮尸，适石室。

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.

石室湿，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，氏始试食十狮尸。

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.

食时, 始识十狮尸,

shí shí, shǐ shì shì shí shī shī,

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

实十石狮尸.

shí shí shí shī shī.

were in fact were ten stone lions.

试释是事.

shì shì shì shì

Try to explain this matter.