曹冲称象

有人yǒu rén送给sòng gěi曹cáo操cāo一头yī tóu大象dà xiàng，他tā想xiǎng知道zhī dào大象dà xiàng有yǒu多duō重chóng，可是kě shì没有méi yǒu那么nà me大dà的de秤chèng。

Someone gave Cao Cao an elephant. He wanted to know its weight, but no scale was big enough.

他tā的de儿子ér zi曹cáo冲chòng说shuō：把bǎ大象dà xiàng放到fàng dào船chuán上shàng，看kān船chuán身shēn下xià沉chén多少duō shao，在zài水面shuǐ miàn处chù画huà一yī条tiáo线xiàn。

His son Cao Chong said: 'Put the elephant on a boat and mark the waterline where the hull sinks.'

再zài把bǎ大象dà xiàng牵qiān下来xià lai，往wǎng船chuán上shàng装zhuāng石头shí tou，直到zhí dào船chuán下xià沉chén到dào画huà线xiàn的de地方dì fāng。

'Then take it off and load stones until the boat sinks to the mark.'

然后rán hòu称chēng一yī称chēng石头shí tou，石头shí tou有yǒu多duō重chóng，大象dà xiàng就jìu有yǒu多duō重chóng。

'Weigh the stones, the elephant weighs the same.'

大家dà jiā按照àn zhào这zhè个gè办法bàn fǎ，真的zhēn de称chēng出chū了liǎo大象dà xiàng的de重量zhòng liàng。那nà时shí曹cáo冲chòng只有zhǐ yǒu七qī岁suì。

The method worked. Cao Chong was seven years old.