Yu the Great Tames the Flood (大禹治水)
- Ages 5–9
- English audio 2 min
- Mandarin audio 2 min
Yu the Great Tames the Flood is a classic story from Chinese Myths and Legends for Kids, for children aged 5–9. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 2 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.
When a great flood covers the land, Yu digs channels to lead the water to the sea instead of blocking it. Three times he passes his own door without going in, and after thirteen years the rivers run to the sea. A Chinese legend from the Records of the Grand Historian in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
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A narrator, and a voice of its own for each character: Yu the Great, King Shun, Yu's wife, Yu's son
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Read Yu the Great Tames the Flood
Long ago, a great flood came. Water covered the fields and reached the doors, so people lived on the hills.
King Shun sent for Yu. "Your father Gun blocked the water with mud, but it rose higher. Now it's up to you." "I will tame it," said Yu.
Yu studied the land. "We cannot block the water. Let's make it a road to the sea," he said. So they dug channels through the hills.
One day Yu passed his house. Inside, his newborn son was crying.
His wife came to the door. "Come in and see him," she said. Yu shook his head. "Everyone is waiting for me. I'll come home when the flood is gone."
Three times he passed his door and never went in. After thirteen years, the rivers ran to the sea and the people came home.
At last Yu came home. His son, now a boy, ran up. "Are you my father?" Yu lifted him high. "Yes, and the water will never come back."
The Chinese version: 大禹治水
很久很久以前，天下发了大水。河水淹过田地，淹到了家门口，人们只好搬到山上去住。
舜帝请来大禹，说：“你父亲鲧治了九年水，用泥土堵，水却越堵越大。现在要靠你了。”大禹说：“我一定把水治好。”
大禹看了很多地方，对大家说：“堵是堵不住的。我们给水修一条路，让它流到大海里去。”于是他带着大家挖河道、开山口。
他走到哪里，就在哪里干活，手上磨出了厚厚的茧子。有一次，他路过自己家门口，听见屋里有小宝宝在哭。那是他刚出生的儿子。
妻子抱着孩子站在门口，说：“进来看一眼吧，孩子还没见过爸爸呢。”大禹摇了摇头：“下游的水还没退，大家都在等我。等水治好了，我就回来。”
就这样，他三次走过家门，三次都没有进去。整整十三年，一条条河都流进了大海，田地露了出来，人们从山上搬回来，种上了庄稼。
大禹终于回到家。儿子已经长成了小少年，跑过来问：“您就是我爸爸吗？”大禹把他高高抱起来：“是啊，爸爸回来了。水再也不会淹到我们家门口了。”
Yu the Great Tames the Flood (大禹治水): the moral of the story
Some problems can’t be pushed back; they need a way through. And when people are counting on you, you see the job to the end, even when it is hard to walk past your own door.
The original Chinese text of Yu the Great Tames the Flood
禹……劳身焦思，居外十三年，过家门不敢入。
— 《史记·夏本纪》
Our translation
Yu … wore out his body and racked his mind. For thirteen years he lived away from home, and when he passed the gate of his own house he did not dare go in.
— Records of the Grand Historian, “Annals of Xia” (Western Han, c. 100 BC)
Chinese words in Yu the Great Tames the Flood
Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.
大禹dà yǔ
Yu the Great
大水dà shuǐ
flood
治水zhì shuǐ
to tame the flood
堵dǔ
to block
河道hé dào
river channel
大海dà hǎi
the sea
家门jiā mén
the door of one's home
爸爸bà ba
dad
For families learning Mandarin
Mandarin learning pack
Print the story, read it together, then listen and say it back. Made for heritage families and children learning Mandarin.
- A printable PDF (3 pages): the Chinese story with pinyin over every character, the words to know, the English version, questions to talk about, and character writing practice.
- Slow Mandarin audio (4 min): every sentence at a gentler pace, followed by a pause long enough to say it back.
Buy once, download again any time. The story itself stays free to read and hear. Try the free sample pack (The Tortoise and the Hare) first.
Bedtime storytelling tips
- Give King Shun a deep, slow voice and Yu a steady, warm one. When Yu says “I will tame it,” let him sound sure but not loud.
- At the door scene, pause before Yu shakes his head. Ask your child: “What would you do?” Then read on.
- The ending is the hug. Lift your child up, or just your arms, at “Yu lifted him high.” In Chinese, dad is 爸爸 (bà ba), and the son’s question is 您是我爸爸吗 (nín shì wǒ bà ba ma)?
Things to talk about afterwards
- Why did Yu dig channels instead of blocking the water like his father?
- Why didn’t Yu go into his house when he heard the baby crying?
- Was Yu right to stay away for so long? What do you think his wife and son felt?
Read this story to your child in your own voice
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Yu the Great Tames the Flood (大禹治水): common questions
- What is the moral of Yu the Great Tames the Flood?
- Some problems can’t be forced; they need a way through. Yu’s father tried to block the flood and failed, so Yu dug channels to lead it to the sea. And when people are counting on you, you finish the job, even when it means walking past your own door.
- Is Yu the Great a real person?
- Yu is a legendary ruler, said to have founded the Xia dynasty around 2000 BC. Chinese histories like the Records of the Grand Historian treat him as real, but there is no archaeological record of him, so most historians call him a legend. The flood story is one of China’s oldest and best-loved tales either way.
- What does “passing his door three times without going in” mean?
- 三过家门而不入 (sān guò jiā mén ér bù rù) is a Chinese idiom from this story. It describes someone so devoted to a public task that they put it before their own family and comfort.
- Is there a Chinese version of Yu the Great Tames the Flood?
- Yes. It is called 大禹治水 (Dà Yǔ zhì shuǐ). This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one, and the line from the Records of the Grand Historian that the story is based on.
Source and how we retold it
From the Records of the Grand Historian (史记) by Sima Qian, chapter “Annals of Xia,” written in the Western Han dynasty around 100 BC; the detail of Yu passing his door three times is from the Mencius. Both are in the public domain. The histories give only a few sentences, so we retold the story for children and added the words of King Shun, Yu’s wife and his son. We left out the execution of Yu’s father Gun after his flood work failed, and say only that his way of blocking the water did not work.
The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by our narrator and the Chinese by our narrator. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.
If you liked Yu the Great Tames the Flood (大禹治水), there are more stories in Chinese Myths and Legends for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.
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