Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar (司马光砸缸)
- Ages 4–8
- English audio 1 min
- Mandarin audio 2 min
Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar is a classic story from Chinese Myths and Legends for Kids, for children aged 4–8. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 1 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 2 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.
A little girl falls into a huge water jar and the other children run, but seven-year-old Sima Guang picks up a stone and breaks the jar so the water pours out. A true story from the History of Song, in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
Tap any sentence in the story to start reading from there. It stops at the end.
A narrator, and a voice of its own for each character: Sima Guang, The little girl, A playmate, A grown-up
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Read Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar
Long ago in China, there was a boy called Sima Guang. He was seven, and he loved playing with his friends.
One day they played hide-and-seek in the yard. In a corner stood a big water jar, full of water. A little girl climbed onto the rim to hide.
Her foot slipped. Splash! She fell in, and the water closed over her head. "Help!" she shouted.
The other children were scared. "Go and get a grown-up!" cried one. They all ran off.
Only Sima Guang did not run. He saw a big stone. "Don't be afraid, I'm coming!" He lifted it and hit the jar hard. Crash! A hole opened, and the water poured out.
The little girl climbed out, wet but safe. "Thank you, Sima Guang!" Just then a man ran up and saw the broken jar. "Never mind the jar. The girl is safe. That is all that matters."
The story spread through the town. Everyone said Sima Guang was a calm, clever boy.
The Chinese version: 司马光砸缸
一千年前，北宋的时候，有个小男孩叫司马光。他七岁了，爱读书，也爱和小伙伴们一起玩。
一天，孩子们在院子里捉迷藏。院子角落放着一口大水缸，比孩子还高，里面装满了水。一个小女孩想躲得高一点儿，就爬到了缸沿上。
她刚站稳，脚下一滑，扑通一声掉进了缸里，水一下子没过了头顶。她在水里扑腾着喊：“救命——”
小伙伴们吓坏了。一个孩子喊：“快去叫大人！”大家一哄而散，有的跑去找人，有的急得直哭。
只有司马光没有跑。他看看高高的大缸，又看看地上，一眼看到一块大石头。他大声说：“别怕，我来！”说着抱起石头，使劲朝水缸砸去。哐当！缸破了一个大洞，水哗哗地流了出来。
小女孩从洞口爬了出来，湿淋淋的，可是一点儿事也没有。她抹抹脸上的水说：“司马光，谢谢你！”这时大人们才赶到。一位伯伯看看破缸，又看看孩子们，长长地松了一口气：“缸破了不要紧，人没事就好。”
司马光砸缸的事，很快传遍了大街小巷。大家都说，这个孩子遇事不慌，真了不起。
Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar (司马光砸缸): the moral of the story
When something goes wrong, don't panic. If you can't get the girl out of the water, let the water out instead. Turn the problem round and an answer appears.
The original Chinese text of Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar
群儿戏于庭，一儿登瓮，足跌没水中，众皆弃去，光持石击瓮破之，水迸，儿得活。
— 《宋史·司马光传》
Our translation
A group of children were playing in the courtyard. One child climbed onto a big jar, slipped and went under the water. The others all ran away, but Guang took a stone, struck the jar and broke it. The water gushed out, and the child was saved.
— History of Song (Songshi), biography of Sima Guang (compiled 1345)
Chinese words in Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar
Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.
水缸shuǐ gāng
water jar
捉迷藏zhuō mí cáng
hide-and-seek
滑huá
to slip
救命jiù mìng
help! (save my life)
石头shí tou
stone
砸zá
to smash
别怕bié pà
don't be afraid
谢谢xiè xie
thank you
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
- Read the fall quickly, without dragging it out, and go straight on to Sima Guang and the stone so your child never has time to worry.
- Clap your hands once at “Crash!” and make the sound of the water pouring out. Children let out a breath with the girl.
- Afterwards, talk about safety at home: no climbing high, a grown-up nearby at water, and shout for an adult first if something happens. Sima Guang is 司马光 (sī mǎ guāng) in Chinese.
Things to talk about afterwards
- How did the little girl fall into the jar?
- The other children ran away. What did Sima Guang do?
- If a friend were in danger, what would you do first?
Read this story to your child in your own voice
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Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar (司马光砸缸): common questions
- What is the moral of Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar?
- Don't panic in an emergency. The other children could only think of pulling the girl out, and when they couldn't, they ran. Sima Guang turned it round: if the girl can't come out, let the water out. Looking at a problem from the other side often shows the answer.
- Where does the story of Sima Guang and the water jar come from?
- From the History of Song, the official history of the Song dynasty compiled in 1345, in the biography of Sima Guang (1019–1086), who grew up to be a chief minister and the historian behind the Zizhi Tongjian. The original lines are printed on this page with our translation.
- Was it really a jar?
- The original says weng, a tall clay vessel with a narrow mouth and a big belly, taller than a small child. Later tellings call it a gang, a wide-mouthed water vat, and “Sima Guang breaks the vat” became the name everyone in China knows. We use jar in English.
- Is there a Chinese version of Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar?
- Yes. It is called 司马光砸缸 (sī mǎ guāng zá gāng). This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one, plus the classical original.
Source and how we retold it
From the History of Song (Songshi), the official history compiled in 1345, in the biography of Sima Guang; the text is in the public domain. The original is a few lines: children playing in a courtyard, one climbs onto a big jar and falls in, the others run away, Guang breaks the jar with a stone, the water gushes out and the child is saved. We call the jar a water jar, added the game of hide-and-seek, the playmates running for help and the grown-up arriving, and kept the fall very short: the girl is out and safe within a sentence or two.
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 Sima Guang Breaks the Water Jar (司马光砸缸), 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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