Learn Chinese with Everyday Chinese: What is Happiness?

Hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of 'Everyday Chinese'.

I'm Wang Yu.

Hello everyone, I'm Li Ming.

Wang Yu, I've had a certain feeling lately, and I wonder if you have too. Oh?

What kind of feeling?

It's just that sometimes I feel like the pace of life is so fast,

that I feel a bit tired and anxious inside.

Always thinking about achieving the next goal or getting to the next place.

I completely know that feeling!

Especially on Mondays, when the pressure feels really intense.

It feels like we're always chasing after something.

Yeah. But when you think about it,

we work so hard,

and live such busy lives,

in the end, isn't the ultimate goal we're all chasing

just 'happiness'?

Huh, now that you mention it, that really seems to be the case.

Whether we want to make more money,

or travel to faraway places,

ultimately we just hope to be a bit happier.

Exactly. So today, I wanted to take a moment with you,

and with our listeners, to

slow down and chat about the topic of 'happiness'.

I've prepared three very classic Chinese short stories

that show us, in the simplest way, what happiness actually is.

Wonderful! I really need to hear some calming stories right now.

Before we begin,

I'd also like to say to our listeners:

don't worry if you don't understand every single word,

just try to capture the vibe of the stories and our discussion.

The most important thing is to just relax and listen.

So, let's start with our first story,

'The Happy Stone'.

'The Happy Stone'?

That's an interesting title.

How can a stone be happy?

Right? Let's listen to the story.

The story is very simple.

Deep in a mountain, there was a little stone.

It daily just sat there, doing nothing at all.

In spring, little blades of grass would grow around it,

and birds would sing above its head.

In summer, heavy rains would wash it clean,

and the sun would warm it up. Mmh, that sounds very cozy.

Red leaves would fall on it,

like covering it with a blanket.

In winter, the snow would turn it into a little white snowman.

One day, a passerby asked it, 'Stone,

you stay here every day, don't you get bored?

You can't run, you can't jump, you can't fly like a bird,

are you happy?' And how did the stone answer?

The stone said, 'I am very happy.

I can feel the spring breeze, the summer rain,

the autumn leaves, and the winter snow.

I can see that the clouds in the sky look different every day,

and I can hear the sound of the flowing river.

I feel that being here and experiencing all of this

is the happiest thing of all.' Wow...

Although this story is simple, it makes me feel very peaceful inside.

We always seem to be so busy,

busy heading to the next place,

busy doing the next thing,

rarely like this stone,

quietly feeling the present moment. Exactly,

that's the first thought this story gives me:

Happiness is 'contentment'.

Contentment means

you feel that what you have right now is enough,

and you are happy. This stone doesn't envy birds because they can fly,

nor does it envy fish because they can swim.

It is content just being a stone,

capable of feeling the world.

I see what you mean.

But honestly, Li Ming,

sometimes it's really hard to be 'content'.

When I see my friends traveling abroad,

or buying new houses, I also wonder,

should I work harder to get those things too?

At those times, I feel a bit of anxiety.

I completely understand.

I think having this feeling is completely normal,

almost everyone goes through it.

We live in a society that loves comparisons.

But this story reminds us

that happiness isn't necessarily somewhere else,

maybe it's right where we are now.

Perhaps a useful way is to

spend a few minutes every day looking for

that 'happy stone' in our lives.

A 'happy stone'?

That's a great metaphor.

You mean finding little things that bring us contentment

and joy?

Exactly. It could be a nice cup of coffee,

or a phone call with family,

or even, like you mentioned, seeing a cute little cat sleeping.

When we start noticing these tiny moments of happiness,

our minds might become more peaceful and content.

Just like that stone,

without needing to go anywhere else,

happiness is right here. Mmh, I like that idea.

Starting today, I'm also going to look for the

'happy stone' in my life. Great,

so what is the second story we are going to share?

The second story is one that many people might have heard,

called 'The Rich Man and the Fisherman'. Oh?

I think I've heard this story, but I've forgotten it a bit.

Could you tell it again?

Sure. It goes like this:

A very wealthy businessman went to the beach for a vacation.

He saw a fisherman

lying on his small boat,

basking in the sun and singing, looking extremely happy.

Mmh, sounds like a very comfortable life.

The businessman walked over and said to the fisherman:

'Why aren't you out catching fish today?

The weather is so nice.'

The fisherman said, 'I already went out this morning,

and the fish I caught are enough to feed my family for a few days.' That sounds reasonable.

Hearing this, the businessman shook his head and said, 'You're wasting your time.

You should go fishing every day and catch more fish.

That way, you can sell the extra fish and make money.'

The fisherman asked, 'And what after making money?' Right, then what?

The businessman said:

'Once you make money, you can buy a bigger boat,

catch more fish, and make even more money.'

The fisherman asked again, 'And then what?'

The businessman said, 'Then you can buy a second,