45. Learn English Through A Great Lesson: The Bundle of Chopsticks

The Bundle of Chopsticks

Once upon a time, there was an old father who had five sons. They lived in a small house and worked on a farm. The father loved his sons very much, but they often argued and didn’t help each other.

One day, the father became sick. He knew he didn’t have much time left. He wanted his sons to learn a very important lesson.

He called them to his bed and gave each of them one chopstick.

“Break it,” he said.

Each son broke the chopstick easily.

Then, the father tied five chopsticks together and gave the bundle to his oldest son.

“Now try to break this bundle,” he said.

The oldest son tried, but the bundle didn’t break. The second son tried, then the third, fourth, and fifth—but none of them could break it.

The father smiled.

“My sons,” he said gently, “when you are alone, you are weak, just like one chopstick. But when you stay together, you are strong—no one can break you.”

The sons looked at each other and understood. From that day on, they worked as a team. They shared their work, helped each other, and lived happily.

Lesson Learned

Unity is strength. When we stand together, we can overcome any challenge.

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(You can use Google Translate or ChatGPT to translate the article into your language, making learning English easier.)

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1	The Bundle of Chopsticks	/ðə ˈbʌndəl əv ˈʧɑpˌstɪks/
2	Once upon a time, there was an old father who had five sons.	/wʌns əpɑn ə taɪm, ðɛr wəz æn oʊld ˈfɑðər hu hæd faɪv sʌnz/
3	They lived in a small house and worked on a farm.	/ðeɪ lɪvd ɪn ə smɔl haʊs ənd wɜrkt ɑn ə fɑrm/
4	The father loved his sons very much, but they often argued and didn’t help each other.	/ðə ˈfɑðər lʌvd hɪz sʌnz ˈvɛri mʌʧ, bət ðeɪ ˈɔfən ˈɑrɡjud ənd ˈdɪdənt hɛlp iʧ ˈʌðər/
5	One day, the father became sick.	/wʌn deɪ, ðə ˈfɑðər bɪˈkeɪm sɪk/
6	He knew he didn’t have much time left.	/hi nuː hɪ dɪdnt hæv mʌʧ taɪm lɛft/
7	He wanted his sons to learn a very important lesson.	/hi ˈwɔntɪd hɪz sʌnz tə lɜrn ə ˈvɛri ɪmˈpɔrtənt ˈlɛsən/
8	He called them to his bed and gave each of them one chopstick.	/hi kɔld ðəm tə hɪz bɛd ənd geɪv itʃ əv ðəm wʌn ˈʧɑpˌstɪk/
9	“Break it,” he said.	/ˈbreɪk ɪt hi sɛd/
10	Each son broke the chopstick easily.	/iʧ sʌn broʊk ðə ˈʧɑːpˌstɪk ˈiːzɪli/
11	Then, the father tied five chopsticks together and gave the bundle to his oldest son.	/ðɛn, ðə ˈfɑːðər taɪd faɪv ˈʧɑːpˌstɪks təˈɡɛðər ənd ɡeɪv ðə ˈbʌndl tə hɪz ˈoʊldɪst sʌn/
12	“Now try to break this bundle,” he said.	/naʊ traɪ tə breɪk ðɪs ˈbʌndl, hi sɛd/
13	The oldest son tried, but the bundle didn’t break.	/ði ˈoʊldɪst sʌn traɪd, bʌt ðə ˈbʌndl dɪdənt breɪk/
14	The second son tried, then the third, fourth, and fifth—but none of them could break it.	/ðə ˈsɛkənd sʌn traɪd, ðɛn ðə θɜrd, fɔrθ, ənd fɪfθ—bʌt nʌn ʌv ðəm kʊd breɪk ɪt/
15	The father smiled.	/ðə ˈfɑðər smaɪld/
16	“My sons,” he said gently, “when you are alone, you are weak, just like one chopstick.	/maɪ sʌnz, hi sɛd ˈdʒɛntli, wɛn ju ɑr əˈloʊn, ju ɑr wik, dʒʌst laɪk wʌn ˈʧɑpˌstɪk/
17	But when you stay together, you are strong—no one can break you.”	/bʌt wɛn ju steɪ təˈɡɛðər, ju ɑr strɔŋ—noʊ wʌn kæn breɪk ju/
18	The sons looked at each other and understood.	/ðə sʌnz lʊkt æt iʧ ˈʌðər ənd ˌʌndərˈstʊd/
19	From that day on, they worked as a team.	/frəm ðæt deɪ ɑn, ðeɪ wɜrkt æz ə tim/
20	They shared their work, helped each other, and lived happily.	/ðeɪ ʃɛrd ðɛr wɜrk, hɛlpt iʧ ʌðər, ənd lɪvd ˈhæpɪli/
21	Lesson Learned	/ˈlɛsən lɜrnd/
22	Unity is strength.	/ˈjunɪti ɪz strɛŋkθ/
23	When we stand together, we can overcome any challenge.	/wɛn wi stænd təˈɡɛðər, wi kæn ˈoʊvərˌkəm ɛni ˈʧælɪndʒ/

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The video below helps you practice English listening, speaking, and reflex skills:

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