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The Most Beautiful Heart

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered, and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a flaw in it.


tiān


wèi
nián
qīng
rén
zhàn
zài
chéng
zhèn
de
zhōng
yāng

xuān
bù
tā
de
xīn
shì
zhěng
gè
shān
gǔ
zhōng
zuì
měi

de
xīn

wéi
guān
de
rén
hěn
duō

tā
men
dōu
chèn
zàn
nián
qīng
rén
de
xīn
de
què
shì
wán
měi
wú
quē

bìng
méi
yǒu

diǎn
shāng
hén
xiá



Suddenly, an old man appeared and said, "Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."

tū
rán


wèi
lǎo
rén
chū
xiàn
zài
rén
qún
zhōng

shuō



de
xīn
bù
rú
wǒ
de
měi




The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right, and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.

wéi
guān
zhě
hé
nián
qīng
rén
dōu
cháo
lǎo
rén
de
xīn
kàn
qù

tā
bù
mǎn
le
shāng
bā

yǒu
de
dè
fāng
bèi
wā
qù
yòu
zhòng
xīn
tián
bǔ
shàng

dàn
xīu
bǔ
dé
bù
shèn
wán
zhěng

líu
xià

xiē
cān
chà
bù

de
bā
hén

shí

shàng

yǒu
de
dè
fāng
quē
shī
le
zhěng
kuài

shèn
zhì
lù
chū
hěn
shēn
de
huò
kǒu


The young man laughed. "Comparing your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars."

nián
qīng
rén
xiào
le

lái


wǒ
men
liǎng
rén
de
xīn
xiāng


wǒ
de
shì
nā
me
wán
měi

ér

de
què
shì

duī
shāng
bā



"Yes," said the old man, "Yours looks perfect but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart that fits into the empty place in my heart. But because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.


shì
de


lǎo
rén
shuō



de
xīn
cóng
biǎo
miàn
lái
kàn
hěn
wán
měi

dàn
wǒ
jué
bù
huì
gēn

jiāo
huàn


kàn

měi
gè
shāng
bā
dōu
dài
biǎo
wǒ
wèi
bié
rén
xiàn
chū
de

fèn
ài
wǒ
tāo
chū

kuài
xīn
gěi
tā
men

tā
men
cháng
cháng
huì
tāo
chū


de

kuài
huí
zèng
gěi
wǒ


tián
bǔ
wǒ
de
kōng
quē

dàn
yóu
yú
zhè
liǎng
kuài
bù
wán
quán

yàng

shāng
kǒu
de
biān
yuán
jìu
líu
xià
le
bā
hén

bù
guò
wǒ
shí
fēn
zhēn

zhè
xiē
bā
hén

yīn
wèi
tā
men
shǐ
使
wǒ
xiǎng

wǒ
men
gòng
tóng
yōng
yǒu
de
ài
xīn



"Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his or her heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for those people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"


yǒu
shí
wǒ
sòng
chū
le

bàn
xīn


tā
rén
bìng
méi
yǒu
huí
zèng
gěi
wǒ

yīn

jìu
chū
xiàn
le
zhè
xiē
huò
kǒu
xiàn
chū
ài
yě
shì
xū
yào
mào
fēng
xiǎn
de

jìn
guǎn
zhè
xiē
huò
kǒu
hěn
téng

wǒ
hái
shì
ràng
tā
men
chǎng
kāi
zhāo

yīn
wèi
tā
men
néng
shǐ
使
wǒ
xiǎng

wǒ
fù
chū
de
ài

wǒ

wàng
yǒu

tiān

dé
dào
ài
de
rén
men
néng
gòu
huí
lái
tián
bǔ
shàng
wǒ
xīn

de
kōng
jiān


xiàn
zài
míng
bái
shí
me
shì
zhēn
zhèng
de
měi

le
bā



The young man walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man.

nián
qīng
rén
mò
mò
zǒu
jìn
lǎo
rén

bǎ
shǒu
shēn
jìn


wán
měi
de
xīn
zhōng


xià

kuài
lái

bǎ
tā
xiàn
gěi
zhè
wèi
lǎo
rén


The old man placed it in his heart, then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

lǎo
rén
jiē
guò
kuì
zèng

bǎ
tā
fàng
jìn


de
xīn


rán
hòu
tā
cóng


bā
hén
lèi
lèi
de
xīn

tāo
chū

kuài

fàng
zài
nián
qīng
rén
xīn

de
nā
gè
shāng
kǒu
shàng

zhèng
hǎo
fàng
jìn
qù

dàn
bù
shì
tè
bié
wěn
hé

yě
chū
xiàn
le

xiē
bā
hén


The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his.

nián
qīng
rén
kàn
zhāo


de
xīn

kàn

lái
bù
zài
wán
měi
dàn


qián
gèng
měi

le

yīn
wèi
lǎo
rén
xīn
zhōng
de
ài
yě
líu
tǎng
dào
le
tā
de
xīn



They embraced and walked away side by side.

tā
men
yōng
bào
zhāo

jiān
bìng
jiān

kāi
le


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