Climb to school

What will remind you of Sichuan, the cute panda, the mouthwatering Kung Pao Chicken, or the picturesque Jiuzhai Valley? All wrong! The answer here will make your jaw drop! 

提到四川你会想起什么？憨态可掬的熊猫、令人垂涎的宫保鸡丁还是诗情画意的九寨沟？错！这会儿的答案会让你们大跌眼镜！

The village is called Atuleer, located in Zhi'ermo Township, Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. It is the little-known cliff village (悬崖村)! To get to school, the local children have to climb an 800-metre-high cliff! 

这所村庄坐落再四川省凉山彝族自治州昭觉县支尔莫乡阿土勒尔村。它是鲜为人知的悬崖村。村里的孩子们去上学要爬800米高的悬崖。

Its geological location is unique beyond words! Or, to understand this easily, just look at the sketch. 

村庄的地理位置堪称一绝！绝到难以言表！看图也许更直观。

The village is located in the middle one of the three steps, boasting an altitude of over 1,400m. Along the cliff is a bamboo ladder consisting of 17 smaller ones. It takes the villagers 2 hours to scramble down the ladder, which is the only way out to the outside world.

这个村庄坐落在三层台阶的中间一级！村庄海拔1400多米。连接这1400米的是17条100多米长的竹梯。如果要走出村子需要攀爬竹梯2小时。这是村民通向外界的唯一出路。

When a villager is seriously sick, he or she would be tied onto the back of a young guy to get down the cliff to see a doctor. Young children would be tied to the waist of their parents. 

如果有村民生病，病人被青壮年人绑在身上背着出去就医。幼童则像宠物一样拴在家长的腰上进出。

In such an adverse natural environment, aren't these students supposed to go to school in such ways?

在如此恶劣的自然环境下，悬崖村的孩子们上学不应该是这样的吗？

Sadly, a dozen of children come back home twice a month from the school at the foot of the mountain, by climbing! 

可事实上，村子里十几个在山下上学的孩子，1个月回家2次，他们的上学方式是爬。

Maybe we can comprehend their strenuous journey to school by learning about details of the character "爬" (pá). 

在此，我们不妨从详细解读汉字"爬"的含义来体会一下孩子们上学的艰难。

It's a pictophonetic character. On its left is "爪" (zhuǎ), which meant "claws of beasts" originally and has been evolved to mean "手" (shǒu, hands) of the human beings. Thus, "爬" indicates an action closely related to hands. 

"爬"是形声字，左边是"爪(zhuǎ)"，本意指兽类的脚，后经演化引申为人类的"手（shǒu）", 说明，"爬"是一个与手密切相关的动作。

As a verb, "爬" basically means "move on hands and knees", as in the word "爬行 (pá xínɡ, crawl)". Also, it can mean "go up to the top by holding something", as in the word "爬梯子 (pá tī zi, climb a ladder)." 

作为动词，“爬”的基本意思是手脚并用一起着地移动，比如"爬行"；也可以指抓着东西向上移动，比如"爬梯子"。

pá 

爬 (verb)

1. 手脚并用一起着地而移动：爬行、爬洞

To move forward on hands and knees, with the body close to the ground: 爬行 (crawl); 爬洞 (crawl through a hole)

2. 抓着东西向上攀：爬树、爬山

To go up towards the top: 爬树 (climb a tree); 爬山 (climb a mountain)

3. 由卧而坐起或站起：跌倒了再爬起来

Sit up or stand up from a lying position: 跌倒了再爬起来 (get up where you fall down)

In modern life, "手" (shǒu) is no longer needed in such labor-consuming activities as "爬楼梯" (pá lóu tī, climb stairs), "爬坡" (pá pō, climb a slope) and "爬山" (pá shān, climb a mountain). The basic meaning of "爬" has been weakened. Hands are no longer needed to climb the stairs, as stairs are built in compliance with the body mechanics. Smooth concrete pavement roads are built to mountains, and even telphers are mounted to save the labor of feet.

在现代化的生活中，"爬楼梯"、"爬坡"、"爬山"这些消耗体力的活动，已经不需要手负担过多的力量了。汉字"爬"的基本含义已经被弱化。因为楼梯已经修得更加符合人体力学。爬楼梯时，手部的动作几乎被解放。爬山时，山已被凿挖出平坦的水泥路，甚至安装上了电缆车，连脚的劳力也彻底省了。

However, "爬" is still used in Chinese language to make up compound words, and it has been evolved to emphasize primitiveness and difficulty of doing something.

但汉语仍然用"爬"来组词，它的作用似乎演变为了强调做某事的原始程度以及难度。

Nevertheless, on the villagers' way to school, they still have to "爬" the bamboo ladder with hands and feet! The basic meaning of "爬" is perfectly explained by the cliff villagers.

可是，对于生活在悬崖村的孩子们来说，上学路，依然需要手脚并用，依然需要借助竹梯爬行。汉字"爬"的基本意在悬崖村得到了最完美的诠释。

The cliff village has become well known recently, as several adults plunged to death from the ladder. Their accidental deaths have finally exposed the "gate of hell" to the media.

悬崖村上学路能被公众所知是因为，不久前，这上学路上，摔死了数名成年人！这些意外坠亡的人用生命的代价使这个生死出口得以被媒体曝光。

Before the accidents, hadn't the local villagers valued their lives in a priority? Hadn't they thought of making changes? Why not relocate, build a school on the mountaintop, or build a road. There must be difficulties beyond our imagination. 

悬崖村的村民们难道不知道生命第一？难道没有想过要改变现状吗？为什么不搬迁，或在山上建一所学校，或修一条路下山？其中一定有我们想象不到的难处。

In the age of information explosion nowadays, the children in the cliff village are suddenly exposed in the spotlight of the Internet and make headline news, but they will also be replaced by never-ending hot news rapidly, and soon get forgotten. 

如今已是资讯爆炸的时代，互联网快速地把悬崖村的小朋友们顶起；他们也会被海量的头条快速地淹没，再次被公众遗忘。

How long do they still have to climb the cliff before walking upright to school easily, as the modern people do?

他们还需要爬多久悬崖才能如现代人一样轻松地直立行走着去上学呢？

The article is translated and editted by Chinlingo. Please indicate the source for any use, reproduction or transfer. 

本文由Chinlingo编译后发布，如需转载，请标明来源。