What is the story of Sima Guang and the water vat?

A child playing in a courtyard climbed onto a huge jar of water and fell in. The other children ran off, but seven-year-old Sima Guang smashed a hole in the jar with a stone; the water poured out and his friend was saved.

Where does the story of Sima Guang breaking the vat come from?

From the History of Song (Songshi), biography of Sima Guang, which says the children were playing in the courtyard, one climbed a jar and fell into the water, the others all ran away, and Sima Guang broke the jar with a stone so the child lived. Huihong's Song-dynasty Lengzhai Yehua tells it too.

How old was Sima Guang when he broke the vat?

About seven. The History of Song says that at seven he was as serious as an adult, and tells the jar story right after.

A Song-dynasty scholar and statesman (1019–1086). With his assistants he spent nineteen years compiling the Zizhi Tongjian, or Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government, a history covering about 1,360 years of China.

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Chinese history · 声匠改编 · 3:59

Sima Guang Breaks the Water Vat

A boy climbs onto a huge water jar and falls in. The other children scatter in panic. Only seven-year-old Sima Guang picks up a stone...

Narrator

Sima Guang

The Climbing Boy

The Little Girl

The Grandfather

0:000:00

Other languages · 2 languages

🇨🇳 中文 🇺🇸 English

About this story

Sima Guang Breaks the Water Vat comes from the biography of Sima Guang in the History of Song (Songshi), the official history compiled in the 1340s. When he was seven, a child playing in a courtyard climbed a big water jar and fell in; the other children ran away, and Sima Guang broke the jar with a stone so the water poured out and the child lived. The Song-dynasty monk Huihong also recorded it in his Lengzhai Yehua (Night Talks from the Cold Studio). The original word is weng, a big earthenware jar, which later schoolbooks turned into a vat; this version also keeps the opening where little Sima Guang retells a history lesson.

What it teaches

When danger strikes, stay calm and work out what matters most: a jar can be replaced, a life cannot. It also shows children that a problem can be turned around: if you can't get the child out of the water, get the water away from the child.

Suits

Ages 6–12

Tips for telling it

Slow down when the boy falls in, and ask your child: what would you do?
Use it to talk about water safety: never climb on tanks or play near wells and ponds, and if someone is in danger, shout for help and fetch a grown-up straight away.
At the end, tell children that the boy who broke the jar grew up to lead the writing of one of China's greatest history books.

Questions people ask

What is the story of Sima Guang and the water vat?: A child playing in a courtyard climbed onto a huge jar of water and fell in. The other children ran off, but seven-year-old Sima Guang smashed a hole in the jar with a stone; the water poured out and his friend was saved.
Where does the story of Sima Guang breaking the vat come from?: From the History of Song (Songshi), biography of Sima Guang, which says the children were playing in the courtyard, one climbed a jar and fell into the water, the others all ran away, and Sima Guang broke the jar with a stone so the child lived. Huihong's Song-dynasty Lengzhai Yehua tells it too.
How old was Sima Guang when he broke the vat?: About seven. The History of Song says that at seven he was as serious as an adult, and tells the jar story right after.
Who was Sima Guang?: A Song-dynasty scholar and statesman (1019–1086). With his assistants he spent nineteen years compiling the Zizhi Tongjian, or Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government, a history covering about 1,360 years of China.