There was once a boy called MaLiang. His family was very poor, sopoor that he couldn’t afford a writing brush. One day on his way home afterherding the cattle, he passed by a private school. He saw a painter waspainting for an officer. MaLiang lost himself and he walked quickly. He said tothe officer, “Could you give me one writing brush to draw pictures?” The officerand the painter laughed at him and drove him out.
从前，有个男孩子叫马良，马良的家非常的穷，穷得连一只笔都买不起。一天他放羊回家，经过一个私塾，他看见一个花匠在给官员画画，马良失神的很快走进去了，他跟师傅说：“你能借一支笔给我画画吗?”官人和画家嘲笑了他还把他赶了出去。
MaLiang didn’t admit defeat. After that he began to learn to draw byheart. When he went to cut wood fire on the mountain, he would draw with abranch on land. When he went to cut grass by the river, he would draw the fishwith the gram root. He drew whatever he saw.
马良不怕失败，后来他开始用心的学习画画，当他去山里砍柴，他就用树枝在地上画画，当他去河边，他就用稻草秆画鱼，他见什么就画什么。
Time passed by quickly and his drawing was better and better. Butstill he had no writing brush. How he wished he had a writing brush!
日子过得飞快，马良画得越来越好了，但他还是一直画笔都没有，他多希望自己有一只画笔啊。
Then one night in his dreams an old man gave him a writing brush.The old man told him to draw for the poor. MaLiang took the brush quickly anddrew a cock on the wall, the cock was then alive, it jumped down from the wall.It was a magical writing brush. He began to draw for the poor with it everyday. What he drew all came true. He drew farm cattle for a farmer and it couldplough for him. The officer heard of that and had some soldiers seized him tothe officer. He told MaLiang to draw gold for him. MaLiang refused to draw forhim, so he was put into prison. At midnight, the guard was fast asleep. Maliangtook his brush, drew a door on the wall. When he pulled it the door opened.Then he began to run off with the other prisoners. Then the guards ran afterhim. Then he drew a horse and rode on it, the guards could not catch up withhim at all.
然后，有一天，有位老人子啊梦中给了他一只笔，老人告诉他去为穷人画画。马良快速接过了笔，在墙上画了只公鸡，公鸡就活了，从墙上跳下来咯咯咯的叫。原来是一支神笔，于是他每天都去给穷人画画，所有画得东西都变成了真的，他给农民画了牛和犁。官员听了，于是派兵去抓马良。他跟马良说，给他画点金子，马良拒绝了，于是马良被关进了大牢，有天晚上，狱卒睡着了，马良就拿出笔在墙上画了个门，他一推，门就开了，于是他就跟其它坐牢的人逃走了。守卫就去追，于是马良画了匹马，骑马跑了，守卫根本就追不上他。
Then one day Maliang was drawing a water cart in a dry place, suddenlyseveral official guards appeared and seized him away. This time the officertold him to draw a gold mountain. MaLiang drew a sea and a gold mountain in thesea. It was full of gold on the mountain. The officer was pleased and cried, “Be quick,draw a big ship. I want to ship gold from the mountain.”
有一天，马良在干旱的地方画了一个水车，突然，几个官家守卫出来把他抓走了。这次官员告诉他，让他画一座金山，马良画了一片海，金山在海里。山上全是金子，官员十分高兴，道：“快给我画一艘大船，我要去取山上运金子。”
Then MaLiang drew a big ship. The officer together with his guardsgot on the ship and said, “Set off. Be quick.” MaLiang then drew some wind. The sail was full and the ship wassailing to the mountain at sea. The officer wanted to be faster. So MaLiangadded some more strong winds. The officer became afraid and said, “That’s enough.That’s enough. No more wind.” But MaLiang didn’t listen tohim ,he went on drawing wind. Now it was blowing more violently. And the waveswere as high as mountains. Then the ship was turned over and the officer andhis guards were drowned in the sea.
于是，马良画了一艘大船，官员和守卫一起上了船，说到“出发，快点。”于是马良就画了一点风，船满帆而行，去往海里的山上。官员嫌慢，要求速度快点，于是马良就加了几笔强风，官员开始害怕说：“够了，够了，不要风了。”马良不停他的，他还是接着画风，现在风很强，浪打得和山头一样高了，于是翻船了，官员和守卫都淹死在海里了。
MaLiang came back to the village and drew for the poor again.
马良回到山村，又开始为穷人画画。