Aesop's Fables · chapter 5 of 6
The Ant and the Grasshopper
蚂蚁和蚱蜢
A cold wind blows, and Little Squirrel won't share a single acorn. Tonight's story: a busy ant, a grasshopper who sings all summer long, and a winter that comes after all.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 第五天晚上，风很冷。小松鼠在树下忙来忙去。
Dì wǔ tiān wǎnshang, fēng hěn lěng. Xiǎo Sōngshǔ zài shù xià máng lái máng qù.
On the fifth evening, a cold wind was blowing. Little Squirrel was busy scurrying back and forth under the tree.
- Little Rabbit 小松鼠，你在忙什么？
Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, nǐ zài máng shénme?
Little Squirrel, what are you so busy with?
- Little Squirrel 我在准备冬天吃的果子！
Wǒ zài zhǔnbèi dōngtiān chī de guǒzi!
I'm getting my acorns ready for winter!
- Little Rabbit 你的果子那么多，给我一个，好吗？
Nǐ de guǒzi nàme duō, gěi wǒ yí gè, hǎo ma?
You've got so many acorns. Could you give me one?
- Little Squirrel 不给！一个也不给！
Bù gěi! Yí gè yě bù gěi!
No! Not a single one!
- Grandpa Owl 咕咕，小松鼠，今天的故事，你一定喜欢。
Gūgū, Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, jīntiān de gùshi, nǐ yídìng xǐhuan.
Hoo-hoo! Little Squirrel, you're going to love tonight's story.
- Grandpa Owl 夏天，蚂蚁天天工作，把吃的拿回家。
Xiàtiān, mǎyǐ tiāntiān gōngzuò, bǎ chī de ná huí jiā.
One summer, an ant worked every single day, carrying food home.
- The Ant 一个，两个，三个……我要多拿一点儿！
Yí gè, liǎng gè, sān gè… wǒ yào duō ná yìdiǎnr!
One, two, three… I'll carry just a bit more!
- The Grasshopper 蚂蚁，天气这么好，别工作了，来唱歌吧！
Mǎyǐ, tiānqì zhème hǎo, bié gōngzuò le, lái chànggē ba!
Ant, it's such a lovely day! Stop working and come sing with me!
- The Ant 不行，我在准备冬天吃的东西。
Bù xíng, wǒ zài zhǔnbèi dōngtiān chī de dōngxi.
I can't. I'm getting food ready for the winter.
- The Grasshopper 冬天？还早呢！我要唱歌，我要跳！
Dōngtiān? Hái zǎo ne! Wǒ yào chànggē, wǒ yào tiào!
Winter? That's ages away! I want to sing, I want to jump!
- Little Squirrel 跟我一样！蚂蚁说得对！
Gēn wǒ yíyàng! Mǎyǐ shuō de duì!
Just like me! The ant is right!
- Grandpa Owl 夏天过去了，秋天也过去了。冬天来了，下了大雪。
Xiàtiān guòqù le, qiūtiān yě guòqù le. Dōngtiān lái le, xià le dà xuě.
Summer passed, and autumn passed too. Then winter came, and heavy snow fell.
- The Grasshopper 好冷……好饿……我什么吃的也没有……
Hǎo lěng… hǎo è… wǒ shénme chī de yě méiyǒu…
So cold… so hungry… I don't have a thing to eat…
- The Grasshopper 蚂蚁，请开开门！给我一点儿吃的吧！
Mǎyǐ, qǐng kāikai mén! Gěi wǒ yìdiǎnr chī de ba!
Ant, please open the door! Just give me a little something to eat!
- The Ant 蚱蜢？夏天的时候，你在做什么？
Zhàměng? Xiàtiān de shíhou, nǐ zài zuò shénme?
Grasshopper? And what were you doing all summer?
- The Grasshopper 我……我天天唱歌。
Wǒ… wǒ tiāntiān chànggē.
I… I sang every day.
- The Ant 夏天你唱歌，那冬天，你就跳舞吧！
Xiàtiān nǐ chànggē, nà dōngtiān, nǐ jiù tiàowǔ ba!
You sang all summer? Then you can dance all winter!
- Grandpa Owl 蚂蚁关上了门。
Mǎyǐ guānshang le mén.
And the ant shut the door.
- Little Rabbit 蚂蚁太不好了！蚱蜢又冷又饿啊！
Mǎyǐ tài bù hǎo le! Zhàměng yòu lěng yòu è a!
That ant is so mean! The grasshopper is cold and hungry!
- Little Squirrel 蚂蚁没有错！夏天她在工作，蚱蜢在玩儿！
Mǎyǐ méiyǒu cuò! Xiàtiān tā zài gōngzuò, zhàměng zài wánr!
The ant did nothing wrong! She worked all summer while the grasshopper played!
- Little Rabbit 可是给他一点儿，不行吗？
Kěshì gěi tā yìdiǎnr, bù xíng ma?
But couldn't she give him just a little?
- Little Squirrel 给了他，明年夏天，他还是只唱歌！
Gěi le tā, míngnián xiàtiān, tā háishi zhǐ chànggē!
If she does, he'll just sing all next summer again!
- Little Rabbit 爷爷，您说，谁对？
Yéye, nín shuō, shéi duì?
Grandpa, who's right?
- Grandpa Owl 你们两个，都有一点儿对。
Nǐmen liǎng gè, dōu yǒu yìdiǎnr duì.
You're both a little bit right.
- Little Squirrel 如果有很饿的朋友来我家……我给他一个果子。就一个！
Rúguǒ yǒu hěn è de péngyou lái wǒ jiā… wǒ gěi tā yí gè guǒzi. Jiù yí gè!
If a really hungry friend came to my house… I'd give him an acorn. Just one!
- Little Rabbit 小松鼠，你真好！
Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, nǐ zhēn hǎo!
Little Squirrel, that's so sweet of you!
- Grandpa Owl 明天晚上，是这个秋天最后一个故事了。
Míngtiān wǎnshang, shì zhège qiūtiān zuìhòu yí gè gùshi le.
Tomorrow night will be the last story of this autumn.
- Little Rabbit 最后一个？！爷爷，您要走吗？
Zuìhòu yí gè?! Yéye, nín yào zǒu ma?
The last one?! Grandpa, are you going away?
What changed in the story?
- What is Little Squirrel busy doing at the start?
“我在准备冬天吃的果子！”
- What does the grasshopper want the ant to do in summer?
“别工作了，来唱歌吧！”
- What did the grasshopper do all summer?
“我天天唱歌”
- Why is Little Rabbit upset with the ant?
“蚂蚁太不好了！蚱蜢又冷又饿啊！”
- What does Little Squirrel decide at the end?
“我给他一个果子。就一个！”