Aesop's Fables · chapter 3 of 6
The Fox and the Grapes
狐狸和葡萄
Little Squirrel loses another race and suddenly decides racing is no fun. Then Grandpa Owl tells of a hungry fox on a hot day, and some grapes hanging just out of reach.
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- Narrator 第三天晚上，两个小朋友又比赛，看谁先到老树下。
Dì sān tiān wǎnshang, liǎng gè xiǎopéngyǒu yòu bǐsài, kàn shéi xiān dào lǎo shù xià.
On the third evening, the two friends raced again to see who would reach the old tree first.
- Little Squirrel 这次是龟兔赛跑！我是乌龟，我一定赢！
Zhè cì shì guī tù sàipǎo! Wǒ shì wūguī, wǒ yídìng yíng!
This time it's the tortoise and the hare! I'm the tortoise, so I'll win!
- Little Rabbit 可是我不睡觉啊！我第一！
Kěshì wǒ bú shuìjiào a! Wǒ dì yī!
But I'm not taking a nap! I'm first!
- Little Squirrel 比赛有什么好玩儿的？我不喜欢比赛！
Bǐsài yǒu shénme hǎowánr de? Wǒ bù xǐhuan bǐsài!
What's so fun about racing anyway? I don't even like racing!
- Grandpa Owl 咕咕！刚才你不是很想赢吗？
Gūgū! Gāngcái nǐ bú shì hěn xiǎng yíng ma?
Hoo-hoo! A minute ago you wanted to win so badly, didn't you?
- Little Squirrel 我……我现在不想了！
Wǒ… wǒ xiànzài bù xiǎng le!
I… I don't want to anymore!
- Little Rabbit 爷爷，今天的狐狸……吃不吃兔子？
Yéye, jīntiān de húli… chī bu chī tùzi?
Grandpa, tonight's fox… does he eat rabbits?
- Grandpa Owl 别怕，这只狐狸只想吃葡萄。
Bié pà, zhè zhī húli zhǐ xiǎng chī pútao.
Don't be afraid. This fox only wants to eat grapes.
- Little Rabbit 葡萄？那太好了！
Pútao? Nà tài hǎo le!
Grapes? Oh, good!
- Grandpa Owl 夏天，天很热。一只狐狸走了很远的路，又饿又渴。
Xiàtiān, tiān hěn rè. Yì zhī húli zǒu le hěn yuǎn de lù, yòu è yòu kě.
One summer day, it was very hot. A fox had walked a long, long way, and he was hungry and thirsty.
- The Fox 好热啊……我想吃东西，也想喝水……
Hǎo rè a… Wǒ xiǎng chī dōngxi, yě xiǎng hē shuǐ…
So hot… I want something to eat, and something to drink…
- The Fox 那是什么？葡萄！好大的葡萄！一定很甜！
Nà shì shénme? Pútao! Hǎo dà de pútao! Yídìng hěn tián!
What's that? Grapes! Such big grapes! They must be so sweet!
- Grandpa Owl 可是，葡萄在很高很高的地方。
Kěshì, pútao zài hěn gāo hěn gāo de dìfang.
But the grapes hung very, very high up.
- The Fox 没关系，我跳起来就能吃到！一、二、三，跳！
Méi guānxi, wǒ tiào qǐlái jiù néng chī dào! Yī, èr, sān, tiào!
No problem. I'll just jump up and get them! One, two, three, jump!
- The Fox 啊……没吃到。
À… méi chī dào.
Oh… missed.
- Little Rabbit 狐狸，加油！再跳高一点儿！
Húli, jiāyóu! Zài tiào gāo yìdiǎnr!
Come on, Fox! Jump a little higher!
- Little Squirrel 小兔子，你不是很怕狐狸吗？
Xiǎo Tùzi, nǐ bú shì hěn pà húli ma?
Little Rabbit, aren't you scared of foxes?
- Little Rabbit 他不吃兔子，他吃葡萄！狐狸，加油！
Tā bù chī tùzi, tā chī pútao! Húli, jiāyóu!
He doesn't eat rabbits, he eats grapes! Come on, Fox!
- The Fox 再来！一、二、三……跳！……还是没吃到！
Zài lái! Yī, èr, sān… tiào!… Háishi méi chī dào!
Again! One, two, three… jump!… Missed again!
- Little Squirrel 我知道！第三次，他一定能吃到！
Wǒ zhīdào! Dì sān cì, tā yídìng néng chī dào!
I know! On the third try, he'll get them for sure!
- Grandpa Owl 别急。狐狸跳了一次又一次，最后，他跳不动了。
Bié jí. Húli tiào le yí cì yòu yí cì, zuìhòu, tā tiào bu dòng le.
Not so fast. The fox jumped again and again, until he couldn't jump anymore.
- The Fox 这些葡萄一定是酸的！我才不想吃酸葡萄呢！
Zhèxiē pútao yídìng shì suān de! Wǒ cái bù xiǎng chī suān pútao ne!
These grapes must be sour anyway! Who wants sour grapes? Not me!
- Grandpa Owl 狐狸走了。人们现在还说：“吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸。”
Húli zǒu le. Rénmen xiànzài hái shuō: “Chī bú dào pútao shuō pútao suān.”
And off went the fox. People still say it today: “If you can't eat the grapes, say the grapes are sour.”
- Little Rabbit 吃不到，就说不好……小松鼠，你刚才说什么？
Chī bú dào, jiù shuō bù hǎo… Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, nǐ gāngcái shuō shénme?
Can't have it, so you say it's no good… Little Squirrel, what did you say a minute ago?
- Little Squirrel 我说……比赛不好玩儿。好吧，好吧，我也很想赢！
Wǒ shuō… bǐsài bù hǎowánr. Hǎo ba, hǎo ba, wǒ yě hěn xiǎng yíng!
I said… racing's no fun. Okay, okay, I really wanted to win too!
- Grandpa Owl 明天的故事里，有一只很大的狮子，还有一只很小的老鼠。
Míngtiān de gùshi lǐ, yǒu yì zhī hěn dà de shīzi, hái yǒu yì zhī hěn xiǎo de lǎoshǔ.
Tomorrow's story has a very big lion in it, and a very small mouse.
- Little Squirrel 老鼠？爷爷，您不是最喜欢吃老鼠吗？
Lǎoshǔ? Yéye, nín bú shì zuì xǐhuan chī lǎoshǔ ma?
A mouse? Grandpa, isn't mouse your favorite food?
- Grandpa Owl 这个……明天，我们只讲故事。
Zhège… míngtiān, wǒmen zhǐ jiǎng gùshi.
Ahem… Tomorrow, we'll just stick to the story.
- Little Rabbit 那么大的狮子，那么小的老鼠……小老鼠能做什么呢？
Nàme dà de shīzi, nàme xiǎo de lǎoshǔ… Xiǎo lǎoshǔ néng zuò shénme ne?
Such a big lion, and such a tiny mouse… What could a little mouse ever do?
What changed in the story?
- What does Little Squirrel say after he loses the race?
“比赛有什么好玩儿的？我不喜欢比赛！”
- Why is Little Rabbit glad to hear about tonight's fox?
“这只狐狸只想吃葡萄”
- Why can't the fox eat the grapes?
“葡萄在很高很高的地方”
- What does the fox say when he gives up?
“这些葡萄一定是酸的！”
- What does Little Squirrel finally admit?
“好吧，好吧，我也很想赢！”