Aladdin and the Magic Lamp · chapter 4 of 5
New Lamps for Old
新灯换旧灯
A bowl of jewels, forty golden plates and a palace built overnight win Aladdin his princess. Then an old man comes down the street calling, “New lamps for old!”
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天，妈妈拿着一大碗宝石，去见国王。她天天去，天天等。
Dì èr tiān, māma názhe yí dà wǎn bǎoshí, qù jiàn guówáng. Tā tiāntiān qù, tiāntiān děng.
The next day, Mother carried a big bowl of jewels off to see the king. Day after day she went, and day after day she waited.
- Aladdin's Mother 我的儿子一定是疯了……国王会看见我这个老太太吗？
Wǒ de érzi yídìng shì fēng le… guówáng huì kànjiàn wǒ zhège lǎotàitai ma?
My son must have lost his mind… Will the king even notice an old woman like me?
- The King 那个老太太，你天天都来。你有什么事？
Nàge lǎotàitai, nǐ tiāntiān dōu lái. Nǐ yǒu shénme shì?
You there, old woman, you've come every day. What is it you want?
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Aladdin's Mother 陛下，我的儿子阿拉丁……他想和公主结婚。
Bìxià, wǒ de érzi Ālādīng… tā xiǎng hé gōngzhǔ jiéhūn.
Your Majesty, my son Aladdin… wants to marry the princess.
- The King 哈哈哈！和我的女儿结婚？他是谁？他有什么？
Hāhāhā! Hé wǒ de nǚ'ér jiéhūn? Tā shì shéi? Tā yǒu shénme?
Ha ha ha! Marry my daughter? Who is he? What does he have?
- Aladdin's Mother 他有这个。这是他送给陛下的礼物。
Tā yǒu zhège. Zhè shì tā sòng gěi bìxià de lǐwù.
He has this. It's his gift to Your Majesty.
- The King 天哪！这么多宝石！这么大，这么亮！我从来没见过！
Tiān na! Zhème duō bǎoshí! Zhème dà, zhème liàng! Wǒ cónglái méi jiàn guo!
Heavens! So many jewels! So big, so bright! I've never seen anything like them!
- The King 好！可是，他还要送来四十个金盘子，都要放满宝石！
Hǎo! Kěshì, tā hái yào sòng lái sìshí gè jīn pánzi, dōu yào fàng mǎn bǎoshí!
Very well! But he must also send me forty golden plates, every one piled with jewels!
- Aladdin's Mother 阿拉丁，四十个金盘子！我们去哪儿找啊？
Ālādīng, sìshí gè jīn pánzi! Wǒmen qù nǎr zhǎo a?
Aladdin, forty golden plates! Where are we going to find those?
- Aladdin 妈妈，别担心！你看！
Māma, bié dānxīn! Nǐ kàn!
Don't worry, Mom! Watch this!
- The Genie of the Lamp 我的头！……主人，你要什么？
Wǒ de tóu! … Zhǔrén, nǐ yào shénme?
Ow, my head! … Master, what is your wish?
- Aladdin's Mother 啊！又是这个大个子！我不看，我不看！
A! Yòu shì zhège dàgèzi! Wǒ bú kàn, wǒ bú kàn!
Aaah! That giant again! I'm not looking, I'm not looking!
- Aladdin 灯神，我要四十个金盘子，都要放满宝石！
Dēng Shén, wǒ yào sìshí gè jīn pánzi, dōu yào fàng mǎn bǎoshí!
Genie, I need forty golden plates, every one piled with jewels!
- The Genie of the Lamp 才四十个？太少了！马上就好！
Cái sìshí gè? Tài shǎo le! Mǎshàng jiù hǎo!
Only forty? That's nothing! Coming right up!
- Narrator 那天下午，四十个人拿着四十个金盘子，走进了国王的宫殿。
Nà tiān xiàwǔ, sìshí gè rén názhe sìshí gè jīn pánzi, zǒu jìn le guówáng de gōngdiàn.
That afternoon, forty people carried forty golden plates into the king's palace.
- The King 好！好！好！阿拉丁，明天你就和公主结婚吧！
Hǎo! Hǎo! Hǎo! Ālādīng, míngtiān nǐ jiù hé gōngzhǔ jiéhūn ba!
Splendid! Splendid! Splendid! Aladdin, you shall marry the princess tomorrow!
- The Princess 他就是阿拉丁？他笑起来真好看！
Tā jiù shì Ālādīng? Tā xiào qǐlái zhēn hǎokàn!
So that's Aladdin? He has such a lovely smile!
- Aladdin 灯神，今天晚上，请你给公主做一个最漂亮的宫殿！
Dēng Shén, jīntiān wǎnshang, qǐng nǐ gěi gōngzhǔ zuò yí gè zuì piàoliang de gōngdiàn!
Genie, tonight, please build the princess the most beautiful palace in the world!
- The Genie of the Lamp 一个晚上？太多了！
Yí gè wǎnshang? Tài duō le!
A whole night? That's more than I need!
- The King 那是什么？一个宫殿？昨天那里什么都没有啊！
Nà shì shénme? Yí gè gōngdiàn? Zuótiān nàlǐ shénme dōu méiyǒu a!
What's that? A palace? Yesterday there was nothing there!
- Narrator 后来，在很远很远的非洲，魔法师在看他的沙子。
Hòulái, zài hěn yuǎn hěn yuǎn de Fēizhōu, mófǎshī zài kàn tā de shāzi.
Some time later, far, far away in Africa, the magician was reading his magic sand.
- The Magician 什么？阿拉丁没有死？他还和公主结婚了？
Shénme? Ālādīng méiyǒu sǐ? Tā hái hé gōngzhǔ jiéhūn le?
What? Aladdin isn't dead? And he's married a princess?
- The Magician 我知道了……神灯在他那儿！我要去中国！
Wǒ zhīdào le… shén dēng zài tā nàr! Wǒ yào qù Zhōngguó!
Now I see… he has the magic lamp! I'm going to China!
- Narrator 一天，阿拉丁出城去了。魔法师拿着很多新灯，来到了宫殿前面。
Yì tiān, Ālādīng chū chéng qù le. Mófǎshī názhe hěn duō xīn dēng, lái dào le gōngdiàn qiánmiàn.
One day, while Aladdin was away from the city, the magician came to the palace with an armful of new lamps.
- The Magician 新灯换旧灯！谁有旧灯？我给你换新灯！
Xīn dēng huàn jiù dēng! Shéi yǒu jiù dēng? Wǒ gěi nǐ huàn xīn dēng!
New lamps for old! Who has an old lamp? I'll swap it for a new one!
- The Princess 新灯换旧灯？这个老人真奇怪！
Xīn dēng huàn jiù dēng? Zhège lǎorén zhēn qíguài!
New lamps for old? What a strange old man!
- The Princess 对了，阿拉丁的房间里有一盏旧灯。我去换个新的，给他看看！
Duì le, Ālādīng de fángjiān lǐ yǒu yì zhǎn jiù dēng. Wǒ qù huàn gè xīn de, gěi tā kànkan!
Oh, I know! There's an old lamp in Aladdin's room. I'll swap it for a new one and surprise him!
- The Princess 老人家，这盏旧灯，你换不换？
Lǎorénjia, zhè zhǎn jiù dēng, nǐ huàn bú huàn?
Excuse me, sir, will you swap for this old lamp?
- The Magician 神灯！就是它！
Shén dēng! Jiù shì tā!
The magic lamp! That's the one!
- The Magician 换！换！公主，这个新灯给您！
Huàn! Huàn! Gōngzhǔ, zhège xīn dēng gěi nín!
Yes, yes! Here you are, Princess, a brand-new lamp!
- The Magician 哈哈哈！神灯是我的了！
Hāhāhā! Shén dēng shì wǒ de le!
Ha ha ha! The magic lamp is mine!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Mother take to the king?
“妈妈拿着一大碗宝石，去见国王。”
- What does the king ask for before Aladdin can marry the princess?
“他还要送来四十个金盘子，都要放满宝石！”
- What surprises the king one morning?
“一个宫殿？昨天那里什么都没有啊！”
- How does the magician find out that Aladdin is alive?
“魔法师在看他的沙子。……什么？阿拉丁没有死？”
- Why does the princess trade away the old lamp?
“阿拉丁的房间里有一盏旧灯。我去换个新的，给他看看！”