Aladdin and the Magic Lamp · chapter 8 of 25
Plates for Sale
卖盘子
The merchant knows what Aladdin's plate is worth, and Aladdin doesn't. How long can a boy who dreams of being a merchant be fooled in the market?
Read what you hear
- the Merchant 这个盘子不太好看……我给你一块金子吧。
Zhège pánzi bú tài hǎokàn… wǒ gěi nǐ yí kuài jīnzi ba.
This plate isn't much to look at... I'll give you a piece of gold for it.
- Aladdin 金子！谢谢您，先生！
Jīnzi! Xièxie nín, xiānsheng!
Gold! Thank you, sir!
- the Merchant 这么好的盘子……真便宜！
Zhème hǎo de pánzi… zhēn piányi!
A plate this fine... and so cheap!
Chapter 8 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Aladdin 妈妈，你看，金子！我是一个好商人吧？
Māma, nǐ kàn, jīnzi! Wǒ shì yí gè hǎo shāngrén ba?
Mom, look, gold! I'm a good merchant, aren't I?
- Aladdin's mother 天哪，金子！我们有钱买吃的了！
Tiān na, jīnzi! Wǒmen yǒu qián mǎi chī de le!
Oh my, gold! Now we have money for food!
- the Merchant 是你，孩子！还有盘子吗？我还要！
Shì nǐ, háizi! Hái yǒu pánzi ma? Wǒ hái yào!
It's you, boy! Got another plate? I'll take more!
- Aladdin 有！我家里还有十个！
Yǒu! Wǒ jiā li hái yǒu shí gè!
Yes! I have ten more at home!
- Aladdin's mother 孩子，十二个盘子都卖了，钱也没有了！
Háizi, shí'èr gè pánzi dōu mài le, qián yě méiyǒu le!
My boy, all twelve plates are sold, and the money's gone too!
- Aladdin 没关系，妈妈。我们还有灯神！
Méi guānxi, māma. Wǒmen hái yǒu Dēng Shén!
It's all right, Mom. We still have the genie of the lamp!
- Aladdin's mother 灯神？我好怕！你擦吧，我去外边！
Dēng Shén? Wǒ hǎo pà! Nǐ cā ba, wǒ qù wàibian!
The genie of the lamp? I'm so scared! You rub it, and I'll go outside!
- the Genie of the Lamp 主人，你要什么？
Zhǔrén, nǐ yào shénme?
Master, what do you want?
- Aladdin 给我们吃的！还要很多盘子！
Gěi wǒmen chī de! Hái yào hěn duō pánzi!
Bring us food! And lots of plates, too!
- the Genie of the Lamp 是，主人。
Shì, zhǔrén.
Yes, master.
- Narrator 有一天，阿拉丁去卖盘子。一个金店老板叫住了他。
Yǒu yì tiān, Ālādīng qù mài pánzi. Yí gè jīndiàn lǎobǎn jiàozhù le tā.
One day, Aladdin went out to sell a plate. A goldsmith called him over.
- the Goldsmith 孩子，你来一下。我看看你的盘子。
Háizi, nǐ lái yíxià. Wǒ kànkan nǐ de pánzi.
Come here a moment, my boy. Let me see your plate.
- Narrator 店里都是金子做的东西，很漂亮，也很贵。
Diàn li dōu shì jīnzi zuò de dōngxi, hěn piàoliang, yě hěn guì.
Everything in the shop was made of gold, beautiful and very costly.
- the Goldsmith 这个盘子是银子做的，能卖很多钱。你的盘子卖给谁了？
Zhège pánzi shì yínzi zuò de, néng mài hěn duō qián. Nǐ de pánzi mài gěi shéi le?
This plate is made of silver, and it's worth a lot of money. Who have you been selling your plates to?
- Aladdin 卖给那边那个商人。一个一块金子。
Mài gěi nàbiān nàge shāngrén. Yí gè yí kuài jīnzi.
To that merchant over there. One piece of gold each.
- the Goldsmith 一块？孩子，他骗了你！
Yí kuài? Háizi, tā piàn le nǐ!
One? My boy, he cheated you!
- Aladdin 他也骗了我？我不是一个好商人……
Tā yě piàn le wǒ? Wǒ bú shì yí gè hǎo shāngrén…
He cheated me too? So I'm not a good merchant...
- the Goldsmith 不要这么说。盘子能卖多少钱，我给你多少钱。
Búyào zhème shuō. Pánzi néng mài duōshao qián, wǒ gěi nǐ duōshao qián.
Don't say that. Whatever a plate is worth, that's what I'll pay you.
- Aladdin 谢谢您，先生！我的盘子，都卖给您！
Xièxie nín, xiānsheng! Wǒ de pánzi, dōu mài gěi nín!
Thank you, sir! I'll sell all my plates to you!
- Narrator 几年后，阿拉丁二十岁了。他不玩了，天天和商人们说话。
Jǐ nián hòu, Ālādīng èrshí suì le. Tā bù wán le, tiāntiān hé shāngrénmen shuōhuà.
A few years later, Aladdin was twenty. He no longer played all day; every day he talked with the merchants.
- the Goldsmith 孩子，你看这个宝石。这么小，能买一个大商店！
Háizi, nǐ kàn zhège bǎoshí. Zhème xiǎo, néng mǎi yí gè dà shāngdiàn!
Look at this jewel, my boy. So small, and it could buy a big shop!
- Aladdin 宝石？我家里的“水果”，也是宝石！
Bǎoshí? Wǒ jiā li de “shuǐguǒ”, yě shì bǎoshí!
A jewel? The "fruit" at home... they're jewels too!
- Aladdin 巴格达的商店，我都能买……阿拉丁，不要对人说！
Bāgédá de shāngdiàn, wǒ dōu néng mǎi… Ālādīng, búyào duì rén shuō!
I could buy every shop in Baghdad... Aladdin, don't tell a soul!
- the Goldsmith 你听！国王的人说：“明天公主去洗澡。”
Nǐ tīng! Guówáng de rén shuō: “Míngtiān gōngzhǔ qù xǐzǎo.”
Listen! The sultan's men are saying, "Tomorrow the princess goes to the bath."
- Aladdin 商店都不开？大家都要在家里？
Shāngdiàn dōu bù kāi? Dàjiā dōu yào zài jiā li?
Every shop stays shut? Everyone has to stay at home?
- the Goldsmith 对。谁都不能看她！
Duì. Shéi dōu bù néng kàn tā!
That's right. No one may look at her!
- Aladdin 公主漂亮吗？我要看一看。
Gōngzhǔ piàoliang ma? Wǒ yào kàn yi kàn.
Is the princess beautiful? I'm going to see for myself.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the merchant give Aladdin for the first plate?
“我给你一块金子吧”
- Why does Aladdin's mother go outside?
“我好怕！你擦吧，我去外边！”
- What does the goldsmith tell Aladdin about the merchant?
“他骗了你！”
- What does Aladdin learn about the fruit from the cave?
“也是宝石”
- Who is going to the bath tomorrow?
“明天公主去洗澡”