Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves · chapter 4 of 5
The Voice in the Jar
罐子里的声音
An oil merchant with forty big jars asks Ali Baba for a bed for the night. But when Morgiana goes to borrow a little oil, one of the jars whispers back.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 过了几天，天快黑的时候，一个商人带着二十头毛驴，来到了阿里巴巴家门口。
Guò le jǐ tiān, tiān kuài hēi de shíhou, yí gè shāngrén dàizhe èrshí tóu máolǘ, lái dào le Ālǐbābā jiā ménkǒu.
A few days later, just as it was getting dark, a merchant with twenty donkeys arrived at Ali Baba's gate.
- The Robber Captain 先生，您好！我是卖油的。这四十个大罐子里，都是好油！
Xiānsheng, nín hǎo! Wǒ shì mài yóu de. Zhè sìshí gè dà guànzi lǐ, dōu shì hǎo yóu!
Good evening, sir! I sell oil. There's nothing but the finest oil in these forty big jars!
- The Robber Captain 天黑了，我的毛驴也累了。我能在您家住一个晚上吗？
Tiān hēi le, wǒ de máolǘ yě lèi le. Wǒ néng zài nín jiā zhù yí gè wǎnshang ma?
It's dark now, and my donkeys are tired. Could I stay the night at your house?
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves 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.
- Ali Baba 当然可以！快进来吧。罐子就放在院子里。
Dāngrán kěyǐ! Kuài jìnlái ba. Guànzi jiù fàng zài yuànzi lǐ.
Of course! Come in, come in. You can leave the jars in the courtyard.
- Ali Baba 玛吉娜，今天有客人！多做几个好菜！
Mǎjínà, jīntiān yǒu kèrén! Duō zuò jǐ gè hǎo cài!
Morgiana, we have a guest tonight! Make a few extra good dishes!
- Morgiana 好的，先生！……这个客人的眼睛，怎么这么冷？
Hǎo de, xiānsheng!… Zhège kèrén de yǎnjing, zěnme zhème lěng?
Yes, sir!… Why are this guest's eyes so cold?
- Narrator 吃完晚饭，客人一个人来到了院子里。
Chī wán wǎnfàn, kèrén yí gè rén lái dào le yuànzi lǐ.
After dinner, the guest went out into the courtyard alone.
- The Robber Captain 兄弟们，听好了。半夜，我扔一块小石头下来，你们就出来！
Xiōngdìmen, tīng hǎo le. Bànyè, wǒ rēng yí kuài xiǎo shítou xiàlái, nǐmen jiù chūlái!
Listen carefully, brothers. At midnight I'll toss down a pebble, and then you come out!
- The Young Robber 知道了，头儿。罐子里又热又黑……
Zhīdào le, tóur. Guànzi lǐ yòu rè yòu hēi…
Got it, boss. It's so hot and dark in this jar…
- The Robber Captain 小声点儿！别让人听见！
Xiǎoshēng diǎnr! Bié ràng rén tīngjiàn!
Keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear you!
- Narrator 很晚了，大家都睡了。只有玛吉娜还在做事。
Hěn wǎn le, dàjiā dōu shuì le. Zhǐyǒu Mǎjínà hái zài zuò shì.
It grew late, and everyone was asleep. Only Morgiana was still at work.
- Morgiana 不好，灯没油了！家里的油也用完了。
Bù hǎo, dēng méi yóu le! Jiā lǐ de yóu yě yòng wán le.
Oh no, the lamp's out of oil! And we've used up all the oil in the house.
- Morgiana 院子里有那么多油，我先拿一点儿，明天再给客人钱。
Yuànzi lǐ yǒu nàme duō yóu, wǒ xiān ná yìdiǎnr, míngtiān zài gěi kèrén qián.
There's all that oil in the courtyard. I'll take a little now and pay our guest tomorrow.
- Narrator 玛吉娜拿着油灯，轻轻地走到第一个罐子前面。
Mǎjínà názhe yóudēng, qīngqīng de zǒu dào dìyī gè guànzi qiánmiàn.
Morgiana picked up her oil lamp and tiptoed over to the first jar.
- The Young Robber 头儿，是时候了吗？
Tóur, shì shíhou le ma?
Boss, is it time?
- Morgiana 罐子里……有人！
Guànzi lǐ… yǒu rén!
There's… someone in the jar!
- Morgiana 还没有。再等一会儿。
Hái méiyǒu. Zài děng yíhuìr.
Not yet. Wait a little longer.
- Morgiana 第二个罐子……也有人！第三个……也有！
Dì'èr gè guànzi… yě yǒu rén! Dìsān gè… yě yǒu!
The second jar… someone in it too! The third… the same!
- Narrator 玛吉娜走过了每一个罐子。三十九个罐子里都有人，只有一个罐子里有油。
Mǎjínà zǒuguò le měi yí gè guànzi. Sānshíjiǔ gè guànzi lǐ dōu yǒu rén, zhǐyǒu yí gè guànzi lǐ yǒu yóu.
Morgiana went to every single jar. Thirty-nine held a man, and only one held oil.
- Morgiana 三十九个强盗……一共四十个，还有一个在哪儿？那个卖油的，就是第四十个！
Sānshíjiǔ gè qiángdào… yígòng sìshí gè, hái yǒu yí gè zài nǎr? Nàge mài yóu de, jiù shì dìsìshí gè!
Thirty-nine robbers… There are forty in all, so where's the last one? That oil seller is the fortieth!
- Morgiana 去叫阿里巴巴先生？太慢了。有了！每个盖子上，我都放一块大石头！
Qù jiào Ālǐbābā xiānsheng? Tài màn le. Yǒu le! Měi gè gàizi shang, wǒ dōu fàng yí kuài dà shítou!
Go and wake Mr. Ali Baba? That's too slow. I've got it! I'll put a big stone on every lid!
- Narrator 玛吉娜搬来了很多大石头。一个，两个……三十九个罐子，都盖得好好的。
Mǎjínà bān lái le hěn duō dà shítou. Yí gè, liǎng gè… sānshíjiǔ gè guànzi, dōu gài de hǎohǎo de.
Morgiana carried over one big stone after another. One, two… until all thirty-nine jars were shut tight.
- Morgiana 好好睡吧，强盗先生们。你们出不来了！
Hǎohǎo shuì ba, qiángdào xiānshengmen. Nǐmen chū bù lái le!
Sleep tight, gentlemen robbers. You're not getting out!
- Narrator 半夜，强盗头子打开窗户，扔下了一块小石头。
Bànyè, qiángdào tóuzi dǎkāi chuānghu, rēng xià le yí kuài xiǎo shítou.
At midnight, the robber captain opened his window and tossed down a pebble.
- The Robber Captain 兄弟们，出来！
Xiōngdìmen, chūlái!
Brothers, come out!
- The Young Robber 头儿……盖子打不开！上面好重啊！
Tóur… gàizi dǎ bù kāi! Shàngmiàn hǎo zhòng a!
Boss… the lid won't open! There's something really heavy on top!
- The Robber Captain 什么？有人知道了！不好，我得快走！
Shénme? Yǒu rén zhīdào le! Bù hǎo, wǒ děi kuài zǒu!
What? Someone knows! This is bad. I have to get out of here!
- Morgiana 阿里巴巴先生，快起来！强盗头子跳墙跑了！
Ālǐbābā xiānsheng, kuài qǐlái! Qiángdào tóuzi tiào qiáng pǎo le!
Mr. Ali Baba, get up, quick! The robber captain has jumped over the wall and run off!
- Ali Baba 什么强盗？……我的天哪！
Shénme qiángdào?… Wǒ de tiān na!
What robber?… Oh my heavens!
- The Robber Captain 阿里巴巴！还有你，玛吉娜！你们等着，我一定会回来的！
Ālǐbābā! Hái yǒu nǐ, Mǎjínà! Nǐmen děngzhe, wǒ yídìng huì huílái de!
Ali Baba! And you, Morgiana! Just you wait. I will come back for you!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the merchant say is inside his forty jars?
“这四十个大罐子里，都是好油！”
- What signal does the captain tell the jars to wait for?
“半夜，我扔一块小石头下来，你们就出来！”
- Why does Morgiana go out to the jars late at night?
“不好，灯没油了！”……“院子里有那么多油，我先拿一点儿”
- How does Morgiana work out who the oil merchant really is?
“一共四十个，还有一个在哪儿？那个卖油的，就是第四十个！”
- Why can't the robbers get out of the jars?
“每个盖子上，我都放一块大石头！”