Beauty and the Beast · chapter 22 of 23
Long Ago
很久以前
Beauty wants her Beast, not a handsome stranger. But the stranger by the water has a story from long ago to tell her.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，美儿还在水边。那个男人也在。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Měi'ér hái zài shuǐ biān. Nàge nánrén yě zài.
That night, Beauty was still by the water. The man was there too.
- The Young Man 美儿，你的野兽在这里。是我。
Měi'ér, nǐ de Yěshòu zài zhèlǐ. Shì wǒ.
Beauty, your Beast is here. It's me.
- Beauty 不是！我的野兽很丑。你很好看！
Bú shì! Wǒ de Yěshòu hěn chǒu. Nǐ hěn hǎokàn!
No! My Beast is ugly. You're handsome!
Chapter 22 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of Beauty and the Beast 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.
- The Young Man 很多年前，一个坏仙女把我变成了野兽。
Hěn duō nián qián, yí gè huài xiānnǚ bǎ wǒ biànchéng le Yěshòu.
Many years ago, a bad fairy turned me into a beast.
- Beauty 那么多年，你都是一个人？
Nàme duō nián, nǐ dōu shì yí gè rén?
All those years, you were alone?
- The Young Man 是。我要等一个好女孩，等她答应做我的妻子。
Shì. Wǒ yào děng yí gè hǎo nǚhái, děng tā dāying zuò wǒ de qīzi.
Yes. I had to wait for a good girl, wait for her to agree to be my wife.
- The Young Man 坏仙女还说，我不能说聪明的话。
Huài xiānnǚ hái shuō, wǒ bù néng shuō cōngming de huà.
The bad fairy also said I could never say anything clever.
- Beauty 你对我说，你不聪明！
Nǐ duì wǒ shuō, nǐ bù cōngming!
You told me you weren't clever!
- The Young Man 现在我可以说了：我有一点儿聪明。
Xiànzài wǒ kěyǐ shuō le: wǒ yǒu yìdiǎnr cōngming.
Now I can say it: I'm a little bit clever.
- The Young Man 美儿，只有你不看我丑不丑。你看的是我的心。
Měi'ér, zhǐyǒu nǐ bú kàn wǒ chǒu bu chǒu. Nǐ kàn de shì wǒ de xīn.
Beauty, only you didn't care whether I was ugly. What you looked at was my heart.
- Narrator 这时候，美儿看了看他。
Zhè shíhou, Měi'ér kàn le kàn tā.
Then Beauty looked at him.
- Beauty 是你！梦里的人是你，手镯里的人也是你！
Shì nǐ! Mèng li de rén shì nǐ, shǒuzhuó li de rén yě shì nǐ!
It's you! The man in my dreams is you, and the man in the bracelet is you too!
- The Young Man 是我。在梦里，我对你说：“不要相信你的眼睛。”
Shì wǒ. Zài mèng li, wǒ duì nǐ shuō: “Bú yào xiāngxìn nǐ de yǎnjing.”
It's me. In your dreams, I told you, “Don't trust your eyes.”
- Beauty 现在我知道了。我的眼睛看见的是野兽。我的心看见的是你。
Xiànzài wǒ zhīdào le. Wǒ de yǎnjing kànjiàn de shì Yěshòu. Wǒ de xīn kànjiàn de shì nǐ.
Now I understand. My eyes saw a beast. My heart saw you.
- The Young Man 美儿，我们回宫殿吧。
Měi'ér, wǒmen huí gōngdiàn ba.
Beauty, let's go back to the palace.
- Narrator 他们回到了宫殿。大房间里有很多人。
Tāmen huí dào le gōngdiàn. Dà fángjiān li yǒu hěn duō rén.
They went back to the palace. In the great hall there were many people.
- Beauty 爸爸！哥哥们！大姐，二姐！你们怎么都在这里？
Bàba! Gēgemen! Dàjiě, èrjiě! Nǐmen zěnme dōu zài zhèlǐ?
Father! Brothers! Eldest Sister, Second Sister! How are you all here?
- Father 美儿！我在家里睡觉，醒了，人在宫殿里了！
Měi'ér! Wǒ zài jiā li shuìjiào, xǐng le, rén zài gōngdiàn li le!
Beauty! I went to sleep at home, and when I woke up, here I was in the palace!
- Narrator 大房间里还有一个人：梦里的那个女人。
Dà fángjiān li hái yǒu yí gè rén: mèng li de nàge nǚrén.
There was one more person in the great hall: the woman from the dreams.
- The Good Fairy 美儿，你的家人都是我叫来的。
Měi'ér, nǐ de jiārén dōu shì wǒ jiào lái de.
Beauty, it was I who brought your family here.
- Beauty 是您！谢谢您！
Shì nín! Xièxie nín!
It's you! Thank you!
- Father 美儿，这个男人是谁？真好看！
Měi'ér, zhège nánrén shì shéi? Zhēn hǎokàn!
Beauty, who is this man? So handsome!
- Beauty 爸爸，他是我的野兽！
Bàba, tā shì wǒ de Yěshòu!
Father, he's my Beast!
- Father 什么？他是那个野兽？
Shénme? Tā shì nàge Yěshòu?
What? He's that Beast?
- The Young Man 您不要害怕。花园里的玫瑰花，都是您的！
Nín bú yào hàipà. Huāyuán li de méiguīhuā, dōu shì nín de!
Please don't be afraid. All the roses in the garden are yours!
- The Young Man 美儿答应做我的妻子了。您也答应吗？
Měi'ér dāying zuò wǒ de qīzi le. Nín yě dāying ma?
Beauty has agreed to be my wife. Do you agree too?
- Father 答应！美儿，爸爸说对了吧？
Dāying! Měi'ér, bàba shuō duì le ba?
I agree! Beauty, your father was right, wasn't he?
- Narrator 那个女人不看美儿了。她看两个姐姐。
Nàge nǚrén bú kàn Měi'ér le. Tā kàn liǎng gè jiějie.
The woman looked away from Beauty. She looked at the two sisters.
- The Good Fairy 你们两个，到我这儿来。
Nǐmen liǎng gè, dào wǒ zhèr lái.
You two. Come here.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who turned the handsome man into a beast?
“很多年前，一个坏仙女把我变成了野兽。”
- Why did the Beast never say clever things?
“坏仙女还说，我不能说聪明的话。”
- When Beauty looks at the handsome man, who does she see he is?
“梦里的人是你，手镯里的人也是你！”
- Who brought Beauty's family to the palace?
“美儿，你的家人都是我叫来的。”
- What does the handsome man ask Father?
“美儿答应做我的妻子了。您也答应吗？”