The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 11 of 25
Mandarin Ducks
一对鸳鸯
On the long walk to the river, Yingtai points out butterflies and mandarin ducks, hoping Shanbo will finally see the truth.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天一早，四个人离开了学校，往渡口走去。
Dì èr tiān yìzǎo, sì gè rén líkāi le xuéxiào, wǎng dùkǒu zǒu qù.
Early the next morning, the four of them left the school and set off for the ferry crossing.
- Zhu Yingtai 十八里路，走到渡口，家里的船就在那儿等我了。
Shíbā lǐ lù, zǒu dào dùkǒu, jiā lǐ de chuán jiù zài nàr děng wǒ le.
Eighteen li. When we reach the crossing, the boat from home will be waiting for me.
- Zhu Yingtai 回到家，爸爸就要给我找婆家了。今天，一定要让他自己看出来！
Huí dào jiā, bàba jiù yào gěi wǒ zhǎo pójia le. Jīntiān, yídìng yào ràng tā zìjǐ kàn chūlái!
Once I'm home, Father will start looking for a husband for me. Today he has to see it for himself!
Chapter 11 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The Butterfly Lovers (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Sijiu 公子，祝公子，你们走慢一点儿！东西这么多，我的腿都要断了！
Gōngzǐ, Zhù gōngzǐ, nǐmen zǒu màn yìdiǎnr! Dōngxi zhème duō, wǒ de tuǐ dōu yào duàn le!
Young Master! Young Master Zhu! Slow down! With all this to carry, my legs are about to snap!
- Yinxin 你的腿天天都要断，三年了，一次也没断过！
Nǐ de tuǐ tiāntiān dōu yào duàn, sān nián le, yí cì yě méi duàn guo!
Your legs have been about to snap every day for three years, and they haven't snapped once!
- Sijiu 那是我的腿好！你呢，三年了，嘴也没停过！
Nà shì wǒ de tuǐ hǎo! Nǐ ne, sān nián le, zuǐ yě méi tíng guo!
That's because my legs are tough! And you? Three years, and your mouth hasn't stopped once!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你看！那两只蝴蝶，一只追着一只，飞得多高兴！
Liáng xiōng, nǐ kàn! Nà liǎng zhī húdié, yì zhī zhuīzhe yì zhī, fēi de duō gāoxìng!
Brother Liang, look! Those two butterflies, one chasing the other. How happily they fly!
- Zhu Yingtai 你说，它们像不像一个男孩子，在追一个女孩子？
Nǐ shuō, tāmen xiàng bu xiàng yí gè nánháizi, zài zhuī yí gè nǚháizi?
Tell me, don't they look like a boy chasing a girl?
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈，哪里像？我看是两个兄弟，跟我们一样！
Hāhā, nǎlǐ xiàng? Wǒ kàn shì liǎng gè xiōngdì, gēn wǒmen yíyàng!
Ha ha, not a bit! I'd say they're two brothers, just like us!
- Liang Shanbo 你看，前面的是哥哥，后面的是弟弟，就像我和你！
Nǐ kàn, qiánmiàn de shì gēge, hòumiàn de shì dìdi, jiù xiàng wǒ hé nǐ!
See? The one in front is the big brother and the one behind is the little brother, just like me and you!
- Zhu Yingtai 要是后面的，是个女孩子呢？
Yàoshi hòumiàn de, shì gè nǚháizi ne?
And what if the one behind is a girl?
- Liang Shanbo 蝴蝶还分男的女的？我读了这么多书，从来没读到过！
Húdié hái fēn nán de nǚ de? Wǒ dú le zhème duō shū, cónglái méi dú dào guo!
Butterflies come as boys and girls? I've read so many books, and I've never read that!
- Liang Shanbo 回去以后，我一定要查一查书！
Huíqù yǐhòu, wǒ yídìng yào chá yi chá shū!
When I get back, I'm going to look it up in a book!
- Zhu Yingtai 说了半天，他心里只有书……
Shuō le bàntiān, tā xīn lǐ zhǐ yǒu shū…
All this talking, and all he thinks about is books...
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，快看！河里有一对鸳鸯！
Liáng xiōng, kuài kàn! Hé lǐ yǒu yí duì yuānyāng!
Brother Liang, quick, look! A pair of mandarin ducks on the river!
- Liang Shanbo 真好看！你看它们游来游去，总是在一起。
Zhēn hǎokàn! Nǐ kàn tāmen yóu lái yóu qù, zǒngshì zài yìqǐ.
How pretty! Look at them swimming back and forth, always side by side.
- Zhu Yingtai 大家都说，鸳鸯就像夫妻，一辈子都不分开。
Dàjiā dōu shuō, yuānyāng jiù xiàng fūqī, yíbèizi dōu bù fēnkāi.
Everyone says mandarin ducks are like husband and wife. They stay together their whole lives.
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你看我们两个，像不像一对鸳鸯？
Liáng xiōng, nǐ kàn wǒmen liǎng gè, xiàng bu xiàng yí duì yuānyāng?
Brother Liang, look at the two of us. Don't we look like a pair of mandarin ducks?
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈哈，英台，你又开玩笑了！两个男人，怎么能做夫妻呢？
Hāhāhā, Yīngtái, nǐ yòu kāi wánxiào le! Liǎng gè nánrén, zěnme néng zuò fūqī ne?
Ha ha ha, Yingtai, you're joking again! How can two men be husband and wife?
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄啊梁兄，你真是一个大书呆子！
Liáng xiōng a Liáng xiōng, nǐ zhēn shì yí gè dà shūdāizi!
Oh, Brother Liang, you really are a great big bookworm!
- Liang Shanbo 书呆子就书呆子。书呆子也是你的好哥哥嘛！
Shūdāizi jiù shūdāizi. Shūdāizi yě shì nǐ de hǎo gēge ma!
A bookworm, then. This bookworm is still your good big brother!
- Yinxin 四九，你们公子读了那么多书，怎么还这么笨啊？
Sìjiǔ, nǐmen gōngzǐ dú le nàme duō shū, zěnme hái zhème bèn a?
Sijiu, your young master has read all those books. How can he still be so slow?
- Sijiu 我们公子才不笨！是你们公子说话奇怪。什么鸳鸯不鸳鸯的！
Wǒmen gōngzǐ cái bú bèn! Shì nǐmen gōngzǐ shuōhuà qíguài. Shénme yuānyāng bù yuānyāng de!
My young master isn't slow! Yours just talks strangely. Mandarin ducks, of all things!
- Sijiu 你们公子今天说话，怎么越来越像个女孩子？
Nǐmen gōngzǐ jīntiān shuōhuà, zěnme yuè lái yuè xiàng gè nǚháizi?
Why does your young master sound more and more like a girl today?
- Yinxin 你才像女孩子呢！少说话，多走路吧！
Nǐ cái xiàng nǚháizi ne! Shǎo shuōhuà, duō zǒulù ba!
You're the one who sounds like a girl! Less talking, more walking!
- Yinxin 公子说得这么明白，他还不懂……我都为公子着急！
Gōngzǐ shuō de zhème míngbai, tā hái bù dǒng… Wǒ dōu wèi gōngzǐ zháojí!
My young master is making it so plain, and he still doesn't get it... I'm worried sick for my young master!
- Narrator 太阳越来越高，十八里路，已经走了一半。
Tàiyáng yuè lái yuè gāo, shíbā lǐ lù, yǐjīng zǒu le yíbàn.
The sun climbed higher. Half of the eighteen li was already behind them.
- Sijiu 公子，都九里了！我的腿还没断，我先要饿死了！
Gōngzǐ, dōu jiǔ lǐ le! Wǒ de tuǐ hái méi duàn, wǒ xiān yào è sǐ le!
Young Master, that's nine li already! My legs haven't snapped yet, but I'm about to starve!
- Liang Shanbo 好，好！到了渡口，我的饼都给你吃！
Hǎo, hǎo! Dào le dùkǒu, wǒ de bǐng dōu gěi nǐ chī!
All right, all right! When we get to the crossing, you can have all my cakes!
- Zhu Yingtai 还有九里，走完这九里，我就要上船了……
Hái yǒu jiǔ lǐ, zǒu wán zhè jiǔ lǐ, wǒ jiù yào shàng chuán le…
Nine li left. Nine more li, and I'll be getting on the boat...
- Liang Shanbo 英台？你怎么站住了？脸怎么这么红？
Yīngtái? Nǐ zěnme zhànzhù le? Liǎn zěnme zhème hóng?
Yingtai? Why have you stopped? Why is your face so red?
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你还不明白？那我就直接问你……
Liáng xiōng, nǐ hái bù míngbai? Nà wǒ jiù zhíjiē wèn nǐ…
Brother Liang, you still don't see it? Then I'll ask you straight out...
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Where are the four of them walking this morning?
“往渡口走去……家里的船就在那儿等我了”
- Why is today so important to Yingtai?
“回到家，爸爸就要给我找婆家了”
- What does Shanbo say the two butterflies are like?
“我看是两个兄弟，跟我们一样”
- Why does Shanbo laugh when Yingtai says they look like mandarin ducks?
“两个男人，怎么能做夫妻呢”
- What does Sijiu say when they have walked nine li?
“我的腿还没断，我先要饿死了”