The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 5 of 25
One Room, One Bed
同一张床
The sworn brothers reach the old teacher's school in Hangzhou. Students share rooms in pairs, and Yingtai's first night brings her hardest test yet.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 太阳快下山的时候，他们来到杭州，走进了一个安静的小院子。
Tàiyáng kuài xià shān de shíhou, tāmen láidào Hángzhōu, zǒujìn le yí gè ānjìng de xiǎo yuànzi.
Just before sunset they reached Hangzhou and stepped into a quiet little courtyard.
- Sijiu 公子，终于到了！从渡口走了十八里，我的腿都要断了！
Gōngzǐ, zhōngyú dào le! Cóng dùkǒu zǒu le shíbā lǐ, wǒ de tuǐ dōu yào duàn le!
Young Master, we're here at last! Eighteen li from the ferry, my legs are about to snap!
- Yinxin 你的手要断，腿也要断，就是嘴不断！路上还吃了三块饼！
Nǐ de shǒu yào duàn, tuǐ yě yào duàn, jiù shì zuǐ bú duàn! Lù shàng hái chī le sān kuài bǐng!
First your arms, now your legs, but never your mouth! You ate three cakes on the way!
- The Teacher 你们两个，就是新来的学生？进来吧。
Nǐmen liǎng gè, jiù shì xīn lái de xuésheng? Jìnlái ba.
So you two are the new students? Come in.
- Liang Shanbo 是，先生。学生梁山伯，从会稽来。他是我在路上结拜的弟弟。
Shì, xiānsheng. Xuésheng Liáng Shānbó, cóng Kuàijī lái. Tā shì wǒ zài lù shàng jiébài de dìdi.
Yes, sir. I am Liang Shanbo, from Kuaiji. And this is my sworn little brother; we met on the road.
- Zhu Yingtai 学生祝英台，从上虞来。请先生多多教我们！
Xuésheng Zhù Yīngtái, cóng Shàngyú lái. Qǐng xiānsheng duōduō jiāo wǒmen!
I am Zhu Yingtai, from Shangyu. Please teach us well, sir!
- The Teacher 好。读书的人，先要会写诗。我出一句诗，你们接下一句。
Hǎo. Dúshū de rén, xiān yào huì xiě shī. Wǒ chū yí jù shī, nǐmen jiē xià yí jù.
Good. A scholar must first be able to write poems. I'll give you a line, and you give me the next.
- The Teacher 听好了：“门前柳树绿。”
Tīng hǎo le: “Mén qián liǔshù lǜ.”
Listen: "Before the gate, the willows are green."
- Zhu Yingtai 先生，下一句是：“河上小船轻。”
Xiānsheng, xià yí jù shì: “Hé shàng xiǎo chuán qīng.”
Sir, the next line is: "On the river, the little boat is light."
- The Teacher 想得快。梁山伯，你呢？
Xiǎng de kuài. Liáng Shānbó, nǐ ne?
Quick thinking. Liang Shanbo, and you?
- Liang Shanbo 学生想好了：“屋里读书忙。”
Xuésheng xiǎng hǎo le: “Wū lǐ dúshū máng.”
I have it: "Inside, we are busy with our books."
- The Teacher 两句诗，一个快，一个慢。快的聪明，慢的认真。都好，都好。
Liǎng jù shī, yí gè kuài, yí gè màn. Kuài de cōngming, màn de rènzhēn. Dōu hǎo, dōu hǎo.
Two lines: one quick, one slow. The quick one is clever, the slow one is careful. Both good. Both good.
- Liang Shanbo 先生，请受学生一拜！
Xiānsheng, qǐng shòu xuésheng yí bài!
Teacher, please accept our bow!
- Narrator 两个人跪在先生面前，拜他做了老师。
Liǎng gè rén guì zài xiānsheng miànqián, bài tā zuò le lǎoshī.
The two of them knelt before the old man and took him as their teacher.
- The Teacher 起来吧。这里的学生，都是两个人住一间房。你们是兄弟，就住一间。
Qǐlái ba. Zhèlǐ de xuésheng, dōu shì liǎng gè rén zhù yì jiān fáng. Nǐmen shì xiōngdì, jiù zhù yì jiān.
Rise. Students here share rooms, two to a room. You are brothers, so you'll share one.
- Sijiu 公子，你们快来看！房间里只有一张床！
Gōngzǐ, nǐmen kuài lái kàn! Fángjiān lǐ zhǐ yǒu yì zhāng chuáng!
Young Masters, come and look! There's only one bed in the room!
- Liang Shanbo 英台，你怎么这么吃惊？我们是兄弟嘛，一张床就够了！
Yīngtái, nǐ zěnme zhème chījīng? Wǒmen shì xiōngdì ma, yì zhāng chuáng jiù gòu le!
Yingtai, why so startled? We're brothers, after all. One bed is plenty!
- Yinxin 公子，一张床……要是梁公子怀疑你，怎么办？
Gōngzǐ, yì zhāng chuáng… yàoshi Liáng gōngzǐ huáiyí nǐ, zěnme bàn?
Young Master, one bed... What if Young Master Liang starts to suspect?
- Zhu Yingtai 小声点儿！我的秘密，谁也不能知道，梁兄也不能！
Xiǎoshēng diǎnr! Wǒ de mìmì, shéi yě bù néng zhīdào, Liáng xiōng yě bù néng!
Quiet! No one can know my secret. Not even Brother Liang!
- Zhu Yingtai 家里那枝石榴花，我是对着它发誓的……今天晚上，怎么办呢？
Jiā lǐ nà zhī shíliuhuā, wǒ shì duìzhe tā fāshì de… jīntiān wǎnshang, zěnme bàn ne?
I made my vow over that pomegranate branch at home... And tonight, what do I do?
- Narrator 那天晚上，房间里的灯还亮着。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, fángjiān lǐ de dēng hái liàngzhe.
That night, the lamp in their room was still burning.
- Liang Shanbo 英台，走了一天，累死了！你怎么还不脱衣服？快上床睡吧！
Yīngtái, zǒu le yì tiān, lèi sǐ le! Nǐ zěnme hái bù tuō yīfu? Kuài shàng chuáng shuì ba!
Yingtai, a whole day on the road, I'm worn out! Why are you still dressed? Come to bed!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你先睡吧。我……我还不困，想再看一会儿书。
Liáng xiōng, nǐ xiān shuì ba. Wǒ… wǒ hái bú kùn, xiǎng zài kàn yíhuìr shū.
You go to sleep first, Brother Liang. I... I'm not sleepy yet. I want to read a little longer.
- Liang Shanbo 这么晚了，还看书？我是哥哥嘛，你有什么不好意思的？
Zhème wǎn le, hái kàn shū? Wǒ shì gēge ma, nǐ yǒu shénme bù hǎoyìsi de?
Reading, this late? I'm your big brother. What is there to be shy about?
- Zhu Yingtai 灯太亮了，我把灯拿远一点儿……还有门，门好像也没关好……
Dēng tài liàng le, wǒ bǎ dēng ná yuǎn yìdiǎnr… hái yǒu mén, mén hǎoxiàng yě méi guān hǎo…
The lamp's too bright, I'll move it farther away... And the door, I don't think the door's properly shut...
- Liang Shanbo 你还说我是书呆子？一会儿看书，一会儿拿灯，一会儿关门，你忙什么呢？
Nǐ hái shuō wǒ shì shūdāizi? Yíhuìr kàn shū, yíhuìr ná dēng, yíhuìr guān mén, nǐ máng shénme ne?
And you call me a bookworm? First the books, then the lamp, then the door. What's all the fuss?
- Zhu Yingtai 好了，好了，我睡，我睡。我就这样睡，这样睡很好。
Hǎo le, hǎo le, wǒ shuì, wǒ shuì. Wǒ jiù zhèyàng shuì, zhèyàng shuì hěn hǎo.
All right, all right, I'm going to sleep. I'll sleep like this. This is fine.
- Liang Shanbo 穿着衣服，包着头巾睡觉？哈哈，你这个人真奇怪！脱了睡，多舒服！
Chuānzhe yīfu, bāozhe tóujīn shuìjiào? Hāhā, nǐ zhège rén zhēn qíguài! Tuō le shuì, duō shūfu!
Sleeping in your robe and your head-cloth? Ha ha, you are a strange one! Take them off, it's much more comfortable!
- Zhu Yingtai 我……我怕冷。
Wǒ… wǒ pà lěng.
I... I feel the cold.
- Liang Shanbo 怕冷？现在是夏天啊！你这么瘦，是不是病了？
Pà lěng? Xiànzài shì xiàtiān a! Nǐ zhème shòu, shì bu shì bìng le?
The cold? It's summer! And you're so thin. Are you ill?
- Zhu Yingtai 他……他怀疑我了吗？千万不能让他看出来……
Tā… tā huáiyí wǒ le ma? Qiānwàn bù néng ràng tā kàn chūlái…
Does he... does he suspect me? He mustn't find out. He mustn't...
- Narrator 山伯坐了起来，拿起灯，慢慢地照着英台的脸。
Shānbó zuò le qǐlái, ná qǐ dēng, mànmàn de zhàozhe Yīngtái de liǎn.
Shanbo sat up, picked up the lamp and slowly held it close to Yingtai's face.
- Liang Shanbo 英台，你的脸……怎么这么红？
Yīngtái, nǐ de liǎn… zěnme zhème hóng?
Yingtai, your face... why is it so red?
- Liang Shanbo 你……你不会……是个女孩子吧？
Nǐ… nǐ bú huì… shì gè nǚháizi ba?
You... you're not... a girl, are you?
What changed in the story?
- How does the teacher test the new students?
“我出一句诗，你们接下一句”
- What does the teacher say about their two answers?
“一个快，一个慢。快的聪明，慢的认真。都好，都好。”
- Why do Yingtai and Shanbo share a room?
“都是两个人住一间房。你们是兄弟，就住一间”
- What reason does Yingtai give for sleeping in her robe and head-cloth?
“我……我怕冷。”
- What does Shanbo notice when he holds up the lamp?
“英台，你的脸……怎么这么红？”