The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 4 of 25
Sworn Brothers
结拜兄弟
Waiting for the ferry, Yingtai meets a kind, poor young scholar who is going to the same teacher, and he has a big idea about the two of them.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 下午的风吹着柳树的叶子。渡口的柳树下面，那个读书人笑着走了过来。
Xiàwǔ de fēng chuīzhe liǔshù de yèzi. Dùkǒu de liǔshù xiàmiàn, nàge dúshūrén xiàozhe zǒu le guòlái.
An afternoon breeze stirred the willow leaves. Under the willows at the ferry crossing, the young scholar came over, smiling.
- Liang Shanbo 我姓梁，叫梁山伯，是会稽人。我也是去杭州读书的。
Wǒ xìng Liáng, jiào Liáng Shānbó, shì Kuàijī rén. Wǒ yě shì qù Hángzhōu dúshū de.
My name is Liang, Liang Shanbo, from Kuaiji. I'm on my way to study in Hangzhou, too.
- Zhu Yingtai 我姓祝，叫祝英台，上虞人。梁公子要去哪位先生那里？
Wǒ xìng Zhù, jiào Zhù Yīngtái, Shàngyú rén. Liáng gōngzǐ yào qù nǎ wèi xiānsheng nàlǐ?
My name is Zhu, Zhu Yingtai, from Shangyu. Which teacher are you going to, Young Master Liang?
- Liang Shanbo 是一位老先生，听说他的学问在杭州是最大的。
Shì yí wèi lǎo xiānsheng, tīngshuō tā de xuéwen zài Hángzhōu shì zuì dà de.
An old teacher. They say no one in Hangzhou is more learned.
- Zhu Yingtai 真巧！我也是去找这位老先生的！我们去的是同一个地方！
Zhēn qiǎo! Wǒ yě shì qù zhǎo zhè wèi lǎo xiānsheng de! Wǒmen qù de shì tóng yí gè dìfang!
What luck! I'm going to the very same teacher! We're headed for the same place!
- Sijiu 公子，这个书箱太重了！我的手都要断了！
Gōngzǐ, zhège shūxiāng tài zhòng le! Wǒ de shǒu dōu yào duàn le!
Young Master, this book box is too heavy! My arms are about to snap!
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈，四九，书箱重，是因为里面都是学问啊！
Hāhā, Sìjiǔ, shūxiāng zhòng, shì yīnwèi lǐmiàn dōu shì xuéwen a!
Ha ha, Sijiu, the box is heavy because it's full of learning!
- Sijiu 学问这么重，那公子您自己拿吧！
Xuéwen zhème zhòng, nà gōngzǐ nín zìjǐ ná ba!
If learning's that heavy, Young Master, you carry it!
- Yinxin 哈哈！才拿一个书箱，就喊累了？
Hāhā! Cái ná yí gè shūxiāng, jiù hǎn lèi le?
Ha! One book box, and you're already moaning?
- Sijiu 说得好听！你这么小，你来试一试！
Shuō de hǎotīng! Nǐ zhème xiǎo, nǐ lái shì yi shì!
Easy for you to say! A little thing like you, you try it!
- Liang Shanbo 祝公子，船还要等一会儿。我这里有几块饼，我们一起吃吧。
Zhù gōngzǐ, chuán hái yào děng yíhuìr. Wǒ zhèlǐ yǒu jǐ kuài bǐng, wǒmen yìqǐ chī ba.
Young Master Zhu, the boat won't be here for a while. I have a few cakes. Let's share them.
- Liang Shanbo 都是家里做的饼，不太好吃。我家穷，你别笑话。
Dōu shì jiā lǐ zuò de bǐng, bú tài hǎochī. Wǒ jiā qióng, nǐ bié xiàohua.
They're just plain cakes from home, not very tasty. My family is poor; don't laugh.
- Zhu Yingtai 梁公子，饼香着呢！银心，把我们吃的也拿出来，大家一起吃！
Liáng gōngzǐ, bǐng xiāngzhe ne! Yínxīn, bǎ wǒmen chī de yě ná chūlái, dàjiā yìqǐ chī!
Young Master Liang, they smell wonderful! Yinxin, bring out our food too, and we'll all eat together!
- Narrator 英台偷偷看了一眼：梁山伯的衣服很旧，上面还有补过的地方。
Yīngtái tōutōu kàn le yì yǎn: Liáng Shānbó de yīfu hěn jiù, shàngmiàn hái yǒu bǔ guo de dìfang.
Yingtai stole a glance. Liang Shanbo's clothes were old and patched.
- Zhu Yingtai 他自己这么穷，还要把吃的分给我……这个人真好。
Tā zìjǐ zhème qióng, hái yào bǎ chī de fēn gěi wǒ… zhège rén zhēn hǎo.
He's so poor himself, and still he shares his food with me... What a good man.
- Liang Shanbo 祝公子，你一定读过很多书吧？我读书很慢，一本书要读好多遍。
Zhù gōngzǐ, nǐ yídìng dú guo hěn duō shū ba? Wǒ dúshū hěn màn, yì běn shū yào dú hǎoduō biàn.
Young Master Zhu, you must have read a great deal. I'm a slow reader. One book takes me many readings.
- Zhu Yingtai 读得慢，才读得懂。读得快的人，很多都没读懂！
Dú de màn, cái dú de dǒng. Dú de kuài de rén, hěn duō dōu méi dú dǒng!
Read slowly and you understand. Plenty of fast readers don't!
- Liang Shanbo 说得好！我们才认识一会儿，我就觉得，好像认识你很久了。
Shuō de hǎo! Wǒmen cái rènshi yíhuìr, wǒ jiù juéde, hǎoxiàng rènshi nǐ hěn jiǔ le.
Well said! We've only just met, and already I feel as if I've known you a long time.
- Liang Shanbo 祝公子，我们就在这柳树下面结拜，做兄弟，好吗？
Zhù gōngzǐ, wǒmen jiù zài zhè liǔshù xiàmiàn jiébài, zuò xiōngdì, hǎo ma?
Young Master Zhu, shall we become sworn brothers, here under the willows?
- Zhu Yingtai 结拜？……好！我愿意！
Jiébài?… Hǎo! Wǒ yuànyì!
Sworn brothers? ...Yes! I'd like that!
- Liang Shanbo 我今年十八岁。祝公子呢？
Wǒ jīnnián shíbā suì. Zhù gōngzǐ ne?
I'm eighteen this year. And you?
- Zhu Yingtai 我十六。
Wǒ shíliù.
Sixteen.
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈，那我是哥哥嘛！以后，你就是我的弟弟了！
Hāhā, nà wǒ shì gēge ma! Yǐhòu, nǐ jiù shì wǒ de dìdi le!
Ha ha, then I'm the big brother! From now on, you're my little brother!
- Narrator 两个人跪在柳树下面，对着天，对着地，拜了三拜。
Liǎng gè rén guì zài liǔshù xiàmiàn, duìzhe tiān, duìzhe dì, bài le sān bài.
The two of them knelt under the willows and bowed three times, to heaven and to earth.
- Liang Shanbo 从今天起，我们就是兄弟了！
Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒmen jiù shì xiōngdì le!
From today, we are brothers!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄！
Liáng xiōng!
Brother Liang!
- Liang Shanbo 好兄弟！
Hǎo xiōngdì!
My good brother!
- Liang Shanbo 英台，你这么瘦，这么小，说话又好听，真像一个女孩子！
Yīngtái, nǐ zhème shòu, zhème xiǎo, shuōhuà yòu hǎotīng, zhēn xiàng yí gè nǚháizi!
Yingtai, you're so thin and small, and your voice is so sweet, you look just like a girl!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你这么高，这么大，读书又这么慢，真像一个书呆子！
Liáng xiōng, nǐ zhème gāo, zhème dà, dúshū yòu zhème màn, zhēn xiàng yí gè shūdāizi!
Brother Liang, you're so tall and big, and you read so slowly, you look just like a bookworm!
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈哈！书呆子就书呆子！
Hāhāhā! Shūdāizi jiù shūdāizi!
Ha ha ha! Bookworm it is, then!
- Sijiu 喂，你家公子怎么这么瘦？饭都让你吃了吧？
Wèi, nǐ jiā gōngzǐ zěnme zhème shòu? Fàn dōu ràng nǐ chī le ba?
Hey, why is your master so skinny? Did you eat all his rice?
- Yinxin 你才吃得多呢！你的嘴，一天到晚都没停过！
Nǐ cái chī de duō ne! Nǐ de zuǐ, yì tiān dào wǎn dōu méi tíng guo!
You're the one who eats too much! Your mouth hasn't stopped all day!
- Liang Shanbo 英台，到了杭州，我们一起吃饭，一起住，一天也不分开！
Yīngtái, dào le Hángzhōu, wǒmen yìqǐ chīfàn, yìqǐ zhù, yì tiān yě bù fēnkāi!
Yingtai, in Hangzhou we'll eat together and live together, and never spend a day apart!
- Zhu Yingtai 一起……住？
Yìqǐ… zhù?
Live... together?
What changed in the story?
- Where is Liang Shanbo from?
“叫梁山伯，是会稽人”
- What does Sijiu complain about?
“这个书箱太重了！”
- Why does Yingtai think Shanbo is a good man?
“他自己这么穷，还要把吃的分给我”
- Why does Shanbo become the big brother?
“我今年十八岁……我十六”
- What worries Yingtai at the end of the chapter?
“一起吃饭，一起住……一起……住？”