The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 16 of 25
Too Late
来晚了
At the Zhu house Shanbo finally sees who his sworn brother really is, but the joy of the truth comes with news he never expected.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 十月的一天，梁山伯来祝家提亲。可是在大门外，他站在那儿，一动也不动。
Shíyuè de yì tiān, Liáng Shānbó lái Zhù jiā tíqīn. Kěshì zài dàmén wài, tā zhàn zài nàr, yí dòng yě bú dòng.
One day in the tenth month, Liang Shanbo came to the Zhu house to propose. But outside the front gate, he stood frozen to the spot.
- Sijiu 公子，你怎么像一块石头一样，站着不动了？老人家刚才说，祝公子是小姐！
Gōngzǐ, nǐ zěnme xiàng yí kuài shítou yíyàng, zhànzhe bú dòng le? Lǎorénjia gāngcái shuō, Zhù gōngzǐ shì xiǎojie!
Young master, why are you standing there like a stone? The old man just said Young Master Zhu is a young lady!
- Liang Shanbo 英台是小姐？我的好兄弟英台，是一个姑娘？
Yīngtái shì xiǎojie? Wǒ de hǎo xiōngdì Yīngtái, shì yí gè gūniang?
Yingtai is a young lady? My good brother Yingtai is a girl?
Chapter 16 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of The Butterfly Lovers 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 Old Steward 这位公子，您先在这儿等一等，我进去问问。
Zhè wèi gōngzǐ, nín xiān zài zhèr děng yi děng, wǒ jìnqù wènwen.
Young sir, please wait here a moment. I'll go in and ask.
- Sijiu 祝公子要是小姐，那银心呢？我早就说过，那个银心有问题！
Zhù gōngzǐ yàoshi xiǎojie, nà Yínxīn ne? Wǒ zǎo jiù shuō guo, nàge Yínxīn yǒu wèntí!
If Young Master Zhu is a young lady, then what about Yinxin? I always said there was something funny about that Yinxin!
- Yinxin 梁公子，我们小姐请您到大堂里坐。
Liáng gōngzǐ, wǒmen xiǎojie qǐng nín dào dàtáng lǐ zuò.
Young Master Liang, our young lady asks you to come and sit in the hall.
- Sijiu 银心？你怎么穿上女孩子的裙子了？
Yínxīn? Nǐ zěnme chuān shàng nǚháizi de qúnzi le?
Yinxin? Why are you wearing a girl's dress?
- Yinxin 我本来就是女孩子，有什么奇怪的？四九，你的眼睛还好吗？
Wǒ běnlái jiù shì nǚháizi, yǒu shénme qíguài de? Sìjiǔ, nǐ de yǎnjing hái hǎo ma?
I've always been a girl. What's so strange about that? Sijiu, are your eyes all right?
- Sijiu 我就知道！三年了，我天天跟一个丫鬟吵架！
Wǒ jiù zhīdào! Sān nián le, wǒ tiāntiān gēn yí gè yāhuan chǎojià!
I knew it! For three years I've been squabbling with a maid every single day!
- Yinxin 吵了三年，你一次也没吵赢过！梁公子，这边请。
Chǎo le sān nián, nǐ yí cì yě méi chǎo yíng guo! Liáng gōngzǐ, zhèbiān qǐng.
Three years of squabbling, and you never won once! Young Master Liang, this way, please.
- Narrator 大堂里静静的，一个穿着绿裙子的姑娘，正站在那里等他。
Dàtáng lǐ jìngjìng de, yí gè chuānzhe lǜ qúnzi de gūniang, zhèng zhàn zài nàlǐ děng tā.
The hall was quiet. A girl in a green dress stood there, waiting for him.
- Liang Shanbo 你……你真的是英台？
Nǐ… nǐ zhēn de shì Yīngtái?
You... you're really Yingtai?
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，是我。我等了你好久，你终于来了。
Liáng xiōng, shì wǒ. Wǒ děng le nǐ hǎo jiǔ, nǐ zhōngyú lái le.
Brother Liang, it's me. I've waited so long for you, and at last you've come.
- Liang Shanbo 你是女孩子……难怪你每天晚上，都要在床上放一碗水！
Nǐ shì nǚháizi… nánguài nǐ měi tiān wǎnshang, dōu yào zài chuáng shàng fàng yì wǎn shuǐ!
You're a girl... No wonder you set a bowl of water on the bed every night!
- Liang Shanbo 难怪你不跟我们下河，难怪你的手那么小！
Nánguài nǐ bù gēn wǒmen xià hé, nánguài nǐ de shǒu nàme xiǎo!
No wonder you never came into the river with us! No wonder your hands were so small!
- Liang Shanbo 那两只蝴蝶，那一对鸳鸯，你说的都是我们两个！
Nà liǎng zhī húdié, nà yí duì yuānyāng, nǐ shuō de dōu shì wǒmen liǎng gè!
The two butterflies, the pair of mandarin ducks: you were talking about the two of us all along!
- Liang Shanbo 还有那个妹妹……那个妹妹，就是你自己！
Hái yǒu nàge mèimei… nàge mèimei, jiù shì nǐ zìjǐ!
And that sister... that sister was you all along!
- Zhu Yingtai 书呆子，你现在才明白啊？
Shūdāizi, nǐ xiànzài cái míngbai a?
Bookworm, you've only just worked that out?
- Zhu Yingtai 三年了，我天天都想告诉你，可是我不能说。
Sān nián le, wǒ tiāntiān dōu xiǎng gàosu nǐ, kěshì wǒ bù néng shuō.
For three years I wanted to tell you every day, but I couldn't say it.
- Liang Shanbo 哈哈！我说过，要是你是女孩子，我一定娶你。你真的是女孩子啊！
Hāhā! Wǒ shuō guo, yàoshi nǐ shì nǚháizi, wǒ yídìng qǔ nǐ. Nǐ zhēn de shì nǚháizi a!
Ha ha! I said that if you were a girl, I'd marry you for sure. And you really are a girl!
- Liang Shanbo 英台，我今天就去跟祝老爷提亲。我们要做一辈子的夫妻！
Yīngtái, wǒ jīntiān jiù qù gēn Zhù lǎoye tíqīn. Wǒmen yào zuò yíbèizi de fūqī!
Yingtai, I'll ask Master Zhu for your hand this very day. We'll be husband and wife for life!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄……已经来不及了。
Liáng xiōng… yǐjīng láibují le.
Brother Liang... it's already too late.
- Liang Shanbo 来不及了？英台，你这是什么意思？
Láibují le? Yīngtái, nǐ zhè shì shénme yìsi?
Too late? Yingtai, what do you mean?
- Zhu Yingtai 你没看见吗？大堂里这些红红的东西，都是马家的聘礼。
Nǐ méi kànjiàn ma? Dàtáng lǐ zhèxiē hónghóng de dōngxi, dōu shì Mǎ jiā de pìnlǐ.
Didn't you see? All these red things in the hall are betrothal gifts from the Ma family.
- Zhu Yingtai 夏天的时候，爸爸就答应了安乐村的马家。明年二月，我就要嫁过去了。
Xiàtiān de shíhou, bàba jiù dāying le Ānlè Cūn de Mǎ jiā. Míngnián èryuè, wǒ jiù yào jià guòqù le.
Back in the summer, Father promised me to the Ma family of Anle Village. In the second month of next year, I'm to marry into their house.
- Liang Shanbo 马家？明年二月，你就要嫁到马家去？
Mǎ jiā? Míngnián èryuè, nǐ jiù yào jià dào Mǎ jiā qù?
The Ma family? In the second month you're to marry into the Ma family?
- Yinxin 梁公子，你怎么现在才来？小姐天天等你，眼睛都哭红了！
Liáng gōngzǐ, nǐ zěnme xiànzài cái lái? Xiǎojie tiāntiān děng nǐ, yǎnjing dōu kū hóng le!
Young Master Liang, why have you only come now? Miss waited for you every day and cried her eyes red!
- Sijiu 不是我们公子不想来！我们家太太病了，公子照顾了她一个夏天，一个秋天！
Bú shì wǒmen gōngzǐ bù xiǎng lái! Wǒmen jiā tàitai bìng le, gōngzǐ zhàogù le tā yí gè xiàtiān, yí gè qiūtiān!
It's not that my young master didn't want to come! His mother fell ill, and he nursed her all summer and all autumn!
- Zhu Yingtai 原来是这样……梁兄，不是你的错。我真后悔，在路上为什么不跟你说清楚？
Yuánlái shì zhèyàng… Liáng xiōng, bú shì nǐ de cuò. Wǒ zhēn hòuhuǐ, zài lù shàng wèi shénme bù gēn nǐ shuō qīngchu?
So that's why... Brother Liang, it isn't your fault. I regret it so much. Why didn't I tell you plainly on the road?
- Liang Shanbo 不对，是我太笨了。我说好两个月就来，可是我来晚了，我来晚了！
Bú duì, shì wǒ tài bèn le. Wǒ shuō hǎo liǎng gè yuè jiù lái, kěshì wǒ lái wǎn le, wǒ lái wǎn le!
No, it's my fault. I was too dense to see it. I promised to come within two months, and I came too late. Too late!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，没有用的。爸爸答应了的事，从来不会改。
Liáng xiōng, méiyǒu yòng de. Bàba dāying le de shì, cónglái bú huì gǎi.
Brother Liang, it's no use. Once Father has given his word, he never takes it back.
- Liang Shanbo 不！我要自己去求你爸爸！
Bù! Wǒ yào zìjǐ qù qiú nǐ bàba!
No! I'll go and beg your father myself!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who comes out of the gate to bring Shanbo in?
“梁公子，我们小姐请您到大堂里坐。”……“你怎么穿上女孩子的裙子了？”
- What does Shanbo finally understand about the 'sister'?
“那个妹妹，就是你自己！”
- Why does Yingtai say it is too late?
“夏天的时候，爸爸就答应了安乐村的马家。”
- Why did Shanbo come so late?
“我们家太太病了，公子照顾了她一个夏天，一个秋天！”
- What does Shanbo decide at the end?
“我要自己去求你爸爸！”