Chang'e and the Moon · chapter 1 of 3
Ten Suns
十个太阳
Ten suns are burning up the earth. An archer takes up his great red bow, and soon he holds a gift meant for only one person.
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- Narrator 很久很久以前，天上有十个太阳。它们每天一起出来，地上热得像火一样。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, tiānshàng yǒu shí gè tàiyáng. Tāmen měi tiān yìqǐ chūlái, dì shang rè de xiàng huǒ yíyàng.
Long, long ago, there were ten suns in the sky. They rose together every day, and the earth grew as hot as fire.
- Chang'e 后羿，你看那些孩子。他们已经三天没喝水了，也没有饭吃。
Hòu Yì, nǐ kàn nàxiē háizi. Tāmen yǐjīng sān tiān méi hē shuǐ le, yě méiyǒu fàn chī.
Hou Yi, look at those children. They haven't had a drop of water in three days, and there's nothing to eat.
- Hou Yi 河干了，树也死了，不能再这样下去了！嫦娥，把我的弓和箭拿来！
Hé gān le, shù yě sǐ le, bù néng zài zhèyàng xiàqu le! Cháng'é, bǎ wǒ de gōng hé jiàn ná lái!
The rivers are dry and the trees are dead. It can't go on like this! Chang'e, bring me my bow and arrows!
- Chang'e 给你！你是世界上射箭射得最好的人。我相信你！
Gěi nǐ! Nǐ shì shìjiè shang shèjiàn shè de zuì hǎo de rén. Wǒ xiāngxìn nǐ!
Here! No one in the world shoots better than you. I believe in you!
- Hou Yi 一支箭，一个太阳。我一支也不能射错。
Yì zhī jiàn, yí gè tàiyáng. Wǒ yì zhī yě bù néng shè cuò.
One arrow, one sun. I can't miss a single shot.
- Narrator 后羿拉开红色的大弓。第一支箭飞上了天。
Hòu Yì lākāi hóngsè de dà gōng. Dì yī zhī jiàn fēi shàng le tiān.
Hou Yi drew back his great red bow. The first arrow flew up into the sky.
- Chang'e 你看，一个太阳掉下来了！
Nǐ kàn, yí gè tàiyáng diào xiàlái le!
Look! One of the suns is falling!
- Hou Yi 还有九个！
Hái yǒu jiǔ gè!
Nine to go!
- Chang'e 两个，三个，四个，天不那么热了！五个，六个，七个，八个，九个！
Liǎng gè, sān gè, sì gè, tiān bú nàme rè le! Wǔ gè, liù gè, qī gè, bā gè, jiǔ gè!
Two, three, four, and it's not so hot anymore! Five, six, seven, eight, nine!
- Chang'e 等一下！后羿，留下一个吧！没有太阳，地上会太冷，花和树也长不大。
Děng yíxià! Hòu Yì, liúxià yí gè ba! Méiyǒu tàiyáng, dì shang huì tài lěng, huā hé shù yě zhǎng bú dà.
Wait! Hou Yi, leave one! Without any sun, the earth will be too cold, and flowers and trees won't grow.
- Hou Yi 你说得对。那就留下这一个吧。
Nǐ shuō de duì. Nà jiù liúxià zhè yí gè ba.
You're right. Then this one stays.
- Narrator 从那天起，天上只有一个太阳，就是今天的太阳。下雨了，地上又长出了绿色。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, tiānshàng zhǐyǒu yí gè tàiyáng, jiù shì jīntiān de tàiyáng. Xià yǔ le, dì shang yòu zhǎngchū le lǜsè.
From that day on, there was only one sun in the sky, the same sun that shines today. The rain came, and green grew over the land again.
- Peng Meng 师父！您救了我们大家。我叫蓬蒙，我也想跟您学射箭！
Shīfu! Nín jiù le wǒmen dàjiā. Wǒ jiào Péng Méng, wǒ yě xiǎng gēn nín xué shèjiàn!
Master! You saved us all. My name is Peng Meng. I want to learn archery from you too!
- Chang'e 后羿，我不喜欢那个蓬蒙的眼睛。他看东西的时候，好像什么都想要。
Hòu Yì, wǒ bù xǐhuan nàge Péng Méng de yǎnjing. Tā kàn dōngxi de shíhou, hǎoxiàng shénme dōu xiǎng yào.
Hou Yi, I don't like the look in Peng Meng's eyes. When he looks at things, it's as if he wants them all.
- Hou Yi 别担心。他只是想学射箭，我会好好教他的。
Bié dānxīn. Tā zhǐshì xiǎng xué shèjiàn, wǒ huì hǎohǎo jiāo tā de.
Don't worry. He only wants to learn archery. I'll teach him well.
- Chang'e 后羿，你带回来的这个小瓶子真漂亮。是从哪儿来的？
Hòu Yì, nǐ dài huílái de zhège xiǎo píngzi zhēn piàoliang. Shì cóng nǎr lái de?
Hou Yi, what a pretty little bottle you brought home. Where did it come from?
- Hou Yi 是天上的王母娘娘送给我的。里面是不死药，喝了它，就能飞上天，永远不会死。
Shì tiānshàng de Wángmǔ Niángniang sòng gěi wǒ de. Lǐmiàn shì bù sǐ yào, hē le tā, jiù néng fēi shàng tiān, yǒngyuǎn bú huì sǐ.
It's a gift from the Queen Mother of the West, up in heaven. Inside is the elixir of immortality. Drink it, and you rise into the sky and never die.
- Chang'e 那你快喝吧！你救了那么多人。
Nà nǐ kuài hē ba! Nǐ jiù le nàme duō rén.
Then drink it! You saved so many people.
- Hou Yi 可是，它只够一个人喝。没有你，活一万年又有什么意思？
Kěshì, tā zhǐ gòu yí gè rén hē. Méiyǒu nǐ, huó yí wàn nián yòu yǒu shénme yìsi?
But there's only enough for one. Without you, what would be the point of living ten thousand years?
- Chang'e 好，那我把它放在这个木盒子里。
Hǎo, nà wǒ bǎ tā fàng zài zhège mù hézi lǐ.
All right. Then I'll keep it in this wooden box.
- Narrator 门外，有一双眼睛，看见了这一切。
Mén wài, yǒu yì shuāng yǎnjing, kànjiàn le zhè yíqiè.
Outside the door, a pair of eyes had seen it all.
- Peng Meng 不死药……原来在木盒子里。
Bù sǐ yào… yuánlái zài mù hézi lǐ.
The elixir… so that's where it is. In the wooden box.
What changed in the story?
- What is wrong with the world at the start?
“天上有十个太阳……地上热得像火一样。”
- Why does Chang'e ask Hou Yi to leave one sun?
“没有太阳，地上会太冷，花和树也长不大。”
- What worries Chang'e about Peng Meng?
“我不喜欢那个蓬蒙的眼睛……好像什么都想要。”
- Why won't Hou Yi drink the elixir?
“它只够一个人喝。没有你，活一万年又有什么意思？”
- Who finds out where the elixir is kept?
“门外，有一双眼睛，看见了这一切……原来在木盒子里。”