Chang'e and the Moon · chapter 2 of 3
The Elixir
不死药
It's the night of the full moon, and Hou Yi is away. Peng Meng comes for the elixir, and Chang'e has one terrible choice to make.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 八月十五那天，月亮又大又圆。
Bā yuè shíwǔ nà tiān, yuèliang yòu dà yòu yuán.
On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the moon was big and round.
- Hou Yi 嫦娥，今天我带学生们去山里打猎。晚上月亮出来的时候，我就回来。
Cháng'é, jīntiān wǒ dài xuéshengmen qù shān lǐ dǎliè. Wǎnshang yuèliang chūlái de shíhou, wǒ jiù huílái.
Chang'e, today I'm taking the students hunting in the mountains. I'll be back when the moon comes out tonight.
- Peng Meng 师父，我病了，头很疼，身上也不舒服，今天不能去了。
Shīfu, wǒ bìng le, tóu hěn téng, shēnshang yě bù shūfu, jīntiān bù néng qù le.
Master, I'm sick. My head hurts and I don't feel well. I can't go today.
- Hou Yi 那你回家好好休息吧。嫦娥，家里就交给你了。
Nà nǐ huí jiā hǎohǎo xiūxi ba. Cháng'é, jiā lǐ jiù jiāo gěi nǐ le.
Then go home and get some rest. Chang'e, I'm leaving the house in your hands.
- Chang'e 蓬蒙病了？早上我还看见他在练射箭。他在想什么呢？我还是把不死药带在身上吧。
Péng Méng bìng le? Zǎoshang wǒ hái kànjiàn tā zài liàn shèjiàn. Tā zài xiǎng shénme ne? Wǒ háishi bǎ bù sǐ yào dài zài shēnshang ba.
Peng Meng is sick? This morning I saw him practicing archery. What is he up to? I'd better keep the elixir with me.
- Narrator 天黑以后，院子里只有嫦娥一个人。这时候，蓬蒙拿着刀走了进来。
Tiān hēi yǐhòu, yuànzi lǐ zhǐyǒu Cháng'é yí gè rén. Zhè shíhou, Péng Méng názhe dāo zǒu le jìnlái.
After dark, Chang'e was alone in the courtyard. Just then, Peng Meng walked in with a sword in his hand.
- Peng Meng 嫦娥，师父不在家，没有人能帮你。快把不死药给我！
Cháng'é, shīfu bú zài jiā, méiyǒu rén néng bāng nǐ. Kuài bǎ bù sǐ yào gěi wǒ!
Chang'e, the master isn't home, and no one can help you. Give me the elixir, now!
- Chang'e 蓬蒙，你不是病了吗？你是后羿的学生，怎么能这样做？
Péng Méng, nǐ bú shì bìng le ma? Nǐ shì Hòu Yì de xuésheng, zěnme néng zhèyàng zuò?
Peng Meng, weren't you sick? You're Hou Yi's student. How can you do this?
- Peng Meng 学生？我不想做学生了！我要永远活着，我要做神仙！
Xuésheng? Wǒ bù xiǎng zuò xuésheng le! Wǒ yào yǒngyuǎn huózhe, wǒ yào zuò shénxiān!
Student? I'm done being a student! I want to live forever. I want to be an immortal!
- Chang'e 不死药就在我手里。可是，我不会给你！
Bù sǐ yào jiù zài wǒ shǒu lǐ. Kěshì, wǒ bú huì gěi nǐ!
The elixir is right here in my hand. But I will never give it to you!
- Peng Meng 不给？你打得过我吗？那我就自己来拿！
Bù gěi? Nǐ dǎ de guò wǒ ma? Nà wǒ jiù zìjǐ lái ná!
You won't? Do you think you can fight me? Then I'll just take it!
- Chang'e 他有刀，我打不过他。如果坏人喝了药，他会永远活着，永远做坏事。
Tā yǒu dāo, wǒ dǎ bú guò tā. Rúguǒ huàirén hē le yào, tā huì yǒngyuǎn huózhe, yǒngyuǎn zuò huàishì.
He has a sword, and I can't fight him. If a bad man drinks the elixir, he'll live forever and do evil forever.
- Chang'e 不行，我不能给他。后羿，对不起……
Bù xíng, wǒ bù néng gěi tā. Hòu Yì, duìbuqǐ…
No. I can't let him have it. Hou Yi, I'm sorry…
- Peng Meng 你……你把药喝了？！那是我的！
Nǐ… nǐ bǎ yào hē le?! Nà shì wǒ de!
You… you drank it?! That was mine!
- Peng Meng 你的脚离开地了……你怎么飞起来了？！
Nǐ de jiǎo líkāi dì le… nǐ zěnme fēi qǐlái le?!
Your feet are off the ground… why are you flying?!
- Chang'e 不，我不想走！后羿！后羿，你快回来！
Bù, wǒ bù xiǎng zǒu! Hòu Yì! Hòu Yì, nǐ kuài huílái!
No, I don't want to go! Hou Yi! Hou Yi, come back!
- Chang'e 我不去天上。月亮离后羿最近，我就留在月亮上，天天看着他吧。
Wǒ bú qù tiānshàng. Yuèliang lí Hòu Yì zuì jìn, wǒ jiù liú zài yuèliang shang, tiāntiān kànzhe tā ba.
I won't go up to heaven. The moon is the closest place to Hou Yi. I'll stay on the moon and watch over him every day.
- Narrator 月亮上很冷，很安静。只有一棵桂花树，和一只白色的小兔子。
Yuèliang shang hěn lěng, hěn ānjìng. Zhǐyǒu yì kē guìhuā shù, hé yì zhī báisè de xiǎo tùzi.
The moon was cold and silent. There was only an osmanthus tree and a little white rabbit.
- Hou Yi 嫦娥，我回来了！嫦娥，你在哪儿？
Cháng'é, wǒ huílái le! Cháng'é, nǐ zài nǎr?
Chang'e, I'm home! Chang'e, where are you?
- The Neighbor 后羿，不好了！蓬蒙拿着刀来了，嫦娥把药喝了，飞到天上去了！蓬蒙也跑了！
Hòu Yì, bù hǎo le! Péng Méng názhe dāo lái le, Cháng'é bǎ yào hē le, fēi dào tiānshàng qù le! Péng Méng yě pǎo le!
Hou Yi, something terrible happened! Peng Meng came with a sword. Chang'e drank the elixir and flew up into the sky! And Peng Meng ran away!
- Hou Yi 今天的月亮，怎么这么亮……嫦娥，是你在上面看着我吗？
Jīntiān de yuèliang, zěnme zhème liàng… Cháng'é, shì nǐ zài shàngmiàn kànzhe wǒ ma?
Why is the moon so bright tonight… Chang'e, is that you up there, watching me?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Peng Meng stay behind when the others go hunting?
“师父，我病了，头很疼……今天不能去了。”
- Why does Chang'e keep the elixir with her?
“蓬蒙病了？早上我还看见他在练射箭……我还是把不死药带在身上吧。”
- What does Peng Meng want?
“我要永远活着，我要做神仙！”
- Why does Chang'e drink the elixir?
“如果坏人喝了药，他会永远活着，永远做坏事。”
- Why does Chang'e stay on the moon?
“月亮离后羿最近，我就留在月亮上……”