Chang'e and the Moon · chapter 2 of 3
The Elixir
不死药
On the night of the full moon, Hou Yi is away and a 'sick' student comes back with a sword. Chang'e has one terrible choice to make.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 八月十五那天早上，天很蓝。人们说，今天晚上的月亮会又大又圆。
Bā yuè shíwǔ nà tiān zǎoshang, tiān hěn lán. Rénmen shuō, jīntiān wǎnshang de yuèliang huì yòu dà yòu yuán.
On the morning of the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the sky was blue. People said the moon would be big and round that night.
- Hou Yi 嫦娥，今天我带学生们去山里。晚上月亮出来的时候，我就回来。
Cháng'é, jīntiān wǒ dài xuéshengmen qù shān lǐ. Wǎnshang yuèliang chūlái de shíhou, wǒ jiù huílái.
Chang'e, today I'm taking the students up into the mountains. I'll be back when the moon comes out tonight.
- Chang'e 早点回来。今天晚上，我们一起看又大又圆的月亮。
Zǎo diǎn huílái. Jīntiān wǎnshang, wǒmen yìqǐ kàn yòu dà yòu yuán de yuèliang.
Come home early. Tonight we'll watch the big round moon together.
- Peng Meng 哎哟……师父，我病了。我的头好疼，今天不能去了。
Āiyō… Shīfu, wǒ bìng le. Wǒ de tóu hǎo téng, jīntiān bù néng qù le.
Ow… Master, I'm sick. My head hurts so much. I can't go today.
- Hou Yi 你哪儿不舒服？头哪边疼？
Nǐ nǎr bù shūfu? Tóu nǎ biān téng?
Where does it hurt? Which side of your head?
- Peng Meng 左边……不，右边！两边都疼！哎哟……
Zuǒbian… bù, yòubian! Liǎng biān dōu téng! Āiyō…
The left… no, the right! Both sides hurt! Ow…
- Hou Yi 那你回家好好休息吧，多喝点热水。嫦娥，家里就交给你了。
Nà nǐ huí jiā hǎohǎo xiūxi ba, duō hē diǎn rè shuǐ. Cháng'é, jiā lǐ jiù jiāo gěi nǐ le.
Then go home, rest, and drink plenty of hot water. 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习射箭。他在想什么呢？
Péng Méng bìng le? Zǎoshang wǒ hái kànjiàn tā zài liànxí shèjiàn. Tā zài xiǎng shénme ne?
Peng Meng is sick? This morning I saw him practicing archery. What is he up to?
- Chang'e 我还是把不死药从盒子里拿出来，带在身上吧。
Wǒ háishi bǎ bùsǐ yào cóng hézi lǐ ná chūlái, dài zài shēn shàng ba.
I'd better take the elixir out of the box and keep it 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 zhǐ yǒu Cháng'é yí gè rén. Zhè shíhou, Péng Méng ná zhe 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 bùsǐ 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，你的头不疼了吗？你是后羿的学生，怎么能这样做？
Péng Méng, nǐ de tóu bù téng le ma? Nǐ shì Hòu Yì de xuésheng, zěnme néng zhèyàng zuò?
Peng Meng, your head doesn't hurt anymore? 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 huó zhe, 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！
Bùsǐ 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。后羿离这儿太远了……
Tā yǒu dāo, wǒ dǎ bu guò tā. Hòu Yì lí zhèr tài yuǎn le…
He has a sword. I can't fight him. And Hou Yi is so far away…
- Chang'e 如果坏人喝了药，他就会永远活着，永远做坏事。
Rúguǒ huàirén hē le yào, tā jiù huì yǒngyuǎn huó zhe, yǒngyuǎn zuò huàishì.
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… they're 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 我不去天上做神仙。月亮离后羿最近，我就住在月亮上，天天看着他吧。
Wǒ bú qù tiān shàng zuò shénxiān. Yuèliang lí Hòu Yì zuì jìn, wǒ jiù zhù zài yuèliang shàng, tiāntiān kàn zhe tā ba.
I won't go to heaven to be an immortal. The moon is closest to Hou Yi. I'll live on the moon and watch over him every day.
- Chang'e 月亮上好冷，好安静啊。只有一棵桂花树，和一只白色的小兔子。
Yuèliang shàng hǎo lěng, hǎo ānjìng a. Zhǐ yǒu yì kē guìhuā shù, hé yì zhī báisè de xiǎo tùzi.
It's so cold and quiet on the moon. There's 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！我在门口都看见了，蓬蒙拿着刀来了！
Hòu Yì, bù hǎo le! Wǒ zài ménkǒu dōu kànjiàn le, Péng Méng ná zhe dāo lái le!
Hou Yi, something terrible happened! I saw it all from my door. Peng Meng came here with a sword!
- Hou Yi 蓬蒙？他不是病了吗？嫦娥呢？她怎么样了？
Péng Méng? Tā bú shì bìng le ma? Cháng'é ne? Tā zěnmeyàng le?
Peng Meng? Wasn't he sick? Where's Chang'e? Is she all right?
- The Neighbor 嫦娥把药喝了，飞到天上去了！蓬蒙看见了，也吓得跑了。
Cháng'é bǎ yào hē le, fēi dào tiān shàng qù le! Péng Méng kànjiàn le, yě xià de pǎo le.
Chang'e drank the elixir and flew up into the sky! Peng Meng saw it and ran off in fright.
- Hou Yi 嫦娥！嫦娥！你回来啊！
Cháng'é! Cháng'é! Nǐ huílái a!
Chang'e! Chang'e! Come back!
- Hou Yi 今天的月亮，怎么这么亮……
Jīntiān de yuèliang, zěnme zhème liàng…
Why is the moon so bright tonight…
- Hou Yi 嫦娥，是你在上面看着我吗？
Cháng'é, shì nǐ zài shàngmiàn kàn zhe wǒ ma?
Chang'e, is that you up there, watching me?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Peng Meng say he can't go to the mountains?
“左边……不，右边！两边都疼！……早上我还看见他在练习射箭。”
- What does Chang'e do with the elixir before night falls?
“我还是把不死药从盒子里拿出来，带在身上吧。”
- Why does Chang'e drink the elixir?
“如果坏人喝了药，他就会永远活着，永远做坏事。”
- Why does Chang'e choose to live on the moon?
“月亮离后羿最近，我就住在月亮上，天天看着他吧。”
- What happened to Peng Meng after Chang'e flew away?
“蓬蒙看见了，也吓得跑了。”